Vaccinations
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What diseases should we vaccinate cats against?The types of vaccines available will differ from country to country based on whether the disease occurs in that country and government licensing policy. The most frequently used vaccinations in the UK protect against:
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Practice Vaccination Policy
The Cat Vet's practice’s policy is to take the safest approach wherever possible and this applies to vaccination too. We follow the Vaccination Guidelines set out by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). We share the WSAVA's aim which is to vaccinate more cats, less often. This is achieved by tailoring your cat’s vaccinations to the risk of exposure to infection and the duration of efficacy of the vaccine itself. This does not necessarily mean that we vaccinate less often, simply that your cat may not need all components of the vaccine every single year. Read more about this policy
Primary Vaccination Courses |
Annual Boosters |
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The WSAVA's Vaccination Guidelines, currently advises that kittens need to complete a primary vaccination course. This involves three injections on three separate occasions:
1st injection: 8-9 weeks of age 2nd injection: 3-4 weeks later 3rd injection: 16 weeks or older Why the third injection? Current evidence suggests that many kittens still have their mother's antibodies in their blood stream at 12 weeks of age. These antibodies can inhibit the effects of vaccination. With no easy way of knowing whether your kitten has these antibodies or not, the WSAVA suggests playing it safe and giving a third injection at 16 weeks of age. Although this makes primary courses of vaccination more costly this is a one off cost. Annual vaccination thereafter is significantly cheaper. |
The Cat Vet's practice policy of avoiding over-vaccination means the contents of your cat's vaccination injection varies each year. At some stage in your cat's life (usually in kittenhood) there should have been a primary course of vaccinations - typically two injections 3-4 weeks apart, followed by a series of annual boosters.
Unlike many local practices, even if your cat is slightly overdue with an annual booster, following the WSAVA vaccination policy means your cat will not need to restart the whole course again saving you ££ in the long run and more importantly reducing stress and risk to your cat! |