Unfortunately there’s no getting away from that fact that vaccinating your cat is going to cost you money. So why should you even consider having to pay out money on something that you cat doesn’t need? After all, she’s not sick or injured, so why have all the aggravation of going to your vet at all? Death, is the reason. Painful death and the heartbreak it will bring to you and your family should your cat catch one of the preventable diseases that will needlessly end her life.
Can you honestly say that vaccination – and the lifelong protection that it will bring to your cat – is something that you can decide not to have done?
So, why vaccinate your cat?
- To make sure that she is protected from the most dangerous viruses.
- To do all you can to give her a healthy life.
- To ensure that other cats aren’t exposed to infection.
- To save having to choose to put her to sleep.
And as a bonus, keep future vet’s bills to a minimum!
There are three main diseases to vaccinate against:
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.
If your cat is unlucky enough to catch cat ‘flu, her eyes, nose and windpipe will become inflamed. She will feel very unwell, will have unpleasant discharges, have a high temperature and consequently will appear very apathetic and disinterested in life. In addition, your pet will have little appetite and may have painful sores and ulcers on her tongue. So, your poor cat will be dribbling, and unable to eat, lose weight and condition, be sneezing frequently and struggling to breathe.
Each droplet of mucus breathed, sneezed or coughed out will carry the infection and the virus can travel through cat communities rapidly.
So, taking an infected cat to the vets, a cat show, cattery or other environment where there are other animals, will pose a significant risk of spreading the disease.
Even if your cat is fortunate enough to recover from cat ‘flu, she can remain a carrier of the virus for the rest of her life, posing an infection threat to every unprotected cat she comes across.
Feline Infectious Enteritis (Distemper) – Feline Panleucopenia
This disease is particularly dangerous to unborn or newborn kittens and it is not unknown for it to kill within minutes of symptoms appearing – it’s that serious!
During an incubation period of between two to nine days, the cells of the gut wall, spleen, bone marrow, liver, lymph nodes and even sometimes, the brain will become affected.
Typical symptoms of distemper include vomiting, diarrhoea, apathy, a distinctive hunched posture and pitiful crying when handled. A sick cat is unlikely to recover.
This highly infectious disease can be transmitted by direct or indirect contact and even fleas can carry the virus from one cat 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.
Typical symptoms of this disease are vomiting, weakness, diarrhoea, breathing problems and loss of weight. This virus damages your cat’s immune system so any infection will rapidly overcome your cat’s defences and lead to death.
Any cat found to be infected will need to be put to sleep straight away as they pose too great an infection risk to the cat population as a whole. Vaccination will give your pet the protection she needs against contracting FeLV in the first place, thereby saving her life before the threat even enters the equation.
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!
