Kitten vaccination schedule by country: US, UK, EU

What each vaccine does

There are five vaccines you will hear about in your kitten’s first year. Not all are needed for every kitten. Here is the short version.

• FVRCP: the combined core vaccine covering feline viral rhinotracheitis (herpesvirus), calicivirus, and panleukopenia. The first two cause respiratory illness; panleukopenia is a parvo-like disease that can be fatal in unvaccinated kittens. Universal in the US and Europe.
• Rabies: core in the US and most of Europe. Required by law in most US states, with the first dose usually given between 12 and 16 weeks as state or local law sets it, and not before 12 weeks (CDC). Not part of the routine UK schedule, but required for travel abroad.
• FeLV (feline leukemia virus): core for kittens and cats under one year old in the 2020 AAHA/AAFP guidelines, because young cats are the most susceptible. Two doses 3 to 4 weeks apart, from 8 weeks at the earliest, then a booster 12 months later. Non-core for low-risk adult cats.
• FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus): non-core, region-dependent. No FIV vaccine is commercially available in Europe, and ABCD does not recommend the one sold elsewhere, for example in Australia and New Zealand (ABCD guideline for feline immunodeficiency virus). It is not used in the US either: no FIV vaccine has been commercially available in North America since 2016, according to the Cornell Feline Health Center.
• Bordetella (feline): non-core, situational. Recommended for multi-cat households, shelters, or boarded kittens. Not standard for single-cat homes.

Your vet will guide which non-core vaccines matter for where you live and how your kitten lives.

US kitten vaccination schedule

Typical schedule for a kitten born at week 0 and brought home around week 8.

How many FVRCP doses: the 2020 AAHA/AAFP guidelines start no earlier than 6 weeks and repeat every 3 to 4 weeks until 16 to 20 weeks of age. So some kittens get three doses and some four. The guidelines suggest the first booster at 6 months rather than at one year, then every 3 years. Ask your vet which timing they use.

FeLV at-risk vs not: the same guidelines treat FeLV as core for every kitten and cat under one year old, and vets test for FeLV before the first dose. The booster comes 12 months after the last kitten dose. After that, FeLV is non-core for low-risk adult cats. Cats with outdoor access, or contact with cats that have FeLV or whose status is unknown, continue yearly. Rabies timing varies by state and local law. Confirm both with your vet.

UK kitten vaccination schedule

UK schedule is shorter than the US schedule. Rabies is not part of the routine UK schedule unless your kitten will travel internationally.

Per PDSA, a kitten needs two injections 3 to 4 weeks apart, usually at 9 and 12 weeks, and some kittens need a third at 15 weeks. International Cat Care describes a start at 8 to 9 weeks, a second injection 3 to 4 weeks later, and a third at 16 to 20 weeks that is now common. Protection starts 3 to 4 weeks after the final injection. The first booster is due one year after the primary course, then every 1 to 3 years depending on the vaccine (PDSA). The WSAVA 2024 guidelines suggest a core dose at 26 weeks or older instead of waiting for the one-year booster, and a vet may choose that option.

Rabies is only needed in the UK if your kitten will travel abroad. Per GOV.UK, the kitten must be at least 12 weeks old for the vaccine, there is a wait of at least 21 days before travel, and a trip from Great Britain to the EU needs an Animal Health Certificate from your vet. A pet passport is not accepted.

FIV in the UK and Europe: there is no FIV vaccine on the market in Europe, so FIV is not part of this schedule. FIV spreads mainly through bite wounds. Ask your vet how to lower the risk for a cat that goes outdoors.

EU kitten vaccination schedule

EU schedules vary by country but share a core pattern close to the UK schedule, with rabies added for the pet passport (required for cross-border travel within and out of the EU).

ABCD Europe recommends three doses: one at 8 to 9 weeks, a second 3 to 4 weeks later, and a third at 16 weeks at the earliest. Every cat then gets a dose at 10 to 16 months, and later boosters every three years or more.

Pet passport: travel between EU countries requires a rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older, plus a wait of at least 21 days after the first vaccination (European Commission). ABCD Europe coordinates feline guidelines across member states; FeLV gets more emphasis in southern Europe, where the ABCD FeLV guideline reports higher prevalence than in northern and western Europe. For exact timing in your country, ask your vet and check the local veterinary association.

Core vs non-core vaccines explained

Core vaccines are recommended for every kitten, everywhere, because the diseases they prevent are common, severe, or have public-health implications. FVRCP is core globally. Rabies is core in the US and EU. FeLV is core for kittens and cats under one year old in the US (2020 AAHA/AAFP guidelines).

Non-core vaccines depend on where you live and how your kitten lives. Outside the US, and for adult cats everywhere, FeLV matters for any cat that may go outdoors, share a home with another cat, or have an unknown-future lifestyle. Bordetella matters if your kitten will be boarded, shelter-housed, or in a multi-cat household.

Non-core does not mean unimportant. It means individual. An indoor-only single cat in a city flat and a barn cat with outdoor access have very different non-core profiles. See Indoor vs outdoor cat for a deeper look at the lifestyle trade-offs that drive these decisions.

Your kitten’s personal schedule

Because so much depends on your kitten’s country, lifestyle, and the disease profile of where you live, the safest schedule is the one your vet writes for you. Bring this guide to the first visit. Ask which non-core vaccines apply, and write the next dose date down somewhere you will not lose it.

Pair your kitten’s vaccinations with the first vet visit checklist and feeding guide. This trio covers most of the first-year clinical decisions.

How Flok does it

Full disclosure: we make a pet care app.

In Flok, you snap a photo of the vaccine card the vet hands you, confirm what Flok read, and the record is filed under your kitten’s profile. The next dose shows up in the care plan, and Flok sends vaccine and care reminders.

Scan with your iPhone camera to get Flok.