We get how overwhelming a kitten visit can be.
You’re given a multitude of recommendations. How important can all of those things really be? You just want your new best friend to be happy and healthy and safe.
Trust us, so do we.
Kitten vaccinations are one of the most important things we can do to set up your fuzzy friend for the future. I am going to go through why we do the things we do here, and how important education is to protect these guys who cant protect themselves.
Why do we vaccinate kittens and why do they get so many?
When kittens are born, they receive some maternal antibodies. This means their mom passed on protections from some diseases. These protections can last a few weeks, but since their immune system is still immature past that point, we use vaccines to provide a longer lasting mature immunity. Vaccines can help our kittens' immune system respond to certain infectious diseases and be ready to fight it if exposed. We have to re-vaccinate them in order to make that active immunity last for a longer period of time. It is equally important to help protect them from exposure until they have produced this immunity. This means keeping your kittens quarantined and indoors until about 4 weeks after their last vaccine.
Core vaccines for kittens:
We start vaccinating kittens at 6-8 weeks of age when those maternal antibodies are wearing off and need to give them boosters every 3-4 weeks until they reach 4 months old.
FVRCP- Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (herpes virus) Calicivirus Panleukopenia
This name is a handful but this vaccine protects against some very serious infectious diseases that can be fatal in our little friends. This vaccine needs to be boostered until our fuzzy friends are 4 months old- meaning they get it every kitty visit.
For those who want more information on what these diseases are and what they do-
Panleukopenia- can be compared to parvovirus in puppies. Extremely contagious and attacks the GI tract and replicating cells in our cats. This causes dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, decreased white blood cells to fight off infections, and can lead to sudden death.
Herpes virus- this causes an upper respiratory infection which typically presents as sneezing, conjunctivitis (ocular discharge), dehydration, and lethargy.
Calicivirus- also an upper respiratory infection. This is highly contagious and in addition to the signs listed above, can cause painful lingual (tongue) and nose ulcerations (divits in the normal cell lining) that reduce appetite. This can also present as high fevers and lameness (limping) in one or multiple legs.
FeLV- Feline Leukemia Vaccine- This vaccine will be given initially to kittens and requires a booster. They should be tested via a FeLV/FIV snap test prior to getting the vaccine to ensure they are negative. If your cat goes outside or is exposed to any cats that go outside, it should continue to get this vaccine to help reduce the chances of getting this contagious disease.
Feline Leukemia is spread through saliva or from the mother cat if she is infected. This is a severe disease if the infection is active and can cause a decreased life expectancy in our cats.
Rabies vaccine- Given once at 12-16 weeks old
I know everyone has heard of this one. Not only is this legally required, rabies is fatal and zoonotic (can be passed not only between animals but to humans). This is spread from saliva typically from a bite of a wild animal and causes fatal neurologic signs.
With kitten season quickly approaching, it is so important to know how to set these babies up for success and to know when the right time is to get these vaccines done. If you have any questions about the health of your kitten that might be less than 6 weeks old, they should come in to be evaluated by a veterinarian prior to these dates. Just because they are too young for vaccines, doesn't mean they might not need some more support, plus, I speak for myself when I say I cannot wait to see kittens on my appointment schedule. If you find yourself with new kittens, please make sure to separate them from any existing cats in the house until we can clear them.
There are many other aspects to a kitten visit- deworming for intestinal parasites, diet recommendations, flea/tick preventatives, discussing the importance of spay/neuter- and I know it can be confusing. We all just want to make sure your new family members are happy and healthy. We are happy to answer any further questions you have before, during, or after your visit with us.
Cant wait to see you!
Dr. Perez, VMD
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