It is generally accepted that vaccination is a good way of controlling important diseases in the cat population. Clearly, an animal cannot choose whether to be vaccinated or not; it is the decision of the owner. However, the factors that influence an owner's decision to have their pet vaccinated are poorly understood. In human medicine, the Health Belief Model has been used to study such preventive behaviours. This model predicts that preventive behaviours, such as vaccination, are influenced by five main factors: perceived severity of the disease; perceived susceptibility to disease; perceived benefits of vaccination; the costs involved with vaccination; and the sources of information that are likely to influence the decision. The aim of this project was to use the Health Belief Model to identify owner beliefs that influence their decision to vaccinate their cat.

The questionnaire was conducted at a veterinary practice in Liverpool over a period of three weeks in July 2007. The full questionnaire contained 40 questions covering various aspects of the Health Belief Model. Cat owners were approached in the waiting room of the practice and asked to take part in a cat health survey. Ninety people consented to take part; 79 were interviewed face-to-face, and eleven over the telephone.

Of the ninety owners questioned, 45 fully vaccinated their cat, 37 intermittently vaccinated their cat and 8 never vaccinated their cat. All owners, regardless of vaccination status, were generally ignorant of cat disease and the vaccines available. For the 82 owners that had their cat vaccinated at some point, 74 (90%) did not know specifically what their cat had been vaccinated against. Three (37.5%) of those that had never vaccinated their cats, still regarded vaccinations as essential with only 2 participants in this category saying they were not needed. Surprisingly, the actual cost of the vaccination did not appear to be a strong factor in deciding whether to vaccinate. The majority of all the cat owners identified their vet as the most trusted source of cat health information, particularly for information about vaccines.

This study suggests that ignorance of cat vaccination is high in this particular veterinary practice, and suggests that owner education about the health consequences of vaccine-preventable disease may lead to improved vaccine uptake. This could not only benefit the individual cat, but also the entire cat population.