Jill Bowen

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas and has taught at Texas A&M. She lives with her veterinarian husband and two cats in Blacksburg. If you have a question, please write to her in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, VA 24068, or send an e-mail to mjbowen@radford.edu

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What vaccines does my cat actually have to have? I am not in favor in giving more shots to my cat than I really need to, especially as I believe they can cause cancer.

Vaccines can cause reactions, although serious reactions are uncommon.

Sometimes a lump develops at the injection site. If this does not disappear within a month, contact your veterinarian as these sometimes develop into fibrosarcomas.

The most important vaccinations that all cats should have are:

Rabies. The vaccine may be required by law. Rabies is a fatal disease, usually spread by a bite from an infected animal. It is also transmissible to people.

Panleukopenia. A usually fatal vir al disease spread via the feces of infected cats. Normally the vaccine for this disease is incorporated in a three-way vaccine. It also protects cats against both herpes virus and calicivirus, which cause 90 percent of upper respiratory disease in cats and is spread by sneezing. The three-way vaccine is also known as Feline Rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia vaccine (FRCP) This vaccine, together with the rabies vaccine, are the core vaccines.

There are many  optional vaccines, and your veterinarian will advise whether your cat needs them. These include a vaccine against feline leukemia virus, a potentially fatal disease that is passed by direct contact from cat to cat. Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal disease and, unfortunately, the vaccine does not give total protection. Chlamydophilia felis vaccine works against a bacterial infection of the respiratory tract that spreads from cat to cat. This vaccine does not prevent an infection but reduces the severity of an infection. The same can be said for the bordatella vaccine, which is another bacterial infection of the respiratory tract.

Finally, there are two slightly controversial vaccines: the giardia vaccine for use against a protozoal parasite; and the feline immuno deficiency  vaccine that fights the virus that suppresses the immune system. Talk to your veterinarian about these vaccines.