Core vaccinations prevent significant feline welfare harms from infectious disease and are a fundamental component of responsible cat ownership.
Vaccination prevents welfare harms that would otherwise cause significant suffering and often death. Feline panleucopenia causes severe gastrointestinal disease with high mortality in unvaccinated cats. Herpesvirus and calicivirus cause painful respiratory disease that may recur throughout an infected cat's life. The welfare benefit of vaccination is preventive: vaccinated cats avoid the acute suffering of preventable infectious disease. Regular health checks accompanying vaccination provide opportunity to detect other welfare-relevant conditions, making the vaccination visit a comprehensive welfare intervention beyond disease prevention alone.