Kittens are vaccinated from nine weeks of age with the primary course consisting of two injections three weeks apart.
As with puppies, it is important to keep your kitten indoors until one week after the second vaccination when protection against vaccinated diseases is complete. (It is advisable to keep kittens indoors regardless until they are neutered at six months of age). All cats should be vaccinated against cat flu and enteritis.
Feline Infectious Enteritis (panleucopaenia) - This viral disease is extremely serious. It causes inappetence, diarrhoea and death in a large proportion of cats affected. Those cats that survive are often left permanently damaged.
Cat Flu - This condition is normally caused by 1 of 2 viruses, either Feline Herpes Virus or Feline Calicivirus, both cause severe respiratory disease which can be fatal, especially in the very young or very old. The viruses are very widespread in the cat population making them virtually impossible to avoid. If your cat is possibly going to be going outdoors, then we also recommend that you vaccinate against:
Feline Leukaemia - This disease is also caused by a virus. The virus attacks the immune system which leaves the cat open to infection, much like the way the HIV virus works in humans.
As well as suppressing the immune system the virus can also cause cancerous tumours to form. The virus is spread from cat to cat, therefore cats that go out, are boarded or shown are at risk. One in three cats who meet the virus will become infected and eventually die as a result.
Chlamydia is an intracellular organism that can cause flu like symptoms in the cat, but which is not fatal.
This disease tends to be more of a problem in multi-cat households, breeding colonies or where there are large populations of cats together, so we do not routinely vaccinate against it unless requested to do so. Cat Flu, Enteritis and FeLV vaccinations are all usually done at the same time.
After the initial vaccination course your cat will require an annual booster injection to ensure protection against vaccinated disease is maintained throughout your pet’s life. We will send you a booster reminder card through the post to help you remember.
Kittens receive a free comprehensive health check at or before their first vaccination. At the annual booster your cat is examined thoroughly by the veterinary surgeon and any problems you may have can be fully discussed. We will ask about your pet's drinking, eating and toileting habits as well as more general questions about their behaviour and exercise patterns. Quite often information gained from asking an owner about their pet's routines can be vital in detecting early symptoms of disease or illness.
A full clinical examination by the vet will follow which will include sounding the heart, listening to the lungfields, checking carefully for signs of problems with the eyes, ears or mouth, assessing joint movement and close inspection of the coat and skin amongst other things. Only once we are satisfied that your pet is fit and healthy will we go ahead and give the necessary vaccinations.
