Vaccinations For Cats: What Vaccines A Kitten Needs To Have

Are you planning on getting a kitten?  Besides keeping it comfortable and in a safe place, you also need to think about the medical side of things such as what vaccines do cats need? Kittens also need to go through a plethora of vaccinations and here is everything you need to know about them.

Why Do Kittens Need Vaccination?

Before going into the types of vaccines that are important for your furry pet and searching for cat vaccines near me, you need to understand the need to have your kitten or cat vaccinated. Here are some things you should know about kittens being vaccinated. 

1. It Fights Diseases

You need to take care of two things when you are considering vaccinations for cats and kittens. First, they need to be protected from various infections and diseases, secondly, they need to stop being a source of diseases being spread.

There are a number of diseases that could affect a small cat and a kitten more dangerously. There are many diseases that a kitten might have, which include rabies, skin disorders, dental diseases, digestive issues, genital disorders, and more. These disorders and infectious diseases may be life-threatening for a kitten and the best way to get rid of them is by getting your pets vaccinated.

With the right vaccination and at the right time, your kitten will be healthy and no diseases will affect the general health of your furry animal. It's better to take your cat to a vet for a better understanding of the types of vaccinations it might need. For example, to avoid rabies, you should get rabies vaccination for cats.

2. They Will No Longer Spread Diseases

Kittens and cats can be a source of spreading these diseases as well. If your cat is not vaccinated, then it can be a huge problem, not only for the cat but for other animals interacting with them as well.

Vaccinations will remove any type of diseases and disorders from the cat’s immune system and they will no longer be a ground for spreading these diseases. Getting your kitten vaccinated early will be beneficial and it can prove to be quite healthy for the kitten itself. 

What Is The Necessary Vaccination For Kittens?

Kittens need to get vaccinated as soon as it is eligible for them to get a shot. Age does matter in a cat when it is being vaccinated. The kitten needs to be of the right age and have a developed immune system for the vaccination to be effective. 

The kitten shouldn’t be too young or too old, otherwise, the vaccine will not work on them and you will be wasting a shot and money for nothing.

What vaccines do cats need? Here is a list of necessary and crucial vaccination and what types of diseases and infections each vaccine fights against.

1. Vaccine For Stomach Worms

Worms are very common to occur in kittens. There can be times when a newborn kitten may have worms in its stomach and although it might not be a problem at first, it can develop into dire digestive issues as the kitten gets older. This is why kittens need to be vaccinated for these worms. There are usually two doses of this vaccine and they are done about 4 to 8 weeks apart from one another. 

2. FP Vaccine

Feline Panleukopenia is a common disease in a lot of cats, especially kittens. This is where the white blood cells in the blood start to decrease rapidly and which affects the immune system and prevents the cat from fighting against the smallest of diseases. The vaccine for its prevention is called FPV and it is necessary to vaccinate kittens and cats which have not been previously vaccinated.

You must look for cat vaccines near me and get FP vaccine because this virus can actually sustain in the environment for up to a year and this can be transmitted from one cat to another. The main symptoms of feline Panleukopenia include:

• Nasal discharge
• Loss of appetite 
• Lethargy
• Dehydration due to severe diarrhea 

3. Rabies Vaccine

Rabies is not just a disease that is common in dogs. Cats can also have rabies and this can be quite harmful to the cat itself and anyone coming in contact with the cat. Rabies vaccination for cats is generally a yearly process and since this was a huge issue in a lot of countries where stray animals were the main source of rabies, it has been taken seriously by the government, and the vaccination is made compulsory for every pet all over the world.

It can be a highly life-threatening disease, so this vaccination must be a top priority, especially for kittens who are newly born and not vaccinated beforehand. 

4. FC Vaccine

FC is shortly known as Feline caliciviral. It is a respiratory disorder that can occur in cats and kittens if they get sick pretty often. You can easily identify a respiratory disorder in a cat if they are making weird noises through their noses or wheezing. Their breathing will also be labored and will come in short intervals.

These vaccinations for cats are deemed important by the vet when they do a thorough examination of your cat. It is a life-saving vaccination and keeps the immune system up and running. 

5. FH-I Vaccine

Feline herpesvirus is also a very common disease that can be fatal for cats. Herpes is generally quite easy to spread and it can go unnoticed in cats at first. Some symptoms of herpes in cats are:

• Discharge coming out of the eyes of the kitten
• Excessive saliva production 
• Lethargy 
• Fever
• Bacterial infection in the body

This disease needs to be controlled because the discharge and saliva are the main sources of herpes being spread to other animals and even humans. This vaccination can be done in 4 steps, each step having a 4-week interval. So, it’s better for find cat vaccines near me.

6. Vaccine For Leukemia

Leukemia doesn’t only occur in humans. Cats and dogs are also targets of this cell abnormality. Leukemia is a type of cancer where the white blood cells in the bone marrow increase to ungodly amounts.

For humans, the best way to treat it is by doing a bone marrow transplant, but for cats, there are vaccines for it that can prevent this in the future. This is not considered to be a core vaccine, but it can be a good thing to get it done so that your cat is protected from this severe disease. 

7. FI Vaccine

There are also many diseases that target the immune system of the kitten. One of them is the feline immunodeficiency disorder which is caused by the FI virus. If this disease goes unnoticed, it can lead to an autoimmune failure in the body and the results can be quite fatal.

It is also considered to be a non-core vaccination, but some feral cats and malnourished kittens may be susceptible to immunodeficiency diseases, because of the environment they are living in. Cats that fight a lot and have bad bite wounds all over their bodies can also have FIV in them. 

8. Bordetella Vaccine

Bordetella is a disease that is caused by the exposure of the kitten to other animals. This may occur in cats that tend to be out a lot or visit places where there are many animals. Cats that get groomed a lot at shops are also the perfect target for this disease because there is a lot of cross-contamination through brushes, shears, and other equipment.

Although it is not a core vaccine, some airlines and countries do require a Bordetella vaccination certification, especially if you are taking your cat with you for traveling, so it can be done individually and at any time. 

Basic Vaccination Schedule For Kittens

After knowing what vaccines do cats need, here is a general schedule for core vaccinations as well as non-core vaccinations for kittens.

• Your kitten needs to visit a vet as soon as it is anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks old. The immune system is developed and the vaccinations can work better on them. 
• During the first 6 to 8 weeks, your cat goes through numerous examinations and tests, to narrow down the list of vaccines that are crucial for it. These tests include the FPV test, PIV test, and other non-core tests like leukemia and Bordetella tests, based on symptoms, etc. 
• In the 9th week, the first booster for PIV and Feline Leukemia vaccine is done. This is also a good time for the kitten to get respiratory vaccine shots. 
• Between 12 to 15 weeks, the 2nd booster dose of the PIV vaccine is done. 
• The last interval is the 17th week interval and this is a good time to get the rabies vaccination for cats done. Around this time, you can also get the final booster dose of the PIV vaccination or you can get a combination done all at once. The combination vaccination covers caliciviral, Panleukopenia, and other respiratory disorders too. 

Conclusion

There you have it!  Who would’ve known that a small cat might need these many vaccines? If you want your cat to be healthy and free of diseases, then these vaccinations for cats are crucial to get.