You’ve just brought home your new kitten and now need to protect him from contagious disease that have the potential to harm him. You may be very busy toilet training, feeding and settling him in, but it’s important to deal with the issue of vaccination first.
Vaccinate your cat or kitten to prevent potentially serious & sometimes fatal diseases.
Feline enteritis
This is a common and very contagious viral disease with a high death rate, especially in cats under 12 months. Signs include fever, severe stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and often depression.
Feline respiratory disease (cat flu)
Another highly contagious disease affecting all cats, particularly young kittens and Siamese and Burmese cats.
Signs include sneezing, nasal discharge, runny eyes, coughing, loss of appetite, severe dehydration and tongue ulcers.
Kittens require a course of three vaccinations & possibly a yearly booster
Kittens Vaccination Timetable
| Age | Vaccination |
| 6 -8 weeks | Feline Infectious Enteritis Feline Calicivirus Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis |
| 12 -14 weeks | Feline Infectious Enteritis Feline Calicivirus Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis |
| 16 -18 weeks | Feline Infectious Enteritis Feline Calicivirus Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis |
Kittens should only socialise with others after their final vaccination.
Other infections include:
Feline chlamydia
Chlamydia is an organism that causes a very contagious eye disease that occurs in a number of conjunctivitis cases, particularly in kittens.
Signs include conjunctivitis, sticky discharge from the eyes and nose, fever, coughing, respiratory distress, swollen lymph nodes, lack of appetite, weight loss and depression.
FIV (feline immunodeficiency)
The feline version of AIDS, which attacks the immune system. It is potentially fatal and high risk cats require vaccination.
Signs include fever, sores, lesions and diarrhoea progressing to severe chronic infections leading to death. Adult cats require a blood test prior to vaccination to determine if they are FIV negative (if they are FIV positive a vaccination won’t help them).
Discuss the risk of FIV and other diseases with your veterinarian and the best way to protect your kitten.
This is general information only. Consult your veterinarian about vaccinating your kitten. See legal disclaimer
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