Why Vaccinate? Feline Diseases

Feline Leukemia Virus suppresses the cat’s immune system, leaving it unable to fight off other infections, such as  pneumonia.  FeLV can also cause cancer in a small proportion of cats.  A few cats recover from a brief FeLV infection and rid themselves of the virus.  But if permanent infection occurs, death always results.  Since there is no cure for this disease and vaccinating a cat that already has the virus will not help, we always recommend testing the cat before giving the vaccine.  The test only takes a few minutes to run and requires only a few drops of blood.  This disease is also highly contagious to other cats.

Panleukopenia or feline distemper is common and can affect cats of any age.  It’s almost impossible to prevent exposure, so all cats should be vaccinated.   This disease can cause fever, appetite loss, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, weakness, tremors, and loss of coordination.  Death can occur within a week.  3/4 of the kittens that get FPL die; about half of older infected cats die.

Rhinotracheitis is a widespread and severe upper respiratory virus that poses a serious threat to cats of all ages. Once exposed, the virus can cause symptoms on and off for the cat’s lifetime. These symptoms include loss of appetite, moderate fever, tearing, discharges from the eyes and nose, open-mouth breathing, coughing, and salivation.