Vaccinations for Cats are Essential

Today we touch on cat vaccination. Do you need or need not vaccinate your four-legged friends? The veterinary legislation provides a simple answer: “Each owner must vaccinate his animal from 3 months of age, annually, throughout his life.” An unvaccinated animal always becomes infected.

There is an opinion that rabies vaccination, especially in cats, causes severe complications. What are these fears based on? The fact is that earlier, rabies formal vaccine was used for vaccination, which really caused many complications. At the moment, this vaccine is discontinued. The existing vaccines are absolutely safe for both cats and dogs.

For persuasiveness, we can say that the course of treatment for parvovirus enteritis will cost the owner at least 7,000 rubles, and even if the dog survives, then the likelihood of developing heart complications is likely to significantly shorten the life span of the animal. While vaccination with a quality multivalent vaccine will cost only 350-400 rubles. On one visit to the doctor, you will vaccinate your animal from all the most dangerous infectious diseases.

 I would like to dispel another dangerous misconception. Many owners are sure that dogs older than 5–7 years old, if they have been vaccinated before, vaccination is unnecessary and they will not get sick. First, lifelong immunity occurs after a disease, and not after vaccination. Second, even in ill animals, the immune system weakens with age. Therefore, both Western and Russian veterinarians agree with the common opinion that the vaccination of animals is necessary annually throughout life.

Now about the cats. Many owners are convinced that a cat who does not leave the apartment cannot get sick. This misconception often affects our four-legged friends as infectious diseases. It must be remembered that the door of your apartment is not an obstacle to infection and regularly vaccinate your animals.

Cat Vaccinations; Cat Vaccination’s Schedule & Guide.

Cat vaccinations are the processes of growing and developing the cat’s body defense system, with the goal that cats who have been given vaccinations are protected from contracting infectious diseases, until there’s no onset of symptoms, or to limit the process of pathogen infection by infectious agents.

In practice, vaccination programs are done to protect cats against specific diseases caused by microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses. Against other infectious agents, like parasites, preventive vaccination is still under development to be effective.

Vaccines can protect the cat’s body against infectious agents that are pathogens primarily, by forming antibodies, besides it also secondarily forms the Cellular Mediated Immunity (CMI) system and encourage the formation of local antibodies. Such vaccines can prevent the onset of symptoms, but are not able to prevent re-infection, which is shown by the distemper vaccine, ICH, and panleukopenia.

FVR (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis) vaccines showed vaccines that are only able to prevent the symptoms without being able to prevent re-infection. The vaccines are only able to activate cellular immunity and encourage local antibody formation until they can prevent infection.

Considering that cat vaccination is important enough for our cats, here’s the cat vaccination schedule that may help you to know when and what your cat needs vaccinations;

Cat Vaccination Schedule

Age 8-10 weeks

General Examination Tricat Vaccination (Feline Panleukopenia, Rhinotracheitis, Calici) or Tetracat (Tricat + Chlamydia) Giving helminthic (medication against worms)

Age 12-14 weeks

General Examination Deuteronomy Tricat Vaccination (Feline Panleukopenia, Rhinotracheitis, Calici) or Tetracat (Tricat + Chlamydia)

Age 20 weeks

General Examination Rabies Vaccination

Special for cats over 6 months old who had never been on the vaccine;

• General Examination
• Tricat Vaccination (Feline Panleukopenia, Rhinotracheitis, calici) or Tetracat (Tricat + Chlamydia)
• Rabies Vaccination

Kittens less than 6 months old should be vaccinated Tricat 2 times with a duration space of about 1 month. This is the minimum recommendation. Based on the conditions in recent years, immunity tends to decrease. So for kittens who are 6 months old-1-year-old for their first-time vaccine, once is not enough, so need to be re-vaccinated (booster).

For cats over 1-year-old who have not been vaccinated at all, Tricat / Tetracat vaccine once a year is enough, do not need a booster (revaccination) a month later.

For cats who are less than 1-year-old who have never been given a rabies vaccination, rabies vaccine can be given at minimum after 4 months old, after the first and second Tricat vaccine have been given (generally giving the rabies vaccine to cats after the Pertama. age of 6-7 months).

There’s a need for boosters within a distance of about one month, especially for kittens who are less than 6 months old (<1 year), because the level of the kitten’s immune who has the first-time vaccine, once vaccinated, the antibodies would not immediately be formed in the body of the cat.

In a healthy cat, the increase of antibodies occurs in 2-4 weeks after vaccination. The peak occurs several weeks after the increasing levels of immunity begin. After that, the level of immunity will be reduced slowly. Although it has reached its peak, the number of antibodies produced is usually not sufficient to protect cats from diseases. Therefore, they need a vaccine booster approximately one month after the first vaccine is given.

As the name implies, boosters will cause the number of antibodies to be much more in relatively faster than the first vaccine.

Antibodies formed after the second vaccine are usually sufficient to protect cats from diseases. After reaching the peak, gradually the number of antibodies will be reduced. The duration for the decreasing antibodies after giving the booster vaccine is usually much longer than the first vaccine.

There are two main reasons kittens should be vaccinated twice / booster vaccinated:

First, the active immune system (which comes from the body itself) is not strong yet, so the amount of antibodies generated from the first vaccine is usually not enough. Second, kittens still have passive immunity (maternal antibodies) derived from the parent.

Table Guide for Cat Vaccinations.

NoDiseasesVaccine TypeVaccination 1(weeks)Vaccination 2(weeks)RepetitionVaccination Method
1.PanleukopeniaInactive812AnnualSC/IM
  MLV812AnnualSC/IM
  MLV-IN812AnnualIN
2.Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR)MLV8 (or <)12AnnualIM
  MLV-IN8AnnualIN
3.Feline Caliciviral Disease (FCD)MLV8 (o r<)12AnnualIM
  MLV-IN8AnnualIN
4.RabiesInactive12AnnualIM
  MLV12AnnualIM
5.PneumonitisMLV8AnnualSC/IM

Information:

–          IM: intramuscular

–          SC: subcutaneous

–          IN: topical

–          MLV: Modified Live Virus Vaccines

Besides concerning cat vaccination, you may also need information about cat care, and cat age converter.

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