Feline core vaccines are those for which diseases are widely distributed and/or have high mortality or morbidity. These vaccines are required for all feline patients of the Boston Heights Veterinary Hospital.

Rhinotracheitis, calici virus, panleukopenia make up the standard “3-way distemper vaccine” for cats.

• Highly contagious
• Present nearly everywhere
• Exposure can result simply by opening a window to the house
• Can cause severe respiratory disease including ulcers of the corneas
• Many young cats lose vision permanently
• May progress into pneumonia

• Highly contagious
• Causes severe nasal, ocular and oral ulcerations
• Can be so severe that the cat will be unable to eat and will perish without extreme supportive care

• Highly contagious
• Persists in the environment
• Similar to parvovirus (parvo) in dogs
• Causes debilitating bloody diarrhea
• Destroys the white blood cells
• Affected cats often die quickly from sepsis (infection of the blood)

• Kittens receive initial vaccine as young as 6 weeks of age
• Boosters are given monthly
• Final [kitten] booster is given at 3+ months of age
• Kittens receive a total of 2-3 vaccines depending on age when initial vaccine is given
• Additional boosters are given annually

• In cats and humans, rabies is a uniformly fatal infection
• Passed through the saliva into bites or scratches from an infected animal
• Bats, skunks and raccoons are the most common carriers of this disease

• Kittens are vaccinated no earlier than 3 months of age
• Boosters are given 1 year later and then every 3 years thereafter

Non core vaccines are given on a case by case basis based on potential exposure. These include feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency virus, and ringworm.