My 3-month-old indoor kitten is unvaccinated. Is he at risk now?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is great that you decided to get your cat fixed! To be considered fully vaccinated, she will need at least a rabies vaccine, FRCP vaccine, and I recommend an FeLV vaccine for outdoor cats. These are all potentially deadly or extremely common viruses that cats can get from each other or wildlife such as raccoons. Although your cat is indoor only, there is a risk that she may run away and be exposed. I recommend having her microchipped and wear a collar in case this happens so that the two of you can be reunited. She should also be on monthly flea control, even f she is only indoors to prevent flea infestations.

Because Jiji hasn't been vaccinated before, she will need at least two rounds of vaccines given four weeks apart in order to have full immunity. Vaccinating her on Monday will not be enough to protect her. Make sure your dad fully cleans the room, and bring your own food and water bowls as well as litter box so that she doesn't share anything with his cat. Keep your kitten in the room, and allow her to have no contact with the other cat. I do recommend getting her vaccinated, so have her seen by the vet on Monday to start the process. Best of luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I highly recommend vaccinating Spooky for his health, for the cat he may breeds health and his future kittens health. He should be properly dewormed, receive his FVRCP (feline distemper series which helps prevent infectious diseases) and his rabies vaccine. It is always best to be proactive about their health! Good luck!

I would worry a little more about the new kitten passing on diseases to the older cat - viral upper respiratory infections in particular are common. I'd recommend vaccinating both cats with the FVRCP combo and rabies vaccines. If the cats are going to continue to be outdoors then the FeLV vaccine would also be recommended, and I actually usually recommend vaccinating all kittens for FeLV since you never know if their lifestyle might change.

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.

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.

As long as Maki is improving and no longer sick, she can receive vaccinations. However, she needs to be around 6-8 weeks old to receive her first vaccinations. If you are unsure of her age and think she is around 2 months then I would wait 2-3 weeks before commencing vaccines. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.