Vaccination is one of the more straightforward ways owners can protect their pet from serious, sometimes fatal, diseases — but the schedules, terminology and ongoing booster requirements aren’t always well understood. PDSA guidance sets out what’s actually involved for cats and dogs.
No legal requirement, but strongly recommended
Unlike some countries, PDSA guidance confirms there’s no general legal requirement to vaccinate cats in the UK. The one notable exception is the rabies vaccine, which is a legal requirement if a cat is travelling in and out of the UK, reflecting international and UK border control requirements around rabies specifically. Outside of travel, core vaccines are still strongly recommended for every cat by PDSA vets to protect against common and potentially serious feline diseases.
Kitten and cat vaccination schedule
According to PDSA guidance, kittens can start their vaccinations from nine weeks old. This is followed by a second set of injections, usually given two to four weeks after the initial set, completing what’s known as the primary course. This primary course is then followed by yearly boosters throughout the cat’s life to maintain protection.
Puppy and dog vaccination schedule
For dogs, PDSA guidance indicates puppies can begin their primary course of vaccinations from six weeks old. As with cats, this primary course needs to be completed according to the vet’s recommended schedule, and dogs then require regular yearly boosters throughout their life to stay fully protected.
Why boosters remain necessary
It’s a common misconception that once a pet has completed their initial vaccination course as a kitten or puppy, they’re protected for life. PDSA guidance is clear this isn’t the case: yearly boosters are needed to keep both cats and dogs fully protected, since immunity from vaccines can wane over time depending on the specific disease and vaccine type. Skipping boosters can leave a pet with reduced or no protection against diseases they were previously vaccinated against.
Vaccine safety and regulation
PDSA guidance addresses a common owner concern directly: all vaccines used by vets in the UK are licensed, meaning they’ve gone through rigorous safety checks before being approved for use. These licences aren’t a one-off approval either — they’re constantly under review by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the UK body responsible for regulating veterinary medicines, providing ongoing oversight rather than a single historical safety check.
Possible reactions
As with any medical intervention, some pets can experience mild reactions to vaccination, and PDSA maintains dedicated guidance on recognising vaccination reactions in pets. Most reactions are mild and short-lived — such as slight tenderness at the injection site or brief low energy — but owners should contact their vet if a reaction seems more significant, persists, or if they’re simply unsure whether what they’re seeing is normal.
Why keeping to schedule matters practically
Beyond individual protection, many UK boarding kennels, catteries, dog walkers and daycare providers require up-to-date vaccination records before accepting a pet, and some insurance policies can be affected by lapses in a recommended vaccination schedule. Keeping vaccination records current — most vets provide a vaccination card or digital record — makes these practical situations considerably easier to navigate.
Talking to your vet
Vaccination schedules can vary slightly by practice and by the specific vaccines used, and individual pets with health conditions or unusual circumstances (such as rescue animals with unknown vaccination history) may need a tailored approach. A conversation with your own vet is the best way to confirm the right schedule for your specific cat or dog, since this guidance reflects general PDSA recommendations rather than a substitute for individual veterinary advice.
What core vaccines typically protect against
While the exact vaccine panel a vet recommends depends on your pet’s lifestyle, age and local disease prevalence, core vaccinations for dogs in the UK are generally understood to cover diseases including canine parvovirus, distemper, infectious canine hepatitis and leptospirosis, while core cat vaccinations typically cover feline panleukopenia (feline infectious enteritis), feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus (both linked to cat flu). Some of these diseases, including parvovirus in dogs, can be genuinely life-threatening, particularly in puppies and kittens with less developed immune systems, which is part of why completing the full primary course on schedule — rather than a single injection alone — matters so much. Additional, non-core vaccines may be recommended depending on individual circumstances, such as kennel cough vaccination for dogs that will be boarded, or feline leukaemia virus vaccination for cats with regular outdoor access, and your vet is best placed to advise on which of these are relevant to your pet’s specific lifestyle.
Keeping vaccination records safe and accessible — most practices now offer digital records alongside a physical card — also makes it far easier to demonstrate compliance to boarding facilities, insurers or new vets if you move house or switch practices.