Cat vaccination schedule for India

The dates follow the 2024 vaccination guidelines of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), written for vets worldwide, and its regional report for Asia.

• First dose at 8 weeks. WSAVA recommends the first core dose at 6 to 8 weeks, and not before 6 weeks. The window for the first dose is 6 to 8 weeks.
• Repeat doses 4 weeks apart. WSAVA’s text says every 2 to 4 weeks and its table says every 3 to 4 weeks. Four weeks is inside both. The window for each repeat dose is 2 to 4 weeks after the one before.
• The last kitten dose is never before 16 weeks. A kitten gets antibodies from its mother, and WSAVA says these interfere with the vaccine and last a long time in some kittens. The window runs from 16 to 20 weeks, because WSAVA says to continue to 20 weeks in especially high-risk situations.
• A booster at 26 weeks. WSAVA advises a dose at or after 26 weeks, when every kitten should be able to respond, as an alternative to waiting until about 1 year. The window runs to 52 weeks.
• Then every 3 years for a lower-risk cat. WSAVA’s advice for an adult cat that lives indoors and never goes to a boarding cattery is a dose at 3 years of age, then no more often than every 3 years.
• Up to every year for a higher-risk cat. The calicivirus and herpesvirus parts of the vaccine protect only partly and for less time than the panleukopenia part. WSAVA says cats that go to boarding catteries, or meet cats that may be infected, may need these up to every year. If you choose “Outdoors, boarding or mixed”, the tool lists a yearly core date. Your vet decides.
• Rabies from 12 weeks, a booster a year later. WSAVA says to follow local law and the vaccine label. The report for Asia gives one dose from 12 weeks for dogs or cats. The first booster falls 1 year after the first dose, then yearly or every 3 years depending on the vaccine and the rules. You choose in the tool.

Status labels. A dose is “overdue” when today is after the last date of its window. If you add the dates of doses already given, the plan continues from your last dose. A late dose is not thrown away: the next dates are counted from the day you can actually give it.

Date arithmetic. Dates are counted in whole calendar days from the date of birth, using the calendar on your own device, so there is no off-by-one day from time zones. A birthday on 29 February falls on 28 February in a year that is not a leap year.

This is the plan for a kitten that has had nothing yet, worked out by the same code as the tool above.

• Kitten that started late. WSAVA says the number of kitten doses depends on the age at which the series starts. The tool starts with a dose now and keeps doses 2 to 4 weeks apart until one is given at 16 weeks or older.
• Unvaccinated cat over 16 weeks, including adults. WSAVA recommends two doses of the core vaccine 2 to 4 weeks apart, plus one dose of rabies vaccine in areas where rabies occurs. One dose would protect many cats against panleukopenia, but the cat flu parts are weaker, so two doses are advised. If your vet uses an inactivated vaccine, two doses are needed.
• Last core vaccine more than 3 years ago. WSAVA says there is no need to start the series again: one dose is enough.
• Two-dose vaccines such as FeLV. If the second dose is more than 6 weeks late, WSAVA says to assume the first dose gave no protection and start again with two doses.
• Under 6 weeks old. Your vet decides when to start. WSAVA says kittens under 4 weeks should not get the live vaccine, and that live vaccine should not be given to pregnant queens. The tool shows provisional dates that assume a start at 8 weeks.

FeLV (feline leukaemia virus). WSAVA calls the FeLV vaccine core for kittens under 1 year, and for older cats that go outdoors or live with cats that do, in parts of the world where FeLV is common. It is two doses 3 to 4 weeks apart from 8 weeks of age, one booster a year after the last dose, then yearly only for cats that stay at high risk. Only cats that test negative should be vaccinated, so a blood test comes first. This tool does not know how common FeLV is in your area, so it does not decide for you. Ask your vet. If your vet advises it, tick “Show FeLV dates”.

Vaccines WSAVA does not recommend. WSAVA does not recommend the feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) vaccine, because there is not enough evidence that it works. The one FIV vaccine is now sold only in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Neither is in this plan.

Rabies in cats. Rabies is present in India. WSAVA says that where rabies is endemic, all cats should be vaccinated to protect both the pets and people, even if the law does not require it for cats. The World Health Organization says dogs cause up to 99% of human rabies cases worldwide, and WSAVA still asks for cats to be vaccinated.

Yearly or every 3 years. This tool shows WSAVA’s minimum and lets you pick a yearly or 3-yearly rabies booster. WSAVA’s report for Asia (2015) says that many Asian countries asked for a yearly rabies vaccine for dogs but not for cats, that most vets in Asia gave core vaccines every year, and that most core vaccines made by national manufacturers carried a 1-year licence. WSAVA itself says the law and the vaccine label decide. Your vet knows which vaccine they use.

Which vaccines are stocked. The same 2015 report said there were no licensed cat vaccines in India at that time. That may have changed, and this page has not checked the current position, so ask your vet what they stock and where it comes from.

Brands and prices. The tool names no vaccine brand and quotes no price. Ask your vet for the brand, whether it is a combined vaccine, and the price.

• Which vaccine to use, its brand, and whether it is a live or an inactivated vaccine.
• When to start, if your kitten is under 6 weeks or unwell, or if your cat is pregnant. WSAVA says to avoid vaccinating pregnant queens if possible, and that no live core vaccine is approved for them.
• Whether your cat is lower or higher risk, and so whether the core vaccine is every 3 years or more often.
• Whether to test for FeLV and vaccinate against it.
• Cats with FIV or FeLV: WSAVA says they should not be left unvaccinated, and an inactivated vaccine may be preferred. Your vet decides.
• Whether to give a yearly or 3-yearly rabies booster, following the law and the vaccine label.

Nothing here is a dose or a product. The plan is a calendar you can take to the clinic.

It is for healthy pet cats living in homes. Shelters and sanctuaries follow a faster plan, with core vaccines every 2 to 3 weeks from 4 weeks of age. Cats that are unwell, pregnant, or on treatment that weakens the immune system, and cats travelling abroad, need advice from their own vet. The dates are a general guide and do not replace a vaccination record signed by your vet.