Cat Vaccinations
What do we vaccinate against?
Feline Panleucopenia
When this disease occurs it can affect large groups of cats very quickly causing vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and invariably death. This virus persists for over a year in the environment.
Cat ‘Flu’
If treated quickly, cat flu is hardly ever fatal but it can make your cat ill for some time and may leave it with chronic breathing difficulties for the rest of it’s life. Two viruses are responsible for the majority of cat flu.
Chlamydia
This organism occurs quite frequently but can be very difficult to diagnose. It causes conjunctivitis.
Feline Leukaemia Virus
The consequences of infection with feline leukaemia virus are very severe as the virus damages the immune system and, in many cases, causes cancer. The outcome for these cats is very poor. 50% of cats die within 6 months and 80% within within 3 years. There is no effective treatment.
Most of the diseases we vaccinate against have no specific cure. Much of the veterinary treatment for these diseases only supports the animal in the hope that their system can overcome the infection. Animals can die before their immune system has had a chance to respond. Vaccination means that the immune system is taught to recognise and fight diseases before your pet encounters them. All the disease for which we have vaccines still occur every year in different parts of the country and are, by no means, eradicated. Fortunately, so many pets are protected by vaccination that these diseases cannot be spread. However, if we stop vaccinating, we risk these diseases re-establishing themselves.