Kitten Vaccines – A Cat Doctor’s Perspective

 Is there anything cuter than a healthy kitten? Bright eyes, soft fluffy fur, hopping sideways when startled? Note, I specified healthy. A sick kitten makes me sad and anxious to help that kitten get better!
I want to clarify the current guidelines for core kitten vaccines. Kitten vaccines are critical for preventing panleukopenia, once a killer of countless kittens until an effective vaccine was created in the 1940’s. It is still lurking in community cat colonies and shelters, ready to infect unprotected kittens and cats. Also known as Feline Parvovirus, this virus is very hardy and difficult to eradicate from an environment, despite thorough disinfection attempts. This is a virus you can track home on your shoes!
The clinical signs start with a high fever and lack of appetite, rapidly progressing to vomiting, bloody diarrhea and death. Some kittens are hit so hard by the virus that they die of sepsis before they even show any signs. While I have a 60% treatment success rate if I can start the kitten on tamiflu right away and give a blood transfusion from a well vaccinated cat, I would MUCH rather prevent this disease with proper kitten vaccination.
The schedule for kitten FVRCP vaccination has changed, based on new scientific knowledge.
We used to think that the last kitten FVRCP vaccine could be given at 12 weeks of age, and many rescues are still using this schedule. Actually, antibodies from the kitten’s mother received during the first few days of nursing (this milk is called colostrum) can interfere with long lasting immunity until just before 16 weeks. So ideally, kittens should be vaccinated every 4 weeks from 6-8 weeks until at least 16 weeks of age. In addition to Panleukopenia, the FVRCP is also protecting your kitten against Calicivirus and Rhinotracheitis (FHV-1), although the Rhinotracheitis fraction is better at diminishing severity of clinical signs than completely preventing infection.
After the first series of vaccines ending at or after 16 weeks, your cat should be revaccinated for FVRCP at 1 year of age and every 3 years after that. Vaccination is ideally done during the all important yearly preventative/ wellness exam every cat deserves, whether strictly indoors or not.
For more information on kitten vaccines and to make an appointment, call 661-259-5288, The Cat Doctor & Friends.