What vaccinations does my kitten need?

The first thing they need is a feline distemper vaccine. It's a combination vaccine that protects against feline distemper and upper respiratory vaccines. And we usually give those at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks.

The second thing that the American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends is that we do a feline leukemia vaccine on all kittens. They'll need two of those four weeks apart. And it is required by law in all states that they have a rabies vaccine, so that'll be given when they're about 16 weeks of age. Additionally, we do a blood test to make sure the kitten has started out without having feline leukemia and FIV. And we always ask you to bring a stool sample in as well so that we can run a fecal and look for roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, coccidia, and giardia.

Vaccinations typically in kittens are multiple vaccines known as FERCP, feline leukemia, and rabies, all depending on your cat's lifestyle.

We’re generally going to do the core vaccines for all cats, which is the FVRCP, the upper respiratory viruses, panleukopenia, and distemper. And we're also going to do the leukemia vaccine and rabies. But they're not all done at the same time. We spread them out over a series, but they're all very critical vaccines.

The three core vaccines that I require for kittens are going to be the feline distemper vaccine, which protects against the common viral diseases that we see in cats, along with the feline leukemia vaccine, which prevents leukemia or cancer of the blood. And then the last one is rabies, and that one's required by law. And that's also the one that you and I could potentially catch, so we want to make sure we don't see that.

There are a few core vaccines that you can discuss with your veterinarian, including rabies, which is required by law. There is a combo vaccine called FVRCP that protects them against a few different types of viruses. That is recommended as well. Then there is a FeLV vaccine. Based on your cat's exposure, your veterinarian will discuss those vaccines and recommend what's appropriate.

Typically, kittens receive the feline distemper vaccine, which protects against respiratory diseases, as a core vaccination at the 12-week visit. The rabies vaccine is also given at this time. It's recommended that all kittens receive the feline leukemia vaccine, regardless of whether they will be indoor or outdoor cats, as there are theories that the vaccine can offer lifelong protection.