The vaccines for cats are essential resources for these animals to lead a healthy life. If you do not put them on, they will be very vulnerable to certain diseases that have a high incidence in these animals.
Therefore, you have to be very serious about cat vaccinations ; So, next, we are going to give you some key information about how you have to plan the vaccinations of these animals.
What are cat vaccinations?
First of all, it is worthwhile to be clear about what cat vaccines are, which work is similar to that given in those that are tested on people. In these cases, viruses or microorganisms, such as bacteria, which are the cause of the most serious diseases that these animals can suffer, are inoculated in a controlled way.
By administering these small infections , the immune system will stimulate the formation of antibodies. This circumstance implies that the organism gets used to fighting these threats through its own defences, which will allow for healthier and more robust cats.
When can you give your cat her first vaccine?
You must be clear that you will not be able to vaccinate your cat until the first two months of life have passed. During these first four weeks the kitten will be suckled by its mother, which will help it receive the energy and defences that it will need throughout these first days of life.
It is as if there were a transfer of food and energy resources by their mother, but the guarantees against diseases of this transfer of resources begin to fail towards the seventh week of breastfeeding. Therefore, weaning, which occurs when the kitten reaches two months, marks the ideal time to think about administering the first vaccines for cats.
Write down the vaccination schedule for kittens
The second thing to remember is that, for vaccines to take effect, you have to scrupulously follow the administration schedules recommended by veterinarians, especially when cats have only been around for a short time. Remember, on the other hand, that there are vaccines that these professionals consider mandatory and others that they see as optional. Among the former, without a doubt, we highlight the so-called trivalent vaccine for cats.
It is named for the fact that it strengthens the kitten’s body against three diseases: feline panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, and calicivirosis. When it is two months old, your kitten can be given the trivalent vaccine. And a month later they will have to put a reinforcement on it. This reinforcement is essential so that the kitten’s defences can continue to have “memory” against the threats posed by the aforementioned diseases.
On the other hand, if your cat is going to go out on the streets or have contact with other animals of its species (as, for example, happens in competitions), it is worthwhile for veterinarians to convert the trivalent vaccine into quadrivalent, which they achieve adding to its effects those of preventing feline leukemia. The quadrivalent vaccine will require the same booster one month after the trivalent. Finally, when the kitten reaches four months, you can vaccinate it against rabies.
And what vaccines should be given to adult cats?
Once you have vaccinated cats during their most vulnerable periods of life, in their first months of existence, with their corresponding reinforcements, you will only have to make sure that they renew these vaccinations once a year . With a dose for each vaccine you will ensure that your cat will have its defenses ready to avoid the most recurrent diseases among its species.
On the other hand, keep in mind that, if you adopt an adult cat, you should not improvise with vaccinations. It is important to have a test that rules out diseases such as feline immunodeficiency and leukemia. And it is that, if you vaccinated a cat that had already contracted this disease against leukemia, you would propitiate a real imbalance in the precarious balances of its health that would put it at risk.
Consequences of the diseases against which cats are vaccinated
In the following lines we explain what inconveniences cause the diseases included in the tetravalent vaccine in cats, which are some of those that affect these felines the most.
● Feline panleukopenia resembles parvovirus in dogs and is notable for its extremely high mortality (80% in younger cats and 40% in adults). It is very contagious and the reduction in white blood cells causes them to become weak and dehydrated, as well as diarrhea and vomiting.
● Rhinotracheitis is a contagious disease of the respiratory tract.
● Calicivirus has flu-like effects.
● Feline leukemia is deadly and contagious, involving a weakening of the immune system and the development of tumours.
● Rabies is a deadly disease spread by bites.
Other diseases against which you can vaccinate your cat
Although veterinarians do not consider vaccination against these diseases mandatory, it may be advisable, if you want to have greater security about their health, vaccinate your cat against, for example: feline infectious peritonitis, which is fatal and incurable and requires a vaccine nasal ; and feline immunodeficiency, whose effects are similar to those of HIV in people.
The latest news when it comes to vaccinating
Experience is offering us clues in relation to how to proceed to administer the vaccines correctly. In this sense, it has been discovered that it is worthwhile to vaccinate cats through injections in different areas and far from the vital organs of the animals, since repeating areas can cause dangerous sarcomas and cancers.
In short, you already have the basic information about vaccines for cats. If in doubt, consult your trusted veterinarian.
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