Vaccination
Reasoned boosters, adapted to the cat’s lifestyle
Current recommendations favour reasoned vaccination, adapted to each cat. In cats, the essential valences protect against panleukopenia (feline distemper) and cat flu; feline leukaemia (FeLV) depends on the lifestyle. For our breeding queens, live vaccines are avoided during gestation.
Why several injections?
At birth, a kitten receives its mother’s antibodies through the colostrum. They protect it during its first weeks, but they also neutralise the vaccine: as long as they are present in sufficient quantity, the injection does not “take”.
These antibodies fade gradually, at an age that varies widely from one kitten to the next, even within the same litter: between 6 and 16 weeks for most, as late as 20 weeks for some. There is no way of knowing in advance when.
So the injections are repeated, to be sure that at least one of them comes at the right moment.
Our schedule
| Age | Kitten staying in France | Kitten going abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | Kitten staying in France1st panleukopenia/cat flu injection, at the cattery | Kitten going abroad1st panleukopenia/cat flu injection, at the cattery |
| 12 weeks | Kitten staying in France2nd injection, at the cattery — leaves for its family | Kitten going abroad2nd injection + rabies vaccine (microchip fitted first), at the cattery |
| 16 weeks | Kitten staying in France3rd injection, at your vet’s | Kitten going abroad3rd injection at the cattery, then departure (the rabies vaccine is valid 21 days after the injection) |
| 6 months | Kitten staying in FranceBooster, at your vet’s | Kitten going abroadBooster, at your vet’s |
After that: panleukopenia every 3 years; cat flu every year if your cat goes outdoors, stays in a boarding cattery or lives with other cats, every 3 years if it lives alone indoors.
Why go beyond the usual protocol?
In France, the usual schedule consists of two injections (8 and 12 weeks), followed by a booster at 1 year. For most kittens, that is enough.
But in a kitten whose maternal antibodies persist beyond 12 weeks, neither injection has been able to work. It is not protected, nothing shows it, and it stays that way until the 1-year booster.
That is why we follow the 2024 guidelines of the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association): last injection of the primary course at 16 weeks or later, then a booster at 6 months rather than at 1 year. This 6-month booster replaces the 1-year one: no extra injection.
With us
A kitten remains our responsibility until it leaves: if its age or its vaccination schedule requires an extra booster before joining its family, that booster is included in its price and is never presented as a paid option.
See the vaccination guidelines ↗
The section on cats — “vaccination according to lifestyle” and the valence table (panleukopenia, cat flu, leukaemia) — is on page 4 of the document (PDF, in French — La Dépêche Technique, November 2019).
Squires R.A. et al. (2024). 2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats – WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 65(5), 277-316. Article in English, open access.