How many shots does a new kitten need and how much do they cost?

genie18005: How many shots does a new kitten need and how much do they cost?
I have a 2 month old kitten which I haven’t vaccinated. But now that I have the money I would like to take it. I would like to be as prepared as possible before going to the vet. I don’t want the vet telling me the kitten needs shots that it actually doesn’t need. Please tell me which vaccinations it needs and the approximate cost of each shot. She’s an indoor kitten and seems pretty healthy.

I would appreciate your response. Thank you.

Answers and Views:

Answer by me me
I just took my kitten in and she is 10 weeks old. She only had to get one shot. As to how much it costs,that depends on the vet that you go to. Mine doesn’t charge for the office visit as long as the animal is getting a vacination. So I was only charged $ 22.

Answer by Christina
I think mine only needed 3 shots (maybe 15.00 each). They might try to talk you into putting a micro chip in her. Tell them no for that. She is an inside cat and I’m sure she won’t get lost. As for the price I’m not sure, you will also need to get her fixed. Our cat went into heat at 6 months and it drove us crazy until we got her fixed (that cost about 130.00 ish I think) I’m not 100% sure on the prices. We live on a Military base and they are cheaper for us. But just call the vet and ask them what they cost. They will tell you and then you can plan for it.

Answer by kikitiki
Good for you, wanting to be a responsible pet owner.

First, you should have your kitten tested for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus. These are untreatable diseases that you need to know whether your kitten has or not before considering vaccinating. Your kitten can be tested and get her first set of shots on the same day.

Kittens need shots starting at about 8 weeks of age until about 14 to 16 weeks of age. They need to get boosters every 3 weeks. Ideally a vaccine series would consist of shots at 8 wks, 11 wks and 14 wks.

Kittens need a feline leukemia vaccine as well as feline panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus vaccine at each appointment. At their final visit, they will also be given a rabies vaccine. The FIV vaccine has questionable efficacy and can cause a FIV test to show up positive in the future. Discuss it with your vet before letting them do it.

Costs vary widely but could range from $ 40-90 each visit. Good luck and again congrats for being a good pet owner.

Answer by Dan The Man
My wife and I rescued a kitten( less than 6 weeks old) two days ago and made an immediate vet appointment for it. Our vet first of all gave it some medicine for worms (only cost about $ 25 for the visit and $ 6 for the medicine). At about 3 months old, we will have to go back for leukemia (feline cancer) and distemper shots (Your cat will need these) that will be around $ 75-$ 100. Hope you enjoy your new kitten as much as we enjoy ours!!!!

Answer by Alex Dailey
Well, the first year of shots can set you back around $ 150-200, depending on what you get vaccination-wise, and it also depends on the individual vet’s fees (some are expensive, some are not).

The first thing the kitten will need is a check-up where they usually get their first series of shots, usually a DRCC/FVRCP vaccination, which covers feline distemper, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and chlamydia. I haven’t had a kitten in a while(all my cats were adults when I adopted them), but I believe they usually need to come back in a few weeks for their Rabies vaccination(which will probably be only a 1yr vaccination, then once the kitten gets its next one it will probably recieve a three year one), but they may now give them all at the same time.

These are the necessary ones, then you get into the optional vaccinations. If the kitten is going to be outdoor, or outdoor/indoor, a FELV/FIV vaccination and test is in order. Even if you decide the kitten is going to be kept souly indoors, a FELV/FIV test should be done, just to make sure that it doesn’t have feline leukemia/aids that it could pass on to other cats.

To summarize:
Exam Fee………Cost anywhere from $ 22 – 35

Needed shots
-DRCC/FVRCP vaccination……….cost depends, some include it with the exam price, some charge seperately…on my one bill the charge was $ 10.50
-Rabies vaccination……..Cost $ 13.50

Things that should be done
– Fecal test (for parasites)……..Cost $ 15.00
– FELV/FIV test……Cost $ 52.70

Optional Vaccination
-FELV/FIV vaccination……..Cost $ 20.61

Then you get into the other stuff, such as spaying/neutering, and microchipping (if you desire). To get my cat microchipped, the cost was $ 52.76 for the chip, and then an additional $ 15.00 to the company to register the chip. The total cost for spaying her, which included pain medication, was $ 211.13.

So total for the first year, with required bare minimum required shots, you are looking at minimum $ 52, and that’s if the vet only charges you a recheck fee if you have to go in a few weeks later for the rabies.

Total for the first year, if you get the required shots, fecal test, FELV/FIV test and vaccination, spay the kitten, and get her microchipped, I’d say you are looking at spending around $ 400 – 500…but on the bright side, after that you only end up paying about $ 55 a year for shots after that, if you just go with the required shots each year (which would be the rabies/DRCC/FVRCP vaccination).

Keep in mind, these costs are not always a definite. Vets vary in price from office to office and depending on the area you live in, but in general should fall in the above ranges. If you find your vet charging you way more than that, I would question the bill, and probably find a different vet.

I hope this helps