Copyright Rijana
Vaccinating cats is better than curing
Introduction:
Your cat is a member of your family and has many of the same needs as you and your children. For example, she needs a loving environment, but also good nutrition and medical care.
A cat's life can be divided into different phases. In each phase of her life a cat has specific needs. Of course you want your cat to be protected as well as possible against various diseases and that certain conditions are prevented.
This article gives you insight into the different life stages of your cat and into the health aspects that are important to know in each stage.
That way you, together with your veterinarian, can ensure that your cat remains in optimal condition and diseases are prevented!
Young cat (up to 1 year):
A young kitten is a celebration! The first year of a cat's life is equivalent to 10-
So you can imagine that your kitten grows quickly and learns a great deal in this year.
That is why good nutrition is very important, for example, containing sufficient nutrients to grow as balanced as possible. (e.g. Royal Canin)
Infectious diseases:
Immediately after birth your young kitten receives antibodies against the most important diseases from its mother. With this your kitten is protected for the first weeks of its life. After that your kitten will have to build up antibodies itself. The vaccinations given by the veterinarian help with this.
Normally your kitten will need to be vaccinated at the age of 9 weeks and 12 weeks. Then at the age of 12-
Bordetella Bronchiseptica:
Bordetella bronchiseptica is a bacterium that was formerly thought to only cause problems in cats infected with another disease.
Moreover, it was assumed that Bordetella occurred incidentally.
Recent research has shown that Bordetella can independently cause the cat flu picture and can regularly cause infections in cats.
In cats kept in groups and where cat flu is regularly observed, more than 50% of the cats turned out to have antibodies against Bordetella in their blood, in
individually kept cats this turned out to be the case in about 30%. Being able to demonstrate antibodies in the blood indicates that the animals have gone
through an infection or that the animals have been vaccinated against Bordetella.
Worms:
Especially young kittens are very sensitive to worm infections. Severe worm infections can make your kitten sick and sometimes even be fatal. Your kitten is infected immediately after birth via the mother's milk. Timely deworming is therefore of great importance.
Depending on your cat's lifestyle, your veterinarian can inform you which deworming treatment is best for your kitten.
Adult cat (1 to 8 years):
The adult cat will be fully grown at one year. As a result, its energy needs will change. In young adult cats the females will come into heat for the first time.
This means that you will start thinking about the reproductive future of your cat. Also, any conditions may come to light in the young adult cat. That is why
it is important that your veterinarian carries out a good health check on your cat at the first booster vaccination (around 1 year).
Infectious diseases:
Some people think that adult cats do not need booster vaccinations. This is not true! There are many known cases of adult cats that have died from feline panleukopenia or have suffered severely from cat flu.
Booster vaccinations are therefore important to keep protection at a high level. Normally this means that your veterinarian will give your cat a booster vaccination every year. This way you keep your cat's protection up to date.
If you have an adult cat and you are not sure whether she is well protected, you can, in consultation with your veterinarian, have your cat vaccinated twice with three weeks in between. This way your cat again has good basic protection.
Worms:
Even adult cats can, despite your good care, still become infected by worms. One in three cats has worms! Usually these worm infections arise because
your cat eats a so-
Therefore it is important that your adult cat gets a good deworming treatment twice a year. This way you prevent infection and ensure that your cat stays
healthy. Let your veterinarian advise you which deworming treatment is best for your cat.
Older cat (from 8 years):
Infectious diseases:
For your older cat it applies even more than for adult cats that an annual vaccination is necessary to continue to protect your cat against infectious diseases.
You can imagine that an older cat, just like older people, is less vital. Its immune system becomes less powerful and it can less well recover from a
contracted disease. That is why it is also important for the older cat that you have it vaccinated every year by the veterinarian. Here too, the veterinarian
can advise you, depending on your cat's lifestyle, about the necessary vaccinations.
Worms:
The older cat can also still become infected with worms. Even though it hunts less or not at all anymore, the eggs and larvae of worms can end up in the house via shoes and clothing. So even cats that stay indoors can become infected! Therefore for the older cat too it is important to give the cat a good deworming treatment at least twice a year.
Other conditions:
Old people get old-
Known ailments for older cats are for example problems with the kidneys.
But cats can also get conditions such as diabetes or even heart disease. That is why it is important that you have your cat examined annually by the veterinarian. You could call this an annual check-
Vaccination protects against infectious diseases:
What happens after a vaccination shows similarities with what happens after going through the disease.
An example: if a cat goes through feline panleukopenia and recovers from it, the animal will be protected against feline panleukopenia for a certain period.
This is caused by the cat having built up antibodies (immunity) against feline panleukopenia.
These antibodies make the feline panleukopenia virus ineffective upon a subsequent infection, so that the cat remains healthy. Unfortunately, going through a disease is usually accompanied by symptoms of illness.
If a cat is vaccinated with a vaccine, the animal's immune system will react to it by making antibodies against the disease against which it is vaccinated.
The result is that the cat is protected for a certain period. Because the vaccine contains live (but non-
When the first vaccination and when the booster vaccinations?
The best time for a vaccination depends on various circumstances: Certain diseases occur mainly in young cats, others in cats of any age.
Under certain circumstances (Cattery, boarding, show) there is a greater chance of infection.
Young animals react differently to vaccinations than older animals.
In general it can be stated that the duration of protection after vaccination of young animals is shorter than after vaccination of older animals.
There are differences between diseases. Against feline panleukopenia and rabies a better and longer-
There are differences between vaccines: dead vaccines behave differently than live vaccines.
There are also differences between the properties of the various vaccines.
These are all reasons why it is not possible to give one, all-
Your veterinarian knows the situation in which your pet is, but especially also the properties of the vaccines with which work is done. Therefore discuss
with your veterinarian which vaccinations are important for your cat and at what times the vaccinations can best be given.
Combination of vaccinations:
The number of diseases against which vaccination is possible is increasing more and more. Fortunately, vaccines against different pathogens can often be
combined. This makes it possible to protect the cat against several pathogens with one injection.
Before vaccinations may be combined, the manufacturer first thoroughly investigates whether the cat's immune system reacts as well to the combination as
to the separate components. That safety for the cat is also closely watched in the process goes without saying.
What does this mean for your cat now?
Kittens:
Most kittens are vaccinated for the first time at the age of 9 weeks. To get good basic protection it is necessary that a booster vaccination takes place at
the age of 12 weeks. When there is an increased chance that kittens become infected at a younger age, it may be necessary to have kittens vaccinated for
the first time at the age of 6 weeks. This will especially be the case when cats are kept in groups or regularly come into contact with other cats.
The first vaccination is also an excellent opportunity to discuss a number of things with your veterinarian such as deworming, flea control, nutrition and of
course the booster vaccinations.
Usually at the first vaccination the vaccination booklet is filled in immediately, which you must take with you on subsequent visits to the veterinarian.
When purchasing a cat it is wise to ask for a vaccination booklet (European Passport) or vaccination certificate and to inquire when the first booster
vaccination should take place. Information can then also be obtained about nutrition and deworming. In case of doubt, in any case contact your veterinarian.
If the advice on vaccinations has been followed well, your kitten, when he/she is about 12-
vaccinations are only needed again after a longer time. (discuss this with your veterinarian).
The older cat:
Some people think that older cats do not need booster vaccinations.
But that is definitely necessary. Unfortunately there are known cases of older, not or not well vaccinated cats, that have died from feline panleukopenia or have suffered severely from cat flu. Booster vaccinations are therefore definitely important to keep protection at a high level.
Older cats that have not been vaccinated before, or where the last vaccination took place more than one and a half years ago, are vaccinated twice with 3 weeks in between, just like kittens. This is necessary to (again) get good basic protection.
When the booster vaccinations can best take place depends on the infection risk that a cat runs and on the disease against which vaccination is done.
