Kitten and Cat Vaccinations

The following information is the result of much research and compiling of information from different sources, which occurred after one of my foster kittens' future adopters asked me about what vaccinations should be given to a kitten.  I realized that, though my family had been housing a family of stray cats and kittens since I was in middle school (long story...), I had no idea what the normal rounds of vaccinations were for cats in general.  

Vaccinating your animals can be very confusing--veterinarians tend to over-vaccinate, for a number of reasons.  When animal vaccinations came into existence, the veterinary community considered them a godsend, as well they should, since thousands of animals were dying of diseases such as panleukopenia, which has a mortality rate of 90% in kittens.  So, out of a natural desire to protect kittens and cats as much as possible, vets tended to give many vaccination boosters.  A second, less appealing reason for over-vaccinating, is that each vaccination brings in money--this practice of encouraging all sorts of unnecessary vaccinations occurs most obviously at Banfield, the veterinary office that is owned by the same large corporation as Petsmart, and often resides within, or right next to, many Petsmart stores.  

Now the natural next question is--what is the harm of over-vaccinating?  Isn't it best to be safe than sorry?  The problem is that the result of over-vaccinating could be worse than the disease that the vaccination is trying to prevent.  Sarcoma is a type of cancer that the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) has linked to vaccination sites.  Basically, it is a lump that doesn't go away at the injection site of a vaccination.  Other negative vaccine reactions can also occur, such as allergic reaction that can cause your cat to stop breathing, as well as seizures. In order to prevent sarcomas and other negative vaccination reactions, as well as protect your cat from deadly diseases, one must find the middle ground between over- and under-vaccinating.  

Here is a vaccination schedule that I've compiled that attempts to reach this middle ground.  It is mostly based upon the AVMA research about the duration of immunity given by various vaccinations, and AVMA cat vaccination recommendations.

8 weeks: FVRCP

12 weeks: FVRCP, and FeLV

16 weeks: FeLV, rabies, sometimes FVRCP

14 months: FVRCP booster, FeLV booster

Then, boosters for FVRCP every 3 years.  

If FeLV vaccine is necessary, boosters are needed annually.

Core Vaccinations

Core Vaccines

FVRCP = feline viral rhinotracheitis + calcivirus + panleukemia

rhinotracheitis a.k.a. feline herpes-1

symptoms sneezing, nasal discharge, swelling of the conjunctiva of the eye, discharge from eye, sometimes corneal ulcers, drooling, rarely mouth ulcers, fever, severe loss of appetite, severe lethargy, can cause abortion if cat is pregnant. 

calcivirus

symptoms nasal discharge, sometimes sneezing, discharge from eye, oral ulcers common, pneumonia, joint and muscle pain, may develop ulcers on paws, sometimes fever, mild loss of appetite and lethargy

panleukemia a.k.a. feline distemper

symptoms first, sudden high fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, then vomiting, diarrhea (possibly bloody), and dehydration; seizures possible.

All three of the diseases prevented by the FVRCP combination vaccine are caused by viruses.  Since there are very few anti-viral drug options, the most anyone can do to treat these diseases is supportive care--this means to treat each symptom as much as possible, and keep the cat hydrated and comfortable in order to give the cat's immune system a chance to fight the virus.  Thus, this combination vaccine is very helpful in preventing serious health problems in your cat or kitten. 

Rabies Vaccine This vaccine is required by law.  There are some rabies vaccine brands that are specified "3-year duration" vaccines, and you can request that your vet use one of these vaccines on your cat.  While these vaccines do not differ from the typical rabies vaccine in content, if you have documentation that your cat has been vaccinated with the 3-year rabies vaccination, some states will allow you to only vaccinate every 3 years after the 2nd rabies booster at 14 months**, thus minimizing possible negative reactions to the rabies vaccination.  

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) This vaccine is considered a core vaccine if your cat goes outside, or if they are exposed to outside cats.  

symptoms cancer, immunodeficiency, symptoms possible for almost every body system, including loss of appetite, fever, weight loss, weakness, neurological problems such as blindness or seizures, and swollen lymph nodes, as well as a variety of cancers

Non-Core Vaccinations

Non-Core Vaccines

All of the following non-core vaccines have low efficacy, meaning they are not guaranteed to actually prevent the disease.

Other reasons the AVMA characterizes these vaccines as non-core are elaborated below.  

The fact that these vaccines are considered non-core does not necessarily mean that you should not vaccinate your cat with them.  Do your own research, as well as discuss with your veterinarian whether your cat is considered at high risk for the disease, based on your household and location.  

Chlamydia

considered non-core because effects of the disease are mild; only affects 5-10% of cat population; very good prognosis if treated with tetracycline (an antibiotic)

symptoms mainly eye discharge due to inflammation of conjunctiva of eye, also may cause nasal discharge, sneezing, pneumonia

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) This disease is quite complicated.  Here is some background on the disease.  FIP is caused by a virus called Feline Coronavirus (FCoV), which can cause two types of disease: Feline Enteric Coronavirus (FECv), whose only symptom is a mild diarrhea.  However, FECv can mutate to cause FIP, which is a progressive disease that is almost always fatal.  

considered non-core because while 25-40% of cats and 95% of multi-cat households have FCoV, only 1/5000 cats in households with one or two cats, or 5% of cats in multi-cat households or catteries actually develop FIV.  So the incidence of this disease is very low.  

Ringworm

considered non-core because in healthy short-haired kittens and cats with small isolated lesions, ringworm infection will resolve without treatment in about four weeks; vaccine can be given after the fact to help cure infection; prognosis is good with antifungal creams and oral medications.

symptoms circular patches of hair loss, dry flaky skin, itching, dandruff, redness, onychomycosis (infection of claw and clawbed).  

Bordetella

considered non-core because there are many strains of bordetella, and the vaccine does not protect against many of them.  

Administration of the bordetella vaccine is suggested in multi-cat situations, such as if your cat is going to be boarded, or in catteries. 

This disease is usually mild and self-limiting in healthy cats.  However, it can be life-threatening in kittens or immune deficient cats, with the possibility of developing into pneumonia.  

treatment antibiotics i.e. tetracycline, doxycycline, amoxicillin; resistant to ampicillin and trimethoprim; some strains are resistant to tetracycline, and amoxicillin

**bordetella's resistance to ampicillin is important to note, since ampicillin is commonly used to treat upper respiratory infections in cats.

symptoms sneezing, coughing, fever, nasal discharge

 

Diarrhea in Young Kittens

Diarrhea in kittens is a subject I have personal experience with.  Soon after picking up 2 four week old foster kittens from a kill shelter, I realized that despite  

Banfield and Over-vaccinating

So, I mentioned before that Banfield has the overarching tendency to over-vaccinate the animals that come through their vet practice, for purely monetary reasons.  Let me just say how reprehensible this is, for a couple of reasons.  My first impression of Banfield painted it as a trustworthy veterinary practice--after all, it is in connection to Petsmart, one of the country's largest pet supply stores.  For some reason, I (naively) assumed that Banfield's ownership by a corporation would cause it's policies to be ethical, due to the company's prominence in the public eye.  However, while I'm sure there are veterinarians who work for Banfield who do not over-vaccinate, they do this by going against company policy.  

The evidence?