Cat Vaccination Schedule + Reminder App
Cats make the vaccination schedule harder than dogs do, and not for the reason people assume. It is not that cats need more shots. It is that a cat’s schedule depends on a question nobody writes on the card: does this cat go outside?
Change the answer and half the intervals change with it. Here is what a cat’s vaccination schedule actually looks like, and how to keep the next date somewhere more reliable than memory.
One note first: this is not veterinary advice. Your cat’s schedule depends on age, health, local law and whether it has outdoor access, and your vet decides it. This is the shape of the thing.
What vaccines does a cat actually need?
FVRCP is the core combination, and it is the one every cat gets. Three diseases in one shot:
- Feline viral rhinotracheitis — feline herpesvirus, the cause of a large share of cat flu.
- Calicivirus — the other main cat flu agent; mouth ulcers, fever, sometimes worse.
- Panleukopenia — feline parvovirus. Severe, and the reason indoor cats are still vaccinated.
On the card it may be written FVRCP, RCP, trivalente, Trivalent, or as a numbered combination. Same three components.
Rabies is separate, and whether it is optional depends entirely on where you live. In much of the United States it is legally required for cats. Across the EU it is required for any travel with the pet passport. Even where it is not compulsory, catteries frequently insist.
Feline leukaemia (FeLV) is the one that turns on the outdoor question. It is considered core for kittens — a kitten’s future is not decided yet — and strongly recommended for any cat with outdoor access, because it spreads through prolonged close contact with other cats. It is given only after a blood test confirms the cat is not already FeLV-positive. Vaccinating a positive cat does nothing.
Do indoor cats need vaccinations?
Yes, and this is the single most common thing owners get wrong.
Panleukopenia virus survives in the environment for months and is carried indoors on shoes, clothing and hands. An indoor cat is not in a sealed box. On top of that, indoor cats escape, go into boarding catteries when you travel, and end up in a veterinary waiting room full of other cats at exactly the moment they are already unwell.
So FVRCP stays on the list for indoor cats. Rabies may stay on the list because the law says so. FeLV is the one that a genuinely indoor-only adult cat can often drop — and that is a decision for your vet, based on your cat, not a rule you can read off the internet.
When does a kitten get its first vaccination?
The kitten series works the same way the puppy series does, and for the same biological reason: maternal antibodies protect the kitten and simultaneously blunt the vaccine, and nobody can measure the exact week they fade.
- Around 6–8 weeks — first FVRCP.
- Every 3–4 weeks after that — repeated until roughly 16 to 20 weeks. Cats often run slightly later than dogs here.
- Rabies from about 12 weeks — the exact age is set by local law.
- FeLV — two doses a few weeks apart, after the negative test.
- A booster about a year after the series ends.
That final booster is the one people miss. By the time it is due the kitten is a cat, the chaos has stopped, and nothing in daily life reminds you. Set the reminder the day you leave the clinic with the last kitten shot.
How often do adult cats need boosters?
After the one-year booster, the intervals separate — which is the reason a single annual reminder does not cover a cat properly:
- FVRCP — commonly every three years for a low-risk indoor cat, and more frequently for cats with outdoor access or regular cattery stays.
- FeLV — usually annual while the cat still goes outside; dropped if it becomes strictly indoor.
- Rabies — one or three years, depending on which product was used. It is printed on the certificate.
Three components, three different clocks, three different start dates. Nobody holds that correctly in their head for a decade.
Keeping the schedule somewhere other than your head
Two dates per vaccine — given, and next due — is all it takes, provided something else does the counting.
That is what PawVet is for. Each cat gets a profile, and each vaccine entry holds the vaccine name, the date it was given, the next due date your vet named, the vet’s name and any notes. Quick-fill buttons cover the common ones in your language (in English: rabies, FVRCP, FeLV, DHPP), and anything else is free text, so Purevax RCP or FeLV — dose 2 goes in exactly as the card reads.
The reminder fires at 9am the morning before, and it names names: “Mochi: FVRCP — Vaccination due tomorrow.” Morning-before on purpose, so there is still a working day in which to phone the clinic.
Two honest limits, stated plainly:
- PawVet does not calculate the next due date. You type the date the vet gave you. The interval depends on the product, the cat’s age and whether it goes outdoors — an app that guessed three years when the vial said one would be actively harmful.
- PawVet does not replace the stamped vaccination card or EU pet passport. That is the document a cattery, a border or a new clinic accepts. This is your searchable copy of it.
A cat, a dog, and everyone else
Households rarely contain exactly one animal, and the cat’s FVRCP does not line up with the dog’s DHPP or anybody’s rabies date.
In PawVet each animal has its own record and its own due dates, and the calendar tab puts all of them on a single agenda — vaccinations marked !, medications •, vet visits ✦ — so nothing hides behind anything else. There is more on running several animals in the multi-pet guide, the dog side is covered in the dog vaccination schedule, and the combined dog-and-cat rundown is the short version of both.
When a cattery or a new vet asks for the history
They will, and they will ask for it at short notice. PawVet exports the full record as a one-page PDF: species, breed, birthday and current weight at the top, then every vaccination, vet visit and medication in date order, newest first. It arrives named Mochi-health-record-2026-09-02.pdf rather than a random string of characters. The PDF export walkthrough shows the result.
Is there an app that reminds me when my cat’s vaccination is due?
Yes — this one. Free covers one pet and three vaccination records, which is enough for a single cat’s core schedule. The subscription adds unlimited pets, unlimited vaccinations, medication tracking with reminders and the vet PDF export. The honest app comparison lays out where it wins and where it does not.
Common questions
What vaccines does a cat actually need?
The core vaccine is FVRCP — feline viral rhinotracheitis (herpesvirus), calicivirus and panleukopenia, given as one combination shot — plus rabies where local law or travel requires it. Feline leukaemia (FeLV) is core for kittens and strongly recommended for any cat that goes outdoors, after a blood test confirms the cat is not already positive.
Do indoor cats need vaccinations?
Yes, though the list is shorter. FVRCP is recommended for indoor cats too — panleukopenia is extremely hardy and can be carried indoors on shoes and clothing, and indoor cats escape, go to boarding catteries and end up at the vet. Rabies may still be legally required. FeLV is usually the one an indoor-only adult cat can skip, and that is a conversation with your vet, not a rule.
When does a kitten get its first vaccination?
The kitten series usually starts around 6 to 8 weeks and repeats every 3 to 4 weeks until roughly 16 to 20 weeks, because maternal antibodies interfere with the vaccine until then. Rabies is typically given from 12 weeks depending on local law, and a booster follows about a year after the series finishes.
How often do adult cats need boosters?
After the one-year booster, FVRCP is commonly boosted every three years for low-risk indoor cats and more often for cats with outdoor access or cattery exposure. FeLV boosters are usually annual for cats that still go outside. Rabies follows the interval printed on the certificate, which is one or three years depending on the product.
Is there an app that reminds me when my cat’s vaccination is due?
Yes. PawVet stores each vaccine with the date it was given and the next due date your vet named, then sends a local notification at 9am the morning before, naming the cat and the vaccine. It is free for one pet and three vaccination records, and it is available on Google Play.
PawVet is available on Google Play. Download it and start your cat’s record today.