We all know how it works, the postcard shows up in the mail and it is clear that it is time for your cat to get his or her shots.
Then comes the fun! You spend time trying to load your cat into the carrier, then you head to the vet and you wait until they call your cat’s name.
Visits do not have to be that hard. There is not a lot that can be done about the constant meowing of a pet. However, you can have a clear idea of what vaccinations need to happen to ensure your pet is healthy.
When it comes to having cats that are outdoor, they are exposed to so much more than regular pets. It is important to make sure that you are doing all that you can to keep them safe and vaccinated.
There are a few things that are just the basics to make sure that you are keeping your pet safe. Here are the bare bones:
- Annual physical examination
- Vaccines against rabies, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, leukemia, and calicivirus.
- There must be an annual blood test.
- There needs to be deworming done for pets, this happens monthly for cats that go outside.
Here are the reasons why there are no options against doing these in the timelines that are outlined.
Rabies
This is a viral infection that is contagious to people. In addition to that, it can be fatal to any person that gets it. There is no way to do a test for a live person. Professionals and health departments take the outbreak very seriously and it is important to see that all pets must be vaccinated against rabies.
It is many of these states that there is a requirement to make sure that all animals are vaccinated no matter what. It is very often that bats can come into homes and that can infect pets. For this reason and in the invent that your pet gets out, you must ensure that your pet is vaccinated.
There are many other benefits and drawbacks to having your cat vaccinated. Many vets are suggesting that there are vaccines called those that are non-adjuvanted for cats. These are vaccines that cause fewer reactions and that are going to help you keep your pet safe.
How often you are working to vaccinate your cat will really depend on the area in which you live as well as the kinds of vaccines that are used by your vet.
In most instances, the first rabies vaccine will last for an entire year. There have to be vaccines that happen in the following three years. It is important that you are following all of the requests that are given, exactly as they are by your vet.
In many states, there are also lapses on the vaccine and that is when there is an exposure to rabies. What that means is that the state can actually require that the pet is euthanized. It is extremely important that you never miss a vaccine for your pet.
FVRCP Vaccines
This is a vaccine that works as a combination and that works against a large group of diseases. Those are a feline rhinotracheitis virus, feline calicivirus, and feline panleukopenia. All of these are NOT contagious to people, but they can really spread through cays and that means that there can be a huge amount of illness.
The diseases that are used together are sometimes called feline distemper complex, these can vary in the severity as well as in the complexity of the strain and the age of the animal when it is exposed.
This vaccine is recommended for all cats, which ensures that there are no issues. One thing that is important to realize is that diseases can be picked up by clothes or shoes.
The vaccines will start in a series generally and are given to all of the cays after about three or four weeks and then until the cat is 16 weeks old. This happens again after year one. The vaccine is most often given every three years.
Some vets have a different schedule and they will want to have a booster in a few weeks and after this later. There are also all kinds of other options that are available for the process.
FeLV
Feline leukemia is a viral disease that spreads and can affect others when they come into contact with blood or saliva. This happens when there is an infection from a water bowl or fighting from other cats. In other cases, this can be passed as well when there is hissing through screens.
There is also no treatment as well for cats and it is fatal to cats. This is another disease that is not communicable to people.
There are many cats that are also born with leukemia and it is important to make sure that you are testing kittens as soon as possible. If there is an outdoor cat, it is important to ensure that you are testing him or her regularly at least once a year.
The recommendations are to ensure that you are testing all cats until they are one year old. After this, only cats that are outdoors need to have those yearly boosters.
The first series of these is to ensure that the cats have two shots every three to four weeks apart, then there should be another shot that happens at the year one birthday. The schedules vary ever so slightly.
What Does Testing for FeLV and FIV Look Like?
Both of these viruses are able to be given to the kittens from the mothers. It is important to make sure that kittens are vaccinated before they are taken into their homes forever.
Kittens need to be tested on their first trip to the vet. The test is not hard and there are only three drops of blood that are needed to execute the test. Some kittens will need to be tested again later because of their age at the time of the test.
Both of these diseases are communicable through saliva and there is no way to cure them.
There is a vaccine for feline leukemia that we outlined above. There is also another vaccine for the immunodeficiency virus, but there are also many reasons not to have this except for when cats are of the highest risk.
When this is overlooked there are many tests out there that are a part of the maintenance of all cats.
Treatments for Anti Parasites
When you have a cat who is outdoors, they are able to come in contact with many parasites on a regular day. What that also means is that they have the opportunity to come into contact with all kinds of beasties outside as well. They also are going to come across parasites that they are carrying internally and externally. Many of these are also contagious to people as well. There are some that are just really a nuisance as well. But there are some parasites that can be fatal to cats. Like heartworm.
There are a lot of vets that believe in deworming and that is helpful to ensure that the cats do not get worms. That also can mean sometimes taking a stool sample to the vet.
One of the best choices out there for your pet as well is Revolution. This is a treatment that will allow you to treat internal and external parasites. Your vet may also have a year-round medication that they are going to recommend. There are many that are also given all year.
There is a lot of work that is done when you own a pet. However, it is worth it when you realize how much help you are doing for the pet.
When you think about all the care that you are doing for your pet you are probably going to come up with more questions.
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