Feline Vaccines – Understanding Which Vaccines Your Cat Needs
Our feline friends don’t need as many vaccines as their canine counterparts, but keeping your cats up to date is still just as important. Even cats that are kept indoor only should be kept up to date. This way, in case they do slip outside, they are protected from nasty viruses and commonly passed diseases. We’ve put together an easy to follow list to help cat owners understand which vaccines are recommended, and why they are important for your feline friends.
- Rabies – Feline rabies is usually administered between 12-16 weeks. From there, your cat can be given a 1 or 3 year vaccine. Here at AHSC we offer both options – the 1 and 3 year vaccine schedule. Similar to canine rabies, this vaccine is required in most states. It is also necessary for licensing your pet with the town or location where you reside. Learn more about feline rabies here.
- Distemper – The recommendation is to begin vaccinating a kitten for distemper as early as six weeks of age. Then “boostering” (or repeating) the vaccine every three to four weeks until the kitten is sixteen weeks of age, then boostering again one year from the last booster. After that, an adult cat should be boostered for distemper every one to three years.
- Feline Leukemia – Some experts recommend annual revaccination with the feline leukemia vaccine if your cat is exposed to other cats on a regular basis. You and your veterinarian should decide which vaccinations your cat receives annually based on your cat’s lifestyle, age, and health status.
To sum things up, vaccines for our pets are just as important as they are for us! We are open and taking appointments to get your pet up to date, just give us a call or click here! Please also feel free to reach out if you have any questions or even just want to see what vaccines your pet is due for. We are operating indoors again as well as curbside, and you can check out our current COVID procedures here.
