Should I Get My Cat Vaccinated?

Here's why it's important to stay on top of your cat's vaccination schedule.

cat vaccinations

Your vet always tells you how important it is to get your cat vaccinated, but you might still be wondering if it’s worth it.

Well, it totally is. Vaccines are designed to protect your cat from diseases that are really serious, contagious and often fatal.

So The Dodo’s compiled everything you need to know about cat vaccinations.

JUMP TO: Core vaccines | Non-core vaccines | Vaccine costs | Vaccine schedule | Booster shots

Core vaccines for cats

There are certain vaccines all cats need — aka core vaccines. Core vaccines for cats are:

  • FVRCP vaccine
  • FeLV vaccine
  • Rabies vaccine

FVRCP vaccine

The FVRCP vaccine is a combination vaccine to protect your cat from three pretty serious diseases:

  • Feline viral rhinotracheitis (aka feline herpes virus): a disease that affects your cat’s upper respiratory system and sometimes his eyes
  • Feline calicivirus: a disease that causes respiratory infections and oral diseases
  • Feline panleukopenia virus: a disease that dangerously lowers your cat’s white blood cell count

These diseases can affect things like your cat’s respiratory system and white blood cell count.

FeLV vaccine

The FeLV vaccine protects against feline leukemia virus, which is a fatal disease in cats. The disease can negatively impact your cat’s immune system or cause anemia or cancer.

Cats of any age can get FeLV, but it’s typically considered a core vaccine for cats under 1 year old.

But for cats who are older than 1 year and are at low risk of exposure, the FeLV vaccine is considered a non-core vaccine.

Rabies vaccine

The rabies vaccine is so important that it’s required by law, since the disease is fatal, highly contagious and transmissible to humans.

The rabies virus targets your cat’s central nervous system, causing aggression, paralysis and coma.

Non-core vaccines for cats

Non-core vaccines aren’t necessary for all cats. Your cat’s lifestyle and geographic location will help you and your vet determine whether or not he needs a non-core vaccine.

Non-core vaccines for cats include:

  • Bordetella
  • Chlamydia

If you let your cat go outdoors, you should probably consider giving him non-core vaccines, since you have no idea what he could be exposed to outside.

How much are cat vaccines?

The cost of your cat’s vaccines will vary depending on where you get them done. If you go to the vet, you can probably expect an office visit charge in addition to the cost of the vaccine. There are some clinics that will vaccinate your cat for free. And if you’re about to adopt a cat, some rescues and shelters will include the costs of the vaccines he already got in your cat’s adoption fees.

On average, your cat’s core vaccines alone (without the office visit charge) can cost $40 to $80 for the first year’s worth of shots. The non-core costs range from $15 to $20 for the year.

How often do cats need vaccines?

A lot of cats will start their vaccines around 6 to 8 weeks old, and you can decide to either give your cat all the different types of shots he needs at once or stagger them out. Talk to your vet to figure out which approach is best for your pet.

After your cat gets his first shot, he’ll need a few more doses — usually two to four weeks apart — until he’s 16 to 20 weeks old. (The exact requirements will depend on the vaccine, so always make sure to walk through your kitten’s vaccine schedule with your vet.)

Cat booster shots

After those initial rounds of vaccinations are finished, all you’ll have to do to keep your cat vaccinated is periodically get him booster shots.

Booster shots are additional shots that will maintain your cat’s safety against those deadly diseases as the initial protection from his earlier vaccines gets weaker.

Most cats will need booster shots every one to three years, but always double-check with your vet to make sure because that’s something you’ll want to stay on top of.

So there you have it — everything you need to know about cat vaccinations to keep your pet safe from super preventable diseases.