Vaccinating your Cat 

A vaccine  provides protection (immunity) against  disease.  Cat vaccines are usually developed for diseases that can be debilitating or life-threatening and can be spread between individual cats 

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine is a suspension  bacteria or viruses which causes the cat to produce antibodies against that virus or bacteria. If the cat comes into contact with the virus, or bacteria the antibodies are there, ready to fight the infection. 

What diseases can I vaccinate my cat against?

Currently in the USA  vaccines are available against the following diseases:

1)  Feline infectious enteritis (FIE) is also known as feline parvovirus (FPV) and feline panleukopenia.  This  disease is a threat to any rescue facility and has a very high mortality rate, particularly in unvaccinated kittens. Parvoviruses are very dangerous as they are able to survive long periods, sometimes even years, in the environment. Cats infected with FPV can continue to excrete the virus for at least six weeks following infection. Parvoviruses are resistant to many disinfectants and it is vital that an effective disinfectant is used.

2) Cat flu is a common cat disease that can be life-threatening. Symptoms include sneezing, nasal discharge, conjunctivitis (inflammation of the lining of the eyes), discharge from the eyes, loss of appetite, fever and depression. Occasionally, mouth and eye ulcers and excessive drooling of saliva may be seen. The very young, very old and immunosuppressed cats are more likely to develop severe disease and possibly die as a result of their flu. Where death occurs this is usually because of secondary infections (infections with bacteria in addition to the flu viruses), lack of nutrition and dehydration.

3)Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) is a common and important cause of illness and death in pet cats. Cats that become persistently (permanently) infected with this virus are at risk of developing many severe illnesses such as anaemia and cancer. Between 80 and 90% of FeLV infected cats die within three. 

4)(formerly known as Chlamydia psittaci var felis )In cats, C felis mainly causes conjunctivitis (infection and inflammation of the delicate membranes  that cover the inner surface of the eyelids and the white part of the eye itself, called the sclera). Clinical signs usually develop within a few days to a week after infection and usually begin as a watery discharge from one or both eyes.  Due to the discomfort, affected cats may hold their eyelids partially closed. As the disease progresses, severe swelling and reddening of the conjunctiva may be seen and the discharge changes from watery to a thicker yellowish discharge.  Mild sneezing and nasal discharge in some affected cats may also be seen. Occasionally there is a mild fever which can result in lethargy and inappetence but, generally, affected cats remain bright and eat well. 

Although mainly a cause of conjunctivitis, C felis has also been found in the lungs, gastrointestinal tract and reproductive tract of cats and there is some speculation that it may be a cause of infertility in breeding queens.

5)Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal disease of cats, caused by a feline coronavirus. Cats Infected with coronavirus is actually very common in cats but most of the time it does not cause any problems, other than maybe mild self-limiting diarrhoea. Uncommonly, the virus mutates (changes) within an infected cat, and it is this mutated form that causes the disease of FIP. 

Coronavirus is found where large numbers of cats are kept together. It is estimated that 25 to 40 per cent of household pet cats are infected. This infection rate increases to 80 to 100 per cent of cats kept in multi-cat households, rescue and breeding colonies. The virus is spread by the virus being shed in faeces into the environment and cats become infected following ingestion when grooming or eating. Most infected cats shed the virus in faeces for a variable period of time and then stop. The cat can then become re-infected from another cat and start shedding virus again. In contrast, some cats shed virus continuously.

Although coronavirus is the cause of FIP, infection with coronavirus does not mean that the cat will go on to develop FIP. In comparison to the number of cats infected with the virus, the number that develop FIP is very small. It is only when the virus mutates that FIP may develop.

6)Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a significant cause of disease in cats worldwide. It was first discovered during the investigation of a disease outbreak in a previously healthy colony of rescue cats in America that had been showing similar signs to people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Although HIV and FIV are very similar, the viruses are species specific, which means that FIV only infects cats and HIV only infects humans. Thus there is no risk of infection for people in contact with FIV-positive cats.

What is FIV and how does it cause disease?

FIV affects the cells of the immune system (white blood cells) killing or damaging them. This causes a gradual decline in the cat's immune function. Early stages of infection may not cause outward signs. The immune system is very important in fighting infections and monitoring the body for cancerous cells and thus FIV–infected cats are at a far greater risk of disease and infection with other viruses, bacteria and other organisms such as Toxoplasma gondii or Haemobartonella felis (a blood borne parasite which causes anaemia).

Terisstore.com recommends that you speak to your veterinarian about vaccinating, and deworming your kittens, and cats in order to get the best defense against these diseases.

It is also important to get your cat spayed ,or neutered as there are millions of stray cats ,and kittens with out a home, or are in shelters that will never be adopted.  I personally have owned many cats in my life who have all been adopted from shelters, and they have all filled my life with love, and affection.  So, think about adopting that special kitten,or cat! 

Come shop for your special kitten, and cat at your pet supplies plus Horse saddle and tack store.

Deworming your cat

The most common worms that cats get are called roundworms and tapeworms. Both of these worms live in the intestinal tract. Many infected cats do not show any signs of having worms, however, heavy burdens of worms can cause weight loss, vomiting or diarrhoea, irritation around the anus, and failure to thrive, particularly in young kittens.

Tapeworms

Tapeworms are long flat worms composed of many segments. Eggs are shed in faeces by releasing segments of the worm containing eggs. These segments resemble grains of rice in appearance and can sometimes be seen on the hair around the anus of the cat, in the faeces and on the cat's bed.

The most common types of tapeworm that infect cats are called Dipylidium caninum and Taenia taeniaformis. Dipylidium is transmitted to cats by fleas. Immature fleas (larvae) ingest the eggs of Dipylidium from the coat around the anus and the faeces of an infected cat. Infection is passed on to a cat when it swallows an infected flea during grooming. It should therefore be assumed that any cat infected with fleas also has Dipylidium, and vice versa.

The other type of tapeworm, Taenia taeniaformis, is passed on to cats by small rodents (rats and mice). The eggs are eaten by rodents and passed on to cats when they hunt and eat an infected rodent. This type of tapeworm infection therefore occurs in any cats that hunt.

Roundworms

Roundworms are the most common intestinal parasites in cats and again there are two different types, Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina . Eggs from these worms are passed in the faeces and can be eaten (ingested) by other cats. Infection can also be passed by rodents (an intermediate host) that have eaten eggs and in turn are eaten by a cat.

Toxocara cati is also passed through the milk of the queen (mother) to her kittens. Whenever a queen is infected with roundworm some immature forms of the roundworm (larvae) remain dormant in certain tissues in the body. This causes no harm to the queen but when she gives birth the larvae migrate to the mammary glands and are excreted in the milk. This is a very common route of infection and we can therefore assume that most kittens will be infected with Toxocara cati.

When to deworm your cat

As roundworms are very prevalent in kittens it is important to worm them very frequently when they are young. The recommendations are to treat every two weeks from about six weeks of age to 16 weeks of age, with a drug active against roundworms.

Tapeworms are only usually a problem in older cats, so adult cats need to be treated with a drug active against both roundworms and tapeworms. The precise frequency of treatment recommended will vary slightly depending on for example whether the cat hunts and whether or not it is treated regularly for fleas (fleas can become infected when taking blood from the cat). Treatment is recommended every 2-6 months in adult cats, with a drug active against roundworms and tapeworms.

Terisstore.com always recommends that you speak with your veterinarian about deworming your cat for the correct parasites.