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East End Veterinary Medical Centre

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Cat Diseases

Veterinarian Giving a Cat a Shot
  • Vaccinations are dead, inactive, or modified disease agents that cause the immune system to produce antibodies and “memory cells” specific to the disease.

  • Vaccination is the best way to prepare a pet’s immune system to stop infections when the “real” disease strikes.

  • The benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh the risks.

  • Vaccines have saved the lives of millions upon millions of cats and dogs.

Hand petting cat with its eyes closed

Cat Vaccination Protocol

FVRCP: An initial vaccination will be given at 6 weeks of age and then every 3-4 weeks after until 16 weeks old. A booster will be given 1 year later and every 3 years thereafter.

Rabies: An initial vaccination will be given at 12-13 weeks of age. A booster will be given every year thereafter.

FELV: An initial vaccination will be given to all kittens at 12 weeks of age, regardless of whether or not they are indoor or outdoor cats. A booster vaccination will be given 3-4 weeks later. For cats that go outside, and are therefore at risk, a booster will be given one year later and every 3 years thereafter. For low risk cats, or cats that are strictly indoors and have no other cats in the household that go outside, no additional vaccinations will be given, unless they start to venture outside.

**All Cats Should Be Tested For Felv/FIV At Least Once. For Cats That Go Outside, Annual Testing Is Recommended**

Today’s Cat Disease Threats

Enteric Diseases:

  • Panleukopenia Virus

Retroviral Diseases:

  • Feline Leukemia Virus

  • Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

Respiratory Diseases:

  • Feline Calicivirus

  • Rhinotracheitis

  • Chlamydia

  • Kennel Cough

Water-Borne Diseases:

  • Giardia

Zoonotic Diseases:

  • Rabies

  • Giardia

Orange cat with light shining on its face

FIV and FeLV

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infections are a major cause of death in cats.

How The Viruses Spread Both viruses are spread contagiously from cat to cat, and surveys show that up to 15% of sick cats are infected with the viruses. But even healthy cats may harbor infection and spread viruses to other cats. In some cats, signs of disease may not become apparent until weeks, months, or even years after they first become infected with FIV or FeLV. FIV is typically spread when one cat bites another; rarely does an infected mother infect her kittens. FeLV is spread when the saliva or urine of an infected cat comes in contact with another cat. This can happen when cats groom each other, or when they share food and water bowls or litter boxes

What The Viruses Do FIV and FeLV affect cats in similar ways, primarily by interfering with the immune system’s ability to ward off infections. Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi found in the everyday environment—where they usually don’t affect healthy cats—can cause severe illness in FIV-and FeLV-infected cats. Various kinds of cancer and blood diseases are also much more common in cats infected with either virus.

Signs Of Possible Infection

Early signs of infection are often subtle and commonly seen in cats that are simply not feeling well. These signs include:

  • Decreased appetite

  • Decreased grooming

  • Decreased energy

As infection becomes more advanced, you may see the following signs:

  • Marked loss of appetite

  • Weight loss

  • Weakness

  • Pale gums

  • Mouth sores

  • Diarrhea

  • Enlarged lymph nod

  • Abscesses

Why You Should Have Your Cat Tested Early detection of infection will help you not only maintain the health of your own cat, but it will allow you to prevent spreading infection to other cats. Fortunately, it is usually quite simple to diagnose infection. A small blood sample is all that’s needed. You’ll get the result of an “in-house” test in minutes. In some cases, however, it may be necessary to follow up with a blood sample sent to a veterinary laboratory. In this case, the result will usually be available to you within a week.

When To Have Your Cat Tested FIV and FeLV testing is important in the following situations:

  • If your cat has never been tested before

  • If your cat is sick, even if it may have tested free of infection in the past

  • When cats and kittens are newly adopted, whether or not they will be entering a household with other cats

  • If your cat has recently been exposed to an infected cat

  • If your cat is exposed to cats that may be infected (for example, if your cat has been bitten by a cat of unknown status or if your cat goes outdoors unsupervised or lives with other cats that might be infected)

  • Prior to your cat’s receiving an FIV or FeLV vaccine

  • If your cat lives in a household with unknown FIV or FeLV infection status; infected cats can remain asymptomatic for years, during which time they may transmit the virus to uninfected cats

Person sitting on a couch with cat laying next to them

Vaccinating against Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus helps to prevent your cat from getting the diseases.

We test indoor/outdoor cats every year. Indoor cats have to be tested at least once in their life.

We us a test called a Combo Snap Test. It tests for both FIV and FeLV. It takes about 10 minutes to determine the results. All we need is a small blood sample from your cat.

FYI: Humans are not at risk for these diseases.

Cat cleaning itself

Indoor Cat Initiative

The most significant risks to a cat’s safety are outdoors. Interaction with other outdoor cats carries risk of exposure to fatal diseases such as Feline Leukemia Virus (FELV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). Encounters with dogs and wild animals can cause life threatening trauma. In urban areas, cars on busy streets also pose a dangerous threat to a cat’s well-being. As a result of these risks, the safest lifestyle choice for a cat is to remain indoors. Most cats will adapt well to an indoor-only lifestyle, but some indoor-only cats will develop health and/or behavioral issues related to this lifestyle. The Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine has developed the The Indoor Pet Initiative as a resource for pet owners that have chosen to keep their pets indoors, to help identify and alleviate the stressors that can come along with life indoors. Most commonly pet owners will choose to keep their cats indoors, but you will notice that there is information on this site for dog owners that have made this choice as well.