The widespread use of effective vaccinations against common infections has had a huge positive impact on the health of pet cats around the world. Continued appropriate use of vaccinations helps to keep individual cats well and also reduces the level of infectious agents in the cat population, so improving the welfare of unvaccinated and unowned cats. In the UK it is recommended that all cats should be regularly vaccinated against the cat flu viruses (Feline Herpesvirus and Feline Calicivirus) and against Feline Panleukopenia Virus. Additional cover against Feline Leukaemia Virus is also recommended for any cats that might be in danger of coming into contact with this virus.

However, as vaccines have become more widely used around the world, concerns have mounted regarding the potential for adverse effects. In general, adverse reactions to vaccines are rare, and are usually mild and shortlived, but it is now wellrecognised that some cats can develop a malignant cancer (Feline Injection Site Sarcoma) at sites where they have had an injection, and that vaccines can be a cause of this. Reducing the number of vaccines given to an individual cat through its lifetime may help to reduce the risk of an adverse reaction, so recently there has been increased interest in finding ways to tailor a cat’s vaccinations more specifically to its individual needs, rather than to adopt a “one size fits all”, “every vaccine every year” approach.

This webinar will review the vaccines that are commonly used in the UK – what they do, how well they work, and how long they last.

Learning objectives

– Understand the benefits of vaccinations against cat flu, feline panleukopenia and feline leukemia viruses and how well each vaccine works
– Know the difference between “live” and “killed” vaccines, their advantages and limitations
– Know how long the immunity from different vaccines lasts and how frequently they should be repeated
– Feline Injection Site Sarcoma – know what to look for, when to worry and what to do.

Speaker : Martha Cannon BA, VetMB, DSAM(fel), MRCVS