What are the compulsory and recommended vaccines for the cat?

Vaccination can protect your cat against several diseases of viral, bacterial, or parasitic origin. The 5 vaccines commonly practiced are not legally compulsory on French territory, but are strongly recommended and include the rabies vaccine, which is necessary if you travel abroad and particularly in risk areas such as Africa. and Asia. In addition, coryza, leucosis, typhus, and feline chlamydiosis are still rampant in France.

The rabies vaccine, is compulsory abroad, and in certain cases

The rabies vaccine is required if you are traveling with your pet abroad, including in Europe. Indeed, since 2004, the law stipulates that any domestic animal crossing borders must be identified, vaccinated against rabies, and hold a European passport duly completed by the veterinarian.

On French territory, the rabies vaccine is not compulsory in mainland France but remains essential for traveling to Corsica and overseas territories, as well as to be able to take your cat to campsites, holiday centers, and animal pensions. . If you plan to travel to a potentially infected area, in France or elsewhere, have your animal vaccinated at least one month in advance because the certificate given by the veterinarian following the injection will not be valid before. Finally, anti-rabies vaccination is required before transferring an animal from a country at risk.

Recommended vaccines for cats in France

Four diseases mainly affect domestic cats in France, whether viral (coryza, leucosis, typhus) or bacterial (feline chlamydiosis) in origin. Certain diseases of parasitic origin such as piroplasmosis can also be combated by vaccination, although the latter is rare in cats.

Consult your veterinarian who will advise you on the vaccines to perform on your cat, depending on its lifestyle. For example, the risk of leucosis essentially concerns cats that go outside because the virus, which is not very resistant in the external environment, cannot be brought home and contaminate an indoor cat.

On the other hand, the typhus virus, very contagious and resistant, can be carried by humans, and coryza, whose transmission is by air, can be caught without contact near a sick cat. All cats should therefore be vaccinated against these last two viruses, even if they do not come out.

The vaccine against feline chlamydiosis, an infectious respiratory disease caused by bacteria transmitted by contact, is generally carried out in association with the vaccines against typhus and coryza, which are effective against calicivirus, chlamydia, parvovirus, and herpes virus. feline. Thus, a cat vaccinated against coryza, leucosis, and typhus will be protected against the main serious diseases.

Piroplasmosis and other parasitic diseases in cats

As said above, piroplasmosis transmitted by ticks is rare in cats but it is very dangerous for dogs. This is why the vaccine is strongly recommended if you have several animals living together, and all the more so if your cat has access to the outside because it risks bringing back parasites carrying the virus.

This prevention must imperatively be accompanied by regular antiparasitic treatments to eradicate any risk of contamination by ticks and fleas, the latter being able to transmit tapeworm (tapeworm) as well as feline hemobartonellosis, a disease that attacks red blood cells. and can quickly lead to death. The cat then suffers from more or less serious symptoms: anemia, apathy, anorexia, and often a high fever.