Indoor cat- annual vax necessary?

[Fordian]

We have a newly acquired (rehomed) 6 year old strictly indoor cat.

Only other pets are fish.

He was annually vaccinated with his previous owners because, as they said, they also had a small dog.

Should we bother to continue this program?

Yes. I do. You might need it for the cattery if you use one. They will except full vaccination record

I would get him vaccinated even if he’s staying indoors. I have my indoor cats vaccinated mainly because they go to a Cattery if I’m on holiday and any good Cattery will require all boarders to be up to date on their vaccinations before they’ll accept them. There’s also the small chance he may get out by accident, and you don’t want to risk him picking up cat flu if he’s off on a jaunt somewhere.

In short, yes. The core vaccinations (panleukopenia, herpes & calicivirus) are still advised in indoor-only cats, as the illnesses are severe and/or persist for a long time in the environment (so cat could potentially be exposed from your shoes or clothing).

The feline leukaemia virus vaccine is generally only given to outdoor cats as it is spread by direct contact or sharing bowls.

This website is a great source of cat info - icatcare.org