Answer: Commercial vaccines are currently available against three important feline viral diseases. There are rabies, feline infectious enteritis (FIE or panleukopenia), and two types of feline respiratory disease (cat ‘flu), feline viral rhinotrachetiis (FVR) and feline calicivirus disease (FCD). In North America a vaccine is also available against feline pneumonitis though the disease is regarded as relatively unimportant and there are serious doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine.
In is simply not true that young cats and pedigree cats are the only ones to contract these disease, although they are usually worse affected; young cats because they have poor immunity, pedigree cats because they are frequently housed in a group. In Britain only about 20% of cats are vaccinated against FIE and 5% against cat ’flu (FRD), although the cat Fancy requires cats entering all official cat shows to be vaccinated against FIE.
In most countries where rabies is known to be present it is clearly wise to have your cat protected against the disease even though it may not be compulsory. As has been mentioned, in some countries where rabies does not (at present) occur, routine rabies vaccination is prohibited. Different types of rabies vaccine are available and some countries specify which ones may be used. Live vaccine containing the low egg passage Flurry strain of virus are intended only for the use in dogs and must not be given to cats because they will actually cause rabies to develop.
Vaccines against FIE (FPL) produce very good (‘solid’) immunity. Unfortunately, the immunity produced against FRD by vaccination is not as good as the against FIE, and more frequent re-vaccination is advisable.
