Cat vaccines are biological formulas that contain a small amount of disease producing organisms that trigger an immune response in pets. These vaccines are essential for a cat's health since they build the pet's immune system and prevent them from contracting diseases that cause death. The AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) recommends the administration of core vaccines to all pets. Non-core vaccines on the other hand, are administered to pets that are at great risk of contracting other infections. Most kittens receive their first dose of vaccine as early as six weeks of age and then receive follow up shots annually or every three years. Although vaccines are highly recommended, there has been increasing controversy about the safety of a few vaccines, especially those that contain adjuvants. You should talk to your vet to find out which vaccines and vaccine protocols are best suited to your cat.
Single Dose Vaccines
Vaccines should ideally be administered by a vet, because only a trained professional can tell you which vaccine is suited to your cat. Moreover, each vaccine has to be administered in a particular manner so that the risk of developing vaccine reactions is reduced. The AAFP recommends single dose vaccines because the pet will receive only the required amount of vaccine. This prevents any accidental overdose. Although some vaccines are administered as multiple component vaccines, you should avoid administering combination vaccines that aren't recommended by the AAFP. This is because the number of antigens present in combination vaccines is high. The higher the amount of antigen present in the vaccine, the greater the cat's risk of developing adverse reactions. To find out which ones are available as single dose vaccines, you need to know more about the types of core vaccines that are administered to felines.
Feline Core Vaccines
- Feline panleukopenia
- Feline rhinotracheitis
- Feline calicivirus
- Rabies
- Feline leukemia (for pets at risk)
Vaccine Recommendations
Although some vaccines are initially administered as two doses, most pets will be given a single dose booster vaccine after a pre-determined period of time. The Schering Plough 3 vaccine protects pets from feline rhinotracheitis, feline calcivirus and panleukopenia. If the pet is vaccinated at nine weeks of age, the recommendation is a single dose (1ml) that should be injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly and repeated after three weeks. Such pets also require a single dose booster shot once a year. Alternatively, the vet may choose to administer the FELOVAX LV-K-4 vaccine that provides protection from feline rhinotracheitis, feline calicivirus, panleukopenia and chlamydia psittaci. This vaccine is also administered as a single shot and repeated after four weeks. All pets will require a booster shot every year.
If your cat is at risk of contracting feline leukemia, the vet might recommend the Feline Focus 5 vaccine. This is a modified live vaccine that protects your pet from the feline rhinotracheitis, calcivirus, panleukopenia, chlamydia and feline leukemia virus. It's administered as a single dose to pets that are nine to ten weeks old and then repeated after three weeks. This vaccine should also be administered as an annual followup shot.
Since each animal responds differently to vaccines and medication, it's important to monitor pets that have recently been vaccinated. If the cat develops any adverse reactions, seek medical help at the earliest.