Keeping your feline friend healthy means keeping them up-to-date on their vaccinations. Today's vaccines are safe and effective at safeguarding companion animals against a wide range of illnesses. Side effects and complications are rare, and pets are much more likely to get sick if they don't receive the proper vaccines.

As veterinarians, we would like to help you better understand the core and non-core vaccines and which ones your cat needs. Read on to find the answers you need!

Part of being a responsible cat owner is knowing how to recognize when something isn’t right. While the thought of your beloved companion getting sick is a frightening one, no cat is immune to illness. Even if you are a perfect pet parent and do everything right when caring for your cat, they could suffer from a wide range of health problems.

As veterinarians, we’ve noticed that many people tend to think that rabies is a thing of the past, but, unfortunately, that’s not the reality. According to the CDC, approximately 5,000 animal rabies cases are reported annually, with more than 90 percent of those occurring in wildlife. So while dogs and cats are no longer getting rabies as much as they did in the mid-1900s, the principal hosts in the U.S. today are raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes.

Vaccinating your cat is the best way to protect them from a wide range of contagious — and potentially deadly — diseases. From Rabies to Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, your feline friend could fall victim to many illnesses if you fail to keep them up to date on essential vaccines. Even if you keep your cat strictly indoors, it’s vital to keep their vaccinations updated. It only takes seconds for a cat to slip out a door or window, and if mice or other pests find their way into your home, you never know what types of diseases they could be carrying.

Cats are curious creatures. It should come as no surprise, then, that there are loads of myths surrounding their health and behavior. That does not mean, though, that you should believe everything you hear – especially when it comes to caring for your beloved pet.

This article was written in response to the June 10th, 2021 report of the 34 pets (33 dogs and one cat) entering the United States through O’Hare Airport from Azerbaijan, as one of the dogs in the group tested positive for rabies in Pennsylvania. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a multi-state public health investigation after at least 12 people were exposed to the rabid dog imported from overseas. The location of the other imported pets has not been released.

When the current outbreak of novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, first came to light in December 2019, researchers indicated that animals were the likely source of the virus. So people are naturally asking, "Can my pet contract and transmit this virus?" That question has become even more valid after one dog - the pet of an infected owner in Hong Kong - recently tested "weak positive" for the virus.

Cats are naturally inclined to investigate their new surroundings. We in the veterinary field suggest that their area of exploration be limited initially so that these natural tendencies do not create an overwhelming task. After confining your new kitten to one area for the first few days, slowly allow your kitty to access other areas of the home.