Tailored Immunity for Our Feline Companions: Keeping Cats Healthy with the AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines
Vaccination plays a pivotal role in safeguarding cats from infectious diseases and improving health and longevity, and it is an important part of personalized healthcare plans for cats. The AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines guide our team on when to administer core and noncore vaccines, how to perform individualized risk assessments, and optimal vaccination intervals.
Key points from the AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines:
Core Vaccines

• Core vaccines are for all cats with an unknown vaccination history.
• FHV-1, FCV, FPV, rabies, and FeLV (for cats younger than 1 year old) are core vaccines for pet and shelter cats.

Non-core Vaccines

• Based on individual risk factors such as lifestyle, geographic location, and exposure risks.
• Non-core vaccines include FeLV (for cats older than 1 year), Chlamydia felis, and Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccines.

Individualized Risk Assessments

• Ask questions about the lifestyle of the specific cat, as well as any other cats in the household or potentially introduced into the household.
• Travel, boarding, housing, and enrichment activities or excursions outside of the home should also be considered.
• Risk assessment for exposure to disease should be done at least once a year.

*For more information, please contact our team.