What should I do if I miss my cat’s vaccine due date?

Don't worry; just make the appointment and get in as soon as you can.

There is some leeway there. If we're off by a few months even, it's not likely to be a big issue. But once you realize your cat's overdue, just give us a call, and we'll get them in to get them up to date.

Stuff happens, and sometimes the vaccine dates are off. The best thing to do is get in as quickly as possible so that the veterinarian can discuss lifestyle with you and make the appropriate recommendations on which vaccines need to be continued and how often. If you've missed the initial booster series—for example, if a leukemia vaccine was given, and then you miss the booster a month later, if it's beyond six weeks from the initial vaccine, it does have to be started over. And so you have to do the initial series of two vaccines a month apart. The immune system must get that initial boost to provide the full immunity that we want.

I guess the answer would be to get in ASAP and get it done. In some cases, like how I mentioned before, if you go too long between certain intervals depending on their age or what vaccine it is, you may have to restart the series. You may have to start back over and give an extra booster. So the timing is essential, and you don't want them to have a lapse in it. Get them updated as soon as you can.

If you miss one of your cat's vaccine due dates, don't panic. The amount of time that has passed since the last booster will determine whether your veterinarian needs to start the series over or simply give a booster and advise you on the next vaccine date.