Cat Vaccination Information

In 2006, the Feline Vaccine Advisory Panel of the American Association of Feline Practitioners issued new guidelines regarding cat vaccinations, noting that veterinarians had been concerned about the safety of vaccines, and that there was less-than-complete knowledge about the extent and duration of protection afforded by some vaccines, and noting the sheer number of vaccines available. The AAFP Panel classified vaccines as core, noncore or not generally recommended.

  1. Core Vaccines

    • Core vaccines are recommended for all cats. The AAFP Panel classified the vaccine against feline parvovirus (FPV), which causes feline panleukopenia (also known as feline distemper); the vaccine against feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1), which causes feline rhinotracheitis; the vaccine against feline calicivirus (FCV); and the vaccine against rabies virus as core vaccines.

    Administration of Core Vaccines

    • The vaccine against FPV is generally given together with a combination of vaccines against FHV-1 and FCV. There are both injectable and intranasal versions of these vaccines available, and both modified live virus (infectious) and killed virus (noninfectious) versions of the vaccines are available. The vaccine against rabies comes in only an injectable version, with recombinant and killed virus versions available. The rabies vaccine comes in 1-year and 3-year versions.

    Initial Vaccination: Kittens

    • Some vaccines are recommended for kittens as young as 6 weeks old.

      The AAFP Panel recommends vaccinating kittens with the FPV and FHV-1/FCV vaccines beginning as early as 6 weeks and every 3 to 4 weeks thereafter, until the kittens reach 16 weeks of age. The recommendations state that all kittens should get at least one dose of the FPV vaccine via injection. The AAFP Panel recommends that kittens receive one dose of the rabies vaccine, as early as 8 or 12 weeks (depending on the product label) and be given a second dose of the vaccine one year later.

    Initial Vaccinations: Cats

    • The AAFP recommends vaccinations for adult cats without vaccination records.

      According to the AAFP Panel, adolescent or adult cats with unknown vaccination histories should be given two doses of the FPV and FHV-1/FCV vaccines, three to four weeks apart. They should also be given two doses of the vaccine against rabies, 12 months apart.

    Booster Vaccination

    • The booster schedule for the FPV and FHV-1/FCV vaccines is a single dose one year after administration of the last dose of the initial series, followed by a single dose given no more frequently than every three years. Many states and municipalities require cats be vaccinated against rabies, in which case, veterinarians must follow the regulations. Otherwise, annual vaccination with the one-year version or vaccination every three years with the three-year version is recommended.

    Feline Leukemia Virus Vaccine

    • While the AAFP panel classified the vaccine against the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) as a noncore vaccine, the panel highly recommends vaccination against FeLV for all kittens (first dose at 8 to 12 weeks with, depending on the product, a second dose three to four weeks later), but does not recommend booster vaccination unless the cats are at risk of infection. The panel recommends that cats be tested for the virus prior to inoculation and that only FeLV negative cats be vaccinated.

    Other Vaccines

    • Vaccines against the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), chlamydophila felis, and bordetella bronchiseptica were classified as noncore vaccines. In the case of FIV, the panel recommends vaccination only if cats have a high risk of infection and that only cats testing FIV-negative be vaccinated. The panel recommends vaccination against chlamydophila felis or against bordetella bronchiseptica only under specific circumstances. The AAFP panel classified the vaccine against the feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIP) and giardia spp as not generally recommended vaccines