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Guide · updated

Cat vaccination cost in the UK: kitten course, boosters and what the price includes

What a cat or kitten vaccination price covers under the new CMA price lists, why a primary course costs more than a booster, and what to ask before you book.

What practices that already publish charge

Fewer than 3 practices that publish these prices are on our list so far. Vet businesses with 15 or more practices or out-of-hours centres must publish them, if they offer them, on each practice's website from 23 December 2026, and smaller practices from 23 March 2027.

Ask three practices what a cat vaccination costs and you may get three answers that are not about the same thing. One quotes the jab. One quotes the jab plus a health check. One quotes a kitten's two-visit course as a single price. Until now there was no way to tell which was which without ringing round.

From 23 December 2026 that changes for the big vet groups, and from 23 March 2027 for everyone else. Every practice that vaccinates cats has to price them under two fixed items on its list, both with the same words in the name: "including consultation". This guide explains what that means for a cat owner, what the price is likely to cover, and where it still leaves room for surprises.

We don't give vaccination advice. Which vaccines your cat needs, and when, is a clinical decision for your vet. We explain how the prices work.

The two items on every price list

Schedule 1 of the CMA's Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026 lists 36 items that a practice must price if it offers them. Two of them cover routine cat vaccinations:

  • Vaccinations primary course (including consultation): the first set of injections for a kitten, or for an adult cat that has never been vaccinated or whose cover has lapsed.
  • Vaccinations booster (including consultation): the top-up injection that follows, usually once a year.

The practice has to use those exact names, with no free-text description added (Art. 7(2)(a)). So "Vaccinations booster (including consultation)" at one practice is meant to be the same product as at the next one. That is the whole point.

The third vaccination item, "Vaccination for kennel cough (including consultation)", is for dogs. Rabies vaccination, which a cat needs before travelling abroad, is not one of the 36 items, so it won't necessarily appear on the list.

What "including consultation" covers

The Order itself only gives the item names. The CMA also published an indicative price list with a short definition for each item, to help practices fill in their lists (Explanatory Note, Annex 1). It is guidance, not part of the Order, but it is the best statement of what the CMA expects each price to mean.

For both vaccination items, that definition says the price covers:

  1. a consultation or clinical examination by a vet;
  2. the vaccine given by the vet or a registered veterinary nurse;
  3. completing the vaccination certificate;
  4. "all core vaccines", with a pointer to the British Small Animal Veterinary Association's guidance on which vaccines count as core.

Two rules in the Order back this up. The price must be what owners are typically charged and must include anything that is an essential part of the service (Art. 7(2)(d)). And prices include VAT (Art. 7(2)(f)). The CMA's Explanatory Note says "typically charged" means a standard case with minimal complexity (paragraph 64(d)).

So a booster price that turns out to be the vaccine alone, with a separate charge for the vet looking at your cat, would not match the item's name.

Core and lifestyle vaccines for cats

This is where most of the price differences between practices will come from, so it is worth knowing the vocabulary.

PDSA's advice for UK owners is that all cats, including indoor cats, need vaccinating against cat flu and feline parvovirus (also called feline enteritis or panleukopenia). Cats that go outside, "even just your garden", also need a vaccine for feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) (PDSA, Cat and kitten vaccinations, April 2022).

The CMA's definition says the price includes all core vaccines. Cat flu and parvovirus are the core part. FeLV is the one to ask about. Whether a practice's standard primary course price includes FeLV, or prices it as an extra, is not fixed by the definition. If your cat goes outdoors, ask.

Vaccine Who PDSA says needs it Is it covered by the standard price?
Cat flu (herpesvirus and calicivirus) All UK cats, indoor or out Should be: it is core
Feline parvovirus (enteritis) All UK cats, indoor or out Should be: it is core
Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) Cats that go outside Ask the practice
Rabies Cats travelling abroad Not one of the 36 items; priced separately
Chlamydophila felis Usually only where a problem already exists Ask the practice

Why a kitten course costs more than a booster

A primary course is more than one visit. PDSA describes a kitten course as two injections three to four weeks apart, usually at 9 and 12 weeks old, with some kittens needing a third at 15 weeks. Kittens are fully protected three to four weeks after their final injection. After that, the first booster is due one year after the primary course, and then boosters every one to three years depending on what the cat is being vaccinated against (PDSA, April 2022).

That last point explains something that confuses a lot of owners. PDSA notes that FeLV protection lasts about a year, while protection against herpes, calici and panleukopenia lasts around three years. So a yearly booster visit does not always contain the same vaccines each year. Some years it is a bigger set, some years smaller. The listed booster price is the typical case; ask whether it changes from year to year.

Because a primary course spans two or three appointments, two or three examinations and more vaccine, it will normally be priced above a single booster. When you compare primary course prices, check whether the price covers the whole course or one injection of it. The item name says "course", so the course is what should be priced.

If a booster is missed

PDSA warns that a cat that misses a booster "may need to restart their primary course again, depending on how overdue they are". That moves you from the booster price to the primary course price. Booking the booster before the due date is usually the cheapest way through.

What makes the price vary between practices

Some of these you can see on the price list. Some you will have to ask about.

  • Which vaccines are in the standard price. The FeLV question above is the big one.
  • Who owns the practice. The CMA found that between January 2023 and July 2024, average prices at five of the six large vet groups were together 18.3% higher than at independent practices for consultations, treatments and medicines (Final report summary, paragraph 25). That is an average across many services, not a vaccination price, but it is a reason to compare.
  • Bundling with a care plan. Many practices sell a monthly pet care plan that includes the annual booster. The CMA found that the large groups' standard plans always included an annual vaccination (Final report, Appendix G, paragraph 1.5). If you are on a plan, the booster price on the list matters less; if you are deciding whether to join one, it matters a lot. Our pet care plans guide explains how to compare.
  • Out-of-hours. Practices that charge more for an item out of hours have to show both prices (Art. 7(2)(h)). Nobody books a booster at midnight, but the rule is there.

What the price list will and won't tell you

It will tell you the price of the standard primary course and the standard booster, including VAT, for the practice's typical case. If the practice offers more than one version of an item, for example a course with and without FeLV, each version must appear as its own line, with the standard option clearly marked (Art. 7(2)(b)).

It won't tell you which vaccines your cat should have. That is the vet's call, made at the consultation the price already includes.

It also won't tell you what your own bill comes to. Every price list must say that its prices are for the typical case and may go up in more complex or complicated cases (Art. 7(2)(l)).

Questions to ask before you book

  • Does the primary course price cover every injection in the course, or one visit?
  • Which vaccines are in the standard price? Is FeLV included or extra?
  • Does the booster price change in years when a different set of vaccines is due?
  • How late can a booster be before you would charge for a new primary course?
  • Is a microchip check or a microchip included? (Microchipping is a separate item on the list. In England, cats must be microchipped and registered by 20 weeks old, according to gov.uk.)

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to vaccinate a cat in the UK?

The box at the top of this page shows the range once three practices that publish list it, and the median once five do. It is a sample, not a UK average. There is no single national price. Practices' own prices will be published on their websites in the standard format from 23 December 2026 at the large groups and from 23 March 2027 at smaller practices. Prices vary by practice; see the map for published prices from 23 December 2026, and our booster price page for the UK spread once enough practices have published.

Does the vaccination price include the vet's check-up?

It should. Both cat vaccination items are named "including consultation", and the CMA's definition says the price covers a consultation or clinical examination by a vet.

Does my indoor cat need vaccinating?

PDSA says all UK cats, including indoor cats, need vaccinating against cat flu and feline parvovirus. Ask your vet about your own cat.

Why is the kitten course more expensive than a booster?

The course covers two or sometimes three appointments and injections, usually at 9 and 12 weeks old (PDSA). A booster is one appointment.

Is a pet care plan cheaper than paying for boosters?

It depends on what else you use from the plan. The CMA found that the average subscriber saved money on only about half of the large groups' top-selling plans, compared with buying the same treatments at the practice (Final report, Appendix G, paragraph 1.13). See our care plans guide.

Related reading

Sources

Prices mentioned in this guide

Dog and puppy vaccination cost in the UK: primary course, boosters and kennel coughWhat a puppy course, an annual dog booster and a kennel cough vaccine price must include on the new CMA price lists, why the prices differ, and what to ask.Pet care plans explained: what they cover, what they cost and how to compare themWhat a vet's monthly pet care plan includes, what the CMA found about whether plans save money, and the new rules on how practices must show plan contents and savings.What the CMA vet price rules mean for pet ownersFrom 23 December 2026 big vet groups must publish a standard price list. Here is what changes, when, and what you can do with it.How to compare vet prices in the UKA practical checklist for comparing vet price lists fairly, from consultation minutes and vaccine bundles to out-of-hours cover and cremation.Low-cost and charity vet care in the UK: who qualifies and where to find the cheapest vetWho qualifies for free or reduced-cost vet care from PDSA, Blue Cross, RSPCA branches, Cats Protection and Dogs Trust, and how to find the cheapest paid practice near you if you don't.Vet consultation fees in the UK: first, repeat, nurse and out-of-hours appointmentsHow much a vet consultation costs, what the CMA found, why first and repeat appointments are priced differently, and why the appointment length now sits next to the price.