Cat Vaccination - Are You Signing Your Pets Death Warrant?

Unfortunately there's no way around the fact that vaccinating your cat is going to cost you money.

So why should you even consider paying out for something that, on the face of it, your cat doesn't need? After all, they're not sick, injured or in pain, so why should you take the trouble to book a trip to the vet's surgery and then have an unwelcome bill to pay afterwards?

Death, is the reason. Unpleasant death and the anguish it will bring to you and your family as you witness the heartbreaking sight of your much-loved family pet becoming sick and dying.

In all conscience, can you willfully ignore the lifelong protection from these diseases that vaccination will give your cat?

So, why vaccinate your cat?

To make sure that she has the best protection against deadly viruses.

To ensure that she has a healthy life.

To prevent the spread of infection amongst unvaccinated cats.

To save having to face the decision to put her to sleep.

And as a bonus, minimise the potential vet's bills in the future!

There are three main diseases to avoid:

Feline Influenza or Cat 'Flu

As with human 'flu, cat 'flu is highly contagious but, unlike human 'flu, accounts for a very high animal death rate.

Should your unvaccinated pet catch cat 'flu, you can expect to see inflammation of the eyes, nose and windpipe. Your lovely cat will experience unpleasant discharges and will feel very unwell. She'll also be running a fever and will have no interest in anything going on around her. Her appetite will disappear and she may suffer painful tongue ulcers. Your poor cat will be salivating, losing weight and condition, sneezing and struggling to breathe.

Every time your cat, sneezes or coughes, every droplet of mucus will carry the infection and the virus can spread through cat communities like wildfire.

So, if an infected cat is being boarded in a cattery or is competing in a cat show, all the other cats are at risk. Even taking an infected cat to the vet's surgery poses a significant risk to other patients who will already be in a weakened state because of their own health problems.

However, some cats are fortunate enough to recover from cat 'flu but even so, they can remain a carrier of the virus for the rest of their lives, continuing to pose an infection threat to every unprotected cat they comes across.

Feline Infectious Enteritis (Distemper) - Feline Panleucopenia

This disease is particularly serious in unborn or newborn kittens and it is so dangerous that it is not unknown for it to kill within minutes of symptoms appearing.

The cells of the gut wall, spleen, bone marrow, liver, lymph nodes and even sometimes, the brain will typically become affected and the incubation period is generally between two and nine days long.

Symptoms of distemper include vomiting, diarrhoea, apathy, a distinctive hunched posture and pitiful crying when handled. If your cat becomes sick with this disease, she has only a very slim chance of recovery.

This virus is passed on by direct or indirect contact between cats and often fleas can be a factor in transmitting the infection from one animal to another.

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) The cat form of AIDS

This disease is harmless to humans but incurable in cats and is easily spread between animals by direct contact. Once infected, a cat may show no symptoms but will almost certainly go on to develop health problems that will end its life.

The main symptoms of this disease are vomiting, weakness, diarrhoea, breathing problems and loss of weight. As your cat's immune system is damaged by this virus, any infection will quickly spread and overcome your cat's defences.

Sadly, any cat found to be infected will need to be put to sleep immediately as they pose too great an infection risk to other cats. Thankfully, vaccination will give your pet the protection she needs against contracting FeLV in the first place, thereby removing any future threat to her life or the lives of other cats.

So, for any responsible cat owner who cares for their pet, there is simply no choice to be made. Vaccination is the only option, not only for the protection of your cat but also for the protection the cat population at large. If your cat is unvaccinated - get it done today!