Health and vet care
Kitten vaccination schedule: first shots to boosters
The kitten planner dates an example core viral course at eight, twelve and sixteen weeks for panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus. Later review timing follows the selected country guidance. Rabies and feline leukaemia need separate discussion rather than being inferred from a viral visit count.
Why is the first follow-up earlier than a year?
AAHA/AAFP discusses review at six months of age; WSAVA recommends revaccination at or after twenty-six weeks. The Australian policy also discusses a booster from six months. The tool uses six calendar months in the US and Australia and twenty-six weeks in the UK and Canada.
This is a review to agree with your vet, not an instruction to repeat all vaccines on the displayed date. It replaces the old one-year-after-last-dose assumption in this planner.
Sources: AAHA/AAFP feline vaccination guidelines (2020): core vaccines (opens in a new tab)WSAVA vaccination guidelines, 2024 (opens in a new tab)Australian Veterinary Association vaccination policy (ratified 2018) (opens in a new tab)
What about rabies and feline leukaemia?
Rabies depends on licensed instructions, local requirements and exposure or travel context. The US and Canadian editions ask for local confirmation rather than inventing a national deadline.
Feline leukaemia is discussed separately because age, contact with other cats and local circumstances matter. A combined viral visit count must not be used as a record of that course.
Sources: AAHA/AAFP feline vaccination guidelines (2020): core vaccines (opens in a new tab)WSAVA vaccination guidelines, 2024 (opens in a new tab)
What does the fixed example produce?
Birth 3 August 2026 and no core viral doses gives the three dates below. The selected country determines the follow-up review. Save, print card and calendar export retain the calculated plan; this tool does not offer a share link.
Worked example
Birth ; no viral doses; Australia
- Core example dates
- , ,
- Six-month review
Confirm the individual protocol with your vet.
Try it with your own details
Use the Kitten vaccination schedule to build your own result.
For general information only, not professional advice. Check the official sources below. Use your own judgement and speak to your vet before you act.
Common questions
More answers on this topic.
Does the viral visit count include rabies?
No. Record combined core viral visits; rabies needs its own history and local confirmation.
Is feline leukaemia covered by the same count?
No. It has a separate discussion and course history.
Does every kitten finish after three planned visits?
No. Some kittens need different timing or later doses.
Why do the review dates differ by country?
Six calendar months and twenty-six weeks are different guidance-based planning markers; confirm the actual review with your vet.
Sources and checked dates
Each note explains what its source supports. Open the link to read the guidance yourself.
Injected core viral vaccines start no earlier than 6 weeks, repeated every 3 to 4 weeks through 16 to 20 weeks. Consider revaccination at 6 months of age. Rabies follows licensed instructions and local law; feline leukemia is also core for cats younger than one year.
Table 1, page 12: viral timing and separate leptospirosis course. Page 14: antibody testing after the final puppy viral dose or vaccination at about 26 weeks; a positive protection result can avoid that vaccination.
Table 1: core viral diseases are distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus. Parainfluenza and leptospirosis are non-core in this policy. Puppy timing and both booster approaches are described in the guidelines.