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The Vaccinations for your Kitty
Presented to you by: Alfred
Consult with your veterinarian about which vaccines are best
for your individual cat. The following feline vaccines are
currently available:
Feline Panleucopenia Virus Vaccine
Feline Panleucopenia is commonly called Feline Distemper.
Until recent years, Feline Distemper was the most serious
infectious disease of cats, claiming the lives of thousands
of cats every year. Feline Panleucopenia virus is able to
survive extremes of humidity and temperature for long
periods and is resistant to most disinfectants.
Panleucopenia is now considered an uncommon disease in the
United States because of the effectiveness of the vaccine
against it, but because of the seriousness of the disease
and the continued presence of the virus in the environment
and in feral cats, vaccination is still highly recommended
for all cats.
Feline Calcivirus/Herpesvirus Vaccine
Feline herpes virus type I and Feline Calcivirus are
responsible for eighty to ninety percent of infectious
feline upper respiratory tract diseases. Most cats are
exposed to either or both of these viruses at some time in
their lives, and many cats never completely get rid of the
virus. These "carrier" cats are either continuously or
intermittently contagious and serve as a major source of
infection to other cats. The vaccines available now will
reduce the severity of upper respiratory infections in your
cat, but can't prevent all upper respiratory disease.
Vaccination is highly recommended by many feline
veterinarians for all cats.
Rabies Virus Vaccine
Probably because they are hunters of small animals, there
have been many more reported cases of
rabies in cats in the
United States in recent years than reports about all other
domestic animals.
Rabies is of course a major public health concern. Because
cats that contract rabies almost always die and because
humans can get rabies from a cat bite, rabies vaccination is
highly recommended for all cats. It is required by law in
most areas.
Ringworm Fungus, Chlamydia, and Feline Infectious
Peritonitis Vaccines are available, but vaccination against
these diseases is not routinely recommended for all cats.
Your veterinarian will help you decide whether your cat
should receive any of these vaccines.
Feline Leukemia Virus Vaccine
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) kills more cats than any other
virus. The virus is spread from cat-to-cat through contact
with infected cats, bites from infected cats, and from an
infected mother cat to her kittens. Cats most at risk of
infection are cats that are allowed outdoors and cats
exposed to cats that are allowed outdoors.
Cats that only live indoors and never come into contact with
cats that are allowed outdoors (including at the boarding
kennel or the veterinarian's office) are fairly safe from
this disease, but otherwise this vaccination is recommended.
Please see "Benefits and Risks of
Vaccinating your Cat -
Part 3" and "Benefits and
Risks - Part 1" for more
information about the pros and cons of vaccinating your pet
cat.
Check out Alfred's
Exotic Feline Dining Experience
