Vaccination of cats and kittens is an integral part of pet care. All of them have diseases that are not at all dangerous to humans, but carry a mortal danger to animals.
The owner can bring pathogenic viruses into the house on shoes and clothes, thereby infecting the pet. That is why it is important to prevent the disease in time.
Why do cats need vaccinations?
Vaccinations for cats differ little from human vaccinations and any other vaccinations. The animal is injected with a drug containing weakened bacteria and viruses. When they enter the body, they provoke the production of specific antibodies, which in turn form a stable immune defense against harmful microbes and various diseases.
It is noteworthy that a cat must be vaccinated, even if the animal is constantly at home. The fact is that viruses that can infect a pet are literally everywhere. They can be found in the air, water and food of a cat, and a person can also carry the bacteria on his clothes.
The first vaccinations for a kitten are given at a very early age - 2 months. This helps to form a strong immune system and protect the baby from external harmful influences. Vaccination is carried out strictly in accordance with the approved schedule; before the injection, double deworming must be carried out with a break of 10 days. You also need to treat fleas and ticks on the animal’s body.
Immediately before the vaccine is administered, the pet is examined by a veterinary doctor, and additional tests are prescribed if necessary.
What to vaccinate against?
Most vaccines allow you to vaccinate a cat against the three most dangerous viral diseases - panleukopenia, calicivirus and rhinotracheitis. Some of them also protect against chlamydia. The rabies vaccination can be done separately, or the combined vaccine quadricat can be used. There are also separate vaccines for feline leukemia virus and FIP, but the effectiveness of these vaccines, especially the FIP vaccine, has been questioned by many.
Do not forget that no vaccination gives a 100% guarantee that your cat will not get sick. Vaccines contain a specific set of strains of each virus, but there is always a chance that you will encounter a rare or new strain - because viruses are constantly mutating. In this case, the vaccination may fail and the cat will get sick. Therefore, despite the fact that your cat is vaccinated, try to limit its contact with outside animals.
What diseases are cats vaccinated against, age and medications
When visiting a veterinary clinic with a small kitten or an adult cat, doctors recommend vaccinations against the following diseases:
- feline herpes virus, manifested as rhinotracheitis;
- calicivirus;
- feline distemper;
- chlamydia;
- infectious peritonitis;
- ringworm.
In some cases, preventive vaccinations are given against various types of parasites, for example, ticks, fleas and others. Today there are a huge number of drugs, which, as a rule, are administered in a complex manner.
A newborn kitten has the opportunity to be protected by antibodies obtained on the first day after birth. He receives them with his mother's colostrum during feeding. However, such immunity will not be able to protect the baby for longer than 16 weeks.
In addition, it should be understood that the kitten receives immunity only to those viruses and infections against which its mother was previously vaccinated.
It is not recommended to vaccinate a small cat before 10 weeks of age. Passive immunity received from the mother will prevent the body from effectively producing antibodies to diseases. However, if there is a danger of the animal becoming ill, the vaccine is given between 6 and 16 weeks of age.
The choice of vaccine and the age of the animal when the vaccination will be given is made exclusively by a veterinarian. This is explained by the fact that cats, like people, are highly individual, and you need to look at the pet’s health. But there is a general list of vaccines against diseases and the age of animals when these vaccinations need to be given.
It is advisory in nature and is not required to be strictly followed. When vaccinating, you should always follow the opinion of the observing specialist.
The first vaccination is carried out against respiratory diseases (rhinotracheitis, calcivirus and panleukopenia) - 9-12 weeks of the pet’s life. Together with them, a vaccination against chlamydia is given. Revaccination – after 2-4 weeks.
At 16 or 20 weeks of age, kittens are given a vaccine against infectious peritonitis. Repeated vaccinations are prescribed a year after the first.
Detailed terms, rules of use and adverse reactions can always be found in the instructions for the drug.
Care after vaccinations
The cat may not feel very well for 3-4 days after the injection. The animal shows little activity, sleeps more, eats 1 instead of 2-3 times a day. This phenomenon is considered the norm, since the body has directed all its forces to fight the introduced infection. Therefore, during this period it is important not to disturb the pet, constantly monitor its well-being, provide warmth, comfort, protect it from stress, and feed it as needed. If the owner notices that his four-legged friend has become worse, you should not self-medicate, but seek help from a veterinary clinic as soon as possible.
Mr. Cat recommends: Types of vaccines
There are four types of vaccines, which determine the duration of the vaccination and the range of effects on the body.
Depending on the impact, they are distinguished: monovalent and polyvalent. They are distinguished from each other by the degree of impact, protection from one specific disease or complex protection from two or more pathologies.
There are also active and inactive vaccines. They are divided by duration of action. The former contain live but weakened strains of bacteria and viruses, while the latter contain “dead” strains. Vaccinations with non-living pathogens will have a short duration of action.
Self-selection of a vaccine is not recommended. Only an experienced veterinarian can choose the drug that is most suitable for your pet.
What types are there?
Vaccines for cats and kittens are as follows:
There are different types of vaccination, during which a weakened pathogen is introduced into the body, stimulating the immune system.
- Monovalent. The drug helps develop immunity against one type of infectious disease.
- Polyvalent. A complex vaccination for cats, after administration of which antibodies are formed aimed at combating two or more pathologies.
- Active. The drug contains a weakened virus or fungus that causes asymptomatic infection with the subsequent development of a protective immune response. This vaccination lasts for a long time, protecting the cat from infection.
- Inactive. They contain a dead virus, to which protection is formed that lasts for a short time.
Rules for vaccination and revaccination
Vaccination is a very responsible event, before which your pet needs to be carefully prepared and its health status checked. It is important to check that on the day of vaccination the kitten is:
- active and cheerful;
- body temperature did not exceed 38-39°C;
- there was no discharge from the eyes, nose, as well as sneezing and coughing;
- the animal ate well.
Before vaccination, communication with other cats that show signs of illness is strictly prohibited. It is also important to remember that only pets over 2 months of age are eligible for vaccination.
10 days before the vaccine is administered, fleas and ticks on the animal’s fur and body should be treated. This can be done using special drops or collars.
They also carry out deworming, ridding the pet of possible infection with worms. It is better if this procedure is carried out twice with a break of 10 days.
It is not recommended to vaccinate within 3 weeks after surgery, if any. When treated with antibiotics, the medical tap is effective for 2 weeks. After this period, if all health indicators are present, the animal is vaccinated.
If the pet was picked up from the street, you need to undergo the necessary tests that will show the presence or absence of antibodies to certain types of diseases in the blood. It is strictly forbidden to re-vaccinate an animal.
The owner of a pet should obtain a veterinary passport, which will record the vaccination schedule, medications that were used and all health indicators of the pet.
To carry out vaccination, you need to choose an experienced doctor who will not allow violations during the procedure. Otherwise, complications or unwanted side effects may develop.
It is also better to entrust the choice of vaccine to a professional. However, you should adhere to the general rules for selecting medications:
- for a young kitten it is better to choose imported vaccines, since their effect on the body is milder;
- Vaccination is administered strictly in accordance with the instructions;
- You must first make sure that the expiration date of the substance is in accordance with the expiration date; it is unacceptable to use expired medicine.
For half an hour after administration, you need to sit within the walls of the veterinary clinic, observing the cat. At this time, an allergic reaction may develop. Therefore, it is better to be closer to the doctor at this moment.
The best vaccines
All drugs must have certificates certified by veterinary authorities. It is forbidden to use vaccines at your own discretion, without first consulting a veterinarian. The following vaccination preparations are considered effective:
Some of the effective drugs for the procedure are Quadricat and Leucorifelin.
- "Nobivak Triket";
- "Quadricate";
- "Leukorifelin";
- "Multifel-4";
- "Fel-O-Wax";
- "Microderm";
- "Polivak TM for cats";
- "Multifel";
- "Rabizin"
Vaccination schedule for cats
There is a generally accepted approximate vaccination schedule for cats and small kittens. In some cases, for a number of reasons, it is possible to deviate from the regimen and prescribe an individual set of vaccines.
| Name of the disease | First vaccine | Repeated vaccination |
| Calcivirosis | Between 8 and 12 weeks | A month later |
| Panleukopenia | At 8-12 weeks (simultaneous administration of vaccines is possible) | A month later |
| Rhinotracheitis | At 8-12 weeks (simultaneous administration of vaccines is possible) | A month later |
| Chlamydia | At 8-12 weeks (simultaneous administration of vaccines is possible) | A month later |
| Infectious type peritonitis | From 16 weeks | After 20 weeks |
| Trichophytosis and microsporia | From 8 weeks | After 10 weeks |
The timing of vaccinations may vary slightly depending on the cat’s health and the drug chosen. An individual vaccination schedule is selected only by an experienced veterinarian.
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Vaccination procedure
Even if you decide to entrust the vaccination to a veterinarian, you should know some general points in order to properly prepare your pet for the procedure:
1. In order for immunity to develop correctly and vaccination to take place without negative consequences, the animal must be healthy. Therefore, before vaccination, the veterinarian examines the cat, takes the temperature, and interviews the owner. It is also not recommended to vaccinate pregnant cats with vaccines containing live viruses;
2. 10-14 days before visiting the veterinarian it is necessary to carry out deworming. To do this, you should buy drops or tablets at any pharmacy. It is better to save the packaging - the veterinarian will paste the sticker from the drug into the veterinary passport. Without deworming, you will be denied vaccination;
3. You should take your pet to the clinic on an empty stomach, otherwise vomiting and diarrhea may occur due to stress or the vaccination itself. Take a towel or special diaper with you;
4. in the clinic, an unvaccinated kitten should not have contact with the environment and other animals;
5. the procedure itself lasts less than a minute, regardless of which drugs were chosen;
6. After vaccination (usually after re-vaccination), the veterinarian will issue a veterinary passport for the kitten. In most clinics this service is free or very inexpensive. The veterinary passport contains information about all vaccinations; if necessary, on the basis of this, a veterinary certificate is issued for transporting the animal on public transport or exporting it abroad.
Is it worth vaccinating if your cat lives at home?
As soon as I got a kitten, I planned to vaccinate him.
But somehow I didn’t immediately get vaccinated; I thought that this process could be postponed, especially since the animal lives at home. My cat has been house-kept since birth and does not know the streets, except for rare outings when necessary (veterinary clinic, transportation when moving).
Since I didn’t take my Mars for vaccination at an early age, I managed to become familiar with the consequences of such negligence on my part. At the age of 8 months, my cat suffered from panleukopenia, or, as it is otherwise called, distemper.
We caught it in time and started treatment, so the disease passed without consequences. In fact, panleukopenia is quite often fatal.
From that moment on, I am 100% sure that pets, even if they never leave the apartment, need to be vaccinated. We ourselves can bring viruses and bacteria on street shoes.
When should a kitten get its first vaccinations?
The first vaccination is given to kittens at eight to ten weeks of age. It makes no sense to vaccinate before this period, since babies retain the immunity they received from a vaccinated mother cat. After three to four weeks, repeated vaccination is carried out, after which the babies develop lasting immunity.
If for some reason you were unable to get vaccinated at this time or the kitten came to you at the age of three months, you will have to wait until its teeth change. You should not subject your baby’s already weakened immune system to additional stress.
It is safest to get your first vaccination at home. Please discuss this with your veterinarian in advance. An unvaccinated kitten, especially an older one, may become infected from other animals or their owners during a visit to the veterinary clinic.
Purchase the vaccine your doctor recommends from a reputable veterinary pharmacy. If you are going to get vaccinated at a clinic, you can buy the vaccine on site.
A kitten that has undergone any surgery is not vaccinated for at least 2 months.
If he just has to undergo surgery, he will have to postpone this event for a couple of weeks until immunity develops.
If the baby has taken antibiotics, vaccination can be done only 14 days after the end of treatment.
What is the first vaccination given to kittens?
The first vaccination is a comprehensive vaccination against calcivirosis, rhinotracheitis and panleukopenia. Your veterinarian may also suggest vaccinating your kitten against a disease such as feline chlamydia.
How to vaccinate a cat yourself
Before administering the vaccine, you must read the instructions. The instructions indicate how a particular vaccine is administered.
I always vaccinate my cat with the same vaccine - Nobivac Tricat and Rabies. The first vaccine is against three infections, the second is against rabies. You can choose any vaccine, including domestic ones, but in any case, read the instructions before use.
Nobivak is intended for subcutaneous administration. Subcutaneous injections are given to cats at the withers. The rabies vaccine can be injected into either the withers or the muscle.
So, let's consider both introduction options.
Prepare in advance:
- cotton wool or cotton pads;
- sterile syringes no more than 2 cubes, it is possible and even better to use an even smaller size, you can purchase insulin syringes, for an injection in the withers this is even more sufficient and the needle is thinner;
- in fact, the vaccine and the solvent for it, if available and necessary;
- antihistamines just in case (in case of allergies) - at a minimum, Suprastin should be in the first aid kit.
At the withers
Try not to scare your cat before vaccination. Prepare everything in advance and only then take the animal in your hands.
We draw the drug into the syringe. If your vaccine has two fractions - the vaccine itself and the solvent, then first use a sterile syringe to inject the solvent into the vial with the vaccine. Shake well until completely dissolved.
We take the pet and moisten the injection site with alcohol. We hold the cat confidently, but do not cause pain or discomfort. We try not to make the pet nervous. It is better if two people take part - one holds, the second gives the injection.
The cat must sit on all four legs. We take the pet by the withers and slightly pull it up - in this case, with tension, a notch is formed, and we inject the injection there. Confidently, with a fairly quick movement, we insert the needle under the skin. It should not be inserted vertically inward, but parallel to the pet’s body. The depth of administration is approximately 1.5 cm. The drug should be administered at an average speed, not sharply, but not slowly. Now carefully remove the needle and release the pet.
Even a beginner can give an injection into the withers, since it is difficult to make a mistake - there are no large blood vessels and nerves in the withers, so the vaccine will get to the right place in any case.
The only thing that can happen is that with a sudden movement you can pierce the skin right through, “right through.” And one more thing - buy high-quality syringes. A needle that is too thin may break or bend.
Into the muscle
The cat's position is on its side. You need to feel the muscle in the lower part of the thigh. It is better to keep the paw in an extended position. The vaccine is administered vertically, perpendicularly. You also need to enter confidently, without making unnecessary movements. After administration, you need to stretch the muscle a little and release the animal.
The main mistakes when giving an injection into a muscle are that you can get into a blood vessel. Then you will see the blood flowing. And there is a small chance of damaging the sciatic nerve. To avoid these mistakes, do not insert the needle completely - inserting half or a little deeper is enough. And insert it into the tightest part of the muscle.
Vaccination: benefit or harm
Lately, even among doctors there is no consensus on this issue. For example, some of them believe that the importance of vaccination is overly exaggerated. Many manufacturers, they say, deliberately overestimate the effectiveness of the vaccine. Here it is impossible not to recall the story of the fight against the feline leukemia virus.
The veterinary community initially greeted the emergence of the necessary vaccine with great enthusiasm.
The vaccine, which was described as the most reliable and safe, not only did not prevent the development of the disease, but also caused a lot of severe adverse reactions.
Veterinarians have recorded many cases where in completely healthy cats (the absence of the virus was confirmed by laboratory data), a short time after vaccination, the disease began, as if it was vaccination that initiated the occurrence of viral leukemia.
Vaccination of pets
An independent study, however, found that the vaccine was actually only 17% effective, instead of the 50-70% reported by its manufacturers. The incidence of adverse reactions and their severity were also much higher than expected based on official reports. For example, one study reported that 32% of vaccinated cats died within 24 months of vaccination from feline leukemia virus disease.
At what age should you vaccinate?
Newborn kittens have a colostral or passive immune system. It is provided by maternal antibodies. They enter the body of kittens during feeding along with colostrum, as well as in utero through the placenta.
Note! During the first time after birth, the kitten will be protected only from those infectious diseases for which the mother cat was vaccinated. Typically this protection lasts for 3-4 months. This period depends on the level of antibodies in the cat, as well as on the timing of its vaccinations.
For this reason, the first vaccination for kittens born from vaccinated cats is not carried out before 2-3 months. This is due to the fact that the weakened viral organisms that come with the drug will be neutralized by existing antibodies. During this process, the immune system is not activated.
Many veterinarians advise performing the first vaccination for cats and kittens from 3 months. During this period, the antibodies that came from the mother no longer become active and cannot fight viruses. Also, you should not vaccinate when changing teeth; they usually change from 4 to 8 months.
Why is deworming necessary?
Before routine vaccination, it is necessary to carry out deworming (drive away worms).
The scheme is like this:
- for cats that have never been dewormed, or that are dewormed once every six months/year - twice according to the scheme above, 5-7 days after the second run - vaccination.
- 2 for cats that are dewormed once every 3 months - a one-time deworming (repetition is not required) and vaccination after 5-7 days.
In order for vaccination to be successful, effective and without complications, the following rules must be followed:
- compliance with the vaccination schedule and timing;
- use of quality vaccines;
- It is recommended that the very first vaccination be done at home to minimize the risk of infection;
- Pregnant and lactating cats should not be vaccinated (the last vaccination should be given a month before mating);
- Animals cannot be vaccinated during the postoperative and rehabilitation periods. If the cat has been treated with antibiotics, then vaccination should begin no earlier than 2 weeks after the last administration of the antibiotic;
- Elective surgical operations (castration) should not be performed in the first 3 weeks after vaccination. The exception is cases of surgical intervention necessary to save the life and health of the cat;
- avoid stressful situations (moving to another apartment), changing the environment, the arrival and residence of noisy guests, travel, exhibitions, etc.) a week before and after vaccination;
- Do not vaccinate cats that have been in contact with sick or suspicious animals.
During the day after immunization, the animal may be lethargic. If this condition continues longer, or other clinical signs appear, the kitten must be seen immediately by a doctor. Do not forget that no vaccination gives a 100% guarantee that your cat will not get sick.
