Which vaccine for a cat? Which are mandatory, which are recommended for a cat that does not go out or for a cat that goes out often? Here are the questions that people who come fromadopt a kitten or who have collected a abandoned cat or lost.
Indeed, we all know that vaccination is recommended to protect the health of cats and especially to prevent them from deadly diseases. But do we have to vaccinate a cat? What are the risks of not vaccinating your cat if it never goes out? What vaccines to give to a cat that has just been collected?
Here is some useful information and recommendations to understand which vaccine for which cat?
What are cat vaccines?
There are 5 vaccines that protect cats from these diseases:
- Typhus or Feline Pan Leukopenia
- coryza
- Leukemia (FeLV)
- Feline Leukosis or Feline Leukemia Virus
- Rage
- Feline Chlamydiosis (but not fully effective)
Which vaccine for a kitten?
All veterinarians recommend giving all kittens a primary vaccination which is done in three steps:
- at 8 weeks,
- at 12 weeks,
- at 16 weeks.
It's here basic vaccination of most cats. This primary vaccination contains the vaccine against Typhus + the vaccine against Corysa.
This vaccination is important because the typhus is a very resistant virus that can spread very quickly in unvaccinated kittens. They will lose their appetite, be very tired, have a fever, vomit and may die. In fact, typhus is one of the deadly kitten diseases.
Concerning Corysa, it is a viral and/or bacterial respiratory disease. She looks like the cat cold but can be much more serious especially for young kittens.
Primary vaccination (Corysa + Typhus) is therefore essential for all kittens.
If your kitten has to travel outside of France, you will also need to have it vaccinated from the age of 12 weeks against rabies (lyssavirus or rhabdovirus). Indeed, rabies vaccination is mandatory for all cats traveling outside our borders.
Which vaccine for my cat?
Some vaccines for cats are optional. It's up to you whether you should vaccinate your cat based on:
- its way of life (cat that lives outside, cat that always lives inside or cat that lives inside and outside),
- his place of life, if he is in contact with other cats themselves vaccinated or not,
- his state of health and his antecedents (previous illnesses, heredity, risks).
: the one against feline leukosis (FeLV) or chlamydophilosis, another disease that is part of the coryza syndrome. They can also be associated with basic vaccines in the form of combined vaccines. As with dogs, the vaccine needs of kittens and adult cats are different.
What vaccine for a cat that does not go out?
Vaccination is strongly recommended to protect cats against serious diseases. However, a cat that stays indoors all the time and never goes out has little risk of catching a serious illness.
But as we saw above, the vaccination against Corysa and Typhus (primary vaccination) is recommended for all cats even for cats that don't go out.
Indeed, even if the cat does not go outside, bacteria or viruses can infect it by being transmitted from the outside through clothing, shoes or visits from other animals.
So, for a cat that does not go out, it will be necessary to provide the vaccine against Typhus and Corysa.
What vaccine for a cat that goes out?
For a cat that goes outside, the risk of contracting a disease is greater than for a cat that never goes out.
As a result, for a cat that goes out, it is recommended to have all the vaccines, namely:
- Typhoid
- coryza
- Leucosis
- Leukemia (FeLV)
- Rage
Here is why, in addition to the 2 basic vaccines (Typhus + Coryza), it is necessary to provide:
- La vaccination against leucosis : It is essential for a cat that goes out even occasionally. Indeed, leucosis is an infectious disease that is transmitted by contact with an infected cat. It is a disease that can be fatal for the cat because it affects its immune system.
- La vaccination against leukemia which is also recommended for cats that may be in contact with other cats. Indeed, this viral disease results from an infection by the feline leukemogenic virus (FeLV). It is transmitted from cat to cat which develop tumours, anemia and leukemia.
- Rabies vaccination which is mandatory for cats traveling to another country. It is also necessary for your cat if you go to Corsica, in the DOM TOM and even in the campings, Holiday rents and cat boarding. This vaccination is important to protect your cat from this deadly disease but also to protect humans because it can be transmitted from cats to humans.