Cat Vaccinations

[ignited-red]

Do you think that all cats should be vaccinate yearly? Mostly people recommend me to vaccinate my cats every year, including Rabies shot. But then I dive deeper for information on Google, there said that you don't need to vaccinate your cat every year because it can cause more health problems to your cats.

Which one is true? Mind to share your thoughts to shed some light

 

[Anne]

I researched the rabies vaccination in depth for a recent article -
Do Indoor-only Cats Need Rabies Shots?

My bottom line would be, talk to your vet. There are considerations for each case, such as -

• The age of your cat and specific health issues
• Local patterns of disease
• Does your cat go outside?
• Do you bring rescued cats inside or volunteer at a shelter?

If my vet were seeing a lot of feline distemper locally, for example, that would be a good reason for me to make sure my own cat is covered. This is a very hardy virus that can be transferred via fomites - i.e. objects that become contaminated. Your cat doesn't have to actually be directly in touch with another cat to catch it.

I would be very wary of Google searches regarding vaccinations. It's such a loaded topic for many people that there are many many pages up there in the search results with misleading information which may not be relevant for your own cat. I happen to volunteer in a group that promotes evidence-based approach to public health, including vaccines. We see so much misinformation out there, it's appalling.

Find a veterinarian that you trust and discuss each vaccination - the pros, the cons and specific issues concerning your cat and local patterns of disease. Despite what some people think, vets don't make a lot of money off these shots. It's much better for a vet to keep you as a happy client that feels good about a thorough consultation than to make $20 off a shot that your cat didn't really need.

 

[ignited-red]

I researched the rabies vaccination in depth for a recent article -
Do Indoor-only Cats Need Rabies Shots?

My bottom line would be, talk to your vet. There are considerations for each case, such as -

• The age of your cat and specific health issues
• Local patterns of disease
• Does your cat go outside?
• Do you bring rescued cats inside or volunteer at a shelter?

If my vet were seeing a lot of feline distemper locally, for example, that would be a good reason for me to make sure my own cat is covered. This is a very hardy virus that can be transferred via fomites - i.e. objects that become contaminated. Your cat doesn't have to actually be directly in touch with another cat to catch it.

I would be very wary of Google searches regarding vaccinations. It's such a loaded topic for many people that there are many many pages up there in the search results with misleading information which may not be relevant for your own cat. I happen to volunteer in a group that promotes evidence-based approach to public health, including vaccines. We see so much misinformation out there, it's appalling.

Find a veterinarian that you trust and discuss each vaccination - the pros, the cons and specific issues concerning your cat and local patterns of disease. Despite what some people think, vets don't make a lot of money off these shots. It's much better for a vet to keep you as a happy client that feels good about a thorough consultation than to make $20 off a shot that your cat didn't really need.

Hi Anne,

Thank you for shedding some light. I do aware that many of google informations has a lot of unconfirmed informations. But this thinking (of not vaccinate your cat annually) has trigger some questions for me. I already ask my vets around in my locals, all of them are saying the same that my cats need to be shot annually (FeLV and Rabies)

I live in Indonesia, whereas Rabies virus are highly present. I always keep my babies locked indoor, they never been in touched or contact with other cats outside my residence. Nor with birds and bats.

One of my cats are suffer from bronchitis. Sometimes he would cough randomly and is under treatment for the rest of his life. There's also my dog's friend that suffer from mild allergic from her skin. Been to many vets but still don;t have the answers that satisfied us. Vets been blaming us that we gave our pets eating raw foods that make them having allergic reactions. Even vets recommend us to keep our pets diet on dry food only.

From that thinking, I don't trust my vets in my own country, if I told them that all of my cats eating raw, my vets really really urge me to change the diet and forbid us to gave them raw food. They said that dry food are created for pet, therefore it is suitable for them to eat rather then raw meat. It seems that the vet lost their credibility by saying such things.

Me and my friends are thinking the same, could it be possible that the allergic comes to annual shot? (My friend's dog were given shot annually until the allergic comes up, then she stop given her dog a shot)

I know that Rabies are more important because my country is not Rabies free.
Mind to share us, are your pets being vaccinate every once in a while?

 

[valentine319]

My parents dog had a horrible reaction to kennel cough. Their dog got what looked like almost hives. Required an antibiotic shot and steroids. Any vaccine could possibly cause a reaction.

As far as pet food maybe you need to remind your vet why pet food was made. It was originally a "status symbol" and a way to make money. It was a time when you could buy health cures that contained opium, turpentine and who knows what else.
The History of Cat Food - Playful Kitty

Especially why dry food was made.

My cat just went to raw. My male cat before this was on iams. I couldn't get him to eat anything else. It poisoned him. I guess I was lucky he didn't just die but from then on there were horrible IBS which became IBD which ended in any food he ate he got no nutrients from. He stopped eating and it was time to let him go.

Vaccines? He was indoors only and got kitten shots only. My current cat had kitten shots then distemper when I got her. Now I'm doing research. She is a single cat indoors only.

 

[Anne]

Raw feeding for cats is a different topic. It is indeed not recommended by any official veterinarian organization and for very good reasons. Natural or not, there are inherent risks in feeding raw to your cats, especially kittens, older cats and cats with other medical issues. I think your vet was giving you sound professional advice when he or she suggested to avoid raw. Whether you choose to take the risks is your own personal choice, of course. I'm just saying I wouldn't discredit the vet for opposing raw. I don't want to turn this into a raw debate so not to go off-topic too much here's an article about one of the risks in feeding raw -
Salmonella In Cats - 9 Things Every Cat Owner Needs To Know

Back to vaccinations. I don't know if you have a good vet or a not too good one. It's hard to judge. If you don't feel comfortable with your current veterinarian, I would highly suggest finding a different one who can work with you.

As for rabies, if there's a lot of rabie where you live I would definitely keep the cats vaccinated. Indoors-only cats can end up outside for whatever reason. You don't need to add rabies to the list of risks if and when that happens. There have been documented cases of rabies in cats that were kept strictly indoors. Whether a bat came inside or who knows how, the bottom line is that they were infected. The risk both to the cat and to the humans is just too high, IMO, in an area that has a high occurrence of rabies. That's my opinion, anyway, based on everything that I've read.

Maybe ask your veterinarian about the three-year vaccine to limit the number of shots?

 

[foxxycat]

I would do research of your area vets and find one that you feel comfortable talking to about these issues.

I have heard of some vets testing the blood for antibodies in the blood for certain ones but I don't know anything about this.

 

[Willowy]

Current AAHA recommendations are, after the kitten shots and 1-year booster, "no more often than once every 3 years".

 

[mokapi]

I believe in kitten shots, one-year-boosters, and then nothing else unless "environmentally required", i.e. outside factors outweigh the cons of vaccines.

I'm one of the crazies who agrees that vaccines can cause cancer in cats. My cat goes begins seizing when vaccinated. VRIs- vaccine-related incidents- are much more common in cats and small dogs. Additionally, many vaccines last for years in an animal's system...some for the animal's lifetime.

In your situation, it sounds like the rabies vaccine is necessary- but, that particular vaccine lasts 6-8 years in an animal's system.

There is no difference in the one-year rabies vaccine and the three-year rabies vaccine, other than the price. Additionally, there's not difference in the rabies vaccine they give my 11 lb. chihuahua mix, and the vaccine they give a 140-lb. great dane.

My vet doesn't believe in giving the FeLV vaccine more than once in a cat's life, provided the cat is strictly indoors, as it's known to cause cancer in cats.

I last vaccinated my cat three years ago with a rabies vaccine, and then a feline "vaccine cocktail", and he had immediate seizures and had to be hospitalized overnight. The vet agreed he shouldn't be vaccinated again.

Rabies in Indonesia is predominantly transmitted by dogs, not bats (bats have a bad reputation globally, but are generally not common rabies vectors), and birds cannot carry rabies.

Titer tests are blood draws that are then tested for levels of antibodies in a cat's system, which can determine whether or not they "need" another vaccine, but they are not particularly cheap.

 

[kittens mom]

There is a growing movement to give initial vaccinations and then titer.
John Robb

 

[kittens mom]

I believe in kitten shots, one-year-boosters, and then nothing else unless "environmentally required", i.e. outside factors outweigh the cons of vaccines.

I'm one of the crazies who agrees that vaccines can cause cancer in cats. My cat goes begins seizing when vaccinated. VRIs- vaccine-related incidents- are much more common in cats and small dogs. Additionally, many vaccines last for years in an animal's system...some for the animal's lifetime.

In your situation, it sounds like the rabies vaccine is necessary- but, that particular vaccine lasts 6-8 years in an animal's system.

There is no difference in the one-year rabies vaccine and the three-year rabies vaccine, other than the price. Additionally, there's not difference in the rabies vaccine they give my 11 lb. chihuahua mix, and the vaccine they give a 140-lb. great dane.

My vet doesn't believe in giving the FeLV vaccine more than once in a cat's life, provided the cat is strictly indoors, as it's known to cause cancer in cats.

I last vaccinated my cat three years ago with a rabies vaccine, and then a feline "vaccine cocktail", and he had immediate seizures and had to be hospitalized overnight. The vet agreed he shouldn't be vaccinated again.

Rabies in Indonesia is predominantly transmitted by dogs, not bats (bats have a bad reputation globally, but are generally not common rabies vectors), and birds cannot carry rabies.

Titer tests are blood draws that are then tested for levels of antibodies in a cat's system, which can determine whether or not they "need" another vaccine, but they are not particularly cheap.

The cost of titers is coming down. Yearly titer tests are going to replace the yearly vaccine.

 

[mokapi]

The cost of titers is coming down. Yearly titer tests are going to replace the yearly vaccine.

I sure hope so. They're still around $200 in my area.

 

[kittens mom]

I sure hope so. They're still around $200 in my area.

I believe Dr. Robb has an address where they are about 60-80 USD. Not all states recognize a titer. The tide is turning. My Tabbinese Tigers will get their one year booster that is a 3 year shot hopefully that will carry them until NM recognizes titers. My other cats are a few years off in needing a rabies for tags.

 

[kissthisangel]

I did not even have the 1 year booster vaccinations for my cat. I believed at the time of recieving the reminder that she did not need them as she is indoor only. Recently though we have had strays in the kitchen ( trying to rescue momma and kittens) and I was regretting my decision and extremely worried about my own cats. *luckily* niether my 2 yo or my 1 yo has expressed any symptoms following this. Obviously I bleached all the surfaces before I let my cats back in to the area where we were keeping the strays. It did make me think though. I have everything I can possibly get human vaccination -wise. MMR, BCG, HPV. Maybe I should get the available vaccines for my cats. I am in a similar situation though do they really need them this often?

I've not really answered your post, but I do share your concerns. Like you I find the advice of the vet VS the internet to be confusing at times.

 

[MoonRockyMistyMuffin]

If you have outdoor cats then you should probably vaccinate them yearly, but indoor cats should be okay for more than a year.

 

[ignited-red]

Hi all,

Many thanks for your ideas and thoughts about vaccinates. I have discussed this with my vets, all of them are saying that pets need to be vaccinate yearly to prevent them to contact with viruses and any viral diseases that are common in cats.

As my concern, I starting to believe that it is not necessary to give them a shot yearly, when I compare this case to human, I think a lot of humans too did not vaccinate themselves in their adult life. And case learning from my friend's dog that suffered from mild skin allergic (she used to vaccinate yearly due to vet's recommendation)

Sometimes I listen to my vets saying but sometimes it just went through my ears. Because not all of the vets saying are good and help improve pets life. I do a lot of search on the internet and share some thoughts with cat lovers community here about how to improve cat's health.

I think vaccine Rabies every 3 years are necessary but not quite needed as yearly because I'm afraid it will do cause to my cats and FeLV are no longer needed because my cats are all adults.

 

[mokapi]

I think your plan is very sound!

And yes, it's very similar to humans-- we do not need the same boosters year after year, as the antibodies remain in our systems (and some of us are too terrified of needles to go anywhere near a vaccination again).

 

[MissMolly08]

May I ask why many feel the 1 year old booster is necessary but not the rest?
My kitty is 9 years old now and never had any boosters. She got the kitten series and then the vet (holistic vet) said that for indoor cats with no exposure to other animals, she felt that was all that was needed. I see here that many say kitten series + 1 year booster though....

 

[kittens mom]

Hi all,

Many thanks for your ideas and thoughts about vaccinates. I have discussed this with my vets, all of them are saying that pets need to be vaccinate yearly to prevent them to contact with viruses and any viral diseases that are common in cats.

As my concern, I starting to believe that it is not necessary to give them a shot yearly, when I compare this case to human, I think a lot of humans too did not vaccinate themselves in their adult life. And case learning from my friend's dog that suffered from mild skin allergic (she used to vaccinate yearly due to vet's recommendation)
the current protocol for cats is vaccinations as kittens. Then in one year they can receive the 3 year vaccines. Yearly is not standard for cats anymore. All rabies should be purevax without and adjuvant. The same for the other standard vaccines. 3 years after initial inoculation is standard not yearly.
Most states recognize the 3 year rabies vaccine.
Sometimes I listen to my vets saying but sometimes it just went through my ears. Because not all of the vets saying are good and help improve pets life. I do a lot of search on the internet and share some thoughts with cat lovers community here about how to improve cat's health.

I think vaccine Rabies every 3 years are necessary but not quite needed as yearly because I'm afraid it will do cause to my cats and FeLV are no longer needed because my cats are all adults.

May I ask why many feel the 1 year old booster is necessary but not the rest?
My kitty is 9 years old now and never had any boosters. She got the kitten series and then the vet (holistic vet) said that for indoor cats with no exposure to other animals, she felt that was all that was needed. I see here that many say kitten series + 1 year booster though....

There are two issues at play here. To get a license for your cat they must be current per your state regulations. Your vet be part of the growing number who think the dose should reflect the size of your pet and the use of titers. Some US states recognize titers. A kitten must receive the one year and from then on can get the three year to be compliant in my state.
The science, the protocol and the laws are not even close to being on the same page.
I believe and the timeline suggests that Kittens immune system was damaged by the BAD VET injecting her 11 year old body with the old style rabies even though she told me it was Purevax. We had been using the yearly Purevax waiting or the 3 year. I believe that's what lowered her immunity and she got her first cat cold ever and that is when BAD VET overdosed her causing blindness and liver failure. Not only are repeat vaccinations hard on older cats I believe there is a cumulative effect. As our pets live longer and longer natural lifespans these side effects of over vaccination are going to become more evident.
That's my opinion and I'm not going to be budged from it.

 

[dustydiamond1]

So sorry for your poor dear kitty.

 

[mokapi]

kittens mom That's awful to hear. I, too, have had very bad experiences with vets- two separate vets have almost killed my cat. I now steer clear of them unless absolutely necessary.