My adopted cat missed her FVRCP booster. When is the next one?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is the FVRCP vaccine, which stands for Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calici virus and Panleukopenia. I highly recommend finishing his kitten vaccine series. These viruses can cling to you and you can give them to him or if you ever get another cat he will be at risk. The first 2 viruses are respiratory viruses and the last one is the feline version of parvo and cats die from panleukopenia. I hope this helps and I wish you and Sherlock the best!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry you lost one of your kitties :( If you ask 20 vets this question you would probably get about 10-15 different answers. So, there is not one "right answer". Personally, if these were my cats, I would do the FVRCP vaccinations on all of them immediately and to be extra safe, I would booster them all again 3 weeks later. After that, just keep up with them yearly. Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes!

Vaccines should be given at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age. We do it that way because of interference with maternal antibodies. Maternal antibodies counteract the vaccines. Kittens get some antibodies against diseases from their mom's milk but we are not quite sure exactly when those antibodies go away. In some kittens they may not have received any antibodies from mom (ie: they were hand raised) or they may have good immunity. No way to tell. We do know that by 16 weeks of age the antibodies have waned completely so that is why we stop there. I'm not sure how Cheerio's shots got off timing - he should not have had 3 FVRCP vaccines already. That was definitely overkill. If he did have good maternal antibodies those would have counteracted the vaccines. So, I suggest he get one at 12 week and another at 16 weeks. You need to contact VETCO clinics for information on when the vaccine clinics will be in your area (Petco stores) and I believe the cost is on the website. When you take him to the clinic be sure he is in a carrier as there will be LOTS of dogs around. Take all his vaccine history with you as well. ( https://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/clinic-locations-and-schedules/?zip=27514 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi, Vaccination as an adult cat who is not strictly indoors is annually so if she had her shots in Sep she is covered till Sep 2019 . Deworming is recommended every 3 months so she may be due that by now from her vet. And anti flea treatment is also recommended routinely, the frequency of application depends on the product used. Hope that helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I have attached the most recent recommendations from the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) below. https://www.catvets.com/guidelines/practice-guidelines/feline-vaccination Their general recommendation is to repeat the FVRCP vaccination every 3-4 weeks until a kitten reaches 16 weeks of age, then booster it 1 year later, then every 3 years after that. Unfortunately, we do not have enough data to give better recommendations than that. Injection site sarcomas have dramatically decreased over the last 15 years since we have made some changes to our vaccinations and vaccination schedules. The kidney issues are more likely due to chronic mild dehydration. There is some concern that the FVRCP vaccinations are grown on renal cell cultures, but I am unaware of any good research in that area. As far as FeLV vaccination, the AAFP generally does not recommend continuing to vaccinate indoor only cats who do not have a risk of exposure with FeLV vaccination. And Rabies vaccination is dictated by local or state laws, so if you live in an area that legally requires Rabies every year, you should comply with that. The bottom line is that we try to protect all cats from as many infectious diseases as possible, but try to use the most recent research and the lifestyle of the cat to help determine which vaccines to give and how frequently to give them. I hope that was helpful and answers your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Great question! The recommended vaccination schedule for kittens is first shots at 8 weeks of age and then two sets of boosters at 12 and 16 weeks of age. You would be surprised how many times an owner has told me the kitten "had all of it's shots already" only to find out it only received one set. If Roky at all three sets of vaccines as stated above, then no, he doesn't need boosters. If the vaccine booster sets were not given at the correct interval (every 3-4 weeks) then he would need a booster. If Roky only received one set of vaccines or two sets, then he would need an additional booster. No offense, but if the vet is recommending the vaccine boosters then it is likely necessary. I would go with what the vet says before going with what the rescue says. It is a small price to pay to make sure he has the proper immunity going forward. Even if he is indoors only you want to make sure he has been properly vaccinated just in case he gets outdoors (this happens a lot). Also, I don't know where you live but in cases of emergencies (like hurricanes) people have to evacuate and the animals are sometimes boarded or kept with other animals that may have never had vaccines. The vaccines are for his protection. At the end of the day, it is up to you whether or not you want to do the boosters. I personally think it is better to be safe than sorry and get him the boosters. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

If you are unsure of vaccine status, she should get aFVRCP (feline distemper) vaccine followed by a booster 3-4 weeks later. A Rabies vaccine should also be given. She should also be tested for FeLV and FIV. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites.