I know I talk a lot about vaccines, both here in the Pets Blog and over in the Health Blog. The way I see it, immunization helps prevent diseases that would otherwise ravage the population.
The one vaccine we require at the cats-only boarding facility is FVRCP — the upper respiratory combination vaccine. Cats from different families never come into physical contact with each other, but they are breathing the same air in the room.
Some veterinarians believe that the FVRCP vaccine is good for three years; others feel that it only absolutely protects cats for one year. The vet who owns the boarding facility doesn’t feel that there is enough evidence to support the three year version of the vaccine. Therefore, we ask that guests be within one year of their FVRCP vaccine. This protects all guests against the upper respiratory diseases covered by the shot — some of which can live in the environment for up to a year.
For some cat owners, this is confusing and upsetting. Are their cats unsafe if they’ve had the three-year version? Maybe. And maybe not. An indoor cat that never encounters other cats might be perfectly fine under the umbrella of a three-year vaccine. However, the boarding facility is a totally different story. As many as sixty other cats may be there, and who knows what they might be carrying!
I’m not writing this to try to discourage anyone from boarding a pet… but it is important to follow vaccine requirements when you do. A vaccine your pet might not need at home (like the kennel cough vaccine for dogs) may be a necessity if your pet goes to stay at a boarding facility.
In the case of the FVRCP vaccine, many owners want to consult with their own vets before agreeing to the booster. At our particular facility, we have two options: give the guest a booster shot and allow them to stay in the main boarding room or have the guest stay in one of our isolation wards. In an isolation ward, the cat will be protected from anything other guests might be carrying… and they won’t be able to pass anything that they might be carrying.
In an ideal world, each cat could have a suite with an individual ventilation system. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about ANY vaccines! But until there’s a more definitive answer about the three-year vaccine, we’re sticking with the current requirements.