Starting as a kitten, your pet needs vaccines to keep them healthy and happy. Between six to eight weeks old your kitten will start its kitten vaccines and will receive boosters every 4 weeks until they are 16 weeks old. These booster vaccines ensure that your kitten has the immunity needed to fight off common infectious diseases among cats.
The following is a brief description of each of the diseases that we recommend vaccinating for, how it is transmitted and the signs of disease.
Feline Panleukopenia
Panleukopenia is a highly contagious virus that destroys certain cells in bone marrow, lymph tissue, intestines and brain.
- Transmission: Transmitted by saliva, mucus and other secretions of acutely ill cats.
- Signs: High fever, vomiting, dehydration
Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis
This virus causes nearly half of all upper respiratory diseases in cats.
- Transmission: Transmitted by coughing and sneezing from an infected cat.
- Signs: Sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes and fever
Feline Calicivirus
This virus is the major cause of upper respiratory infections, often along with rhinotracheitis.
- Transmission: Transmitted by droplets coughed and sneezed from an infected cat.
- Signs: Oral ulcers, limping, drooling, sneezing, fever, pneumonia.
Feline Leukemia
This virus causes malignant tumors and anemia . It suppresses the immune system leaving cats vulnerable to other diseases.
- Transmission: transmitted in saliva
- Signs: Early stage Leukemia is rarely detected.
Rabies
This virus is an acute vial brain disease that can infect any mammal but cats are the most commonly reported domesticated animal with rabies.
- Transmission: Transmitted via a bite by a rabid animal ( Skunk, racoon, or bat)
- Signs: Sudden significant change in behavior ( irritability, aggression, fear) Unexplained paralysis.
Now a short little break for your entertainment pleasure!
Risks Associated with Vaccines
Immunizations mildly stimulate the cats immune system in order to protect the body from the infectious disease. This can sometimes create mild symptoms from soreness at the injection site to fever and allergic reactions.
Symptoms of a Vaccine Reaction:
Most cats show no ill effect from vaccination. Vaccine reactions are usually minor and short-lived. Clinical signs include:
- Fever
- Sluggishness
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Swelling and redness around the injection site
- Lameness
If your pet shows any signs of these reactions after it’s vaccines, please call us immediately.
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ALBERT AND HIS TWIN ISSAC ARE STILL FOR ADOPTION
NOW FOR THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!
Last week’s question was :
How often can female cats go into heat during breeding season?
And the winner is:
KRISTEN PARZYCH
And this week’s question is :
When should kittens start getting vaccines ?
Please leave a comment to this blog with your answer or send us the answer via e mail to hospital@rockanimal.com by noon on Friday to be eligible to win the weekly prize.
** Please note , you can win more than once and you can win consecutive weeks , so keep on answering the questions! You DO NOT have to be a client of Rockdale Animal Hospital to enter or win.