Your vet may have recommended vaccinations for your cat. While injections may be daunting, vaccinations protect your cat against many deadly diseases – so they’re worth learning about.
This article describes “core” vaccines and “non-core” vaccines for cats. This article also explains what these vaccines are for, provides general guidelines on when they should be given, and states which cats they are recommended for.
As a pet doctor in Singapore has written this article and it follows the “Singapore Vaccination Guidelines for Dogs and Cats 2020”, rest assured that this content is relevant to Singaporean cat paw-rents.
“Core vaccines” are recommended for all cats, regardless of background/ lifestyle. The definition of “core vaccines” varies amongst countries, as different diseases are prevalent in different countries. In Singapore, “core vaccines” for cats protect against the following viruses:
-Cat parvovirus (panleukopenia): A deadly virus that attacks the bone marrow and gut, and suppresses immunity. It causes signs like bloody vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, fever or sudden death.
-Feline Herpesvirus and Calicivirus: These viruses cause mouth and upper respiratory tract inflammation, predisposing to bacterial infections. Infection is mostly lifelong. Affected cats may appear healthy but have bouts of sickness.
Even if your cat already has herpesvirus/calicivirus, core vaccines are still necessary as they reduce the severity and frequency of flu flare-ups.
Pet clinics in Singapore, including Vets for Life Animal Clinic, stock combination vaccines, including “4-in-1” cat vaccines (e.g. Purevax Feline 4). These vaccines protect against the above three diseases and “cat chlamydia” (more on cat chlamydia later).
One vaccination does not give life-long immunity. Vaccines are given at intervals. Vaccination schedules have two components – the ‘initial vaccination series’, and immunity-maintaining boosters.
In kittens, the initial series begins with vaccination at 8 weeks of age, and then a vaccination every 2-4 weeks until the kitten is at least 16 weeks old.
The first adult booster is given within 1 year from the last dose in the initial series. This is crucial, in case the kitten did not respond to any of the vaccines in the initial series. After that, core vaccines in Singapore are registered as yearly boosters.
However, core vaccines can offer protection for over a year when given as adult boosters. Therefore, we offer “Vaccicheck”, a blood test that is an alternative to yearly boosters for lower-risk cats. Vaccicheck can be done during annual checkups, to check your cat’s immunity against the core diseases and see if a core booster is needed that year. Results are out within an hour.
Some pet doctors in Singapore recommend that cats with higher-risk lifestyles (e.g. cats in boarding, outdoor cats) should receive boosters more frequently than entirely indoor cats in single-cat households. However, deviations from manufacturers’ specifications are considered “off-label”. Therefore, your vet will consider your cat’s lifestyle and recommend an appropriate vaccination schedule.
If your cat is over 16 weeks old and has no/irregular/unknown vaccination history, consult a vet for advice.
-Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV): A lifelong virus that compromises immunity and increases vulnerability to other infections. FIV mainly spreads through bite wounds from cat fights. However, there is limited information on FIV vaccine efficacy. Furthermore, FIV vaccination may interfere with in-house tests that diagnose FIV. Your vet will discuss your cat’s risk factors with you (e.g. outdoor lifestyles, FIV-positive cat housemates) before deciding if FIV vaccination is necessary.
Cats should be FIV-negative before starting FIV vaccinations. Generally, the initial vaccination is given to kittens aged 8 weeks and above, followed by two more vaccinations at 2-4 week intervals, then annual boosters.
-Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV): FeLV compromises immunity and causes issues like cancers. Infection is often lifelong. FeLV spreads through infected body fluids (e.g. saliva, urine, faeces, milk). Your vet will discuss risk factors with you (e.g. outdoor lifestyle, FeLV-positive cat housemates) before deciding if FeLV vaccination is necessary.
Cats should be FeLV-negative before starting FeLV vaccinations. Generally, the initial vaccination is given when the kitten/cat is at least 8 weeks old, with a second dose given 3-4 weeks later, and a booster a year after the last dose in the initial series. Your vet will determine whether your cat requires further boosters. If your pet has an irregular FeLV vaccination history, consult your vet.
-Cat chlamydia: A bacterial disease that causes eye infection. Occasionally, there may be respiratory infections, fever and/or lethargy. Chlamydia protection is often included in combination vaccines.
-Rabies: A deadly virus that affects mammals’ nervous systems. However, Singapore has been rabies-free since 1953. Therefore, the risk is low. However, if you are exporting your cat, ask your vet about rabies vaccinations.
While side effects can occur with vaccines (and any medication), the chances of serious side effects are low. For most pets, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks. Having said that, pets commonly develop mild side effects (e.g. lethargy, mild fever, eating less, diarrhoea, vaccination site lumps).
However, if these signs persist after 1-2 days, contact your vet promptly. Very rarely, life-threatening side effects like breathing difficulty/collapse may occur. If this happens, call an emergency vet clinic in Singapore immediately!
The vaccination schedules we’ve described are general guidelines. As part of our preventative healthcare services, we offer a variety of cat vaccines. Feel free to consult our vets for further, tailored advice
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