العناية بصحة قطتك الصغيرة

Vaccinations are vital to reinforce your kitten’s natural defences and protect them against a range of contagious, sometimes fatal, diseases.

The recommended kitten vaccinations protect against diseases including:

• Feline leukaemia – weakens the immune system and dramatically increases vulnerability to infections.
• Feline calicivirus (FCV) – highly contagious and a major cause of respiratory infections. This condition is transmitted by direct contact with eyes or nose of infected cats or contact of contaminated objects, such as bowls or toys.
• Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) – an often-fatal viral disease that causes vomiting. A cat may also experience diarrhoea, but this is not always present.
• Feline herpes virus (FHV-1) – a key cause of cat flu and eye disease.
• Rabies virus (RV) – transmitted by saliva of an infected animal and can be introduced beneath the skin from bites wounds.

There are also other vaccinations that your kitten may need. Your vet can advise what’s best for them.

It’s really important your kitten has the right vaccinations at the right age to ensure their health and wellbeing as they grow. Your vet will be able to assess the risks your kitten faces and create a detailed kitten vaccination schedule to suit them and their needs.

The ideal age for your kitten’s first vaccination is when they’re between six and nine weeks. Check with your kitten’s previous owner, as they may already have had their first vaccination by the time you bring them home.

Your kitten’s vaccinations will be most effective if they have booster vaccinations at specific times. To maintain the cat’s immunity through adulthood, vaccines are repeated once every 1-3 years, depending on individual circumstances and vaccine type.

Your kitten may have some of these common symptoms after their vaccinations:

• Mild fever.
• Less interest in food or activity.
• Discomfort or swelling where they were vaccinated.
• Mild sneezing or coughing.

If these symptoms last for more than a day or two, it’s important to contact your vet.

You should also contact your vet immediately if your kitten has less common side effects. These can include:

• Vomiting or diarrhoea.
• Itchy skin.
• Swelling around the face, neck and mouth.
• Difficulty breathing or severe coughing.