By: Heather Whalley
Dumpster Cats Rescue League

Your cat counts on you for protection from common feline diseases.  It’s one of the best things you can do to give your cat a long and healthy life.  Your kitten’s mother started their immunization by providing disease-fighting antibodies in her milk.  Generally the immunity begins to diminish after 9 weeks.  After that it’s up to you- with the help and advice of your veterinarian- to provide that protection.

Vaccines contain small quantities of altered or “killed” viruses, bacteria and other disease-causing organisms.  When administered, they stimulate your cat’s immune system to produce disease-fighting cells (antibodies) to protect against diseases. 

Diseases generally protected against are those most common and which cause serious illness.  Other vaccines may be recommended, based on your veterinarian’s evaluation of the risks posed by such factors as your cat’s particular heredity, environment and lifestyle.  Common vaccinations include: 

Feline Panleukopenia also known as Feline Distemper, can survive up to one year outside a cat’s body!  Unprotected cats can run as high as 90% to 100%, vaccination against this potentially fatal disease is absolutely essential.  Symptoms can include listlessness, diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and fever.

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis causes upper respiratory-tract infections and is easily transmitted from one cat to another.  Symptoms may take the form of moderate fever , loss of appetite, sneezing, eye and nasal discharges and coughing.  This disease can be dangerous in any unprotected cat and will remain a carrier for life.

Feline Leukemia (FeLV) Infection with FeLV can result in a multitude of serious health problems for you cat- everything from cancerous conditions to a wide range of secondary infections caused by the destruction of the immune system.  In fact, it is the leading cause of death in North American cats.  Tests are available to determine the FeLV status of your cat.  FeLV is contagious from cat to cat only.

Feline Chlamydophia is a bacterial infection responsible for 5% of all feline respiratory diseases.  It is extremely contagious, especially in young kittens and the infection rate is very high.  It causes a local infection of the mucous membranes of the eyes but may also involve the lungs.  Chlamydophila can be transmitted to humans by direct contact.  Vaccination is the preferred method of prevention.

Feline Calicivirus is another major cause of upper respiratory-tract infections in cats.  Widespread and highly contagious, it’s symptoms of fever, ulcers and blisters on the tongue and pneumonia can range from mild to severe, depending on the strain of virus present.  Again, treatment of this disease can be difficult and if recovery takes place a recovered cat can continue to infect other animals.  They may also experience chronic sneezing, runny eyes and severe gum disease.  Vaccination is tremendously important.

Rabies is incurable viral disease that affects the central nervous system of almost all mammals, including humans.  It is spread through contact with the saliva of infected animals through bites or any beak of the skin.  Vaccination will provide your cat with much greater resistance to rabies if he is exposed to the disease.  Most municipalities require that all cats receive rabies vaccination on a regular basis.  Rabies has no cure.