Why vaccination is important for your cat

A tip from Garret Turley of Pet Doctors

When you bring your cat to the Chichester Cattery you will have been required to have them vaccinated beforehand.

The cattery requires that cats be protected against Cat 'Flu and Feline Infectious Enteritis (FIE). At Pet Doctors we routinely vaccinate against Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV) as well. These 3 diseases cause illness and death across the UK and can be prevented by vaccination.

Cat 'Flu is still a very common problem. Many cats will have the disease but will have no symptoms and so can spread the disease to unvaccinated cats. The disease can cause ulcers on the eyes, sneezing, severe mouth ulcers, loss of appetite and even death in the old or young cat because of the dehydration and bacterial infection that may follow.

FIE is not as common as cat flu. It tends to attack kittens and once they or their littermates show sign of the disease there is little that can be done to save them.

FeLV is the biggest killer of cats in the UK after cars. Cats may become infected by contact with an infected cat. These cats very often do not show any sign of being ill at the time. Cats infected with FeLV may not show any signs for months after the infection starts. The infection can cause cancer but it usually destroys the cat's immune system so that they cannot fight off infection.

Vaccines work by stimulating the body's immune system to be prepared to fight off an invading infection. We recommend annual vaccination to keep this level of protection high and enable cats to fight off these viruses should they encounter them. 

At the same time of course we have the opportunity to answer your questions and give your cat its important annual healthcheck.