Do Kittens Really Need Booster Shots

Adult cats need shots less often usually every year or every 3 years depending on how long a vaccine is designed to last.

Do kittens really need booster shots. After that they ll only need annual boosters. Your veterinarian will likely booster your cat to protect against feline panleukopenia distemper the upper respiratory viruses herpesvirus calicivirus rabies and possibly the leukemia virus. Which shots they need. If a kitten has had its initial vaccine series it is recommended to booster the kitten shots in young adult cats to ensure adequate lifelong immunity against deadly viral diseases.

The older a kitten is past 16 weeks of age when he receives his last kitten shot the less inclined i would be to give a booster shot 1 year later. To achieve the best protection possible your kitten will need boosters over the first several months of their life at least until they are between 16 20 weeks old. Information on feline herpes. The specific shots your kitten should have will depend on where you live whether your cat will roam the neighborhood or stay inside and whether you have other cats co ruling your home.

The shots come in a series every 3 to 4 weeks. Kittens should start getting vaccinations when they are 6 to 8 weeks old until they are about 16 weeks old. A vaccination is a small virus which is injected into a kitten to help build a response that builds the kitten s immunity against a particular disease. Many of your kitten s initial shots will be given as a series of boosters every 3 4 weeks.

Ultimately how frequently your cat should be vaccinated is determined by your. Kitties need several immunizations during their first year to protect them against serious diseases. Then they must be boostered a year latyer. This is because the older he is the more mature his immune system is and better able to respond and the less chance there will be for the maternal antibodies to be at a high enough level to interfere with his ability to respond to a vaccine.

Booster shots are recommended for cats that go outdoors or spend time in the kennel when you go away. It is important to discuss vaccination recommendations with your veterinarian since the timing of intervals between vaccinations may vary depending on the age of the kitten. Primary vaccination is essential in order to prevent the return of the once common deadly infectious diseases in kittens and cats. From the kitten s perspective it really doesn t matter since all kittens have similar health needs and vaccination requirements.

Recent research indicates that not all vaccines require yearly boosters. Rhinotracheitis or feline herpes virus is deadly in kittens. However there is no evidence that annual booster vaccination is anything but beneficial to the majority of cats.