Cat Vaccine Schedule: Kitten Shots & Boosters

Core vaccines

The vaccines every cat needs

Core vaccines are recommended for every cat, indoor cats included.

Vaccine	Protects against	Schedule
FVRCP	Feline panleukopenia, herpesvirus (rhinotracheitis) and calicivirus	Kitten doses every 3–4 weeks from 6–8 weeks until 16–20 weeks, a booster at 6 months, then every 3 years.
Rabies	Rabies. Required by law in most places	First dose at 12–16 weeks, a booster at 1 year, then every 1 or 3 years depending on the product label and local law.
FeLV	Feline leukaemia virus. Core for every kitten	Two doses 3–4 weeks apart, a booster at 1 year. Adults: yearly if they go outside or live with a FeLV-positive cat; otherwise every 2–3 years or stop, as your vet advises.

Source: AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines 2020

Non-core vaccines

The ones that depend on your cat’s life

Recommended by risk, not by default. Discuss each with your vet. FelineSense ships every one of these switched off.

Vaccine	What for	Who needs it
Chlamydia felis	Conjunctivitis	Multi-cat households with conjunctivitis outbreaks. Yearly.
Bordetella	Respiratory infection	Shelters and boarding with respiratory outbreaks. Yearly.
FIV	Feline immunodeficiency virus	Not sold in the US or Canada (discontinued); still offered in some countries such as Australia. Only for cats at high risk of fighting outdoors, and vaccinated cats can test positive on the antibody test.

Source: AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines 2020 · AAFP Feline Retrovirus Testing and Management Guidelines 2020

Parasite prevention

The year-round jobs

Item	Schedule	Source
Flea & tick prevention	Year-round, with a cat product only. Monthly for most products; some last 3 months. Permethrin spot-ons made for dogs are deadly to cats, even through close contact with a freshly treated animal.	CAPC · ASPCA
Heartworm prevention	Monthly, year-round, indoor cats included. Mosquitoes get indoors, and there is no approved heartworm treatment for cats, so prevention is the only protection.	American Heartworm Society
Deworming & faecal tests	Kittens every 2 weeks from 3 to 9 weeks, then monthly to 6 months. Adults: faecal exam 1–2× a year; deworm as the vet directs, hunters more often.	CAPC

Wellness

Checks that catch things early

The senior exams are where kidney disease and an overactive thyroid are usually found.

Item	Schedule	Source
Wellness exam	Yearly for adults; every 6 months for seniors (over 10 years), with blood pressure, kidney and thyroid screening.	AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines 2021
FeLV / FIV test	Every cat once, ideally before FeLV vaccination; again after a bite, a fight or any other exposure.	AAFP Retrovirus Guidelines 2020
Dental check	Assessed yearly, with cleaning under anaesthesia as advised. Cats hide tooth resorption and gum disease well.	AAHA Dental Care Guidelines
Body condition re-score	Hands on the ribs and belly once a month.	WSAVA 2011

Kittens

The kitten vaccination schedule

Antibodies a kitten gets from its mother protect it early on, but they also block vaccines, and nobody can tell from the outside when they fade. That is why the FVRCP series runs to 16–20 weeks, with a booster at about 6 months to cover any kitten whose last dose did not take.

3 weeks: deworming starts, then every 2 weeks to 9 weeks.
6–8 weeks: first FVRCP.
Every 3–4 weeks to 16–20 weeks: FVRCP boosters. From an 8-week start that is 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks.
From about 8 weeks: a FeLV/FIV test, then two FeLV doses 3–4 weeks apart.
12–16 weeks: rabies.
To 6 months: monthly deworming; flea and heartworm prevention as your vet advises.
6 months: FVRCP booster.
1 year: rabies and FeLV boosters, then the adult cycle.

The kitten life stage runs to 1 year. Socialization runs in parallel and has its own early window, so FelineSense keeps a kitten socialization checklist beside the care calendar. Your vet’s dates always win over these defaults.

Source: AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines 2020 · CAPC · AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines 2021

In FelineSense

Every due date, from the guidelines and your vet

Core vaccines on from the start, with the kitten series counted dose by dose
Non-core vaccines switched off until you and your vet decide
Log each dose with the date, the product or clinic, and a note such as the lot number or a reaction
Enter the next-due date your vet gives you, and it replaces the default
Parasite prevention, wellness exams, dental checks, grooming and litter jobs in the same list; seniors over 10 move to 6-monthly exams automatically

Coming soon to theApp Store

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Launching first on iPhone and iPad, with Android and Amazon soon after.

The FelineSense care calendar: parasite prevention, the wellness exam, nail trims and litter jobs, each with its due date

In the app

Due dates at a glance

FelineSense Home tiles showing vaccines up to date, the next vaccine due, and parasite prevention due soon — What is due shows on the Home screen

Questions

Frequently asked

What vaccines does a cat actually need?

FVRCP (panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus) and rabies are core for every cat. FeLV is core for every kitten; for adults it depends on whether they go outside or live with a FeLV-positive cat. Chlamydia felis and Bordetella are non-core and depend on the household, and the FIV vaccine is no longer sold in the US or Canada.

Does an indoor cat need vaccines?

Yes. FVRCP is core for every cat because panleukopenia virus survives in the environment for months and can come in on shoes and clothing, and cat flu viruses spread the same way. Rabies is required by law in most places, and bats do get indoors. FeLV is core for kittens; for an adult that never goes out, your vet may stretch it or stop it.

What is the kitten vaccination schedule?

FVRCP every 3–4 weeks from 6–8 weeks until 16–20 weeks, a booster at 6 months, then every 3 years. Rabies at 12–16 weeks with a booster at 1 year. FeLV as two doses 3–4 weeks apart with a booster at 1 year. Deworming starts at 3 weeks.

How often does an adult cat need booster shots?

FVRCP every 3 years after the 6-month booster. Rabies every 1 or 3 years depending on the product and local law. FeLV yearly for cats at risk, otherwise every 2–3 years or not at all, as your vet advises.

Is there an FIV vaccine for cats?

Not in North America: it was discontinued in the US and Canada, though it is still offered in some countries. Vaccinated cats can test positive on the standard antibody test, so testing every cat once, and again after a bite or fight, is the main tool.

What if I feel a lump where my cat was vaccinated?

A small lump for a few weeks is common. The AAHA/AAFP guidelines use the 3-2-1 rule: call your vet if a lump is still there 3 months after the injection, is larger than 2 cm, or is still growing 1 month after the injection.

FelineSense builds this calendar for your own cat, kitten series included, and lets your vet’s dates replace the defaults.

See the app