FeLV & FIV: Why Your Kitten May Not Have These Vaccines — And Why Testing Matters

One of the questions we sometimes hear from new pawrents is:

“My vet said they don't have the FIV vaccine. Why not?”

Or:

“I thought kittens were supposed to be vaccinated against everything?”

It's a very reasonable question.

When you're bringing home a new kitten, you want to know that you've done everything possible to give them a healthy start.

So when you discover that FeLV or FIV vaccines may not be available at your veterinary clinic, it can be confusing — and perhaps even a little worrying.

The good news is that there is a very simple explanation.

And at WinterForest Siberians, we believe that knowing your kitten's health status is just as important as knowing which vaccines they have received.

First, what are FeLV and FIV?

You may have heard your veterinarian mention these two names.

FeLV stands for Feline Leukaemia Virus.

FIV stands for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.

Both are viruses that can affect cats, particularly their immune system.

But they are not something every indoor kitten is automatically at high risk of catching.

How a cat lives has a lot to do with their risk.

A cat who lives indoors and has very little contact with unfamiliar cats has a very different level of risk from a cat who regularly goes outdoors and meets other cats.

That's why vaccination decisions should be based on the individual cat and their lifestyle, rather than simply assuming every cat needs every vaccine available.

“But I thought there were vaccines for FeLV and FIV?”

This is where things can get confusing.

There are FeLV vaccines available in some countries.

However, not every veterinary clinic stocks them, and availability can vary from country to country.

FIV is even more complicated.

The FIV vaccine that has existed is not widely available around the world. It has been removed from the US and Canadian markets and was never licensed in Europe. It remains available in some countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

So if your vet says:

“We don't have an FIV vaccine.”

It doesn't necessarily mean your vet has overlooked something.

It may simply mean that the vaccine isn't available or routinely used where you live.

So what should you look for instead?

This is where testing becomes important.

Rather than relying only on whether a vaccine has been given, it is useful to know the actual FeLV and FIV status of the cat.

This is particularly important when a kitten is moving from one household or cattery into another.

And this is one of the reasons why every WinterForest kitten leaves our care with their own blood test documentation.

“Why does my kitten need their own blood test?”

It's a fair question.

You may be thinking:

“If the parents are healthy, surely my kitten is healthy too?”

Knowing the health history of the parents is extremely important.

But your kitten is an individual.

So we believe you should have information about your kitten, not simply information about their parents.

Every WinterForest kitten leaving our care is accompanied by their own blood test results.

This gives you something useful to take to your own veterinarian when your kitten arrives home.

It also means you aren't simply being asked to take someone's word for it when they tell you:

“Your kitten is healthy.”

We can show you.

And what about the kitten's parents?

This is another part of our approach that we believe is important.

We maintain medical histories for our breeding cats, and relevant veterinary information is available to support the care of their kittens.

WinterForest has also developed long-standing relationships with multiple veterinary clinics.

This means our cats aren't simply visiting a vet once when something goes wrong.

There is an ongoing veterinary history behind our breeding programme.

Our vets know our cats.

They know our breeding lines.

And there are records of their care and health over time.

For a new pawrent, that can provide a lot of reassurance.

“But if my kitten has been blood tested, does that mean I don't need to see my own vet?”

No.

We always encourage new pawrents to establish a relationship with their own veterinarian.

Think of the blood test as part of your kitten's history, not a replacement for ongoing veterinary care.

Once your kitten comes home, your own vet can review their records, discuss future vaccinations and decide what is appropriate based on your kitten's lifestyle.

For example, the needs of a strictly indoor Siberian may be different from those of a cat who eventually goes outdoors or lives with other cats.

Your veterinarian can help you make those decisions.

This is also one of the reasons WinterForest is a closed cattery

You may have noticed that we don't operate our cattery like a petting zoo.

We don't have a constant stream of people coming in to touch our cats.

And sometimes people ask us:

“Why can't I just come in and meet all the cats?”

It's not because we don't want you to meet them.

It's because we take infection control seriously.

Imagine you own a cat at home.

You visit another cattery.

You pat their cats.

Then you come to our cattery.

You may not feel sick.

Your own cat may not look sick.

But you could potentially carry something from one environment to another without knowing it.

Cats can't tell us where we've been.

So we have to be careful for them.

What does “closed cattery” actually mean?

Simply put, a closed cattery is one where access is carefully controlled.

We limit who comes into contact with our cats and kittens.

We don't allow just anyone to walk through the cattery and handle the cats.

This reduces unnecessary exposure to illnesses and helps us maintain a cleaner, more controlled environment.

It also means that our kittens aren't constantly being picked up by different people.

Instead, they are socialised through carefully managed, positive experiences with people.

There is an important difference between:

“A kitten has never met people.”

and

“A kitten isn't available for everyone to handle.”

Our kittens absolutely experience people.

They are handled, groomed, cuddled and exposed to normal household experiences.

We simply control who, when and how.

“Doesn't that make the kittens less friendly?”

Not at all.

Socialisation isn't about having as many strangers as possible pick up a kitten.

It's about helping a kitten learn that people, handling, grooming, sounds and new experiences are safe.

We want our kittens to grow into confident cats, not cats who have simply been passed around to hundreds of visitors.

And this is particularly important when you're running a breeding programme where the health and wellbeing of every cat matters.

Why we take this seriously

When you have a single cat at home, it's easy to think:

“It's just one visit.”

But a cattery is different.

We have multiple cats.

We have kittens.

We have breeding cats.

And we have young lives that depend on us making sensible decisions every day.

That means sometimes we have to say:

“No, we're sorry, we can't allow that.”

Even when it might be more convenient to say yes.

Our priority has to be the cats.

So what should you ask when choosing a pedigree kitten?

If you're speaking to a breeder, don't be afraid to ask questions.

Ask:

Have the parents been health screened?

What veterinary records are available?

Has my individual kitten been tested?

What vaccinations has my kitten received?

What documentation will I receive?

What happens if I have questions after bringing my kitten home?

And perhaps one of the most important questions:

“Will you still be there if I need help after I take my kitten home?”

We think the answer to that should always be yes.

Your kitten's health story doesn't end at handover

At WinterForest, we don't see the day your kitten goes home as the end of our responsibility.

It's the beginning of a new chapter.

Your kitten leaves with their own health documentation, information about their care and the background of their parents.

And you leave knowing that you can still come back to us with questions.

If you're unsure about a vaccination your vet has recommended — ask us.

If you don't understand a test result — ask us.

If you're worried about something your kitten is doing — ask us.

We would much rather you ask a question that turns out to be nothing than sit at home worrying.

A vaccine isn't the whole story

It's easy to look at a kitten's paperwork and think:

Vaccinated = healthy.

But responsible kitten care is a little more complicated.

Vaccinations are important.

Health screening is important.

Knowing the parents' medical history is important.

Good veterinary relationships are important.

Managing who comes into contact with your cats is important.

And having a breeder who remains available after your kitten goes home is important too.

These things all work together.

So if you are looking at a pedigree kitten and discover that an FeLV or FIV vaccine isn't available from your veterinarian, don't panic.

Ask questions.

Find out what testing has been done.

Talk to your veterinarian about your kitten's individual lifestyle.

And make sure you understand what you're taking home.

Because bringing home a kitten should feel exciting — not frightening.

You shouldn't need to become a veterinary expert before bringing home your first Siberian.

You shouldn't be expected to understand every test, vaccine or piece of paperwork.

And you shouldn't feel that once you've paid for your kitten, you're on your own.

At WinterForest, we believe in giving our pawrents information, preparation and ongoing support.

Your kitten may eventually leave our home and become part of yours.

But they will always be one of our graduates.

And that means you will always have someone to turn to.

From the first question you ask us, to the day you bring your kitten home — and for all the years that follow.