Is this common of all shelters?

I've contacted a few shelters about their adoption policies and all of them in this area require that your current pets have had vaccinations within the past year. They said they would not adopt out their animals under any other conditions. Is this common? I do not believe in yearly vaccinations...every three years I can somewhat deal with, but I feel it is harmful to vaccinate yearly. Since I have never gotten an animal from a shelter, I was curious if this over-vaccination mind-set was common.

I see more rules regarding other animals in the house being neutered and vaccinated for rabies according to whatever the state guidelines are. I'm sure, if your vet provided you with something indicating you are following his/her recommended vaccination protocols, they wouldn't have a problem with letting you adopt a cat. Most shelters with rules like this are private shelters, and have a lot of discretion as to whether or not they follow all of their own rules to the letter. They are probably more concerned with making sure potential adopters provide regular veterinary care and don't just toss food at the cat every day until it turns up dead.

i agree with jenc511. the best you can do is get your vet to back you up and see if that makes a difference. failing that, i've got about thirty babes looking for love

I should think that this rule is also to protect the cats you CURRENTLY own from catching anything that a shelter cat may have been exposed to.

I think it is a good rule, personally.

Yes, vaccinating every year is common. We let one gal adopt from us here, her cats we're vaccianted for the first 4 years of their lives, then no more. But, we loved her, just "knew" she would be a good owner & she had stellar personal references!

If the shelter cat is vaccinated when first adopted, then isolated for a while, it shouldn't be too dangerous.

Originally Posted by MuleNag

I've contacted a few shelters about their adoption policies and all of them in this area require that your current pets have had vaccinations within the past year. They said they would not adopt out their animals under any other conditions. Is this common? I do not believe in yearly vaccinations...every three years I can somewhat deal with, but I feel it is harmful to vaccinate yearly. Since I have never gotten an animal from a shelter, I was curious if this over-vaccination mind-set was common.

Click to expand...

Indeed... I agree with the 3 year boosters... but... every YEAR? I'm sure they just want to be sure your kitty is up to date on vaccinations is all. Or just has a clean bill of health from the vet at least, I'm sure a vet would wright something up...

I did work at a shelter and do alot of volunteer work with rescues over the years. I think most shelters and rescues require proof of vaccination to ensure that your cats are properly cared for. It establishes that the cats see a vet on a regular basis and are not neglected or left with out health care. Rescues call vet refrences to establish a pattern of care with past pets so that they can determine if a new pet would be cared for properly. Most rescues and shelters are of the mindset that non-vaccing homes = neglectful homes that don't properly care for and vet thier animals.

I am sure some rescues would accept homes that used holistic vets or who were opposed to vaccinations from a possition of knowledge and with the best intrest of the kitty in mind.

I used to vacc every year - and now after doing alot of research I am thinking of stopping vaccing all together or vaccing every few years. The mercury in the vaccinations is a toxic poision that is NOT good for cats at all.

How would they ever really know? I mean, you could just say you have no pets, right? Or give false info? It's not like they're going to do home visits to check. For the record, I'm pro-vaccination.

Asking for vaccination records is just a good way of making sure you provide healthcare for your cat.

I see people cross out 1 year and write 3 all the time at the shelter and as long as we verify with their vet that the existing animals are in good health it is not a problem

Ask your vet to provide you with a certificate of health for each pet currently living with you.

I did not get asked about vaccinations at the shelter, probably because the 1st words out of my mouth was that we lost our lovely kitty. Anyway, I have a great vet who just sends me a postcard when it is time for the next round of shots. She gave Butzie shots when we 1st brought her in just to make sure she had everything because it was not clear from the shelter docs that she did. Butzie is very healthy.

Thank you for all the responses! It's nice to hear that we may have some options if we decide to adopt!