Feline Vaccination Guidelines

            In accordance with the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Feline Practitioners, we are confident to offer/guide you in providing the best in preventive medicine to include vaccination protocols to best meet your family's and your cat's needs.

For outdoor cats (to include any cat that goes outdoors at all or spends time on screened in porches), we recommend annual vaccination for "feline distemper combination" and "feline leukemia".  We also recommend annual rabies vaccines for the first 2 years and then boostering for Rabies every 3 years thereafter.

For indoor cats, we recommend annual vaccination for "feline distemper combination" for the first 2 years and then boostering every 1-3 years based on the cat/family situation and the discretion of the veterinarian.  We also recommend annual rabies vaccines for the first 2 years and then boostering for Rabies every 3 years thereafter.

Other things you should know as a cat owner

Other vaccinations: 

"Feline Aids" (FIV): This vaccine is not recommended.

"Feline Infectious Peritonitis" (FIP): This vaccine is not recommended.

Vaccine titers:  These are blood levels used to measure how much immunity a pet potentially has left from a vaccination.  Titers are easy, but expensive to run and the results can be difficult to interpret.  Therefore, current recommendations are to re-vaccinate on a regular basis until this technology becomes less expensive and more reliable.

Vaccine associated sarcomas:  These are cancerous tumors that can develop in cats after receiving vaccinations.  Although they are rare, a lump can develop at the site of the vaccination from months to years later.  This form of cancer is generally very aggressive and no cure is currently available.  These tumors do not occur in other kinds of animals and it is unclear why they develop in cats.

At Telford Veterinary Hospital we take every precaution possible to limit the potential of this disease for our patients.  We use non-adjuvanted vaccines which do not include potentially harmful additives or preservatives.  We also use a needle-less Feline Leukemia vaccine which is cutting edge technology to limit the dose and decrease the irritation caused by giving a vaccine with a needle.  Finally, we continue to investigate new alternatives to keep our cat patients healthy and safe. 

Should you notice any new lump on your cat especially over the right shoulder or either of the back legs where we commonly give vaccinations, please call as soon as possible.  This will allow us to calm fears in the event it is a "cyst" or "fatty lump", to make a timely diagnosis, and to initiate a medical plan.

 
Sincerely,The Doctors and Staff

Telford Veterinary Hospital