Once my cat is vaccinated, will it need boosters?

Yes, your cat will need boosters. So when kittens come to us, we're going to give them a series of kitten boosters because they need more to mount that long-term immune response. But then after that, cats are going to be vaccinated annually. Certain vaccines are annual, and we can spread some out as they age a little bit, but for the most part, every cat needs to come into the veterinary office at least once a year to have an update of their vaccine. Cats also require a health assessment and parasite control, and so many other things that it's vital to come once a year.

Yes. So, immunity doesn't last forever. In most individuals, we sometimes need to jumpstart the immune system in the form of a booster to remind us how to keep us safe from a particular disease. And so, with most cats, we recommend seeing them every three years. We like to see them every year, but we will do them every three years for rabies and the distemper combination for boosters. And then, for those cats that need the leukemia vaccine, we typically do that every two years after kittenhood.

If your cat has never had vaccines before, most of the vaccines require a booster. The one notable distinction is the rabies vaccine, which does not need a booster right after. In Tarrant County, Texas, the law states the first vaccine given for rabies has to be one year. After that, it can be every three years if we have a documented record of a one-year rabies vaccine. So that's how rabies works. The initial FVRCP vaccine—which is the other core viral vaccine in cats—is typically boostered a month later. As an adult cat, it's been shown that the FVRCP vaccine produces a robust immune response. With cats with a history of at least a vaccine previously with FVRCP as an adult cat, we give that vaccine every three years. The non-core leukemia vaccine, which is given based on the cat’s lifestyle, has to be boostered a month after the initial vaccine and then annually after that.

Yes, absolutely. As a kitten, they'll be closer together until they achieve their appropriate immunity. As adults, they go to different intervals as we space them out—the FVRCP can ever be every three years, and rabies and Bordetella, depending on which ones your cat gets.

Yes, cats need boosters. The common kittenhood series begins when a cat is 6 to 8 weeks old, with boosters given every 3 to 4 weeks until they are 16 to 20 weeks old. After that, a one-year booster is given, followed by boosters every three years throughout their adult life.