Cat vaccine shortage frustrates Tamworth vets and pet owners

Cat owners could experience months of delayed vet appointments as a major producer of a core cat vaccination, commonly known as F3, has temporarily come off the market due to production issues.

"It's definitely affected operations," Director of Tamworth Veterinary Hospital Dr Isaac Roebuck said.

"F3 refers to the three core viruses we vaccinate in cats: Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopaenia. For those we have a core vaccine called the F3 vaccine, and the attenuated vaccine is really hard to source at the moment, if not impossible, from some suppliers."

The veterinarian says the animal hospital is currently sourcing "less desirable" suppliers for the vaccine, but the shortage is exacerbating an existing issue: another shortage of optional vaccines for feline AIDS.

"That's really important because a lot of cats, especially in rural areas are at a high risk of getting feline AIDS because it's carried in the feral cat population," Dr Roebuck said.

"There's an indefinite wait on the feline AIDS vaccination, they don't know when it's going to be available. The routine F3 we can source from different suppliers, but it's on indefinite back-order as well from the most common suppliers."

Dr Roebuck said he advises owners of unvaccinated cats to keep their pets indoors and prevent them from socialising until they can get an appointment.

"Sometimes they'll have to have vaccinations postponed or put off, which is less than desirable because their cat won't have protection or immunity. People buying kittens will be unable to start at all on vaccinations, which is hazardous to their health," he said.

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Just up the road at Marius Small Animal Veterinary Clinic, veterinary nurse Bonnie Douglas says the clinic is "lucky" to have stocked up just before the shortage of cat vaccines hit.

"We may be okay because we have stock in our fridge already, but the brand that we generally use is coming in short supply because everybody's going to it," Ms Douglas said.

"We've done our stats, and with what we have ordered we're hoping we should have enough to carry us through until production gets back into place early next year."

Ms Douglas said there's no need for pet owners to panic or rush to get vaccination appointments, but they shouldn't be in a rush to adopt a new kitten either.

"We could still run out if a panic strikes, and all of the sudden we get 15 people per day wanting to vaccinate their cats, but at this particular moment we are confident we should be able to ride out the storm," she said.

The veterinary nurse said vaccination appointments at Marius Small Animal Veterinary Clinic may need to be "strategically scheduled" until vaccine supply normalises.

The vaccine shortage has caused RSPCA centres across NSW to put a one-month pause on accepting surrendered or stray felines.

The Tamworth Regional Companion Animal Centre - commonly known as the pound - is also not currently accepting surrendered or stray cats due to being at full capacity.

Tamworth Regional Council says the vaccine shortage will not put a damper on its upcoming Healthy Pet Day at the Youthie, but is asking eligible pet owners to book their place in advance to manage demand.

"To ensure there are enough vaccines available for all cats and dogs as part of Tamworth Regional Council's Healthy Pet Day, bookings for animals are essential and can be made by calling Tamworth Regional Companion Animal Centre on (02) 6767 5501," a council spokesperson said.

"Places are also limited to jobseeker, pensioners, and concession card holders to assist in meeting demand."

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