In this article today, we will offer the standard vaccination guidelines for cats advised by the wonderful staff at El Port Veterinarios to improve our pets’ health and quality of life.
Cat vaccinations are a type of disease prevention treatment that involves inoculating the organism with attenuated or inactivated viruses in order for it to build antibodies of protection against the virus.
This causes the body to develop an immunological memory against particular illnesses.
Domestic cats have a variety of lives; some go out on the street or to beauty shows to socialize with other cats, and others never leave the house, reducing the danger of disease transmission.
You must recognize that each instance is unique and seek assistance from your veterinarian in order for him or her to provide the finest therapy for your cat.
You can vaccinate an adult cat even if you don’t know what immunizations it has since it was rescued from the street. Adult cats would require the following vaccinations:
– A first dose of trivalent (panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, calcivirosis) or trivalent+leukemia if you choose the combination vaccination. After two weeks, the second dosage of trivalent or trivalent+leukemia.
Of course, even before immunization. If you decide to adopt a street cat or kitten, the best thing to do is to get it checked for major illnesses (such as feline leukemia or immunodeficiency) by your veterinarian beforehand. They are conducted on a sample of the cat’s blood, and the basic tests are performed by a veterinarian.
What vaccinations are given to a kitten? First of all, keep in mind that in order to vaccinate kittens, they must be weaned which means they must no longer suckle from the mother cat. Otherwise, the antibodies that the mother passes on to her kittens in her milk can interfere with the vaccination process.
CATS LIVING AT HOME WITHOUT CONTACT WITH OTHER CATS
– 8 weeks (when kitten is 2 months old): TRIVALENT.
– 12 weeks (when kitten is 3 months old): TRIVALENT again, given as a booster.
The trivalent vaccine protects against the following diseases:
– Feline Panleukopenia: Or Feline Typhus, a disease caused by a parvovirus. It causes the cat to be prostrate, with gastroenteritis and a decrease of white blood cells. It is fatal in 80% of cases for cats under 6 months of age and in 40% for adult cats.
– Rhinotracheitis: a contagious respiratory disease caused by a herpesvirus with symptoms of sneezing, mucus and ocular secretions.
– Calicivirosis: a respiratory disease that also produces feline flu-like symptoms, produced by a picornavirus.
Attention, it is important to respect the time limits of the booster vaccines: what happens if, for example, we only give the first trivalent vaccine and we let 6 months go by without giving the booster? In that case, the first vaccine will be useless and it will be money spent at the vet for nothing. The effect is as if we had not vaccinated him.
So if you would like to resume the cat’s vaccination schedule, you should start from scratch, giving him a dose of trivalent, and a second dose, as a booster.
CATS THAT GO OUTDOORS OR HAVE CONTACT WITH OTHER CATS
In this case, in addition to the trivalent vaccines mentioned above, we would have to add:
– From 8 weeks (2 months): LEUCEMIA FELINA
– 2 weeks later: FELINE LEUKEMIA booster.
– Rabies is a zoonotic disease and its vaccination has special and relative importance depending on where we live:
Rabies vaccination is necessary in the case where you live it is mandatory by law, and also in case of traveling abroad. Rabies legislation varies from country to country, and you should check your situation. Is rabies vaccination mandatory for cats? It depends on the country. As per in Spain rabies vaccination for cats is not mandatory (rabies vaccination for dogs is mandatory), however in the United States it IS mandatory to vaccinate cats against rabies.
Be smart and get better and first-hand information. El Port Veterinarios can advise you if needed on this or any other pet-related matter.
For more information, please visit their website and find them on social media.
Remember El Port Veterinary Clinic is in Altea in case of emergency or anything your pet may need. You can book an appointment through their website or by calling +34 966 880 612. The clinic is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday, while on Saturdays they can attend you from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contact details:
El Port Veterinary Clinic
Calle La Mar, 159, Altea – 03590 (Alicante)
Phone: +34 966 880 612
Email: clinicaelport@gmail.com
Website: https://elportveterinarios.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Veterinarian/Clinica-veterinaria-El-Port-141638262641368