Don't know what to do! Cat vaccination/cattery related - advice please?

[iknowimcoming]

Dcat is 19 and in good health, she is booked into a cattery for a week in 10 days time, as we're going abroad on holiday. Took to vets today for vaccinations and they said since it's been 18 months since her last vaccinations, she effectively has to start again and have two doses 3-4 weeks apart, and technically isn't fully vaccinated until the 2nd dose.

I didn't know this and at last vet appointment they said basically at her age you don't really need to bother with vaccinations anymore, I said I'd need to continue them as she sometimes goes to cattery and they said fair enough. Dcat has to be sedated to go to vets so is very stressful, and I didn't book jabs until I knew 100% she was going to cattery, as didn't see the point in putting her through it otherwise.

So do I call cattery and explain and hope she's ok with it and still takes cat? Or what? Can't get cat sitter at this late stage, neighbours would feed her but I don't feel happy leaving her 'alone' for a week at her age - fml!

Ring the cattery, they may be able to take the cat if its had the 1st vaccination or they may agree to take them if you sign to say you understand the risks (it's your cat that would be at risk not the other vaccinated cats)

The cattery won't be able to take her if she's not vaccinated - it's a licensing requirement not something they can make exceptions for.

If she won't be vaccinated in time and you can't find a sitter, then someone will probably have to stay home with her. Sorry!

Shop around different vets for their policies on late vaccinations. We were once a little late and our vet insisted on starting from the beginning (7 yo cats with full vaccination history, 6 weeks late) but another had a 3 month grace period so we changed practice.

The matrix vaccination guidelines (link at the bottom of the page here https://www.bsava.com/position-statement/vaccination/) support longer intervals.

Get a pet sitter, far kinder to the DCat

That's not true for all cats. Ours would have to be shut in if we left her alone at home (can't be trusted not to bring in a full array of live/dead prey, and has been known to have a scrap with cats that come into her territory), and doesn't show her face to anyone other than us in the house. So she'd be both cross (at being in) and scared (of any visitors).
In the cattery she still has to stay 'in' but the lovely owner has earned her trust, she gets petted and a level of attention she's happy with.

Cattery is the best option for some cats. And their owners.

Our cattery definitely doesn’t accept cats which aren’t vaccinated, you have to provide the proof from the vets prior to them staying ( as well as dates of last flea and worm treatment) . I’d personally be very unhappy with any cattery that was prepared to bend the rules and take in an unvaccinated cat , and we used to have one that was allergic to the vaccinations , so I do understand it’s frustrating.