Cat Health Symptoms

Can cats be vaccinated agianst diseases like Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus?

Public Comments

1. They can be vaccinated against FeLV but can't be vaccinated against FIV.
2. leukemia yes, FIV no....there is L/C (leukemia vaccine) FVRCP (feline distemper, Rabies vaccines, bordetella vaccines (kennel cough). Thats it.
3. yes, but they only make the illness not as bad as the usual disease!
4. yes they can but its still not 100 percent preventable
5. There is a feline leukemia vaccine that is pretty reliable.. and Merial does produce a FIV vaccine. My cats are vaccinated for it however it is only about 30% effective.. but I figure any protection is better than none. I recommend just having indoor cats. EDIT: And as for the vaccine induced sarcomas associated with the leukemia vaccine- it is very rare these days thanks to a new device called the "vet jet" which is made specifically for the feline leukemia vaccine. It is needleless and the vaccine goes intra-dermal. 1/3 of all "indoor only" pets will get out in their lifetime- meaning they could be exposed to feline leukemia and once diagnosed the average life expectancy is around 2-3 years. I would rather risk an almost unheard of sarcoma than a known killer of cats.
6. Yes they can be but somewhat expensive.
7. Indoor cats do not need the FeLV vaccine. It is at best 80% effective, and has been implicated in vaccine-induced sarcomas. It's probably a good idea though for indoor/outdoor cats. The FIV vaccine is one you do NOT want to consider. It's effectiveness has been debated, and the consensus is that it's not terribly effective. But worse still, the tests that shelters use to determine if a cat is positive for FIV cannot distinguish between a cat that has received the vaccine, and one that is actually positive for the disease. This means a death sentence if your cat ever gets outside and ends up taken to a shelter, as most shelters routinely euthanize any cat that comes in and tests positive for either FeLV or FIV. FIV is a lifestyle disease, and is only spread though bite wounds - unneutered males are the cats most likely to get it as they fight each other over territory.
8. they can be vaccinated against feline leukemia but not IV. if you do get your cat vaccinated it doesnt mean that it's not capable of getting it.