Feline Vaccination Protocols
Vaccinations are a key part of preventive medicine for all animals. All of our vaccination protocols are based on the latest recommendations from the American Association of Feline Practitioners. For kittens, we begin with a series of vaccinations, usually starting around 8 weeks of age. The vaccinations are chosen based on the lifestyles and particular risk factors for the individual pet. After the series of vaccinations, the pet generally returns for booster vaccines one year later, then every year to three years depending on vaccinations needed. If your pet is on a every 3 year schedule, we still recommend annual exams for all pets. Any time a cat is vaccinated, he or she is at risk of developing a vaccine reaction. Vaccine reactions are usually limited to mild lethargy and potentially soreness at the vaccine site. In a very small number of cats can develop vaccine-induced sarcoma, which is part of the reason we like to tailor each cat's vaccination protocol specifically for him/her.
We offer the following vaccines for cats:
1. FVRCP - This vaccine helps protect your cat from rhinotracheitis, panleukopenia, and calicivirus, all of which can cause life-threatening disease in your cat. This is a CORE vaccine recommended for ALL cats.
2. Rabies - This vaccine helps protect your cat from rabies virus, which can cause life-threatening disease in both animals and people. Each year we have several rabies positive animals found in Yellowstone County, and this CORE vaccine is recommended for ALL cats. For cats, we prefer using the Merial Purevax Rabies vaccine, which is non-adjuvanted and less likely to cause an adverse reaction.
3. Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) - This vaccine helps protect your cat from feline leukemia virus. This virus is normally transmitted through close contact and is recommended for cats that go outdoors unsupervised or cats that live in multi-cat households where FeLV status is unknown or positive. All cats should be tested for FeLV before vaccination. This is a NON-CORE vaccine recommended for cats at risk, although it is recommended that all kittens have two Leukemia vaccines in their kitten series.
