All about vaccination of cats
Vaccinating your cat is important to keep it as healthy as possible. When you vaccinate your cat, you protect it from cat flu and feline distemper, avoid unnecessary suffering and prevent the spread of disease to other cats. Many cat owners wonder when they really need to vaccinate their cat, and what exactly are cats vaccinated against?
When does your cat need to be vaccinated?
Kittens are vaccinated at 8 and 12 weeks of age, before you bring your kitten home. Usually the breeder has made sure the kitten has had both the 8-week and 12-week vaccinations before the kitten is delivered. Always check this with the breeder to see if you need to take the kitten to the vet to get its 12-week vaccination.
The vaccination that kittens receive at 8 and 12 weeks of age is the basic vaccination for your cat. The next vaccination is then given at 1 year of age. Adult cats are then vaccinated annually against feline distemper and every three years against feline influenza.
What are cats vaccinated against?
CSF is a serious disease that is both highly contagious and often fatal for cats of all ages. CSF is caused by a parvovirus. Due to vaccination, the disease in Sweden is quite uncommon. The risk of your cat contracting CSF is everywhere there are unvaccinated cats. Cats that are properly vaccinated should have developed protection against the parvovirus, which means that they do not usually get sick and they do not spread the virus to other cats.
Feline rhinitis is an umbrella term for several different viruses and bacteria that can cause upper respiratory symptoms. This means that the cat has an upper respiratory infection which can affect the nose, sinuses, larynx, trachea and in some cases the eyes.
If you are travelling abroad, it is usually required that your cat has had a rabies vaccination; this applies to all countries except Norway. Always check well in advance of your trip what vaccinations your cat needs to have in order to enter the country you are travelling to.
Do I need to vaccinate my indoor cat?
Not only do outdoor cats need to be vaccinated, but it is also important that indoor cats are vaccinated. This is because infection can be carried indirectly into the home through clothing and shoes, for example. Adult indoor cats without any exposure to other cats can sometimes vaccinate only every three years, with the combination vaccine.
