When cats come in for their annual physical exams, vaccines are often part of the visit. Although vaccines
are not the focus of the exam, and cats may no longer get vaccines every year, they still play an important
role in maintaining the health of your cat. There are several vaccines that we routinely employ.
Rabies vaccine is the one vaccine that ALL cats must have. According to Massachusetts law, all cats must be vaccinated. This is because it not only prevents this fatal disease in the cat but also because vaccinating your cat is one of the important steps in preventing the spread of rabies to people. As you may know, rabies is a viral disease that affects the nervous system and invariably culminates in death once symptoms have become apparent. All warm-blooded animals are susceptible to the disease. Rabies virus is alive and well in a reservoir of wild animals, including raccoons, coyotes, fox, skunks, and bats. When a domestic animal comes in contact with a wild animal, the risk of transmission is always present. It is important to keep your cat's rabies vaccine up to date and boosters should always be administered on or before the date of expiration. If a vaccinated cat comes into contact with a wild animal and a wound results, the risk is minimal and a booster vaccination can give extra protection. If the same encounter happens with a cat that has a lapsed vaccination, the risk is much greater to the cat and legal consequences may create a hassle for the owner of the cat. We are REQUIRED by law to report these incidences to the town Health Department. In these circumstances, the cat must be quarantined for 6 months. The cat must be examined and vaccinated 5 months after the initial incident. These rules are put in place by the Department of Public Health to protect the human population not the cat population. Many of our clients do not realize the 'can of worms' that is opened when your cat's rabies vaccination becomes 'a little overdue'!
It is equally important to vaccinate indoor cats for rabies. Although you may think your indoor cat will never come in contact with a fox or raccoon. We frequently have owners who call about their cat who has escaped for the first time! We have even had owners that have had raccoons break into their house! It is not uncommon for people to find bats in their homes. Indoor cats see healthy or sick bats as convenient prey. Most human cases of rabies have been through exposure to bats, and many times the people do not realize they have been bitten. If you find a bat in your house, please contact your local health department, and call us to booster your cat.
Rabies vaccines for indoor cats also protect you from liability problems. Although your cat may be gentle with you and your family, visitors can often stress a cat and occasionally a cat will lash out or bite a visitor (often a young child who doesn't understand how to properly approach or treat an animal). If your cat is not current on its rabies vaccination, the health department can quarantine or even insist on euthanasia and rabies testing. Please avoid this highly emotional issue by keeping the rabies vaccination up to date!
The other 'core' vaccines, as labeled by the American Association of Feline Practitioners, are vaccines against distemper or panleukopenia and the upper respiratory diseases or herpes and calici virus. The panleukopenia virus causes vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and suppression of white blood cells (the body's immune cells). In many cats, and especially in young kittens this virus is rapidly fatal and was the single biggest killer of cats before the use of the vaccine. The herpes and calici viruses are the cause of the common cold in the cat world. Very common in shelters or where any large group of cats are housed. They are responsible for the runny eyes, nose, congestion, and fevers that we often see with cats. All three of these viruses are extremely contagious and do not need direct contact with other cats for their spread. You CAN bring these home to your cats! We have recently started to split this vaccine into components, so do not be surprised if we give both an injection and an intra-nasal vaccine for this group.
The feline leukemia virus vaccine is another vaccination to consider for your cat. We generally recommend this vaccine for cats that go outdoors or may escape and interact with other cats. Leukemia virus is a member of the retro virus family, that can induce cancer, cause immune suppression, or bone marrow suppression. It is mostly a fatal disease, although many cats may live for a time with no symptoms. The virus is not easily spread from cat to cat, and you can not bring it home to your kitty. It is mostly spread through bites, or prolonged contact with saliva or urine. Therefore we do not recommend this vaccine for indoor only cats.
Probably more important in the control of leukemia virus is the testing of blood samples for the presence of this virus. ALL kittens should be tested when you first get them. A small number of kittens may have a false negative test, so we may retest your cat at its first annual visit. If your cats are tested negative and live strictly indoors, then they will be safe from leukemia virus. However, if your cat's lifestyle changes, then we may elect to give the leukemia vaccination.
Which vaccines to give and how often, are subjects to discuss with us, every time you bring your cat in for its annual physical. There are always considerations such as age, overall health, lifestyle, and exposure risk to assess, before we decide which vaccines are right for your cat. Remember to have your cat checked every 3,000 meows!
are not the focus of the exam, and cats may no longer get vaccines every year, they still play an important
role in maintaining the health of your cat. There are several vaccines that we routinely employ.
Rabies vaccine is the one vaccine that ALL cats must have. According to Massachusetts law, all cats must be vaccinated. This is because it not only prevents this fatal disease in the cat but also because vaccinating your cat is one of the important steps in preventing the spread of rabies to people. As you may know, rabies is a viral disease that affects the nervous system and invariably culminates in death once symptoms have become apparent. All warm-blooded animals are susceptible to the disease. Rabies virus is alive and well in a reservoir of wild animals, including raccoons, coyotes, fox, skunks, and bats. When a domestic animal comes in contact with a wild animal, the risk of transmission is always present. It is important to keep your cat's rabies vaccine up to date and boosters should always be administered on or before the date of expiration. If a vaccinated cat comes into contact with a wild animal and a wound results, the risk is minimal and a booster vaccination can give extra protection. If the same encounter happens with a cat that has a lapsed vaccination, the risk is much greater to the cat and legal consequences may create a hassle for the owner of the cat. We are REQUIRED by law to report these incidences to the town Health Department. In these circumstances, the cat must be quarantined for 6 months. The cat must be examined and vaccinated 5 months after the initial incident. These rules are put in place by the Department of Public Health to protect the human population not the cat population. Many of our clients do not realize the 'can of worms' that is opened when your cat's rabies vaccination becomes 'a little overdue'!
It is equally important to vaccinate indoor cats for rabies. Although you may think your indoor cat will never come in contact with a fox or raccoon. We frequently have owners who call about their cat who has escaped for the first time! We have even had owners that have had raccoons break into their house! It is not uncommon for people to find bats in their homes. Indoor cats see healthy or sick bats as convenient prey. Most human cases of rabies have been through exposure to bats, and many times the people do not realize they have been bitten. If you find a bat in your house, please contact your local health department, and call us to booster your cat.
Rabies vaccines for indoor cats also protect you from liability problems. Although your cat may be gentle with you and your family, visitors can often stress a cat and occasionally a cat will lash out or bite a visitor (often a young child who doesn't understand how to properly approach or treat an animal). If your cat is not current on its rabies vaccination, the health department can quarantine or even insist on euthanasia and rabies testing. Please avoid this highly emotional issue by keeping the rabies vaccination up to date!
The other 'core' vaccines, as labeled by the American Association of Feline Practitioners, are vaccines against distemper or panleukopenia and the upper respiratory diseases or herpes and calici virus. The panleukopenia virus causes vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and suppression of white blood cells (the body's immune cells). In many cats, and especially in young kittens this virus is rapidly fatal and was the single biggest killer of cats before the use of the vaccine. The herpes and calici viruses are the cause of the common cold in the cat world. Very common in shelters or where any large group of cats are housed. They are responsible for the runny eyes, nose, congestion, and fevers that we often see with cats. All three of these viruses are extremely contagious and do not need direct contact with other cats for their spread. You CAN bring these home to your cats! We have recently started to split this vaccine into components, so do not be surprised if we give both an injection and an intra-nasal vaccine for this group.
The feline leukemia virus vaccine is another vaccination to consider for your cat. We generally recommend this vaccine for cats that go outdoors or may escape and interact with other cats. Leukemia virus is a member of the retro virus family, that can induce cancer, cause immune suppression, or bone marrow suppression. It is mostly a fatal disease, although many cats may live for a time with no symptoms. The virus is not easily spread from cat to cat, and you can not bring it home to your kitty. It is mostly spread through bites, or prolonged contact with saliva or urine. Therefore we do not recommend this vaccine for indoor only cats.
Probably more important in the control of leukemia virus is the testing of blood samples for the presence of this virus. ALL kittens should be tested when you first get them. A small number of kittens may have a false negative test, so we may retest your cat at its first annual visit. If your cats are tested negative and live strictly indoors, then they will be safe from leukemia virus. However, if your cat's lifestyle changes, then we may elect to give the leukemia vaccination.
Which vaccines to give and how often, are subjects to discuss with us, every time you bring your cat in for its annual physical. There are always considerations such as age, overall health, lifestyle, and exposure risk to assess, before we decide which vaccines are right for your cat. Remember to have your cat checked every 3,000 meows!