Vaccinations for cats - types of vaccinations and schedule

Why is vaccination needed?

Vaccination is a procedure in which a drug with a weakened virus or fungus is administered. In the future, it ensures the production of antibodies. When they accumulate, an active fight against viral and infectious diseases occurs in the animal’s body.

Vaccinations for cats can protect against the following diseases:

• from calcivirosis;
• from manifestations of rhinotracheitis;
• from panleukopenia;
• for protection against rabies.
• from chlamydia;
• from trichophytosis and microsporia.
• from infectious peritonitis

In addition, vaccinations for cats are required when flying with a pet on an airplane, for transportation on a train, for traveling abroad, and for international trips. In these cases, when going through customs control, the owner will be asked for a passport for the cat, which will contain all the necessary vaccinations.

At what age should you vaccinate?

Newborn kittens have a colostral or passive immune system. It is provided by maternal antibodies. They enter the body of kittens during feeding along with colostrum, as well as in utero through the placenta.

Note! During the first time after birth, the kitten will be protected only from those infectious diseases for which the mother cat was vaccinated. Typically this protection lasts for 3-4 months. This period depends on the level of antibodies in the cat, as well as on the timing of its vaccinations.

For this reason, the first vaccination for kittens born from vaccinated cats is not carried out before 2-3 months. This is due to the fact that the weakened viral organisms that come with the drug will be neutralized by existing antibodies. During this process, the immune system is not activated.

Many veterinarians advise performing the first vaccination for cats and kittens from 3 months. During this period, the antibodies that came from the mother no longer become active and cannot fight viruses. Also, you should not vaccinate when changing teeth; they usually change from 4 to 8 months.

What diseases should it be treated for?

There is a list of mandatory diseases for which you need to be vaccinated.

They cause severe complications, including death.

These terrible diseases include:

1. Panleukopenia (commonly known as plague). The number of leukocytes in a cat's blood decreases, which in most cases leads to death. Panleukopenia has a wide range of symptoms, including: lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of coordination, and refusal to eat. Treatment must be started immediately in order to save the pet in time.
2. Rhinotracheitis. The disease is caused by a virus and provokes the following symptoms: high fever, refusal to eat due to loss of smell, spasm of the muscles of the eyelid, which is why the animal always keeps its eye closed, the appearance of ulcers and inflammation of the cornea. The eyes and upper respiratory tract are affected.
3. Calcivirosis. An infectious disease that results in fever, conjunctivitis, lameness, and ulcers on the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose.
4. Rabies. A well-known disease that is also dangerous for humans. Symptoms of rabies: flow of saliva, sudden aggressiveness, vomiting. At the last stage of the disease, the cat cannot eat because paralysis of the larynx begins. As a result, the unfortunate animal dies from cessation of breathing or general exhaustion of the body.

Before vaccination

Before vaccination is carried out, it is worth understanding that the cat is completely healthy. To do this, you should pay attention to the following recommendations:

• the animal must be active and alert. It should also play, be cheerful;
• the cat should have a normal appetite;
• It is recommended to check the animal’s temperature; it should be in normal condition. For representatives of the cat family, the normal temperature is considered to be 38-39 degrees Celsius;
• the cat should not cough or sneeze;
• the cat should not have any discharge from the eyes or nose
• Before vaccination, cats must be dewormed. To do this, the animal is given anti-worm medications ten days before;
• it is necessary to do flea treatment, for this special products can be used - shampoos, drops on the withers, sprays;
• 10 days after all necessary treatments have been completed, your pet can be vaccinated.

Side effects from the EpiVacCorona vaccine

During phases I-II of clinical trials of EpiVacCorona, volunteers noted slight pain at the injection site, which lasted a maximum of a day or two. No allergic reactions to the vaccine have been recorded.

There were also no flu-like symptoms associated with the vaccine, including headache, myalgia, fever, and asthenia. The developers assess the drug as “low reactogenic, safe and well tolerated.” At the same time, the description for EpiVacCorona states that a short-term increase in body temperature of no more than 38.5 degrees is possible.

Vaccination schedule

Once the cat is prepared, you can begin vaccination. They must be completed within the prescribed time frame; this will more effectively protect your pet from various dangerous diseases of a viral or infectious nature.

A cat vaccination regimen is usually developed by a veterinarian in a clinic on an individual basis. When developing, it takes into account the age and other physiological characteristics of the animal. But there is a classic chart that is often used for whiskered representatives of the cat family.

What vaccinations are given to cats based on age, let’s look at the mandatory ones:

• after the pet is 8-12 weeks old, it must be vaccinated against dangerous diseases such as calcivirosis, rhinotracheitis, and distemper. Sometimes a small pet can receive a chlamydia vaccine;
• as soon as the kitten turns 6 months old, it must be vaccinated against microsporia and trichophytosis;
• after changing teeth (6-8 months), the kitten is given a comprehensive vaccination and is also vaccinated against rabies;
• Sometimes veterinarians recommend rabies vaccination for kittens at 3 months. It should be repeated after a year, but not earlier;
• If the owner wants to protect his pet from ringworm, then clinics can administer the drug. Vaccination is performed at 2-3 months. Repeated revaccination is carried out after 2 weeks.

Important! Immediately after the first vaccination, the kitten may be lethargic and depressed. Secondary vaccinations (revaccination) are usually carried out after 21-28 days, sometimes it is allowed to do a gap of a month.

Vaccinations are also required for adult pets. Despite the fact that animals have a fairly strong immune system as adults, they still need to carry out preventive measures of annual vaccination.

Vaccination for adult cats and kittens is carried out to protect them from dangerous diseases - from distemper, lichen, calcivirus, trichophytosis, chlamydia, and other diseases.

Adult cats and female cats are required to be vaccinated against rabies, which is carried out every few years, depending on the type and brand of vaccine. After vaccination against rabies, cats develop a strong immune system; they do not become infected with a dangerous disease even after interacting with infected animals.

See also: Vaccination schedule for cats by age.

What types of vaccinations are there for cats and why are they needed?

What types of vaccinations are there for cats and why are they needed?

When a cat appears in the house, the owners try to do everything to provide their pet with a comfortable life. They give him treats, organize a place to rest, and play with him. But at the same time, owners often forget about a very important procedure that every cat needs - vaccinations. Volunteers and employees of the Murkosha shelter are often asked, how can a cat who does not go outside get sick?! Alas, it can. This and other misconceptions associated with vaccinations are generated by common myths. But let's try to figure out what it really is.

1. Treatment against parasites and vaccinations
2. Stereotypes about vaccinations
3. What is vaccination
4. Why are vaccinations needed?
5. Vaccination schedule for cats
6. Basic rules of vaccination

What is vaccination

Vaccination (inoculation) is the introduction of antigenic material (that is, foreign material that causes an immune response of the body) in small doses in order to induce immunity to the disease, which will prevent infection or reduce its negative consequences. In other words, the patient is injected with pathogens that are in a weakened or killed state. When the vaccine enters the body, immune cells learn to respond to foreign genes. In the process, antibodies are produced and an immune response is prepared in case of a real threat. After vaccination, the cat’s body (like humans and other animals) is able to effectively fight diseases caused by these pathogens.

Modern healthcare in developed countries is aimed at preventing diseases, and not just treating them. Vaccination is one of those preventive measures that have the most striking effect - when a possible disaster simply passes by. According to the World Health Organization, in Europe alone, timely vaccination prevents 3,000,000 child deaths every year. For example, children are now required to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, measles, rubella, and mumps. Previously, these rare diseases in our days claimed thousands of lives every year.

Fact: After the introduction of vaccinations into medical practice, the mortality rate from smallpox decreased from 90% to 0%. The last case of infection was recorded in 1977.

Vaccinations are no less useful for kittens than for humans.

Why are vaccinations needed?

Vaccinations are the only real way to protect cats from diseases. A vaccinated cat is also protected from complications caused by infections. For those owners who are worried that vaccination may harm their animal, we remind you that any vaccine is a thousand times safer than the disease itself.

Among unvaccinated cats, mortality from viral infections is very high. Moreover, the owner is not always able to notice that the animal is sick and quickly take action. Currently, vaccinations protect cats from the following diseases:

1. Panleukopenia (“feline distemper”) is a viral disease with a very high mortality rate - up to 70%.

Read more about this disease: What is panleukopenia in cats

1. Calicivirus is a viral infection that is dangerous for other animals, with a mortality rate of up to 60%. The virus remains in the body for a long time even after recovery, and the cat can get sick again.
2. Rhinotracheitis is a viral disease that affects the upper respiratory tract: morbidity - 50%, mortality - up to 20%. The virus remains in the body for a long time even after recovery, and the cat can get sick again.
3. Rabies is a fatal viral disease (mortality rate in case of infection is 100%), dangerous to other animals and humans.

Read more: Symptoms of rabies in cats

1. Leukemia (viral leukemia) is an untreatable viral disease that suppresses the immune system and is dangerous for other cats.

Kittens and older animals are most vulnerable to infectious diseases. The first ones have not yet developed immunity. In the latter, the body's protective functions gradually decrease, although preventive measures and proper care are the determining factors in preserving their health for years to come. So this is not a reason to write off elderly pets. And in no case is this a reason to refuse vaccination.

Read about keeping elderly pets: Features of caring for old cats

Stereotypes about vaccinations

The most common myth about vaccinations is that indoor cats and cats (who do not go outside at all) cannot become infected with any infection. You will be surprised how easy it is to bring home a variety of infectious agents and parasite eggs (which are very tenacious and invisible to the eye) on your hands, clothes and shoes. It may be enough for a cat to walk on the rug by the front door and then lick its paw. Be sure to wash your hands when you come in from outside before petting your cat. Moreover, even daily wet cleaning does not kill viruses, which, unfortunately, may well kill your cat. Do not neglect vaccination, putting the life of your loved one at risk.

Many owners do not want to vaccinate their cats because they are alarmed by rumors that circulate on the Internet. For example, owners are often frightened by complications that supposedly arise due to the poor quality of the vaccine. We hasten to reassure you: in fact, such a situation is impossible if vaccination is carried out in a veterinary clinic. Only high-quality vaccines are delivered there.

Read about choosing a veterinary clinic: How to choose the right veterinary clinic for a cat

Another common opinion among owners is that only purebred cats get sick, and if a kitten was taken from the street or from a shelter, then nothing threatens it. However, breed does not affect resistance to infections in any way.

Some people believe that it is enough to vaccinate a kitten once in its life, and it will be protected for the rest of its life. This is not true: every year the number of antibodies in the pet’s body will decrease and sooner or later this can lead to disease. Therefore, vaccinations must be carried out regularly.

Sometimes owners decide to refuse vaccination, explaining that the cat may develop allergies, or simply the high cost of the procedure. In fact, allergic reactions to the vaccine are very rare. As for the price, as practice shows, if an animal gets sick, you have to spend amounts that are tens of times higher than the cost of vaccination. In addition, the sick animal suffers and suffers, and may even die.

Volunteers at the Murkosha shelter heard that the owners vaccinated the kitten, but it still got sick. The reason is either an incorrect vaccination schedule (maternal antibodies can interfere with the development of one’s own immunity, so it is important to strictly follow the schedule), or a mutation of the virus that the vaccine is supposed to protect against. But in the second case, the immune response will still be more effective in the vaccinated animal.

Vaccination schedule for cats

By the way, about the vaccination schedule. Murkosh uses a mandatory vaccination scheme recommended by the World Veterinary Association specifically for shelters. This is due to large concentrations of animals, requiring enhanced security measures. We include information about dewormings and vaccinations carried out in the animals’ personal veterinary passports. For cats living at home, a slightly different scheme of preventive measures is provided.

Firstly, at the time of vaccination, the cat must be clinically healthy, which must be verified by the veterinarian at the appointment. If deviations from the norm are detected, the pet must first be treated and only then vaccinated. Patients with immunodeficiency should be vaccinated only with vaccines with killed pathogens.

Secondly, so that the cat does not suffer from vaccination and receives immunity to diseases, before vaccination it is necessary to warn the veterinarian about:

• operations that the pet has undergone in the last few weeks;
• contacts with sick animals;
• problems with appetite, changes in behavior and other alarming symptoms.

Read more: https://murkosha.ru/nashi-stati/lechenie-i-profilaktika/priznaki-nezdorovogo-kota

Vaccination schedule for kittens (first year of life):

• deworming 10 days before the next vaccination
• first vaccination at 2-3 months
• deworming 10 days before vaccination
• examination by a veterinarian (immediately before vaccination)
• revaccination after 21 days
• graft.

Vaccination schedule for adult cats (from one year)

• examination by a veterinarian (immediately before vaccination)
• deworming 10 days before vaccination
• vaccination once a year.

Vaccinations must be repeated annually. But this does not mean that each disease will require a separate injection. In veterinary practice, complex vaccines are common, protecting against several diseases at once. An anti-rabies vaccine is added to this vaccination. As a result, revaccination is carried out once a year, usually with two injections.

In Russia, the most commonly used vaccines are “Nobivak” (against respiratory viral diseases - rhinotracheitis, calicivirosis, as well as panleukopenia), “Quadricat” (the same plus rabies) and “Multifel-4” (protection against respiratory diseases, panleukopenia and chlamydia) .

Treatment against parasites and vaccinations

Preventive treatment against worms is required 10 days before vaccination. In general, it should be done once every six months (once before a scheduled vaccination). If worms appear in the stool after deworming, you need to give the anthelmintic drug again after 10 days. Keep the sticker from the drug; it must be pasted into the veterinary passport.

Read more about deworming: Preparations for deworming cats

However, there are situations when there is no time for preventive treatment of worms, and the risk of infection is high. Then the vaccination should be done as soon as possible. Let us quote on this score Sergei Vladimirovich Konyaev, a veterinary therapist and gastroenterologist, candidate of biological sciences:

“There are several studies on this matter and it is known that immunity will develop if the animal is not sick (infected with worms and sick - this is not the same thing!). If the animal is dewormed, then yes, the risk of complications, such as fever after vaccination, is lower. Otherwise, it is more important to get vaccinated on time, since dying from an infection is a greater risk than getting some kind of complication due to worms during vaccination.”

Basic rules of vaccination

Owners must strictly follow several basic rules:

• get vaccinated once a year at the same time (immunity to some infections lasts 3 years);
• contact only trusted clinics;
• do not vaccinate an animal immediately after operations and illnesses;
• do not vaccinate pregnant or lactating cats without prior consultation with a specialist;
• call a doctor at home to vaccinate the kitten for the first time, so that the baby does not catch the virus during transportation.

It is also important to remember that when cats or kittens are vaccinated, their bodies begin to produce antibodies, which are the basis of immunity against a specific disease. The process continues for 14 days. During this period, the cat is weakened, so under no circumstances should you expose it to stress or allow it to come into contact with other animals. It is also prohibited to bathe cats and transport them from place to place.

If the owner notices that the pet’s behavior has become unusual, it is worth contacting the veterinarian so that he can examine the cat and determine whether everything is going according to plan.

All cat owners should remember one simple thing: without vaccination, an animal can get sick at any time. Therefore, there is no need to save on your pet’s health, because the disease will bring a lot of suffering not only to him, but also to his loving owner.

Well, for those who do not yet have a kitten or an adult pet, the Murkosha shelter offers to choose a friend. All our animals are vaccinated and treated for parasites.

Types of vaccines

The drugs used to vaccinate cats help protect animals from various diseases. But it is worth considering that they are divided into varieties that have some characteristics.

Vaccinal drugs can be classified according to the degree of impact. According to these criteria they can be:

• monovalent . The effect of drugs of this type is aimed at developing immunity to a specific disease;
• polyvalent . When vaccines of this type are administered, cats and kittens develop immunity to several diseases.

Vaccines are also divided into groups according to the duration of their effect:

• active . The drug contains live but weak viral organisms that do not pose a high danger to cats. About a week after the vaccine is administered, the animal develops immunity with a long-lasting effect on pathogens;
• inactivated . Preparations of this type are produced on the basis of dead viral organisms. It is for this reason that animals develop immunity almost immediately after receiving the medicine. However, it exists for a short period of time.

Dead and live vaccines

In order for a pet owner to be able to choose a high-quality and effective vaccine, it is imperative to consider the popular live and dead vaccines. There are many drugs, they may differ in action and composition.

Important! At the appointment, the veterinarian should tell you about the popular vaccines that are used to vaccinate cats and kittens. He must explain their effect and indicate the duration.

The table below shows popular dead and live vaccines.

There are also mixed vaccines that are used to vaccinate against plague and toxoplasmosis. The most popular complex drugs include the following:

• Nobivak Tricat Trio . A complex vaccine that protects the animal from distemper, from rhinotracheitis viruses, calicivirus, and from coronovirus;
• Purevax RCP and RCPCh . Combined preparations that contain inactive and active strains of viruses of dangerous cat diseases. Protects against panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, chlamydia, calcivirosis.

See also - Vaccines for cats by disease.

Principle of action and differences from other vaccines

The development of the State Scientific Center for Virology and Biotechnology “Vector” of Rospotrebnadzor belongs to the class of peptide vaccines. Essentially, it is a cocktail of short protein sequences - peptides.

Unlike Sputnik V and CoviVac, the drug does not contain a virus, DNA, or RNA. All peptides are synthetic. They mimic small sections of proteins in the real coronavirus that trigger the production of protective antibodies.

Due to the fact that the body is not presented with the entire virus, the immune response to EpiVacCorona is weaker. Only specific virus-neutralizing antibodies are produced in the blood.

Vector explains that their development is effective against various strains of coronavirus because it contains conservative, that is, rarely changing, epitopes.

The EpiVacCorona peptide vaccine produces antibodies against coronavirus. To do this, its molecule contains B- and T-epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein, aimed at activating various immune cells. The peptides, together with the carrier protein, enter the B lymphocyte in the form of an endosome, where they are split into parts and, together with the proteins of the major histocompatibility complex class II, are exposed on the surface for recognition.

Where is it better to get vaccinated at home or in a clinic?

Many people often wonder where it is better to get vaccinated - at home or in a veterinary clinic? Of course, if you have never encountered this procedure, then you should first consider all the pros and cons.

Many veterinarians recommend performing primary vaccinations at home. The fact is that in small animals the immunity is quite weakened, and contact with other sick patients can lead to infection. If the owner is afraid to do this procedure on his own, then many veterinary clinics offer a special service that makes it possible to call a doctor at home.

Calling a veterinarian to your home is a convenient procedure; it has a number of positive aspects:

• eliminates the need to take the animal to the veterinary clinic across the city;
• no need to sit in line for a long time;
• prevents infection of dangerous diseases from other animals that are brought to the clinic;
• Vaccinating a cat at home is much easier and does not cause severe stress in the animal.

But if it is not possible to vaccinate a cat at home, then the primary vaccination can be carried out at a veterinary clinic. You must follow the rules:

• the animal must be transported in a special sterile bag or carrier;
• a clean and sterile cloth or diaper should be placed under the pet;
• preventing contact of a cat with other infected animals in line.

Note! Vaccination in a veterinary clinic has only one advantage - the issuance of a veterinary passport, which will indicate all the vaccinations given. However, currently this service is also provided at home.

Duration of action

Scientists were able to preliminary estimate the duration of immunity in primates who were injected with EpiVacCorona last spring. Antibodies are still being detected in animals. At the same time, to enhance the protective effect, they needed to administer a third dose of the vaccine.

Scientists continue to monitor vaccinated volunteers. According to current data, antibodies are present in the blood even after nine months. They are expected to maintain protective functions for a year. The exact duration of immunity provided by EpiVacCorona will be known after completion of phase III clinical trials on three thousand volunteers.