Vaccinating your feline friend helps to prevent disease not only for your cat but sometimes in you as well. The three most commonly used vaccines for cats are FVRCP, Rabies, and FeLV. There are a few others that are available but they are not widely used or most times needed. We will cover each vaccine and the disease it prevents. We will also touch upon some known feline reactions to vaccines.
FVRCP (known as the feline distemper vaccine) protects against Feline Panleukopenia virus, Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, and Feline Calicivirus.
- Panleukopenia virus can cause depletion of all white blood cells in the bone marrow, diarrhea, death and neurologic disease if passed to a kitten in-utero.
- Rhinotracheitis (Feline Herpes virus) is one of the upper respiratory viruses that can lead to ocular and nasal discharge, sneezing, lack of appetite and an increased likelihood of secondary bacterial infections.
- Calicivirus is another upper respiratory virus that can cause ocular and nasal discharge, lethargy, oral ulceration and fever.
The vaccine used is a modified form of the live vaccine or virus, which does not cause disease but stimulates the immune system to a higher degree.
Rabies – Rabies is a virus that infects the nervous system leading to severe neurological disease and death. Rabies is fatal 100% of the time if allowed to reach the brain. It is passed on via the bite of an animal, either domestic or wild. Rabies can be transmitted to humans by the same route. It is for this reason that we recommend all cats, even those who are indoors, be vaccinated for rabies. Rabies vaccines are always killed virus vaccines (not modified live vaccine as above) due to the dangerous nature of the virus in its active form.
- (non-adjuvant vaccine) is the most often used feline rabies vaccine. Unlike the vaccine used in dogs which has an immune stimulant known as an adjuvant, this killed virus vaccine is carried into your cat through a canarypox virus. Canarypox does not cause disease in cats but stimulates their immune system more safely than an adjuvant vaccine.
FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) can result in suppression of the immune system and cancer. Feline Leukemia is spread from the saliva or other bodily fluids of a cat. Your cat can be exposed through cat fights, drinking or eating from the same bowls or interactions with an infected cat. Your cat does need to go outside to get exposed to this virus. Feline Leukemia is still the leading infectious cause of death in cats. For that reason all cats that go outdoors should be vaccinated. The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) also recommends that all kittens have the feline leukemia series due to younger cats being at a higher risk for disease. This includes cats that will be indoors for their entire life as occasional escapes can happen. Continuing to booster the vaccine beyond kitten stage would depend on the indoor/outdoor status of the cat.
Other Vaccines for Cats include FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency virus), FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis, Feline Bordatella, Feline Chlamydophila Felis, and Virulent Systemic Calicivirus. Most of these vaccines are not used often and only in specific cases of high risk. Currently the AAFP’s vaccine advisory panel does not recommend the use of the FIP vaccine. If you are interested in one of these vaccines, please talk to your veterinarian about your cat’s risk of disease and possible benefits for your cat.
Adverse Reactions: With any vaccine there is a risk of reaction including but not limited to vomiting, lethargy, swelling or decreased appetite. When people think of vaccine reactions in cats, the most serious reactions they think of are vaccine associated fibrosarcomas (cancer). Vaccine associated sarcomas are most commonly associated with the use of adjuvant vaccines which in the past has been primarily Rabies and Feline Leukemia. There is still research taking place on this topic to better define the cause of this disease and protect your cat. This is the reason why most veterinarians use the type of Rabies vaccine that we talked about earlier (non-adjuvant vaccine). The best way to decide the risks/benefits of these vaccines is to talk with your veterinarian about the needs of your individual cat.
This tip is meant to get you started thinking about vaccines in your cat and give you questions to ask your veterinarian. These are general guidelines for our feline patients but they will never replace a good conversation with your veterinarian.
FELINE VACCINES
By Dr. Jennifer Tutko, DVM
November, 2011
