Do indoor cats really need vaccines?

[maureen brad]

I know this is an old thread but wanted to put in my two cents.

 Where I live in CA the rabies vaccine is a requirement unless your vet writes a ltter to animal control.

In CA the FIV vaccine is not allowed. It is a very dangerous vaccine.

A few years ago I went to a new vet who convinced me to get my cat Leo up to date on all the vaccines. I did that and also had him have a full dental cleaning under anesthesia . The vet said his teeth were great. Less than two weeks later he had horrible laryngitis( he was a talky guy) I laso noticed that he ran excitedly up to his bowl at feeding time but would cry out and run away. I took him to the vet and found that he had horrible, horrible stomatitis but, only at the back teeth and all the way down his throat.

I switched vets and she believed he had an auto-immune response to the vaccines.We went through the steroids etc. but the cartilage down the back of his throat became involved and pain meds didn't work after awhile and the depo medrol shots only worked for about a week.There was no point in extractions after the back teeth were out because the Stomatitis never moved in that direction, only down his throat. I will always blame those vaccinations for losing my boy Leo.

 

[padfootandmoony]

I recently got a cat from the shelter and they didn't have anything on file for her vaccines (which is weird because she was there for 15 months) so my vet recommended we do the rundown kitten shots. I decided if we at least did these then in the future I may switch to just the rabies (state mandated) as I don't see a need for her to have the others. Though, they do require bordetella for boarding here and it is nice to have it done just in case of emergency as we do not have any family close by to take her to. I think those are the only things she got- Rabies, FLV, Bordetella, and dewormer. My cat currently doesn't go outside and do not plan to make her an indoor/outdoor but she may have to fly or be boarded and I just don't want her to get hurt by anything while she is out of the house on occasion. 

 

[manemelissa]

Oh Maureen, I'm sorry about your Leo. That's very sad. <3

My cat is indoor only, but I do frequently visit a friend of mine with two un-vaccinated indoor/outdoor cats. They had their kitten shots, but never any boosters, so they may still be protected themselves, but I have no way of knowing for sure. When I adopted Belle she was spayed and vaccinated, and she got a lump from her vaccines. The lump went away in about a month, but I was terrified that it was going to develop into cancer. I'm in California, so just like your Leo, my Belle had to get the rabies shot again the next time around. My vet is a wonderful guy, and I told him I wanted to have a big conversation about vaccines with him before Belle's annual vaccines. He and I talked for about 15 mins about vaccines, and he told me that we would do just the rabies (1 year, non-adjuvant) and the FVRCP (3 year, non-adjuvant) vaccines and see how she handles them. We paid special attention to where the vaccines were injected, and I did observe a swollen area the size of a quarter after a couple days where the FVRCP went in. It went away completely in a couple weeks, and the rabies vaccine had no reaction that I could tell. I'm thinking in three years I'll be telling him no to the FVRCP vaccine due to the reaction she had, and I'm so lucky that I have a vet that will back me up.

 

[furbish]

my cats are inside only, and I do not vaccinate them, since they are never exposed to anything. The risks outweigh the benefits imo.

Also, did you know the felv vaccine is only 75% effective?

 

[jcnobody123]

If your cat scratches or bites someone who comes to visit, and they get sick, cat scratch fever, a rash, what ever.... Your guest may end up telling the doctor they go to see that the cat has had no rabies shot, and that may end up coming back to bite you or your cat.  

 

[stewball]

I would not give injections for worms but I would deworm with a pill.  Fleas transmit tapeworm.  Tapeworms are present if white rice segments are on the butt. 

It's not that sort of worm. I think. It's called the heart worm in America.

 

[scrappyscat]

I just lost my 5 year old cat to chronic kidney failure. I have 4 cats, all were strays from my neighborhood as we had some very irresponsible pet owners who had a baby making factory going on in their home. Each one was taken in and fixed along with rabies vaccine and distemper. I mainly have just given the initial shots and that is it. I have had indoor/outdoor cats my whole life, many of which were farm cats. All of my cats have lived long , healthy lives...until scrappy. When scrappy came to us, he was in rough shape, half starved. We nursed him to health and immediately needed to take him to be neutered as he was an unaltered male. We knew that if we were to keep him inside we had to have him fixed immediately as he was spraying everything. We were also short on funds to do this. So we took him to a vet that had a pet plan which included everything including annual vaccines. Because it came with the plan we always brought him in and never questioned the safety of the vaccines because the vets know best right??? This was my only cat ever to recieve these shots annually as recommended. At only 5 years of age he became very ill, and despite our best efforts with iv fluids, and hospitalization (at a new vet) we were unable to save him. I started racking my brain as to why the only cat I have ever had with a chronic health condition was also the only cat I have ever had who had regular annual vaccines. I pulled all my cats papers and examined them. Our scrappy had been given the old vaccines, the killed virus and he had been given them annually. My two younger rescues at the new vet had been given the recumbent vaccine. They are due for boosters and now I am afraid. I am thankful that our new vet chose to give the safer vaccine. I would not have ever known as I have never questioned it or thought it mattered at all as to what kind my cats were given. I wish I could turn back time. I might have been just sitting here with my scrappy in my lap reading this thread just out of curiosity. Instead I am sitting here with a great emptiness as I watch my old 15 year old cat run through the house like a kitten even though he has not had annual vet care. OUr scrappy was a very special cat to us, and he should have lived another 10 years minimum! Right now I feel like I will never get over this. Scrappy was my buddy, he would watch fireworks in my yard with me, he loved the rain and would play in it endlessly. He took care of our family like a german shephard, checking the yard parameter hourly for intruders, he would wake us up at the correct time every morning. Now our home seems so much more empty. It makes me sick that I may have caused his death by doing something that I thought was good for him. My only comfort is that in the years we had him with us, he got to learn what a soft squishy couch was, a warm blanket, companionship, regular meals and wonderful toys. These are things a feral cat would have never known. I wish he could have known these things for many more years. I only hope the recumbent vaccine is as safe as they currently believe it is.

 

[kittycort]

I know this is very old but thanks for sharing. I regret continuing to vac my cats EVERY year as insisted by my vet. My newest vet recommends every three years but I see no reason to continue. Three are seniors now and one is five years old. I worry what could happen because of terrible vet sales techniques. I even felt guilty about the vacs and one of my cats nearly died due to the rabies vac....I never did that one again. The cats that I've known who lived the longest and healthiest lives....they were never actually vaccinated at all.

I am now trying to see what I should do with my dog and her vacs. She is seven and had the full three-year vacs a year ago. Rabies is mandated but I don't know if she needs the others. I don't think it's as clear cut with dogs because, obviously, she is both indoors and out. I only hold off on the twice a year distemper that the vet recommends. I feel I'm over-vaccinating and when I ask questions, he will literally be getting out the needle before even letting me make my choice. It's so frustrating and yet, it's important, but we can't rely on the expert to put our pets first.

I know it's a cat site but would love to hear thoughts on dog vacs.

 

[Willowy]

I just posted this on another thread, but it talks about dogs too:
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/...edicine/newsletters/vaccination_protocols.cfm

 

[kittycort]

Thanks Willowy!

 

[stewball]

I know this is very old but thanks for sharing. I regret continuing to vac my cats EVERY year as insisted by my vet. My newest vet recommends every three years but I see no reason to continue. Three are seniors now and one is five years old. I worry what could happen because of terrible vet sales techniques. I even felt guilty about the vacs and one of my cats nearly died due to the rabies vac....I never did that one again. The cats that I've known who lived the longest and healthiest lives....they were never actually vaccinated at all.

I am now trying to see what I should do with my dog and her vacs. She is seven and had the full three-year vacs a year ago. Rabies is mandated but I don't know if she needs the others. I don't think it's as clear cut with dogs because, obviously, she is both indoors and out. I only hold off on the twice a year distemper that the vet recommends. I feel I'm over-vaccinating and when I ask questions, he will literally be getting out the needle before even letting me make my choice. It's so frustrating and yet, it's important, but we can't rely on the expert to put our pets first.

I know it's a cat site but would love to hear thoughts on dog vacs.

I'm not too happy about vaccinating my indoor cats every year but where dogs are concerned I wouldn't stop vaccinating them. As you said they're in and out but more importantly they're meeting other dogs who may or may not have been vaccinated. Another vaccine I think is important is for the park worm. My dog wasn't vaccinated for that and died because of it. Please keep your dog up to date.

 

[kittycort]

Park worm?

 

[jcat]

Park worm?

I had to Google it: Park Worm

Park Worm – Spirocerca lupi

Park worm is a parasitic roundworm (nematode) that infects dogs. The name "park worm" was given to it because the first cases in Israel, diagnosed in the 80's, were in dogs which common denominator was the National Park in Ramat Gan. This name is misleading and causes many dog owners to disregard this dangerous disease, mainly by saying they do not walk their dogs in parks. In fact, park worm can be found all over the country.

An infected dog's stool contains the eggs of the worm. These are taken up by small dung beetles (some are smaller than 1cm) which are the worm's intermediate host. A single dung beetle can contain up to 150 worms. When a dog, which is the worm's final host, eats feaces or any other rotting organic material and swallows an infected beetle or eats an animal that has eaten a beetle, the beetle breaks up in its stomach, the worms are released and make their way through the stomach's wall and along the walls of the arteries towards the aorta. From the aorta, as they mature, they continue migrating in the dog's body towards the oesophagus, where they burrow, reach adulthood and start laying their eggs, which pass through the dog's intestinal tract and are released in its feaces.

 

[stewball]

It's a dreadful disease.

 

[kittyluv387]

Im glad this thread is alive again. One of my friends also told me vaccines werent really necessary for indoor cats so now im more convinced. Everyone will get kitten shots though. I may have to board my cats or have a sitter at times so i will just get the bare minimum in case i travel.

 

[jcat]

I'm in the vaccinate indoor-only cats camp. Mogli's only outdoor access is a secured balcony, but I keep his panleukopenia (parvo/distemper) and herpes/calici shots up to date. Panleukopenia is a deadly disease that you can easily track inside on your shoes or bring in on your clothes. The virus can survive in the environment for up to 2 years. The mortality rate for adult cats is 85% without treatment, and it kills them so quickly you can lose them over night, meaning before you realize you need a vet. It's even higher for kittens. A month ago I went into the shelter and found a kitten dying of it; he'd been running around playing the night before. He died in my car on the way to the ER vet.

Feline "influenza" is less hardy, but it's something your cat can be exposed to in the vet's waiting room. Once you've seen some kittens who've lost eyes to it or cats that are so sick you have to force-feed them, you think differently about not vaccinating your own pet.

 

[crazy4strays]

Right now, my indoor cat who is prone to escaping has distemper, FelV/FIV, and rabies shots. My indoor cat who never even looks at the door only has had his rabies shot. I'm considering getting the non-escape prone cat the distemper shot as well, though.

I would never try to space out or avoid the rabies shots. For me, the possibility of forced quarantine or euthanasia is a more scary prospect than side effects from the shots. A bite situation (whether the cat bites someone else or the cat gets bitten by wildlife) can quickly turn into a nightmare with a non-vaccinated cat.

Our county has had several cases of bats infected with rabies in the past few months.

 

[donutte]

I'm in the vaccinate indoor-only cats camp. Mogli's only outdoor access is a secured balcony, but I keep his panleukopenia (parvo/distemper) and herpes/calici shots up to date. Panleukopenia is a deadly disease that you can easily track inside on your shoes or bring in on your clothes. The virus can survive in the environment for up to 2 years. The mortality rate for adult cats is 85% without treatment, and it kills them so quickly you can lose them over night, meaning before you realize you need a vet. It's even higher for kittens. A month ago I went into the shelter and found a kitten dying of it; he'd been running around playing the night before. He died in my car on the way to the ER vet.

Feline "influenza" is less hardy, but it's something your cat can be exposed to in the vet's waiting room. Once you've seen some kittens who've lost eyes to it or cats that are so sick you have to force-feed them, you think differently about not vaccinating your own pet.

Seeing as you work at a shelter, that is completely understandable. I was paranoid about bringing something home just from the few times I went into the shelter. Especially since I have a couple of elderly kitties.

 

[lynnh]

Just an FYI to everyone on this issue. I too always felt that shots for a strictly indoor cat were not needed/a cash cow for the vet. Recently my beloved orange tabby Freddie died of cancer after I spent over $2000 at the vet for diagnosis and care. Death totally unrelated to not getting shots. Anyway, I tried to adopt a pair of orange kittens from a rescue and was TURNED DOWN...after spending $$$$ at the vet...because I "wasn't consistent with Freddie's vaccines and annual exams." (The lady was quite nasty about it too.) So beware of your vet record of you ever want to adopt from a rescue.
We found 2 adorable kitten brothers, Andy (tuxedo) and Charlie (gray) on Craigslist and they're going for their first vet visit today. I will keep to the "schedule" in case I ever want to adopt again.

 

[donutte]

Just an FYI to everyone on this issue. I too always felt that shots for a strictly indoor cat were not needed/a cash cow for the vet. Recently my beloved orange tabby Freddie died of cancer after I spent over $2000 at the vet for diagnosis and care. Death totally unrelated to not getting shots. Anyway, I tried to adopt a pair of orange kittens from a rescue and was TURNED DOWN...after spending $$$$ at the vet...because I "wasn't consistent with Freddie's vaccines and annual exams." (The lady was quite nasty about it too.) So beware of your vet record of you ever want to adopt from a rescue.
We found 2 adorable kitten brothers, Andy (tuxedo) and Charlie (gray) on Craigslist and they're going for their first vet visit today. I will keep to the "schedule" in case I ever want to adopt again.

I'm guessing that is not the norm, at least not in my experience. I adopted two dogs and a cat last year, and really none of my cats prior to those adoptions had "regular" exams or up-to-date shots. Of course, in the last year, most of our cats ended up at the vet for various reasons (two had illnesses, two were stray kittens I adopted). The only one that hasn't been yet is Maple, and I don't think she's been to the vet since we got her 13-1/2 years ago. I'd only been going to my current vet for less than a year at the time I adopted Penelopy, so there wasn't much of a "history" to speak of.

Now with that said, I'm definitely considering going the route of regular exams. Mainly because they can catch things sooner if they have a history to go by. I'm still debating the shots though, I'm gonna have to discuss it with my vet. I'll probably get one more round for the kittens and Penelopy but not sure about after that. I'm not gonna have Sara or Maple vaccinated though, they're both almost 14 and Sara has a bunch of health issues that don't need to be potentially complicated.