What Shots Do Kittens Need And At What Age

When kittens are nursing antibodies in their mother s milk help protect them from infections.

What shots do kittens need and at what age. Kitties need several immunizations during their first year to protect them against serious diseases. See the kitten vaccine schedule for more. Some vaccines might be given together in one injection that is called a combination vaccine. Kittens should be vaccinated starting at 6 weeks old with the shots ending at around 19 weeks old with boosters afterwards to keep their immunization strong.

According to the american association of feline practitioners aafp the core vaccines those that are recommended for all cats are feline panleukopenia virus fpv feline herpesvirus 1 fhv 1 and feline calicivirus fcv as well as rabies. Annual boosters are recommended for cats who go outdoors or are at high risk for coming in contact with a cat with feline leukemia. Many of your kitten s initial shots will be given as a series of boosters every 3 4 weeks. The shots come in a series every 3 to 4.

But after about six weeks old and eating solid food it s time for them to be vaccinated. And even adult cats will need an initial series of shots and boosters for certain vaccinations to achieve the best level of protection. As a guideline most kittens need two sets of vaccinations at 9 weeks of age and 12 weeks of age. These boosters are essential or else the immunity provided by the mother s milk might render the vaccinations useless.

The kitten should be vaccinated at the age of 8 weeks with a booster about three to four weeks after that. Kittens should start getting vaccinations when they are 6 to 8 weeks old until they are about 16 weeks old. Boosters are administered at 3 to 4 week intervals until they are 16 20 weeks old. Kitten vaccines are usually first given at about six to eight weeks of age and repeated approximately every three weeks until about 16 to 18 weeks of age.

To achieve the best protection possible your kitten will need boosters over the first several months of their life at least until they are between 16 20 weeks old. However to avoid over vaccination most veterinarians will recommend starting the vaccine at 8 weeks of age followed by boosters at 12 weeks and 16 weeks old. Then they must be boostered a year latyer. After that they ll only need annual boosters.

Rabies is the other core kitten vaccination. Kittens are vaccinated once every three to four weeks until they reach 16 weeks of age or older.