To keep your cat happy & healthy, we recommend 3 core cat vaccinations – Rabies, the FVRCP vaccination, and the FeLV (Feline Leukemia) vaccination.  You may want to change your cat’s vaccination schedule based off of their lifestyle, their vaccination history, or other health conditions. However, most cats should get these 3 shots every year to every three years.

Rabies

Texas (and most other states) requires the Rabies vaccination every year to every 3 years for cats and dogs. Texas requires one Rabies vaccination by 4 months of age, then a booster 12 months after the initial vaccination.

From that point on, your cat needs the Rabies vaccination either yearly or tri-annually depending on which vaccination they get. We carry the one year Rabies vaccination for $10 at all clinics.

Update: Rabies was recently diagnosed in Cleburne county in a puppy adopted out from Cleburne animal shelter! All cats should be vaccinated against Rabies by 4 months of age to be protected. 

FVRCP Combo

The FVRCP vaccination covers a combination of several diseases:

Herpes (rhinotracheitis) – R

Calici  – C

panleukopenia (feline distemper) – P

(FVRCP stands for ‘feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia’).

This is the core vaccination for cats, covering some of the most deadly feline diseases. It’s especially critical for kittens to receive the FVRCP vaccination and at least 2 boosters.

Feline Leukemia

The FeLV vaccination protects cats from the feline leukemia virus.

Feline leukemia is usually spread by a carrier cat coming into contact with an unprotected cat. Bites, or even mutual grooming, can spread the virus.  Sometimes, mother cats can pass the virus on to their kittens, which is why we recommend FeLV/FIV testing at your regular vet whenever you get a new cat.

There are no obvious signs of infection in early stages. Anywhere from a month to a year after first being infected, the infected cat’s health starts declining. Symptoms include having less appetite, losing weight, not grooming as frequently, and sleeping more.

Even with treatment, 85% of infected cats die within 3 years.

Cat Vaccinations Schedule

It’s difficult to create a one-size-fits-all cat vaccination schedule. Your veterinarian can talk with you about your cat’s lifestyle and the most important vaccines to give in your area.

For some cats, a vaccination can last their entire lifetime. For others, only a few years. The reason most veterinarians recommend annual cat vaccinations is because it’s a safe, easy way to keep your cat protected.

The only way to tell if your cat has immunity against certain diseases is with a titer test. These tests look at your cat’s immunity to see if they’re protected or not.

However, these titer tests are very expensive, and impractical for the average cat owner. We recommend annual vaccinations, but we’re more than happy to work with your situation and talk about your options.

This vaccination schedule only applies to adult cats. Kitten vaccinations are incredibly important, and when cats are young they should get several vaccinations, each a month apart.

Rabies – Annual Vaccination (Triannual in Some Cases)

Since Texas law requires your cat stay up to date on the Rabies vaccination, we recommend this vaccine every year. A three-year Rabies vaccination is available, but keep in mind that Texas law requires that the first Rabies vaccination is a one-year, and check your county laws to make sure that they don’t require a one-year.

FVRCP – Annual or Triannual Vaccination

We recommend annual vaccinations for FVRCP but for indoor cats, every three years is a safe bet (as long as they have been vaccinated several times with the FVRCP vaccination already).

FeLV – Annual Vaccinations

Not enough is known about the duration of the FeLV vaccination to guarantee that your cat will be protected past a year. We recommend annual vaccinations.

If you have any concerns or additional questions about what vaccinations your cat needs and/or how often, feel free to contact us!

Protect your cat this weekend at one of our vaccination clinics located across Dallas-Fort Worth! Check our schedule here.

What Cat Vaccinations Does Your Cat Need? was last modified: by