Shelter cats face elevated infectious disease risk from stress and high population density. Vaccination protocols must be adapted to shelter-specific epidemiology and welfare needs.
Shelter environments create extreme infectious disease pressure from multiple cats of unknown vaccination status housed in proximity under stress-induced immunosuppression. Standard vaccination protocols designed for individual household cats must be modified for shelter epidemiology. Vaccination on intake, before exposure, provides the fastest and most effective protection. Stress reduction through environmental enrichment, hiding spaces and prompt adoption reduces disease risk by maintaining immune function. Upper respiratory disease outbreaks in shelters represent both welfare crises and adoption barriers that appropriate vaccination protocols can significantly mitigate.