Feline Leukaemia Virus, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, Rabies, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, Panleukopaenia, Calicivirus and Herpesvirus just to name a few. Scary sounding words with even scarier consequences. Many of these diseases are fatal in cats, though fortunately many can also be prevented by vaccination. Some are spread by the air while others are transmitted by direct contact such as mutual grooming or bite wounds. It’s important to understand your cat’s risk of developing these diseases and vaccinate accordingly (see Vaccination for more information).
- Advisory Board on Cat Diseaseswww.abcd-vets.org/Pages/Home.aspx — a fantastic collection of fact sheets and policy guidelines about feline infectious diseases and vaccination, this is a great place to start.
- International Cat Carewww.icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/z-conditions-and-treatments — offers fact sheets on many different diseases, and information about vaccination here: www.icatcare.org/advice-centre/cat-care/vaccinating-your-cat
- World Small Animal Veterinary Associationwww.wsava.org/guidelines/vaccination-guidelines — this highly respected group offers a balanced and thorough guide to feline vaccination, and it is what we have chosen to base our own vaccination guidelines on.
- The Cat Groupwww.thecatgroup.org.uk/policy_statements/vacc.html — a collection of professional organisations dedicated to feline welfare through the development and promotion of policies and recommendations on the care and keeping of all cats, they have a particularly good policy on vaccination and several infectious diseases.