Annual Health Checks and Vaccination

The healthiest cats see their vet on a regular basis for their annual check over and vaccination.

This is an excellent opportunity to pick up on any changes in your cat’s health before they become a problem, and for you to ask us about any concerns you may have. Prevention is always better than cure, and every disease is more easily treated the earlier it is picked up!

Your vet will conduct a full nose-to-tail examination, and will give discuss the individual recommendations for your pet based on their stage of life and unique needs.

Vaccination is then carried out against viral diseases which are fatal or difficult to treat if caught by unvaccinated cats. We follow vaccination protocols based on the most current national and international guidelines, meaning that after a full primary course has been given (i.e. two consecutive years), the full vaccination is then only needed every 3 years, with an annual booster of those recommended just in the UK.

Did you know?

Your annual health check allows us to then dispense prescription-only parasite treatments for a whole 12 months without the need for further appointments!  If your pet is on long-term medication, the inclusive examination at a booster appointment also counts as a recheck to allow dispensing of that medication for up to 6 months.

What do we vaccinate cats against?

Cat ‘flu 

Cat ‘flu is caused by several different types of viruses, but is commonly known as ‘flu’ because of the typical symptoms of runny nose, high temperature, coughing and sneezing.  It can be fatal if caught in young kittens or elderly cats, and even those that get over the infection can then have flare ups throughout their life in times of stress.  The vaccine protects against Feline Herpes Virus (which can cause blindness and other eye issues), and Calicivirus (which can cause ongoing mouth ulcers).

Enteritis

More correctly known as feline panleucopenia, enteritis means ‘inflammation of the intestines’, and the virus we vaccinate cats against is similar to the one that causes parvovirus infection in dogs. Similar to the disease in dogs, this causes severe bloody diarrhoea and issues with the immune system that is almost always fatal.  Vaccination has helped greatly reduce the incidence of this disease.

Feline Leukaemia Virus

This virus is transmitted in cat saliva, and belongs to a type of viruses that can cause the growth of tumours in later life. Lymphoma is a common cause of death in older cats, and we know the FeLV virus is the cause of many of these. It can also cause anaemia and suppression of the immune system, making the cat more likely to catch other infections.  Vaccination has markedly reduced how often this disease is now seen.  A booster is needed every 12 months for the above ‘core’ vaccinations.

If your pet goes overdue by more than 3 months (or has not been vaccinated before) we need to repeat a primary course of two vaccinations (2 weeks apart) to make sure the protection is enough.  Cats who have been exposed to the viruses already may remain at risk of developing disease, but the vaccine gives them a better chance of fighting it.

Did you know?

We have designed our Platinum Health Plan to help you spread the cost of vaccinations and preventative parasite treatments over the year, reducing the overall cost. It also gives you TWO full health checks a year, and 10% off all other services we provide! See the Practice Plan page for more details on the savings this could give you, or call into the practice to pick up a sign up form.