Kittens First Shots

Kittens First Shots by : Life Of Kitten

Should a sick or recovery cat be vaccinated?

The decision whether we should vaccinate a sick or recovering cat depends on the condition of your individual cat. One thing to consider is whether the positive thing caused by vaccination exceeds the negative risk that will be generated. The results of physical examination and laboratory tests will greatly assist decision making. Signs of pain in the kitten should be interpreted differently from the marks seen in adult cats. In general, if an adult cat has a mild upper respiratory illness and no fever, little diarrhea, or skin diseases unrelated to the immune system, then vaccination can be done.

Will Vaccinations in cats with glucocorticoids treats be effective?

Low doses and short-term administration of glucocorticoids such as prednisone, in general, will not interfere with the effectiveness of vaccination. Cats that have high doses of glucocorticoids and other immunosuppressants, usually will not respond well to vaccinations, will even increase the risk of a negative vaccine, especially if vaccinated with a modified live vaccine.

Should a cat infected with FeLV or FIV be vaccinated separately?

In some cats with Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) can suppress the immune system. In this case, it is generally preferred to be killed vaccine compared with a modified live vaccine. If cats infected with FeLV or FIV appear healthy, cats should be vaccinated according to the schedule as well as in healthy cats.

What to do if we forget to vaccinate the cat at a young age?

To get the best results, the first time a cat is vaccinated with a vaccine for a particular disease, it is usually repeated 2-4 weeks after the first vaccination. The first vaccination is meant to form basic immunity, while the next vaccine is meant to boost immunity.

If the period between the first vaccine and the next one is wider, then the basic immune system will decrease and will not respond to increased immunity in subsequent vaccinations. Therefore, if this occurs 2-3 months in young cats with unvaccinated vaccinations, it is recommended to vaccinate 2-3 weeks (note: not applicable for rabies vaccination).

Should cats that react badly to vaccines be vaccinated again?

The decision to vaccinate a cat that previously showed a negative reaction will depend largely on the cat's individual. Age and health status, reaction rate and also a risk of disease should also be considered.

If the risk of our cat is a minor disease, then vaccination is not recommended for cats that have a bad reaction to the vaccine. For example, an adult cat kept inside the house, should not be vaccinated with panleukopenia.

In situations where we know that our cat has no history of adverse reactions to vaccination, then vaccinations should be given regularly. In addition, the use of monovalent vaccines may reduce this risk and should be administered at 3-week intervals. Modified live vaccines usually also do not cause a bad reaction. If an intranasal vaccine is available, it is recommended to use it.

Cats that have a bad reaction to vaccinations should be vaccinated at the Vet. Certain vaccines may be excluded from our cat's vaccination schedule or other types of vaccines may be used. Administration of antamammines prior to vaccination can reduce the risk of adverse reactions. Veterinarians may insert catheters in a cat's vein if this reaction occurs, so treatment and body fluids can be administered immediately. Cats should be monitored progressively before being taken to the veterinarian (1/2-hours) and at the time after being vaccinated at home.

Why do cats need serialized vaccinations?

Kitten receives antibody from its mother through the placenta and after birth will receive it through colostrum (first milk). The ideal cat's age for vaccinations will largely depend on the quality and quantity of antibodies received from the mother.

Antibodies are disease-fighting proteins produced by B cells. Protein antibodies are made in response to foreign particles such as bacteria and viruses. These antibodies will join certain proteins (antigens) or foreign matter to help disable them.

The high antibody levels of mother cat in the kitten's blood vessels will block the effectiveness of the vaccine. If the parent antibody decreases in the young cat, then the immunization will go well.

The parent antibody will generally circulate in the kitten's blood vessels within a few weeks. The thing to note is that there is a period of several days to several weeks, where the parent's level of antibody is too low to protect against the disease but is still too high to allow the vaccine to form immunity.

This period is called the "Vulnerability Pass". In this period we often encounter where our kittens have been vaccinated but still contracting the disease. This vulnerability loophole can be very wide in time. The length and also the occurrence of this Vulnerability Pass will be very different at different births. In situations like this, it will be impossible for us to determine the best time to vaccinate our cat individually. Therefore, the vaccination should be done in serial with the hope that we can vaccinate as soon as our kittens pass through this vulnerability period.

At what age can cats be safely vaccinated?

Generally, at the age of 6-9 weeks, routine cat vaccination should be started. Exceptions may be for cats whose environment is exposed to diseases, such as cat stops, breeding facilities etc. These cats will benefit more if they are vaccinated earlier. Vaccinating the kitten at the age of fewer than 4-5 weeks with modified live vaccines can lead to serious problems.

Are younger and smaller cats getting fewer doses of vaccine?

Vaccine doses should be given as a whole at the time of vaccination. Vaccines are developed not to be given in different doses for cats of different sizes, except in special cases, it is recommended that intranasally administered doses for kittens be reduced.

Why can a vaccinated cat still get sick?

Based on the results of the study there are still many cats that have been vaccinated can still get sickness disease that should be prevented by the vaccine. The failure of this vaccine is more related to immune system response failure than the vaccine itself.

How can the cat-vaccinated mechanism still get sick and even die? Generally, this is because the vaccine is not enough to stimulate the immune system to protect the cat from a disease. Another reason is the presence of the immune system's immune system intervention, vaccine effectiveness and immunity of vaccinated cats or genetic factors. The most likely reason is the parental antibody intervention.

How long does the vaccine start working?

The vaccine does not directly stimulate immunity once vaccinated. When the cat is vaccinated, the antigen will be identified and responded to and remembered by the immune system. In general, protection against disease will not begin until 5 days after vaccination. Full protection will usually occur on day 14. In some cases, 2 or more vaccinations within a few weeks will provide good protection. In general, modified live vaccines and intranasal vaccine vaccines provide faster protection.

Is there a difference in vaccine effectiveness given by different methods?

How to administer this vaccine will depend on the situation. Usually how to administer the vaccine are listed on labels provided by vaccine manufacturers, including vaccines. An intranasal vaccine should not be administered by injecting, otherwise, the vaccine designed to be injected should not enter through the eyes, nose, and mouth. 

Generally, an intranasal vaccine will provide faster protection when compared with an injected vaccine. Intranasal vaccines generally rarely cause allergic reactions and provide good enough protection if the parent antibody is still present in the body of the cat we are vaccinating. If more than one vaccine is given, the vaccination site should be different and do not mix the vaccine together, then injected. In cats the FeLV vaccine is usually injected in the left back of the thigh, the rabies vaccine is injected under the skin of the right foot and other vaccines are injected into the shoulder.

Is one type of vaccine better than the other?

Generally, immunity formed from the modified live vaccine will evoke faster and longer immunity when compared to the killed vaccine. So, in this case, live vaccines are more recommended. New types of vaccines, namely recombinant vaccines generally do not cause allergies.

Should cats that are pregnant or breastfeeding in vaccinations?

Generally, in cats who are pregnant or breastfeeding drug delivery, and vaccines should be avoided. A live modified vaccine will be passed to the fetus through the mother's placenta and cause abnormalities and deaths in the fetus. This generally occurs in unvaccinated animals with modified live panleukopenia vaccine during pregnancy. Some vaccines are indeed in the making have been tested on pregnant cats and cats that are breastfeeding and may be used in certain cases where our cats have no immune system for certain diseases and require immunization. If vaccinations should be used please use the killed vaccine. Your veterinarian will be able to help you determine which vaccine should be used for your pregnant cat.

Conducting a vaccine on a nursing cat will not provide protection to her child. The parent's immune system will form at least a week to react to the vaccine and produce higher level antibodies. Keep in mind that a newly born kitten can only receive antibodies from the mother through colostrum within the first 36 hours. At that moment the parent's antibody level will increase and the child will not be able to absorb it. Vaccinations will help protect the mother, but will not provide antibodies for their breastfeeding children.

What are vaccine-associated fibrosarcomas?

Fibrosarcoma is a connective tissue tumor. This tumor tends to expand into the underlying tissue. The frequency of occurrence of this tumor is increased in cats and according to researchers some of them caused by the local reaction to the vaccine. Although this tumor is often heard of its existence, in fact, it is very rare. The final prediction about the incidence of this tumor is 1 in 10,000-30,000 vaccinated cats, this tumor is most associated with FeLV vaccine. The researchers suspect that the cause of this tumor is an abnormal reaction to the vaccine, genetic predisposition, and other viral infections.

The risk of vaccination associated with fibrosarcomas forces researchers to reevaluate the vaccine protocol. This has led to the recommendation that cats not exposed to FeLV infection need not be vaccinated against the disease. In cats commonly exposed and at risk of infection with FeLV will have a high risk of sarcoma formation, vaccination is recommended.

Small swellings accompanied by pain sometimes occur in areas where cats are vaccinated. These symptoms will disappear within a few weeks. If still not lost, this may allow the occurrence of a sarcoma and should be checked into the vet. 

Vaccines associated with sarcoma are generally characterized by:

1. Lumps that occur more than 3 months after vaccination
2. Diameter is usually more than 2 cm
3. A month after vaccination the size of the lump continues to increase.

If these signs occur to your cat, then you should consult your Veterinarian.

If fibrosarcoma develops and occurs, surgery may be done, but usually, this tumor is so invasive that it is difficult to remove completely. Radiation and chemotherapy are usually recommended and combined with surgery and tumor removal.

Generally, the FeLV vaccine is now administered on the rear left foot in a different place with another vaccine administered. If there is a tumor it will be ascertained which vaccine is associated with the tumor. If the incidence of this tumor is very severe then amputation as a curative action can be done. Cats can usually live a normal life with three legs.

If the history of cat vaccinations we do not know, how many vaccines should be given?

The answer will depend on the type of vaccine used, the risk of cats exposed to the disease and the age of the cat. For cats, more than 4 months old and have not been vaccinated or vaccination history is unknown, it is generally recommended to get 2 combinations of vaccines with a range of 3-4 weeks. The re-vaccination should be repeated a year after completing the first-period vaccination series or in accordance with your Veterinary recommendation.

Cats should be tested for feline leukemia and make sure your cat tests negative results before being vaccinated. In addition, vaccinations should be based on the risk of exposure of our cats to the disease. If FeLV vaccination is recommended, cats should get two vaccinations at 3-4 weeks intervals. An annual booster for feline leukemia should be performed if our cat has a high risk of exposure.

For kittens, less than 4 months should get a combination vaccine distemper (panleukopenia) consistent with the vaccination schedule. A minimum of 2 vaccinations is administered within 3-4 weeks by administering the previous series of vaccinations given at 16 weeks of age or thereafter. Vaccination again after one year must be given or in accordance with your Veterinary advice. Kittens are generally very susceptible to FeLV, therefore vaccination against FeLV in a kitten is recombined for all kittens. The kitten should get 2 vaccinations against FeLV at 3-4 weeks interval from 8 weeks of age. The annual booster for feline leukemia should continue for cats at high risk of exposure to the disease. Rabies vaccinations should be given by Veterinarians.

Source : 

Holly Nash DVM, MS

http://www.peteducation.com/

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