The appearance of a fluffy lump in the house, of course, will delight all households. However, to keep your beloved pet always healthy, you need to take care of vaccines for kittens on time. Very often, cat owners neglect this rule. They have to deal with various diseases that can greatly harm a furry pet.
What viruses must be vaccinated against?
There are a number of ailments that cats are most prone to. Among them, rabies, viral leukemia, infectious feline peritonitis are worth noting.
Most often, cats die from these diseases, so it is important to decide when to vaccinate kittens.
Panleukopenia is a plague. It is worth paying special attention to it. The fact is that this disease proceeds in an acute form. At the same time, cats have an upset stomach and heart failure. Most often, this ailment ends with the death of a beloved animal, if the first vaccinations for the kitten were not done on time. In addition, it is worth considering that this disease is very contagious, so it can be transmitted from one pet to another. Most often, animals with weak immunity, as well as young kittens, suffer from this ailment.
It is also worth paying attention to a disease called calcivirosis. This is a viral ailment by which a young cat can become infected from a person, or rather not from the owner himself, but from his clothes, in which he constantly walks on the street.
Viral leukemia is also very dangerous for pets. As soon as the virus of this disease enters the body of the animal, it immediately affects the bone marrow. Treatment of the disease is very painful and requires strengthening the pet's immune system. It is also worth considering that there are no ways to completely cure leukemia, therefore it is imperative to first vaccinate the kitten in a timely manner.
Types of vaccines
Vaccinations for animals are of 2 types: live and inactivated, that is, dead. Specialists cannot yet say exactly which type of vaccination is the best.
Live vaccines involve the introduction of a small amount of live virus, thanks to which a rather strong and lasting immunity is formed in cats. However, in rare cases, such vaccination can cause a prolonged development of the disease, which in turn can lead to very unpleasant consequences.
If we talk about the first inoculation for a kitten of an inactivated type, then the vaccine is a microorganism killed by a chemical or physical method of the virus. In this case, the effect will be less long. In addition, after such a vaccination, the work of the liver and kidneys of the animal is complicated.
How kittens are vaccinated
As a rule, a kitten is given the first vaccination at 8 weeks. If a young cat was born from a cat that was vaccinated, then some of the antibodies were transmitted to him along with milk, respectively, such a baby can not be vaccinated until 12 weeks.
Making the first injection at an earlier age is not recommended, since during this period the animal does not develop active immunity, respectively, any injections will be simply useless.
In order for the procedure to proceed correctly, approximately 10-12 days before the date of vaccination, some preventive measures must be taken. First of all, you need to give the kitten an anthelmintic drug. Its dose is calculated based on the weight of the baby. After this, you must make sure that the pet got rid of the worms, respectively, for this it is necessary to periodically check the contents of the tray. If the kitten suffers from parasites, then it is not recommended to vaccinate him. First you need to completely cure him of an existing disease. Only then can vaccination be made.
If we talk about the first vaccinations for a kitten, then they are done at the age of 2-3 months. As a rule, these are injections with drugs that contain several viruses at once.
Revaccination is carried out in a month. In this case, the same components are used as for the first time. The third time you need to be vaccinated in a year. At this time, the composition of the drug will be the same, only this time anti-rabies components will be added to it.
If the pet will often go outside or attend exhibitions, then it is imperative to also vaccinate him from depriving.
When kittens get their first rabies vaccine
Many cat owners are seriously concerned about this disease. This is not surprising, because it is dangerous not only for animals, but also for people. It is worth considering that animals die from rabies in 100% of cases, so such a vaccine is required.
If the fluffy pet is constantly in contact with other animals, then the first vaccination for the kitten should be done at the age of 3 months. If the pet is sitting at home where there are no other pets, then it can be vaccinated against rabies a little later, by 7-8 months, when the body of the young animal is fully strengthened. After this, vaccination is performed annually (it is advisable to do the procedure at the same time). Do not be afraid if the pet loses its appetite after vaccination, it will look weak and lethargic. This is a normal reaction to this type of event.
Features of vaccination of young animals
Earlier it was said when to vaccinate kittens. In this case, the doctor must make sure that the animals are absolutely healthy. Pet owners should also watch their pet. A healthy kitten is characterized by good appetite, normal body temperature, and an active lifestyle. The animal should not sneeze and cough, it is also worth paying attention to the presence of discharge from the nose or eyes.
If there is any suspicion that the kitten is sick, then it is impossible to give him injections.
It is also worth abandoning the vaccine if the day before it the pet was in contact with some sick animal. If the little pet has had surgery, then the date of the first vaccination for the kitten is determined by the doctor. As a rule, injections are not given for 3 weeks after surgery.
Also, experts do not recommend vaccinating kittens that have a tooth change process.
Owners of fluffy lumps should know not only when the kittens are first vaccinated, but also what drugs are used for this.
"Quadricate"
The manufacturer of this drug is the French company Merial. The vaccine contains the active components that the animal needs to resist panleukopenia, calicivirosis, rabies and rhinotracheitis.
The first injection is given to the baby at the age of 8 weeks. In this case, "Leukurifelin" is administered subcutaneously. At 12-13 weeks of the baby’s life, they injected a dose of “Quadricath” and repeat this procedure when the kitten is 1 year old.
Nobivak (Tricat trio)
This drug is manufactured by Intervet. The vaccine includes three active components: Triquet, Nobivac and Rabies. Thanks to this composition, you can also protect the animal immediately from 4 ailments.
At the age of 8 weeks, the kitten is injected subcutaneously with the Triquet. At 12-13 weeks, an injection of the same drug is given, only in this case Rabies is added to it. The procedure is repeated when the kitten is 1 year old.
Felovax
The drug is manufactured by the American company Fort Dodge. This vaccine contains a standard set of strains. However, in addition to the main diseases, this injection will prevent the development of chlamydia in the animal.
At the age of 8 weeks, the kitten is given a subcutaneous injection with Felovax. At week 12, the vaccine is given again, but in this case, the drug also includes rabies.
After this procedure is repeated annually.
Purevax
This drug is manufactured by Merial. The vaccine contains components that can withstand the most dangerous cat ailments, including chlamydia and leukemia. However, the composition of the drug can be changed depending on the condition, breed and characteristics of a particular animal.
Vaccination is carried out according to a similar scheme. The first injection is done at 8 weeks and repeated at 12 weeks with the addition of additional components.
All of the preparations described above are not recommended if the cat is pregnant. Therefore, before an injection, you must definitely make an appointment with a veterinarian so that he can assess the condition of the animal. It is important to find a competent specialist. It is not recommended to vaccinate at home, as the animal may show an allergic reaction to any components of the drug. Therefore, it is better if experienced professionals are nearby.