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The FVRCP vaccine, also known as the “three-in-one” shot or the “feline distemper”vaccine, protects against three diseases - panleukopenia (feline distemper), calici virusand rhinotracheitis. Distemper is the most feared of the three because of its swift andoften deadly consequences, but the other two can be serious and even fatal as well. Thereare good reasons though for why FVRCP is not usually part of a standard treatment forferals. First, there is the cost. With TNR, judgments must constantly be made on the bestuse of scarce resources. In our experience at Neighborhood Cats, it is the kittens who aremost susceptible to distemper and other diseases because their immune systems are notfully developed. Healthy adults, when well fed and sheltered, are rarely at risk. Wewould rather invest in the cats’ ongoing care than more vaccines. Another concern forcaretakers who are holistically minded is the stress to the cat’s immune system ofreceiving anesthesia, a rabies vaccine, three more vaccines contained in the FVRCP shotand possibly other medications, all at the same time. Finally, there is the question of howeffective an FVRCP vaccine is without a booster. Manufacturer’s instructions say afollow-up shot is required in three to four weeks, but one research study found a singledose was still effective ten weeks later and could potentially confer years of immunity. 1One possible compromise, followed by some TNR groups, is to only administerFVRCP to younger cats, those less than a year old. The cost is justified, according to thisview, because these cats do not yet have fully developed immune systems and need theextra protection.Other vaccines, such as feline leukemia, FIV, “five-in-one,” or “seven-in-one” shots,are rarely given to feral cats, largely due to concerns about costs. Efficacy is also aconcern with some of the vaccines, like feline leukemia.If dental services are available and affordable, it’s an excellent idea to have the cat’steeth examined and treated at the time of the spay/neuter surgery. This might be the onlyopportunity to provide dental care which, by preventing gum disease and oral infections,could prolong the cat’s life by many years. Dental care may not be practical if the clinicis only set up for spay/neuter and it may not be affordable if you’re dealing with a largenumber of cats.The spay/neuter surgery itself can be performed on kittens who are at least twomonths of age and two lbs. in weight, if your veterinarian is trained in early agespay/neuter. If your veterinarian is not trained, you’ll need to defer to her on how younga cat she’s willing to perform surgery upon. Experience and training are also key whendealing with a female who is pregnant. If your veterinarian is experienced withspay/neuter and comfortable doing so, a pregnant cat can be aborted up until just beforegiving birth. Lactating females or females in heat also can be safely spayed by aveterinarian familiar with working on these cases. In these situations, including early agespay/neuter, late-term pregnancies or in heat or lactating females, there are added risks,which is why we emphasize the need for your veterinarian to be trained or experienced inthese types of procedures. Otherwise, it’s best to wait.Testing feral cats for feline leukemia (FeLV) or feline immuno-deficiency virus (FIV)is not part of the standard veterinary protocol for feral cats. Whether to test used to be amuch more controversial issue, but most TNR programs have decided against it as astandard procedure for every cat. Instead, testing is performed only when a cat is a1 Fischer, S., et.al, Response of feral cats to vaccination at the time of neutering, (2007) Journal of theAmerican Veterinary Association Vol 230, No. 1.116