Kitten and cat vaccination schedule in India
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
A kitten's core vaccine covers panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus, usually one shot written FVRCP or Tricat on Indian cards. It starts at 6 to 8 weeks, never before 6, and is repeated every 2 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks or older, with a booster at about 26 weeks. Rabies starts at 12 weeks or older.
WSAVA says every cat in a rabies-endemic country such as India should have the rabies vaccine, indoor cats included. Adult boosters depend on the cat's life: every 3 years or longer for an indoor cat that never boards under WSAVA, yearly under ICAR-IVRI, and the cat flu parts up to yearly for cats that board. Your vet decides, and for anything urgent, call your vet.
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A typical kitten schedule (follow the vaccine leaflet and your vet)
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 6 to 8 weeks | Core dose 1: panleukopenia (FPV) + herpesvirus (FHV) + calicivirus (FCV). Never earlier than 6 weeks; ICAR-IVRI starts at 8 to 10 weeks. | WSAVA |
| Every 2 to 4 weeks after | Repeat the core combination, most often every 3 to 4 weeks, until 16 weeks or older. | WSAVAstudy |
| From 8 weeks, if FeLV applies | Feline leukaemia: two doses 3 to 4 weeks apart, only after a negative FeLV test. | WSAVA |
| 12 weeks or older | Rabies dose 1 at 12 weeks or older (ICAR-IVRI; ABCD: 12 to 16 weeks), or as local rules and the vaccine leaflet say. | ICAR-IVRI |
| 16 weeks or older | The last core dose of the kitten series. | WSAVAstudy |
| About 26 weeks | WSAVA and AAHA/AAFP advise a core booster at about 26 weeks (6 months) rather than waiting until about a year. European (ABCD) guidance gives it at 10 to 16 months. Your vet decides. | WSAVA |
| 1 year after the first FeLV doses | An FeLV booster, then later boosters set by the cat's continuing risk. | WSAVA |
Adult cat boosters: global and Indian advice
| Option | WSAVA 2024 | ICAR-IVRI (India) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FPV + FHV + FCV | Low-risk indoor cats that never board: every 3 years or longer. Higher-risk cats, including cats that board regularly: the herpesvirus and calicivirus parts up to every year | Every year | WSAVAstudy |
| Rabies | Local rules, then the product leaflet (1- and 3-year products exist) | Every year | ICAR-IVRI |
| FeLV | A booster 1 year after the first two doses; then yearly for cats at continuing high risk, or every 2 to 3 years for lower-risk cats | Not listed | WSAVA |
Why does a kitten need several vaccine doses?
Antibodies in the mother's milk can block early doses, and nobody can tell without a blood test when they fade.
A kitten that drinks its mother's first milk takes in her antibodies. They protect it for a few weeks, but they also stop a vaccine from working, and they fade at a different age in every kitten. So vets give doses every 2 to 4 weeks until the kitten is 16 weeks or older, to be sure one takes. Cornell's Feline Health Center describes the same pattern: a series of vaccines over a 12 to 16 week period, beginning at 6 to 8 weeks of age.
The booster at about 26 weeks, advised by WSAVA and by AAHA and the American Association of Feline Practitioners, catches the few kittens whose earlier doses were blocked. Europe's ABCD advises it later, at 10 to 16 months. Both aim at the same thing; your vet will pick one and write the date on the card.
Rabies follows its own timetable. The first dose is given at 12 weeks or older (ABCD gives 12 to 16 weeks), on its own line of the card. Rabies vaccines are licensed for 1 or 3 years, and WSAVA warns that a locally made vaccine licensed for 1 year should not be assumed to last 3. ICAR-IVRI lists the cat rabies vaccine yearly, so a yearly booster is the usual advice in India.
Rescued and street kittens are common in Indian homes, and many arrive with no record at all. If you take one in, book a vet visit in the first days. The vet will estimate the kitten's age, start the series and, where it applies, test for FeLV before that vaccine. Until the course is finished, keep the kitten away from cats whose vaccine history you do not know.
Adult cats with a lapsed or unknown history are simpler than many owners fear. Cornell's Feline Health Center says adult cats that are overdue should receive booster vaccines, whatever the time since the last dose, and that how often a cat needs them afterwards depends on its exposure and on how long each vaccine's protection lasts. Your vet decides how many doses and in what order. If you are not sure whether your cat was ever vaccinated, say so; WSAVA supports blood antibody tests for panleukopenia to help decide, where a laboratory offers them.
What do FVRCP, Tricat and RCP mean on a cat's vaccination card?
Indian vets often stick the vial's label on the card, so you may see a brand name where a US card says FVRCP.
- FVR: feline viral rhinotracheitis
- The disease caused by feline herpesvirus type 1, a main cause of cat flu. International Cat Care
- C: calicivirus
- Feline calicivirus, the other main cause of cat flu, often with ulcers on the tongue. International Cat Care
- P: panleukopenia
- Feline parvovirus, a severe and often fatal gut disease, also called feline infectious enteritis or feline distemper. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Tricat, RCP or Tricat Trio
- The same three diseases. Nobivac Tricat Trio is a brand that protects against panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus. MSD Animal Health New Zealand
- Anti-rabies or ARV
- Rabies, a separate injection from 12 weeks, on its own line. WSAVAstudy
- FeLV
- Feline leukaemia virus vaccine, given only to cats that need it and only after a negative test. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Next due
- The date your vet writes for the next dose. WSAVA wants certificates to say how long the vet expects protection to last. WSAVAstudy
Does an indoor cat in an Indian flat need vaccines?
Yes. WSAVA calls the three core vaccines core for every cat, and in India rabies as well.
Panleukopenia is the reason. Merck says the virus can persist for more than a year in the environment unless potent disinfectants are used, and it moves between homes on bowls, bedding, carriers, clothes and hands. International Cat Care notes that dogs, which are not affected, can carry it in. Cat flu viruses spread the same way, on clothing and food bowls. A cat that never leaves the flat can still meet them on your shoes.
Rabies matters because India is endemic for it everywhere except the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. WSAVA advises that all cats in rabies-endemic areas be vaccinated, even where no law requires it. A bite from an infected animal that gets onto a balcony or through an open window is all it takes, and the disease is virtually always fatal once signs appear.
Cornell's Feline Health Center notes that the American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends core vaccines for all household cats kept indoors at all times. What an indoor life can change is how often the boosters are needed: WSAVA allows every 3 years or longer for a low-risk indoor cat that never boards, while ICAR-IVRI lists yearly boosters. Your vet weighs your cat's life.
Does my cat need the FeLV vaccine?
It depends on the cat's age and whether it meets other cats. A negative test always comes first.
If Your cat is a kitten under a year old
WSAVA calls FeLV vaccine core where FeLV is common, for cats under 1 year. Kittens are much more likely than adults to develop a progressive infection. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
If Your adult cat goes outdoors, or lives with cats that do
WSAVA advises vaccinating these cats where FeLV is common. FeLV spreads through grooming, shared bowls and litter trays, and bites. WSAVA
If Your cat lives indoors alone and never meets other cats
It may not need it. Ask your vet; FeLV needs close contact, and the virus dies within hours outside the body. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
If You are bringing a new cat into a home with cats
Test the new cat first, keep bowls and trays separate until the result is back, and ask your vet about vaccinating. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
If You want to know how common FeLV is in India
Petym found no published study, and ICAR-IVRI's vaccine leaflet does not list the vaccine. It is a decision for your vet, case by case. ICAR-IVRI
Which signs in an unvaccinated kitten or cat need a vet?
Panleukopenia and cat flu are what the core vaccine is for. If your kitten is not fully vaccinated and shows these, call your vet the same day.
If A kitten that is suddenly quiet, has a fever and will not eat
Call the vet the same day. Signs of panleukopenia begin 2 to 7 days after infection, and kittens under 5 months are the most likely to die. Merck Veterinary Manual
If Repeated vomiting, a day or two after the first signs, with or without diarrhoea
Go to the vet. Kittens dehydrate fast, and severe cases need hospital fluids; no medicine kills the virus. Merck Veterinary Manual
If Sneezing, runny eyes and nose, and not eating
See a vet. More than 90% of cat flu is herpesvirus or calicivirus, and a cat that stops eating recovers more slowly. International Cat Care
If Drooling or pawing at the mouth, going to the bowl and walking away
Book a vet visit: calicivirus can cause painful ulcers on the tongue. International Cat Care
If Another cat in the home has been diagnosed with panleukopenia
Ask the vet about the other cats at once, and clean with a disinfectant that works against parvovirus; ordinary cleaners are not enough. International Cat Care
If Your cat was bitten or scratched by an unknown animal
Call your vet the same day with the vaccination card. A bitten person should wash the wound for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor. World Health Organization
How should you care for a kitten before its vaccines are complete?
The kitten stays home and other cats' germs stay out. These habits do both.
Do
- Keep the kitten indoors, away from cats whose vaccine history you do not know, until your vet says the course is done. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Wash your hands and change clothes after touching other cats, including street cats you feed. International Cat Care
- Give the kitten its own bowls, litter tray and bedding. International Cat Care
- Test any new cat for FeLV before it joins the home. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Keep a photo of every page of the card on your phone. Animal Welfare Board of India
Don’t
- Bring a kitten into a home where panleukopenia has been without your vet's advice: the virus lasts more than a year without the right disinfectant. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Board an unvaccinated kitten in a cattery or a home with other cats. European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD)
- Let it share bowls or trays with a cat that is sneezing. International Cat Care
- Give the FeLV vaccine to a cat that has not been tested. WSAVA
- Assume a recovered cat is safe to mix with the kitten: cats can shed panleukopenia virus for up to six weeks. European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD)
What do cat owners in India get wrong about vaccines?
You may have read
Indoor cats do not need vaccines.
Myth
What the sources say
WSAVA calls the three core vaccines core for every cat, and the AAFP recommends them for cats kept indoors at all times. Panleukopenia rides in on objects. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
You may have read
Cats do not get rabies, only dogs.
Myth
What the sources say
Cats do. WSAVA advises that all cats in rabies-endemic areas such as India be vaccinated against it. WSAVAstudy
You may have read
The cat flu vaccine means my cat will never sneeze.
Myth
What the sources say
Herpesvirus and calicivirus vaccines reduce how sick a cat gets but may not prevent infection. International Cat Care
You may have read
Once a cat has had cat flu, it is over.
Myth
What the sources say
Most recovered cats remain carriers, and stress, such as a move or a cattery stay, can bring the virus back. International Cat Care
You may have read
Every cat should get every vaccine available.
Myth
What the sources say
WSAVA splits vaccines into core, non-core and not recommended. Bordetella vaccine, for example, is not routinely used in pet cats. European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD)
You may have read
An overdue adult cat must restart the whole kitten course.
Myth
What the sources say
Cornell says overdue adults should receive booster vaccines; your vet decides how many doses. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
When should a cat's boosters be done before a cattery or a sitter's home?
Petym's practical plan from the guidelines. A cat that stays in its own home with a sitter avoids most of this.
As soon as you have dates
Check the card. Rabies and the core vaccine should be in date for the whole stay, not just the day you leave. Merck Veterinary Manual
At least 2 weeks before
Ask your vet about a booster. Many hosts want to see a current record; the UK's licensing rules for catteries, for example, require current vaccines against panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (UK)
1 to 2 weeks before the main yearly stay
WSAVA suggests the herpesvirus and calicivirus booster in this window for cats that board. WSAVAstudy
7 to 10 days before
AAHA and AAFP suggest the booster here, especially if the cat has not been vaccinated in the past year. AAHA/AAFP (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2020)study
The day you leave
Give the host a copy or photo of the card and your vet's number. Animal Welfare Board of India
After the stay
Watch for sneezing or runny eyes for a week or two: stress can wake herpesvirus in a carrier cat. International Cat Care
What should a cat's vaccination record show?
Licences, hosts and emergency vets all read the same card. Check yours has these.
- The date of every vaccine, the vaccine name or the vial's peel-off sticker, and the batch or lot number. WSAVAstudy
- The vet's signature and clinic stamp on each line. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
- Rabies on its own line, with the next due date. WSAVAstudy
- The FeLV test result, if your cat had one, and any FeLV doses. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Deworming and flea treatment dates, which many hosts also ask about. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (UK)
- Where your city licenses cats, as Ahmedabad does, the licence number alongside the vaccines. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation
What is normal after a cat's vaccine?
Most cats show little or nothing. Serious problems are uncommon.
Cornell's Feline Health Center calls the risks of vaccination rather minimal, mainly allergic reactions in the short term and, in the long term, feline injection site sarcoma, a tumour that can form where an injection was given. It says that although uncommon, every feline vaccine carries this risk, which is why vets record the site and route of each injection, as WSAVA asks.
If your cat seems unwell after a vaccine, is not eating, or has a lump at the injection site that is growing or still there weeks later, call your vet. A sleepy cat for a day is common; a cat that worries you is a reason to phone, not to wait.
How does a Petym sitter use your cat's vaccination record?
At the free meet and greet, a Petym sitter asks to see your cat's card and keeps a photo of it with your cat's plan. Because a sitter cares for your cat in its own home, your cat does not meet unknown cats or change surroundings, which removes the stress that can wake herpesvirus. In an emergency the sitter calls you and takes your cat to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list, with the card.
Keep the record as carefully as you would for a dog. Most Indian city licences are written for dogs, but Ahmedabad's corporation runs a pet cat registration alongside its dog registration, and Chennai and Thane's corporations also license pets. AWBI advises every pet owner to vaccinate and keep the record readily available, and a vet seeing your cat for the first time in an emergency will ask what it is protected against. A clear photo of every page, saved on your phone and shared with whoever looks after your cat, answers that question in seconds.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
When should a kitten get its first vaccine in India?
- At 6 to 8 weeks of age, and never before 6 weeks. WSAVA's core combination covers panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus, usually written FVRCP or Tricat on the card. ICAR-IVRI starts at 8 to 10 weeks. Doses follow every 2 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks or older.
Does my indoor cat need the rabies vaccine in India?
- Yes. WSAVA says all cats in rabies-endemic areas should be vaccinated against rabies even where the law does not require it, and rabies is endemic across India except the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. One bite from an infected animal that gets into the home is enough.
Can a vaccinated cat still catch cat flu?
- Yes, usually mildly. The herpesvirus and calicivirus vaccines reduce how sick a cat gets but may not stop infection, and herpesvirus can flare up again under stress. The panleukopenia part of the same vaccine gives solid, long-lasting protection.
How often does an adult cat need boosters?
- WSAVA advises every 3 years or longer for a low-risk indoor cat that never boards, and the herpesvirus and calicivirus parts up to yearly for cats that board or meet other cats. ICAR-IVRI lists yearly boosters, and rabies is usually yearly in India. Your vet decides.
Is Tricat the same as FVRCP?
- Yes, in what it covers. Nobivac Tricat Trio protects against panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus, the three diseases in FVRCP. Vets often stick the vial's label on the card, so the brand appears where a US card would say FVRCP. Rabies is a separate vaccine.
Should my cat have the FeLV vaccine?
- WSAVA calls it core where FeLV is common for cats under a year, and for adults that go outdoors or live with cats that do. A cat must test negative first. Petym found no Indian study of how common FeLV is, and ICAR-IVRI's leaflet does not list it, so ask your vet.
When should my cat get a booster before boarding?
- WSAVA suggests the herpesvirus and calicivirus booster 1 to 2 weeks before the main yearly stay, and AAHA and AAFP suggest 7 to 10 days before, especially if the cat has not been vaccinated in the past year. Ask your vet at least two weeks ahead.
I adopted a street kitten. What vaccines does it need?
- The same as any kitten: the core FVRCP series from 6 to 8 weeks until 16 weeks or older, a booster at about 26 weeks, and rabies from 12 weeks. Your vet estimates the kitten's age, decides on FeLV testing, and plans deworming. Keep it apart from unknown cats until the course is done.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- WSAVA: 2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats: executive summary (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: Core and non-core vaccines for pet cats (opens in a new tab)
- ICAR-IVRI: Vaccination of dogs and cats (Hindi leaflet, 2020) (opens in a new tab)
- European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD): Guideline for maternally derived immunity and vaccination (opens in a new tab)
- European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD): Guideline for feline panleukopenia (opens in a new tab)
- European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD): Guideline for feline herpesvirus infection (opens in a new tab)
Show all 33 sourcesShow fewer
- European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD): Guideline for feline calicivirus infection (opens in a new tab)
- European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD): Guideline for feline leukaemia virus infection (opens in a new tab)
- European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD): Guideline for feline rabies (opens in a new tab)
- European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD): Guideline for Bordetella bronchiseptica infection in cats (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Feline panleukopenia (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Feline respiratory disease complex (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Feline vaccines: benefits and risks (Cornell Feline Health Center) (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Feline panleukopenia virus (Cornell Feline Health Center) (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Feline leukemia virus (Cornell Feline Health Center) (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Cat flu (upper respiratory infection) (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Feline infectious enteritis (feline parvovirus / panleukopenia virus) (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Feline herpesvirus (FHV) (opens in a new tab)
- National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: National Action Plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination from India by 2030 (opens in a new tab)
- World Health Organization: Rabies: fact sheet (opens in a new tab)
- MSD Animal Health New Zealand: Nobivac Tricat Trio (product page) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Circular and guidelines for pet owners (1 June 2020) (opens in a new tab)
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (UK): Cat boarding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Planning for travel with pets (opens in a new tab)
- Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation: Pet Dog Registration (and Pet Cat Registration) (opens in a new tab)
- Greater Chennai Corporation: Veterinary public health, pet licence (opens in a new tab)
- Thane Municipal Corporation: Health Department: Dog Control Cell (pet dog licences) (opens in a new tab)
- Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation: Manual for application for dog licence (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: 2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats (WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group, Journal of Small Animal Practice) (opens in a new tab)
- AAHA/AAFP (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2020): 2020 AAHA/AAFP feline vaccination guidelines (opens in a new tab)
- Indian Journal of Public Health (2019): Assessing rabies-free status of Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands (abstract read) (opens in a new tab)
- International Journal of Infectious Diseases (2007), APCRI: Assessing the burden of human rabies in India: a national multi-centre survey (abstract read) (opens in a new tab)
- Preventive Veterinary Medicine (2014): Effect of gentle stroking and vocalization on upper respiratory disease in anxious shelter cats (abstract read) (opens in a new tab)