SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES have resulted in a nationwide shortage of cat vaccines.

The shortage in vaccines for cats is due to a combination of the increase in pet ownership during the Covid-pandemic, as well as factories being repurposed to manufacture Covid vaccines.

While there has also been disruptions to the supply of vaccines for dogs, Dr Hannah Tymlin, a veterinary surgeon at Just Cats Veterinary Clinic in Dublin, told The Journal that this is “not nearly as severe” as the feline vaccine shortage.

She added that this is “likely due to the fact that the market for canine vaccination is much larger than the feline market”.

Just Cats Veterinary Clinic is a cats-only practice and staff there have warned that the vaccine shortage could have implications for the health outcomes of cats and that some clincic have no stock at all.

However, Dr Tymlin added that “veterinary practices are doing everything they can to mitigate concerns”.

Cats should receive annual boosters to protect against cat flu and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV).

Cat flu is a common virus that, much like a human cold, can cause cats to have a fever and a running nose.

While it is not usually serious in healthy cats, it can create serious respiratory disease and be fatal for some, especially for kittens.

FeLV meanwhile is ultimately fatal in unvaccinated cats and the median survival time for cats after a diagnosis is 2.5 years.

Dr Tymlin said: “With the advent of kitten season in February, existing supplies will have to be carefully managed to help support as many vulnerable cats as possible.”

Kitten Season is the term used to describe the period in which cats predominantly breed and give birth.

While cats can breed nearly all year long, kitten season tends to begin around February and and through to the end of the summer months.

In order to keep cats healthy, Dr Tymlin noted that some cats’ vaccination protocol might need to be adjusted “in order to protect them and to consider more vulnerable individuals”.

For example, this could include reducing the frequency of FeLV vaccination in adult cats, as well as reducing the frequency of vaccination against cat flu for indoor-only cats.

However, Dr Tymlin said: “Any adjustments will be made based on the risks faced by individual cats, and they will be discussed and planned with owners during health checks.”

Dr Tymlin also noted that it is “important that kittens are vaccinated against flu and FeLV from nine weeks of age, with annual boosters thereafter.

Without boosters, immunity will fade and cats will become susceptible to the diseases.

While it is hoped that the vaccine shortage will only last until the summer months, Just Cats has warned that the issue is “complex” and “hard to predict”.

Cat owners are also advised to keep their pet indoors and away from animals that aren’t part of their household as they await a vaccine.