Core Vaccination

All cats should be vaccinated against Feline Enteritis and the three organisms that cause Cat Flu, Feline Rhinotracheitis virus, Calicivirus and Chlamydia Psittaci.  We recommend vaccination at 8 weeks and repeat at 12 weeks, then annual boosters thereafter.

Outdoor Cat Vaccination

Outdoor cats must also be vaccinated against Feline AIDS (FIV) and Feline Leukemia (FeLV).  These  viruses are transmitted by grooming, fighting and mating, and cause severe disease and early death.  These infections are common in outdoor cats (around one third of sick, outdoor cats we test are positive to one or both viruses)

If your cat has not been vaccinated for Feline AIDS and Leukemia a blood test may be required, particularly if it has had fight wounds like abscesses.

Vaccination frequency

Annual vaccination is essential for for outdoor cats and cats which board.

Currently all Cat vaccines are registered for annual use and it is not possible to induce good immunity to Cat flu (Herpes Virus and Calici Virus) using less frequent vaccination.  We use all vaccines according to their registration to ensure safety and efficacy.

There is some controversy about cat vaccination frequency.  A large part of this is due to vaccination site reactions reported in the United States where they use different vaccines including a rabies vaccine.  Australian Vets have not reported a problem with these reactions.  Cairns Vet Clinic has never seen a severe lesion form at the site of vaccination in any of the thousands of cats we have vaccinated.