Kitten vaccination and deworming. What should you know?

What does kitten preventive care involve?

A healthy start involves more than vaccination. It also includes health checks, parasite assessment, environmental hygiene and preparation of records before moving home. All these steps should reflect the kitten’s age, health and infection risk, rather than an inflexible schedule followed without consideration.

At Aggio Cat*PL, kittens receive two vaccinations and are dewormed at least twice before leaving. Each also leaves with a recent faecal test. The new owner receives information about completed treatments and the timing of further preventive care.

Which diseases are kittens vaccinated against?

Core feline vaccinations cover panleukopenia (FPV), herpesvirus (FHV-1) and calicivirus (FCV). Panleukopenia is a serious viral disease, particularly for young cats. Herpesvirus and calicivirus commonly cause upper respiratory and eye disease. Vaccination does not always prevent infection itself but is an important means of reducing severe disease.

Core vaccinations are recommended whether or not a cat will go outdoors. Even an indoor cat may encounter pathogens brought home on objects or during a veterinary visit.

When do we vaccinate kittens?

At Aggio Cat*PL, we usually give the first vaccination at around eight weeks and the second at around twelve weeks. This does not mean that every cat has completed its entire core vaccination course after these two doses. Antibodies received from the mother can temporarily reduce the vaccine response.

Under the 2024 WSAVA guidelines, core kitten vaccinations should be repeated every 2–4 weeks, with the final dose at no younger than 16 weeks. In higher-risk situations, vaccination may continue until 20 weeks. In practice, after doses at eight and twelve weeks, a further dose around 16–20 weeks should be planned according to the veterinarian’s assessment and the vaccine used.

WSAVA also suggests considering a booster at around six months rather than waiting until 12–16 months, to reduce the risk that maternal antibodies interfered with earlier doses in some kittens. The veterinarian decides subsequent timing based on vaccination history, risk and current recommendations; not every product or vaccine component requires the same interval.

Does every kitten need FeLV vaccination?

Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) vaccination needs a separate risk assessment. We do not routinely give it to every kitten at Aggio Cat*PL. However, this should not be understood as a general recommendation to omit it: international WSAVA guidelines consider FeLV protection very important for young cats in areas where infection occurs.

The veterinarian makes the decision considering factors including contact with cats of unknown status, planned outdoor access and living conditions. FeLV testing is recommended before vaccination because the vaccine does not treat an existing infection. An indoor cat living only with tested cats may face different risks from one allowed to roam outdoors.

What about Chlamydia felis vaccination?

Chlamydia felis vaccination is not part of every cat’s core programme. It is considered in particular circumstances, such as confirmed infections causing disease in a group of cats. It also does not provide complete protection against infection.

We therefore do not use it routinely at Aggio Cat*PL. A veterinarian should decide whether it is needed based on a genuine risk, rather than simply because several cats share a home.

Rabies and travelling abroad

In Poland, rabies vaccination is generally not compulsory for cats as it is for dogs. It is, however, required for many journeys abroad. For travel within the European Union, a cat needs a microchip, passport and valid rabies vaccination; the first vaccination may be given no earlier than twelve weeks of age and usually becomes valid for travel after 21 days.

Requirements for countries outside the EU may be more demanding. Plan travel well in advance, before fixing the kitten’s collection date.

Deworming and faecal testing

At Aggio Cat*PL, every kitten is dewormed at least twice and leaves with a recent faecal examination covering intestinal parasites, including protozoa, within the scope of the tests ordered. The owner should receive treatment dates and test results.

After the move, there is no reason to give another tablet automatically simply because a few months have passed. For a healthy indoor cat that neither hunts nor eats raw meat, periodic faecal testing and action based on the result and risk may be more appropriate. The situation differs for an outdoor or hunting cat, one meeting new animals or one with recurring intestinal problems.

Not every parasite is detected by the same test, and not every medicine works against all parasites. Suspected Giardia may require a separate antigen test or PCR, for example, while persistent diarrhoea in young cats may prompt testing for Tritrichomonas. Test results and symptoms must be considered together.

If you have several cats

If symptomatic giardiasis is diagnosed in one cat, the other cats in contact with it must be considered straight away. A cat without diarrhoea can also shed Giardia cysts. Treating only the symptomatic animal while infection persists in others may encourage reinfection.

In this situation, discuss simultaneous treatment of all cats in contact, including those without symptoms, with the veterinarian, and plan thorough cleaning of litter trays and surroundings. This is not a rule to apply indiscriminately to every parasitic infection without a diagnosis.

What should a new owner know?

When collecting a kitten, check its vaccination and deworming records and faecal test result, then agree further check-up dates with your veterinarian. Vaccination planning should consider not only age but also outdoor access, travel, showing and living with other animals.

Brief lethargy or soreness at the injection site can occur after vaccination. Breathing difficulties, facial swelling, collapse or a sudden serious deterioration require urgent veterinary help. If the cat is unwell on the planned vaccination day, the veterinarian decides whether to proceed.