How A Single Feline Vaccine Can Help Prevent The Common Cold
If you could take a vaccine and almost never have to worry about getting an upper respiratory virus again, would you? Unfortunately, that isn't yet the reality for humans, but you could accomplish this for your cat with a single vaccination. If your cat hasn't received any or all of their vaccines yet, here's why you should make sure your cat gets a feline viral rhinotracheitis vaccination.
What The Vaccine Prevents
If your cat is given the feline viral rhinotracheitis vaccine, you'll be glad to know that it will protect them from one of the most common upper respiratory viruses for cats. Rhinotracheitis is an illness that can be spread from cat to cat and once acquired, a cat can potentially carry the illness and infect others, even if they don't develop symptoms themselves. This is particularly a problem for multi-cat households, since all it takes is one cat being exposed to an infected stray or neighbor cat to make your whole household sick.
How Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis Makes Your Cat Sick
Feline viral rhinotracheitis creates symptoms in a cat that are extremely similar to upper respiratory virus symptoms in humans. If your cat contracts this illness, they will most likely experience sneezing, sniffling, difficulty breathing, coughing, and a lack of appetite. Many cats also have fluid leak from their eyes, as well as irritation and inflammation in the inner eyelids. In short, your cat will feel extremely unwell and most likely lose weight during their illness.
Getting the Vaccine
The feline viral rhinotracheitis vaccine is part of the major FVCRP vaccine that veterinarians recommend. If your cat has already been given this vaccine, you'll be glad to know that your kitty will be far less likely to get this illness. Even if they do manage to encounter a strong strain of the virus that infects them, the vaccine will vastly shorten the duration of the illness and weaken the symptoms so your kitty can recover more easily.
If your cat hasn't received this vaccine, you should seek it from your veterinarian immediately, such as those at Pittsburgh Spay & Vaccination Clinic. If your cat is healthy, your veterinarian will gladly administer the vaccination. Most cats and kittens need to come in a few weeks later for a booster shot to ensure that the vaccine has the intended effect. After that, adult cats need to receive boosters once a year to maintain immunity.
Cats can avoid upper respiratory viruses through the majority of their lives just by receiving one simple vaccination. If you want to save your cat from the discomfort of being sick, make sure you get the FVCRP vaccine.