What's the Deal with Kitten Vaccines? · Vet Tips

Both initial vaccinations and boosters are vital to give your new kitten the best chance of a long and healthy life. They’re an expense that every new pet parent should budget for. Luckily, Dr. Kirsten is here to break down your kitten’s vaccination schedule - whether you’re in the UK or US.

TRANSCRIPT

just brought home a new kitten? then you probably already know that one of the first items on your to-do list needs to be their vaccinations but why is getting your cat vaccinated so important what ones do they need and when I'm going to talk you through all these questions and more in this video guide now vaccinations help protect your kitten from serious and potentially fatal infectious diseases mainly given an injection form they work by stimulating their immune system to produce antibodies that can then fight off these potential infectious Invaders by making sure your new cat has all the recommended vaccines and keeping up with their boosters you're not only safeguarding the health of your own pet but you're also helping protect others as well the vaccinations that your kitten needs may vary depending on where you live whether you travel with your pet and also what kind of exposure they have to other animals now there's going to be some common vaccines that most pets should receive so let's go over that schedule in order your kittens should generally be given their first round of vaccines around the time of 8 weeks of age and in the UK this typically includes an initial course for a group of common respirator diseases as well as one that can significantly impact the immune system the first vaccine is typically a combination of our common infectious respiratory viruses in cats and includes protection against these three diseases the first is feline herpes virus 1 which is also known as feline infectious rhinotracheitis the second is feline kisi virus and the third is feline panleucopenia virus now all of these viruses are spread via infected bodily fluids such as saliva or nasal discharge and they're often rapidly spread in high volume low ventilation environments directly from cat to cat but can also be passed via contaminated surfaces and objects now the second vaccine is for feline leukemia virus or FV for short this is a very serious incurable virus that can significantly impact the immune system affecting your cat's ability to fight off infection eventually this can have some really serious health consequences for your cat and sometimes causes cancer to develop down the line FV is most common in unvaccinated outdoor cats and spreads through contact via infected bodily fluids like saliva urine feces and nasal discharge so this is always recommended for young outdoor cats to be kittens are extremely susceptible to Contracting the virus but cats of any age can become infected and one of the most common ways we see this being transmitted is between biting and fighting of cats outside depending on your kitten and your vets recommendations each illness requires two sometimes three vaccinations usually given 3 to four weeks apart after that your cat will need a round of Boo boosters at the one year mark and then a booster every 1 to 3 years after that depending on things like their risk level and their lifestyle for our UK cats those are our key vaccinations and they'll be fully protected against these a few weeks after the second shot and their initial boosters however for cats living outside of or traveling outside of the UK rabies vaccinations are usually highly recommended or legally required now this will be given when your cat is over 12 weeks of age with a booster one year later after this a booster every 1 to 3 years is needed depending on the product used to stay protected remember if you live in the UK it's only a requirement to have your cat vaccinated against rabies if you wish to travel abroad with them remember until your new cat has completed their vet recommended course of vaccinations they ideally should not be going outside or coming into contact with potentially unvaccinated kitties it's all to help keep both your cat and others safe