Kitten and Cat Vaccinations: Schedule, Core Vaccines and Costs

Vaccinating kittens is an essential part of their health care. Vaccines protect your kitten from the most common and dangerous infectious diseases and help prevent them from spreading. If a kitten isn’t vaccinated on time, its immune system won’t be ready to fight off viruses and bacteria when it meets them.

How and when should kittens be vaccinated? Which vaccines are “core” and recommended for every cat, and which are given only when needed? When is the first vaccination, and how should you prepare your kitten? You’ll find answers to these and other questions in this article. The schedules below follow the current guidelines of the American Animal Hospital Association and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAHA/AAFP) and UK veterinary practice, but your vet will tailor the plan to your cat.

Why Kittens Need Vaccines

Newborn kittens’ immune systems aren’t fully developed, so they’re vulnerable to disease and can’t fight infections on their own. For the first weeks of life, they’re protected by their mother: her milk, especially the first milk (colostrum), is rich in antibodies. These maternal antibodies provide temporary immunity, and how long it lasts varies from kitten to kitten.

To help their immune systems, kittens need to be vaccinated against the most common and dangerous diseases. Vets can’t predict exactly when maternal protection wears off in a particular kitten, and maternal antibodies can block a vaccine from working. That’s why kittens get a series of vaccines a few weeks apart: so that at least one dose “takes” as soon as the maternal antibodies fade.

Important!

Your Kitten’s First Vaccination

Shelter kittens may be vaccinated as early as 4–6 weeks because of the higher risk of infection there. Vaccines should only be given to healthy kittens, so your vet will do a full checkup first.

See also: How to give a cat a shot.

Preparing for Vaccination

A checkup at the vet is the first step before any vaccination. Other things to do before the first shots:

1. Deworm your kitten. Kittens usually get their first deworming treatments at 2–3 weeks of age and every 2 weeks until about 8 weeks; your vet may combine deworming with the vaccine visit.
2. Treat your kitten for fleas and other external parasites, using a product your vet says is safe for its age.

Your vet may postpone vaccinating:

• weak or malnourished kittens;
• kittens that are sick or have a fever;
• kittens that have just had surgery or are recovering from an illness (ask your vet about timing).

After the Vaccination

Your vet will record each vaccine (date, type and batch number) in your kitten’s vaccination record. All future vaccines, boosters and parasite treatments will be recorded there too. Keep it safe: you’ll need it for boarding catteries, groomers, travel and shows.

Until your kitten has finished its vaccination series and about 1–2 weeks have passed since the last dose, keep it indoors and away from unvaccinated cats. Immunity usually builds up over 1–3 weeks after each dose.

It’s normal for a kitten to be a bit sleepy, have a slight fever or a sore spot where it was injected for a day or two. To help your kitten get through this period, keep it calm and comfortable, warm but not too hot. If you notice anything more serious, call your vet (see “Risks and Side Effects” below).

Kitten Vaccination Schedule

Your vet will set the vaccination schedule, types of vaccines and booster timing based on your kitten’s age, health and lifestyle. Here’s a typical schedule in the US:

In the UK, kittens usually get two doses of the core vaccines (often combined with FeLV for cats that will go outdoors), at about 8–9 weeks and 12 weeks, with many vets adding a third dose at 16 weeks or older, followed by a booster at about 1 year.

Core Vaccines

Core vaccines are recommended for every cat:

1. FVRCP, a combination vaccine against three diseases: feline viral rhinotracheitis (feline herpesvirus), calicivirus and panleukopenia (feline distemper).
2. Rabies. In the US, rabies vaccination is considered core and is required by law in most states, even for indoor cats. The UK is rabies-free, so cats there only need a rabies vaccine if they’re traveling abroad.
3. Feline leukemia (FeLV). The AAHA/AAFP guidelines recommend it for all kittens and cats under 1 year, because young cats are most susceptible and their lifestyle may change. After that, it’s given to adult cats at risk (those that go outdoors or live with FeLV-positive cats).

Non-Core (Optional) Vaccines

Depending on your cat’s risk, your vet may recommend vaccines against:

1. Chlamydia felis, a bacterial infection that mainly causes conjunctivitis, for cats in multi-cat homes, shelters or catteries where it’s a problem.
2. Bordetella bronchiseptica, a respiratory infection, sometimes recommended for cats in shelters, boarding catteries or crowded conditions.

Vaccines against feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and ringworm exist in some countries, but current guidelines generally don’t recommend them, because there’s little evidence they work well.

Boosters

A booster is an additional dose of a vaccine against one or more diseases. Kittens get a series of shots every 3–4 weeks: the early doses are given while maternal antibodies may still be present, and the later ones once they’ve faded, so that your kitten develops full immunity. Under the current US guidelines, the final kitten dose should be given at 16 weeks or older, followed by a booster at 6 months to 1 year.

After that, adult cats at low risk usually need FVRCP boosters every 3 years. Rabies boosters are given every 1 or 3 years, depending on the vaccine used and local law. FeLV boosters are given every 1–2 years for cats at risk.

If an adult cat has never been vaccinated or its history is unknown, it usually needs two doses of FVRCP 3–4 weeks apart, then a booster after 1 year, and then boosters according to the adult schedule. A single dose of rabies vaccine is usually enough for the first shot, followed by a booster 1 year later.

Important!

More About Kitten Vaccines

Types of Vaccines

Vaccines can protect against a single disease (monovalent) or several diseases at once (combination or multivalent vaccines). Combination vaccines are convenient: your kitten gets one shot instead of several, which means less stress.

Vaccines can also be “modified live” or “inactivated” (killed). Modified live vaccines contain weakened viruses. They usually produce faster, stronger immunity but aren’t safe for pregnant cats or cats with weakened immune systems. Inactivated vaccines contain killed viruses. They’re very safe but may need more frequent boosters. There are also “recombinant” vaccines, which use only parts of a virus and are considered very safe.

Core Diseases

Rabies

Rabies is a deadly disease that can be passed from cats to other animals and to people. That’s why rabies vaccination is required by law in most US states, even for indoor cats. A cat that bites someone and isn’t up to date on rabies vaccination may have to go into a lengthy quarantine. Rabies vaccines approved for cats in the US protect for 1 or 3 years.

Widely used rabies vaccines include Purevax Feline Rabies (Boehringer Ingelheim), a non-adjuvanted recombinant vaccine, and Nobivac Feline Rabies (Merck Animal Health).

Feline panleukopenia (feline distemper)

Panleukopenia is caused by the feline parvovirus. The virus attacks a cat’s digestive tract, lymphatic system and bone marrow and is extremely contagious. Sick cats have vomiting, diarrhea, fever, severe dehydration and a dangerously low white blood cell count. The virus isn’t dangerous to people, but it’s often fatal for kittens: mortality can reach 90% in young, unvaccinated kittens.

Feline calicivirus

This virus mainly affects the respiratory tract. It causes heavy discharge from the nose and eyes and painful ulcers in the mouth and nose. Infected cats sneeze and run a fever. If a secondary bacterial infection develops, life-threatening complications such as pneumonia can follow, and some strains cause lameness (“limping kitten syndrome”).

Feline viral rhinotracheitis (feline herpesvirus)

This infection is caused by feline herpesvirus 1, which is why it’s also called herpesvirus infection. It can be acute or chronic and affects the upper airways and eyes. Typical symptoms are sneezing, a runny nose, conjunctivitis and a high fever (up to about 104°F). Complications can include bronchitis and pneumonia. It’s especially dangerous for young kittens and weak animals. Once infected, many cats carry the virus for life and may have flare-ups when stressed.

Combination (FVRCP) Vaccines

To protect kittens against these dangerous infections, they get a combination vaccine starting at 6–8 weeks, repeated every 3–4 weeks until 16 weeks or older, with a booster at 6 months to 1 year and then boosters every 3 years for most cats.

Widely used combination vaccines in the US and the UK include:

• Felocell (Zoetis), a modified live FVRCP vaccine (some versions also include Chlamydia).
• Purevax (Boehringer Ingelheim), a range of non-adjuvanted vaccines, including FVRCP combinations with or without Chlamydia and FeLV.
• Fel-O-Vax (Boehringer Ingelheim), killed vaccines against FVRCP, with versions that also cover Chlamydia.
• Nobivac Tricat Trio (MSD Animal Health), a modified live core vaccine widely used in the UK and Europe.

Other Vaccines

These vaccines aren’t part of the core schedule but are given based on your cat’s risk of infection. They’re most important for cats that go outdoors or live in crowded conditions (boarding catteries, shelters or breeding catteries).

Feline leukemia (FeLV)

Feline leukemia is a viral infection that attacks the immune system and the blood-forming organs and can cause cancer, especially lymphoma. The virus (FeLV) spreads through saliva, close contact, mutual grooming and shared bowls, and from mothers to kittens. Infected cats may develop anemia, weight loss and serious secondary infections, and many die within a few years of diagnosis. Before vaccinating, vets usually test kittens and cats for FeLV.

Widely used FeLV vaccines include Purevax Recombinant FeLV (Boehringer Ingelheim) and Nobivac Feline 1-HCPCh+FeLV (Merck).

Chlamydia

Chlamydia felis is a bacterium that mainly causes conjunctivitis (eye infection), sometimes with sneezing and nasal discharge. Cats living in crowded conditions are most at risk. The vaccine reduces the severity of disease and is usually recommended only where the infection is a known problem.

Vaccinating Adult Cats

If a cat wasn’t vaccinated as a kitten, or there’s no way to know when or whether it was vaccinated, your vet will set up a vaccination plan. Adult cats are vaccinated against the same diseases as kittens. For FVRCP, an unvaccinated adult cat usually needs two doses 3–4 weeks apart; for rabies, one dose to start. After that, boosters follow the adult schedule.

Rules for Vaccinating Adult Cats

1. Only healthy animals are vaccinated.
2. Pregnant cats shouldn’t be given modified live vaccines. If possible, make sure a cat is fully vaccinated before breeding.
3. Treat your cat for worms and fleas regularly, including before vaccination.
4. Responsible breeders vaccinate both the male and the female before mating.
5. Ask your vet about timing if your cat has recently had surgery, is recovering from illness or is on medication that affects the immune system.

Vaccines for Travel and Cat Shows

If you plan to travel with your cat or enter shows, keep these rules in mind:

1. Boarding catteries, groomers and cat shows usually require proof of up-to-date core vaccines (often given at least 1–2 weeks beforehand).
2. In the US, for travel between states, you usually need a current rabies certificate and, for air travel, a certificate of veterinary inspection (health certificate) issued by an accredited vet shortly before the trip.
3. For international travel, requirements vary by country. Most require a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel and an official health certificate. Some countries also require a rabies antibody blood test and a waiting period, so start planning months in advance.
4. In the UK, pets traveling to the EU and Northern Ireland need a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an Animal Health Certificate issued by an official vet within 10 days of travel.
5. Always check the latest rules with the destination country’s official government website (in the US, the USDA APHIS Pet Travel site; in the UK, GOV.UK) and with your airline.

Risks and Side Effects of Vaccines

Vaccines have huge benefits, but they also have some risks that should be considered. That’s why decisions about vaccine timing, types and schedules should be made by your vet. Don’t try to vaccinate your cat yourself.

Risks

Vets acknowledge these possible risks but agree that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh them, especially for kittens and young unvaccinated cats.

1. Allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). Rare, but it can be life-threatening if not treated quickly. Get to a vet right away if your kitten develops hives, facial swelling, vomiting, collapse or difficulty breathing after a vaccine!
2. Immune-mediated problems. Because vaccines stimulate the immune system, they can very rarely trigger immune-related disease.
3. Injection-site sarcoma. A rare malignant tumor that can develop where a shot was given, months or even years later. To reduce the risk, vets now give vaccines in the lower legs or tail and use non-adjuvanted vaccines where possible. Tell your vet if a lump at an injection site is still there 3 months later, is larger than about 3/4 inch or keeps growing a month after the shot.

Common Side Effects

Most side effects are mild and pass within 1–2 days:

1. sleepiness and a temporary loss of appetite;
2. a mild fever;
3. soreness or swelling at the injection site, sometimes a small, firm lump that goes away within a few weeks;
4. sneezing or a mild runny nose after nasal vaccines;
5. in rare cases, temporary lameness, vomiting or diarrhea.

Important!

How Much Do Vaccines Cost?

The cost of vaccination depends on several factors:

• the cost of the exam;
• which vaccines are used and how many doses are needed;
• where you live and whether you go to a private clinic, a low-cost clinic or a shelter vaccine event;
• whether the visit includes other services, such as testing, deworming or microchipping.

In the US, a single core vaccine usually costs about $20–$50 at a private clinic, plus the exam fee, and the full kitten series often adds up to about $100–$300. Low-cost clinics and shelters often offer vaccines for much less. In the UK, a primary vaccination course for a kitten usually costs about £60–£120, and many practices offer health plans that spread the cost.

Sources:

• 2020 AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines
• PetMD: Kitten vaccination schedule
• The Spruce Pets: Kitten vaccination schedule
• RSPCA: Cat vaccinations
• WebMD: Cat vaccines