Kitten Vaccination Schedule
Dated shots for your kitten or cat.
Typical timing from the 2020 AAHA/AAFP guidelines. Your vet's plan and local rabies law decide the real schedule.
How to use the kitten vaccination schedule
- Stay on kitten series unless you are counting boosters for a cat that already finished growing.
- Leave birth date blank to see weeks. Type YYYY-MM-DD when you want calendar days and a file.
- Set the first FVRCP dose (week 6, 7 or 8) and the gap (2, 3 or 4 weeks).
- Pick where the series ends: at 16 weeks or later, through 18 weeks, or a high-exposure series that runs to 20.
- Switch to adult cat to count forward from the last FVRCP dose and the last FeLV dose. Rabies stays with the law either way.
What the 2020 guideline changed
The AAHA/AAFP narrative gives kittens a series every 2–4 weeks through 16–18 weeks of age, and it says the series is not started before 4 weeks. The FAQ adds the practical split: in a low-risk setting, repeat every 2–4 weeks until no earlier than 16 weeks. In a high-exposure setting such as a shelter, repeat every 2 weeks until no earlier than 20 weeks.
The page opens at week 8, every 3 weeks, ending on or after 16 weeks. That list is 8, 11, 14, 17 weeks, and the last series dose is Week 17. The 6-month booster sits at week 26 weeks. That 6-month dose is the 2020 change: the task force replaced the old 1-year FVRCP booster with a dose at 6 months, because some kittens still have maternal antibody late in the series.
Intervals shorter than 2 weeks are rejected by the control. The narrative says a gap under 2 weeks can interfere with the vaccine, especially a modified-live one.
FeLV, rabies, and the indoor question
FeLV is core for kittens through the first year. The FAQ is clear on that, and on how adults are boosted later: 12 months after the series, then every year if the cat regularly meets cats of unknown status, or every 2–3 years for a lower-risk adult when the inactivated product's licence allows. The first FeLV dose is the first series week on or after 8 weeks. The core vaccine table says two doses, 3 to 4 weeks apart, beginning as early as 8 weeks. If you set the FVRCP gap to 2 weeks, FeLV still waits 3.
Rabies is a row without a week. The FAQ mentions 12 weeks as an example and talks about shelter cats over 12 weeks. Local law and the product label decide the day. This page will not promote the example into an appointment.
Indoor cats are not skipped. The guideline says a cat that lives inside can still meet pathogens at the clinic, from another cat, or from people. 'Indoor only' is a risk conversation, not an off switch.
Adult mode is a different sum
Flip to adult cat and the week list goes away. You enter months since the last FVRCP dose and the last FeLV dose, plus whether FeLV exposure is low or high. FVRCP uses the 3-year step the narrative describes after the first post-series booster. The 2020 edit moved that first booster from 1 year to 6 months.
High FeLV exposure uses 12 months. Low exposure shows 24 to 36 months, because the FAQ says 2–3 years where the product allows. Unknown dates are a clinic decision, not a count to trust.
Calendar days appear only after a birth date is typed. The printed page stays on weeks. The download is an iCalendar of dated rows for your own calendar app.
Default kitten series as week offsets
| Step | Offset |
|---|---|
| FVRCP, dose 1 | Week 8 |
| FVRCP, dose 2 | Week 11 |
| FVRCP, dose 3 | Week 14 |
| FVRCP, dose 4 | Week 17 |
| FeLV, first dose | Week 8 |
| FeLV, second dose | Week 11 |
| Rabies | Per local law and the product label |
| FVRCP at 6 months | Week 26 (6 months) |
| Later FVRCP boosters | Every 3 years after the 6-month dose |
Default kitten series: first dose at week 8, every 3 weeks, last dose on or after week 16. Dates stay blank until a birth date is entered.
Tips and common mistakes
- A 3-week gap from week 8 finishes at week 17. That is the first dose on or after 16 weeks, which is what 'no earlier than 16' requires.
- Do not copy the dog page's 3-year adult line onto a kitten that has not had the 6-month FVRCP dose.
- High-exposure is the 20-week end. It is for shelters and similar risk, not a stricter hobby setting you pick for luck.
When to call your vet
- The kitten's age or vaccine card is unknown.
- A dose was late by more than the 2–4 week gap. The FAQ has separate overdue instructions for kittens and adults.
- You need a rabies certificate for travel or housing. The blank row is not a certificate.
- The cat had a reaction, or you are unsure whether FeLV exposure is actually low.
Frequently asked questions
When do kittens get their first shots?
The series is not started before 4 weeks. This tool offers a first FVRCP dose at week 6, 7 or 8, and it opens at week 8. The default weeks are 8, 11, 14, 17 weeks.
Do indoor cats need vaccines?
The guideline does not treat indoor living as a reason to skip core vaccines. Indoor cats can still be exposed at the clinic, by other cats, or by people. FeLV for a truly low-risk adult is the part that can stretch to 2–3 years, and even that is a vet's risk call.
How often do adult cats need boosters?
FVRCP: the text describes every 3 years after the post-series booster, and the 2020 update puts a dose at 6 months instead of at 1 year. FeLV: yearly if exposure is regular, otherwise every 2–3 years where the product allows. Rabies follows the law.
Why 6 months and not 1 year?
The task force adopted a 6-month FVRCP dose because studies suggested some kittens still fail to respond at 16 weeks and may still have maternal antibody at 20 weeks. Week 26 weeks is that visit, counted as 6 × 52/12.
What if I only know the kitten is about 8 weeks old?
Leave the birth date empty. You still get 8, 11, 14, 17 weeks and the 6-month row as week numbers. Guessing a birthday would stamp the wrong days into the calendar file.