Do Indoor Kittens Need Vaccinations
All kittens need vaccinations to help keep them healthy.
Do indoor kittens need vaccinations. While some like heading out others will be content to stay at home especially if they ve been indoor cats from a young age. Not so much for indoor cats but for outdoor. If a rabid animal enters your home or your cat winds up at a shelter you d want her to be vaccinated. After this kittens and cats usually need booster vaccinations every twelve months.
Some cats need to be confined indoors due to medical conditions while others are just happier living an indoor life. I recommend starting vaccinations at about 8 weeks of age continuing until the kitten is 4 months old. It s becoming an industry standard to vaccinate your cats every 3 years or more. Kittens can start their vaccinations from nine weeks old and will need a second set of injections usually 2 4 weeks after their initial set to complete their course.
Cats are all individuals. Don t assume that your cat doesn t need at least some vaccines just because he doesn t go outside. Kittens need a course of two vaccinations to protect them from potentially fatal infections feline infectious enteritis which can cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea and feline influenza also known as cat flu. Your cat doesn t need to go outside to catch fleas and an indoor cat can still get heartworm disease from a mosquito that finds its way inside your warm home.
Kittens should start getting vaccinations when they are 6 to 8 weeks old until they are about 16 weeks old. Benefits of giving the rabies vaccine depend on your home life and situation. Vaccines are an important part of keeping your cat healthy. Remember your kitten won t be fully protected until several weeks after their second set of jabs so it s best to keep them indoors and away from any unvaccinated pets until your vet says they re safe to mingle with other cats and go outside.
Think your indoor cat doesn t need vaccinations. Cat vaccinations are divided into two types. And cats with a history of having sarcomas would need vaccinations with less frequency. According to the american association of feline practitioners aafp the core vaccines those that are recommended for all cats are feline panleukopenia virus fpv feline herpesvirus 1 fhv 1 and feline calicivirus fcv as well as rabies.
Recommended by the american animal hospital association basically to sum up. Then they must be boostered a year latyer. Unfortunately it s a common misconception that indoor cats don t need to be vaccinated because they won t encounter other cats or disease carrying animals. The shots come in a series every 3 to 4.
Kittens should have their first set of vaccinations at nine weeks old and at three months old they should receive the second set to boost their immune system. There is also a vaccination that offers protection from the feline leukaemia virus which can affect the immune system. Until your kitten is fully vaccinated and neutered you should keep him or her inside.