Cat Vaccination: What FVRCP and FeLV Actually Protect Against
FVRCP protects cats against cat herpesvirus, calicivirus and panleukopenia, and every cat should have it. FeLV protects against feline leukaemia and matters most for cats that go outside or live with other cats. Rabies is separate, and every cat needs it too.
Cat owners are usually told their cat needs its vaccinations and almost never told what is in them. That is worth putting right, because one of these vaccines is core for every cat and the other is a real judgement call about how your cat lives.
FVRCP: the core combination
Three diseases in one injection, and every cat should have it.
FVR: feline viral rhinotracheitis (cat herpesvirus)
Sneezing, streaming eyes and nose, mouth ulcers, sometimes damage to the eye. The important part is what happens afterwards: cats that recover carry the virus for life and flare up when stressed, at boarding, after a move, or when a new animal arrives.
C: calicivirus
Similar signs, plus painful mouth and tongue ulcers that stop cats eating. Between them, herpesvirus and calicivirus cause most of what people call cat flu. Several strains circulate, so a vaccinated cat can still catch a milder version.
P: panleukopenia
The serious one, and the reason this vaccine is not optional. It is the cat version of parvovirus: severe vomiting and diarrhoea, a collapse in white blood cells, and a high death rate in kittens. It survives in the environment for months and comes into homes on shoes and clothes.
FeLV: feline leukaemia, the judgement call
A different kind of disease. FeLV weakens the immune system and causes cancers, and there is no cure. Infected cats may live for years, but they stay infectious to other cats throughout.
It spreads through long, close contact between cats: grooming each other, shared bowls, bites. It does not travel on shoes, and it does not survive long outside a cat.
Who needs it
- Every kitten, because a kitten's future is rarely as settled as its owner expects
- Any cat that goes outdoors, even occasionally
- Any cat living with cats whose health is unknown
Who reasonably might not
A truly indoor-only adult cat, alone or with cats known to be free of FeLV, with no real prospect of going outside. That is a conversation to have with your vet rather than a decision to make by quietly skipping it.
Owners are usually told their cat needs its injections and almost never told what is in them. Once you know what each part prevents, the yearly visit stops being a bill you accept and becomes a decision you make.
Testing before vaccinating is usual for a cat of unknown history, since vaccinating a cat that is already infected achieves nothing.
Rabies, separately
Not part of FVRCP. Given from 16 weeks old, then every year, and required for travel. Cats need it as much as dogs: they hunt rats and meet bats, and a bite from an infected cat carries the same danger for a person.
Boosters
On Skeepy's schedule, FVRCP and rabies are boosted every year, and FeLV too for a cat that needs it. The right question for your vet is not "does my cat need boosters" but "given how this cat actually lives, which does it need". A vet who asks about your cat's routine before answering is doing the job properly.
Our free vaccine booster checker shows what is due now from the dates of your cat's last vaccines.
After the injection
Mild sleepiness, a slight fever or tenderness for a day or so is normal. Call your vet for facial swelling, hives, repeated vomiting or difficulty breathing.
Mention any lump where the needle went in that lasts beyond a few weeks, grows, or is bigger than a pea. This is uncommon, and worth checking rather than watching.
Keeping the record
Boarding, travel and rehoming all ask for proof, and rebuilding a lost history means starting courses again. Photograph the card after every visit, and keep your cat's free Pet ID on the National Animal Database up to date.
Cat vaccination lapses more often than dog vaccination, for a simple reason: getting a cat into a carrier and across town is harder than walking a dog in, so the visit gets put off for an animal that seems perfectly well.
Every Skeepy Pet HMO plan pays for yearly core vaccine boosters, rabies included, at any vet clinic in Nigeria, which removes the cost from that calculation and leaves you only arguing with the cat.
Questions people ask
What is the FVRCP vaccine for cats?
One injection against three diseases: feline viral rhinotracheitis (cat herpesvirus), calicivirus and panleukopenia. The first two cause most cat flu; panleukopenia is the cat version of parvovirus and kills many kittens. Every cat should have it.
Does my cat need the FeLV vaccine?
Every kitten should have it. For an adult, it depends on how the cat lives: any cat that goes outdoors, even sometimes, or lives with cats of unknown health needs it. A cat that is truly indoor-only can discuss leaving it out with the vet.
Can the rabies vaccine kill a cat?
Deaths are extremely rare. Most cats have nothing more than a day of sleepiness or tenderness. A severe allergic reaction, with facial swelling, vomiting or difficulty breathing, is rare and treatable if you go back to the vet straight away. Rabies itself is always fatal.
How often does a cat need vaccine boosters?
Once a year on Skeepy's schedule, for FVRCP and rabies, and for FeLV where the cat needs it. The booster checker works out what is due from the dates of your cat's last vaccines.
Does an indoor cat need vaccines?
Yes. The viruses behind cat flu and panleukopenia come in on shoes, clothes and hands, and indoor cats get out. FVRCP and rabies are for every cat.
Vaccines are covered on every plan.
Core vaccines and deworming come with every Skeepy Pet HMO plan, paid at any clinic in Nigeria. Each has its own waiting period, listed with the plan. Plans from ₦15,000 a month.
General information, not a diagnosis. If your pet is unwell, see a vet.