Preventive vaccination of pets has long been an integral part of their care. Everyone knows: it is easier to prevent any disease than to fight it later. And cat vaccination is the most effective way to protect your furry friend from many dangerous diseases.
Vaccination of cats requires compliance with certain rules of preparation and adherence to a schedule. And it is carried out taking into account the age characteristics of the animals, as well as their condition at the time of the procedure.
Important arguments in favor of vaccinating cats
Does my cat need to be vaccinated? Before we begin to understand the intricacies of veterinary medicine and the most important recommendations, let's remember what we know about animal vaccination in general. Vaccination (vaccination) is a whole complex of measures, including the preparatory stage, the procedure for administering the protective drug and the post-vaccination stage.
Interesting: the concepts of “vaccine” and “vaccination” are somewhat different. Not many people know this, and often use both medical terms as synonyms. Differences: a vaccine is a medical product that contains a weakened viral strain; when it is detected, the animal’s body begins to produce protective antibodies itself, forming the necessary immunity. “Vaccination”, also known as “vaccination”, is the procedure or process of administering the vaccine.
Vaccination result:
- After vaccination, a cat acquires enhanced immunity;
- The development of severe, including fatal, cat diseases is excluded;
- There is no need to worry about the possibility of contracting rabies;
- No worries about the cat being outside.
Do cats need vaccinations? A definite answer “yes” can be obtained not only from specialists, but also from most ordinary lovers of furry pets. Vaccination is an almost 100% way to avoid serious cat health problems.
Another argument in favor of vaccinations is that the diseases they are aimed at preventing are difficult to treat or cannot be treated at all. So preventive vaccination is the only option to protect your cat.
Is it possible to refuse vaccination?
Cat vaccination process
Some cat owners deliberately do not vaccinate their pets. Their explanation: animals must develop their own immunity against various infections. The main thing they forget is that a domestic cat is not a wild animal, and its body is more susceptible to the action of bacteria and viruses. Even outdoor cats are better protected than indoor cats.
The statement “a cat never goes outside and can’t catch anything” is also easily broken by criticism. Most causative agents of cat diseases can enter a house or apartment with their owners or simply be blown through an open window by the wind.
Whether to vaccinate or not is a personal decision for each cat owner. But fortunately for pets, those who ignore vaccination are becoming fewer and fewer over time.
What does vaccination help with?
Modern veterinary science, thanks to the creation of preventive vaccines, is able to prevent the development of many common cat diseases, which can often lead to very sad consequences. Here are the vaccinations your cat needs:
- Vaccination against rhinotracheitis (feline herpes);
- Vaccination against feline panleukopenia (distemper in cats);
- Administration of the chlamydia vaccine;
- Microsporia and trichophytosis (vaccination of cats against lichen);
- Calcivirosis (“cat flu”).
Dogs that are given certain medications, such as cyclophosphamide, may also suffer from cystitis.
Does a cat need a rabies vaccination?
Vaccination of cats against rabies is a separate topic, which is why it was not mentioned above. This disease affects not only animals, but also humans. Are cats vaccinated against rabies? Not only do they do it, in some cases this procedure is even regulated by law.
It turns out that vaccinating a domestic cat against rabies is a guarantee of the safety of not only the pet itself, but also its owners. This means that it is necessary and obligatory. Don't neglect it. It is very easy to catch a dangerous disease; it is easily transmitted to humans. If he is bitten by a cat, a rabies vaccination can save the situation.
Types of vaccinations - comprehensive vaccination for cats
- Veterinarians divide all vaccinations into:
Mandatory vaccinations
include rabies vaccination, since this infection is deadly and is transmitted from a sick animal to humans.
Next in importance is vaccination against canine distemper (panleukopenia). The very name of the disease suggests that the mortality rate from it is very high (up to 70-80%), especially among young animals
Calciverosis and rhinotracheitis also often affect kittens and adult cats, so veterinarians recommend vaccinations against them as mandatory.
Required vaccinations are those given for diseases that are common in the area (eg, chlamydia, ringworm, infectious peritonitis).
Is comprehensive vaccination required for domestic cats?
Some cat owners think that a pet cannot become infected with an infectious disease within the walls of its own home, without contact with the street and stray relatives. Of course, the risk of getting sick is less, but do not forget that you go outside and can bring some cat virus with particles of soil, dust, on your hands and shoes. A pampered pet has even less chances of infection than a street cat, since its immunity is weaker and depressed. Therefore, domesticated kitties need to visit a doctor and get vaccinated.
Mandatory vaccinations
It is impossible to force its owner to vaccinate a cat. But there are life circumstances in which vaccination and relevant documents confirming the vaccination of the animal (veterinary passport with marks) are required. First of all, this is traveling abroad.
Without mandatory vaccinations, the cat and its owner simply will not pass border control. So, which vaccinations against which diseases can be considered mandatory:
- Panleukopenia;
- Rabies;
- Calcivirosis;
- Rhinotracheitis.
To travel outside the country, vaccinations must be done no later than 1 month before the departure date.
It’s interesting: even the hotel administration may require a passport with mandatory vaccinations to check in with a pet; it will also come in handy when traveling by rail within our country and the CIS countries, especially in Western Europe.
Vaccines and their types
Currently, all preventive vaccines can be divided into several groups, which differ in their functional characteristics and composition of active ingredients:
- Polyvalent and monovalent . The former protect the animal from several diseases at once, the latter promote the production of antibodies to only one pathogen;
- Active and inactive . The first contains strains of weakened but still living pathogens, the second contains already “dead” pathogens. Inactive vaccines cannot maintain their preventive activity for very long.
Vaccines for animals
Currently, most experts give their preference to polyvalent drugs that can build immunity not only in adult cats, but also in kittens. An additional anti-rabies complex is often added to the main component of the vaccination, aimed at preventing rabies in animals. The most famous and widely used drug for cat vaccination is Nobivac.
Timing and schedule of vaccination
Now everyone knows what vaccinations are given to cats, but a new important question arises for cat owners: at what age are cats vaccinated? Early enough. The first vaccination is given to kittens at the age of 8-12 weeks. Their body is already stronger and is able to take on a small preventive infectious blow. A month later the vaccination is repeated. Then the cats are vaccinated annually.
Important: the age of cats for vaccination is very important! The first vaccination should not be done before two months. This procedure will simply be useless. The kitten's passive immunity, acquired from maternal feeding, will respond to the vaccine and destroy all pathogens contained in it. Immunity will not be formed.
In very rare cases, if there is a high risk of infection, vaccination is carried out for a period of 6 weeks. The kitten has not yet been weaned from the cat, but its milk is no longer the main food component.
Subsequently, adult cats are vaccinated every year. Sometimes more often, but according to the recommendations of specialists. You can follow the following general cat vaccination schedule:
| Schedule for mandatory vaccinations | |||
| Disease | First vaccine | Repeated vaccination | Revaccination |
| Rhinotracheitis + calicivirosis + panleukopenia | 8-12 weeks | A month later | In a year |
| Rabies | 8-12 weeks | Not produced | Annually or once every 2-3 years (depending on the drug administered) |
Recommended vaccinations are also included in the cat vaccination schedule:
| Recommended Vaccine Schedule | |||
| Disease | First vaccine | Repeated vaccination | Revaccination |
| Chlamydia | 9-12 weeks | A month later | In a year |
| Infectious peritonitis | 16 weeks | 20 weeks | Once a year |
| Ringworm (trichophytia, microsporia) | 8-9 weeks | 10 weeks | In a year |
The timing of vaccination depends greatly on the drug used. Modern veterinary pharmaceuticals are capable of creating vaccines to protect domestic animals from some infectious diseases for up to 3 years.
If the schedule is off
Situations where people forget about vaccinating a pet arise quite often. There is no need to be upset: not all is lost. You just need to contact a veterinarian, who will tell you what to do correctly in such a situation and adjust the vaccination schedule taking into account unforeseen circumstances.
Types of vaccines for cats and kittens
Tricat (Triquet) Nobivac (Nobivak) + R (Rabies)
Manufactured by Intervet (Netherlands). This is a vaccine for cats containing components against calicivirus, rhinotracheitis, panleukopenia and rabies.
Recommended vaccination schedule:
- 7-8 weeks - Triquet (1 dose subcutaneously).
- 12-13 weeks - Triquet + R (1 dose subcutaneously).
- After 12 months - Triquet + R (1 dose subcutaneously).
- Then once a year for the entire life of the cat.
This type of vaccine is approved for use for vaccination of pregnant cats.
Quadricat
Manufactured by Merial (France). This type of vaccine contains components against calicivirus, rhinotracheitis, panleukopenia and rabies.
Recommended vaccination schedule:
- Quadricate: 7-8 weeks - Leucorifelin (1 dose subcutaneously).
- 12-13 weeks - Quadricate (1 dose subcutaneously).
- 12 months - Quadricate (1 dose subcutaneously).
- Then once a year for the entire life of the cat.
This type of vaccine is approved for use for vaccination of pregnant cats.
Fel-O-Vax (Felovax)
Manufactured by Fort Dodge (USA). The Felovax vaccine contains strains against calcivirosis, rhinotracheitis, panleukopenia and chlamydia in cats.
Recommended Felovax vaccination regimen:
- 8 weeks - Felovax (1 dose subcutaneously).
- 12 weeks - Felovax (1 dose subcutaneously) + rabies vaccine.
- Then once a year for the entire life of the cat.
This type of vaccine is approved for use for vaccination of pregnant cats (first half of pregnancy).
Purevax (Purevax)
Manufactured by Merial (France). This type of vaccine also contains components against calicivirosis, rhinotracheitis, panleukopenia, chlamydia, leukemia (the contents are selected individually for each animal).
Recommended Purevax vaccination regimen:
- 8 weeks - Purevax RCP/RCPCh/RCPCh + FeLV (1 dose subcutaneously).
- 12 weeks - Purevax RCP/RCPCh/RCPCh + FeLV + rabies vaccine Rabizin (1 dose subcutaneously).
- Then once a year for the entire life of the cat.
The components of the Purevax vaccine can be combined depending on the animal’s need for protection against a particular infection.
This type of vaccine is not recommended for use in pregnant or lactating cats.
Multifel-4
, Moscow city. Russia. Contains components against panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and feline chlamydia strains.
Recommended vaccination schedule:
- Kittens are vaccinated for the first time at 8-12 weeks of age.
- Repeatedly after 21-28 days. after the first immunization.
- Revaccination is carried out at the age of 12 months.
- Adult cats are vaccinated annually.
Vaccination of pregnant cats is not recommended.
Preparing for cat vaccination
Cat owners know that they need to do some preliminary preparation before vaccination. First of all, it involves deworming. The main reason for carrying out this procedure is that anthelmintic drugs eliminate the appearance of many unnecessary complications, promote the active production of antibodies, without dispersing immune forces to fight the parasites present in the cat’s body.
It is not necessary to deworm a cat immediately before vaccinations. First, the animal is examined for the presence of external parasites (fleas, ticks, lice), and if they are present, treatment is carried out. A few days after this, deworming can be carried out.
Measures to remove intestinal parasites must be carried out no later than 15-25 days before the vaccination itself.
Interesting: whether or not to feed a cat before vaccination is another point that attracts the attention of pet owners. In fact, it is not that important. Because whether a cat is full or not has no meaning for vaccination.
Basic rules of vaccination
Rule 1 . If the kitten’s mother cat is vaccinated, then he begins to receive vaccinations at the age of 12 weeks, if not or unknown, then from 8-9 weeks.
Rule 2. When a kitten changes teeth (4-7 months), it is not recommended to vaccinate the animal.
Rule 3. It is not advisable to vaccinate pregnant cats, as this can negatively affect the health of the offspring.
Rule 4. Vaccinations are carried out exclusively for healthy pets. A veterinarian examination is required!
Rule 5. 10 days before vaccination, the cat must be treated for fleas and ticks, and also dewormed.
Rule 6. The vaccine should only be administered by a qualified veterinarian to avoid negative consequences.
Rule 7. After the procedure, the animal’s health must be closely monitored.
Vaccination for a cat: rules and recommendations
After deworming, the cat is not vaccinated immediately. Before administering the vaccine, it is necessary to examine the animal. His general condition, temperature, tests are important components of the conclusion about the possibility of vaccination. If everything is fine with the cat, the main procedure of administering the vaccine begins. It takes no more than a minute, sometimes even seconds. Often the vaccination will consist of not one, but two injections. As mentioned above, the second injection is the introduction of a rabies preventative.
There are no trifles here: the correct choice of drug, injection skills, consultation on possible complications - these are the main arguments in favor of the fact that vaccination should be done by veterinarians.
Vaccine selection
The correct choice of medication for vaccination is one of the main components of “immune” success. Professionals are guided by the following rules:
- young cats are imported products with a mild effect; adult cats can be vaccinated with a variety of drugs;
- the instructions are required to be studied;
- Compliance with expiration dates is an important condition for ensuring the effectiveness of a medicinal product.
Information about vaccination must be recorded in the veterinary passport. Usually a special sticker is glued into it, which is included with the administered drug.
Self-vaccination
Some people vaccinate their pets themselves. According to veterinarians, this is an additional health risk. Not every cat owner is able to give the injection correctly, much less has sufficient qualifications to select the drug and its dosage. The result is a visit to the veterinary clinic, but not for vaccination, but to eliminate the consequences and complications.
Complications and side effects
Negative consequences of vaccination are unlikely, but their occurrence is not excluded and depends on the state of the animal’s body. Although the risks are minimal, your cat may develop the following complications:
- Allergy. Observed in the first 15 minutes after injection of the drug. Signs: drooling, breathing problems. Since veterinarians do not advise leaving the clinic for half an hour, timely assistance with the use of antihistamines solves the problem;
- Swelling, redness at the injection site. It does not pose a serious danger and is not accompanied by other symptoms. The irritation goes away quickly, the cat’s lump disappears after vaccination, but if purulent formations form, you should immediately consult a doctor;
- Incubation. If the infection in the cat’s body was in the incubation period at the time of vaccination, a sharp development of the disease begins. If quarantine is observed before vaccination and a thorough examination by a specialist, this negative effect is excluded.
After vaccination, the cat may be lethargic or, on the contrary, hyperactive, there may be slight disturbances in appetite, and a slight increase in temperature. Most likely this will be the result of stress.
Important: cats picked up on the street cannot be vaccinated without prior quarantine and testing. Vaccination not only may not help, it can provoke illness, which will greatly harm a pet taken from the street.
Vaccination done. What to do after vaccination?
After vaccinating your cat, you do not need to leave the veterinary facility immediately. It is necessary to monitor the cat’s condition, and if it suddenly worsens, the veterinary office will be at your arm’s length.
Once at home, you need to pay attention to the condition of the animal for several weeks. Usually a cat is lethargic after vaccination; he needs to be provided with good nutrition and protected from possible negative factors (change of residence, water treatments, excessive activity).
Any cat owner should monitor their health. Vaccination is the only way to protect them from contracting deadly diseases. If you have vaccinated your cat against rabies and other diseases correctly, then your furry friend will always be full of strength, and his owner will not experience any nervous shock related to the well-being of his furry pet.
Boost your immunity naturally
Vaccination of cats is an important issue, but do not forget that any vaccine is a medicine. Any medical medicine can cause side effects. It is important to boost your cat's immunity in natural ways. To increase your pet's immunity, provide good living conditions. Keep the tray clean and regularly clean the cat's sleeping area.
The health of cats, like people, largely depends on nutrition. A healthy, biologically appropriate diet will provide a strong, stable immune system that will protect your pet from various ailments and disorders.
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How much does a cat's vaccination cost?
The cost of cat vaccination is not prohibitively high and is affordable to everyone. Compared to the problems that can be caused without vaccination, the cost is very much worth it. For example, the price of rabies vaccination for a cat is in no way comparable to the financial, moral and time losses that may arise if you refuse to vaccinate your beloved “fluffy” in a timely manner.
Below are the prices for vaccinations at the Univet veterinary clinic.
| VACCINATION OF CATS PRICES | ||
| Vaccine name | Cost, rub) | Note |
| Nobivak Tricat Nobivac Tricat R | 950 1200 | Cat vaccination includes:
|
| Nobivak Forcat Nobivak Forcat + R | 950 1200 | |
| Quadricate | 1200 | |
| Felovax Felovax + Nobivac Rabies | 950 1200 | |
| Purevax FelV (feline viral leukemia) | 1200 | |
| Purevax RCP (calicivirosis, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis) | 950 | |
| Purevax RCP (calicivirosis, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis) + Rabizin (or R) | 1200 | |
| Purevax RCPCh (chlamydia, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, calicivirosis) | 1450 | |
| Purevax RCPCh (chlamydia, panleukemia, rhinotracheitis, calicivir) + Rabizin (R) | 1450 | |
Vaccinations for cats provide the following benefits:
- Immunity increases.
- There is an obstacle to the emergence of serious diseases that can weaken the body or even lead to death.
- Vaccinating a cat is not only about the safety of its health, but also the health of its owners. Because rabies can only be contracted from an animal.
- If infectious processes occur, they occur in mild forms.
- Owners can be calm while their pet is walking outside or in contact with other animals.
- There is no concern for your children.
Where is the best place to get your cat vaccinated?
All veterinary experts recommend that the first vaccination of cats should be carried out at home . Because in this way you can protect the animal from contact with other unhealthy animals that may be in the center. You can call our specialist to your home. A visit from an employee of our veterinary center will not cost more than a visit to one of our strongholds in Moscow. When vaccinating at home, you do not need to sit in line, coming into contact with other animals that may suffer from a variety of diseases. The staff of our emergency veterinary care center will visit you as soon as possible after the call. They will provide the necessary documents, licenses and provide high-quality vaccinations for your beloved furry friend. If you are wondering how much vaccinations for your cats cost, then it is worth noting that despite the high quality of our vaccines, the cost is quite reasonable.
The table shows the main prices for veterinary vaccinations for cats:
| Service | Price, rub |
| Rabies vaccination for domestically produced cats | from 500 |
| Rabies vaccination for foreign cats | from 700 |
| Vaccination against rhinotracheitis, herpesvirus and panleiopenia in domestically produced cats | from 600 |
| Vaccination against rhinotracheitis, herpesvirus and panleiopenia in foreign-made cats | from 800 |
| Registration of vaccinations in the international veterinary passport | 200 |
