Do indoor cats really need vaccines?

crazy4strays

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I will have to shop around, I guess. The vet clinic only carries the 1 year PureVax and my vet doesn't carry them at all. I guess that in a rural area where lots of people don't give cats rabies shots at all, it's hard to market a rabies shot that costs 2x as much. I paid $31 for the PureVax at the vet clinic.
 

sweetdz99

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Petco, I think it is has cheap vaccinations on certain days.. do you have one near you?  Maybe check them out?
 

kittens mom

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I will have to shop around, I guess. The vet clinic only carries the 1 year PureVax and my vet doesn't carry them at all. I guess that in a rural area where lots of people don't give cats rabies shots at all, it's hard to market a rabies shot that costs 2x as much. I paid $31 for the PureVax at the vet clinic.
By the time the next 3 year rolls around there may be other rabies vaccines on the market that are adjuvant free. The real problem is vets being so willing to use the old vaccines.
 

ninjatalli

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Thanks for the links - it helps! 

I have a pair of kittens that I had  checked at the vet and administered the feline distemper series vaccination. Do I need to consider the booster shot that the vet has recommended (after a 4 week gap), or would the single round be sufficient? I am all for minimum required vaccination - primarily distemper and the rabies shots. But I would be glad to have inputs on this aspect.
 

stewball

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My cat has not been vaccinated since he was a kitten. He is 10 years old, indoor only. I don't vaccinate my dogs as adults either, just rabies... IMO vaccines are effective for way longer than the manufacturer says anyway. I probably carry in God-knows-what on my clothes every day just from being out in the world (especially working at a vet clinic) and I tend to believe this is enough to keep the immune response of my healthy animals adequate.

That's just me, though. For most people I recommend they at least get titers checked. But I don't think we need to vaccinate all the time, especially indoor cats that aren't out there exploring the world of disease.
What are titers ?
 

stephanietx

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Titer tests are blood tests that measure the level of antibodies your animal has made as a result of having a vaccine previously.
 

stewball

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Blighty has been vaccinated twice but not for rabies.
He's over six months late for his yearly vaccinations because he's so hard to get into the cage.
Are there any vaccinations he should have or should I discuss with my vet the necessity of yearly jabs as he never leaves the house. Same with whisky?
 

slamina2

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We have 7 kitties between the ages of 1.5 to 3 yrs.. and only had their rabies vaccine upon being spayed/neutered all as young kittens. They all seem healthy and consume a healthy wet and dry diet along with several water bowls and 2 fountains to ensure they get enough liquids. They are strictly indoors. The cost of taking them all in for a general exam would break us. Any advise would be welcomed. I don't want to be a bad mom.
 

natalie_ca

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We have 7 kitties between the ages of 1.5 to 3 yrs.. and only had their rabies vaccine upon being spayed/neutered all as young kittens. They all seem healthy and consume a healthy wet and dry diet along with several water bowls and 2 fountains to ensure they get enough liquids. They are strictly indoors. The cost of taking them all in for a general exam would break us. Any advise would be welcomed. I don't want to be a bad mom.

I asked my vet that once. And he told me that it's a good idea to give your kittens/cats their initial set of vaccines. But if your cats are absolutely, positively only indoor cats, and you do not expose them to other cats (not even fosters) or kenneling, then you don't need to do follow-up vaccines. He did add that it's a good idea to get a rabies vaccine every few years just in case your cat does get out.

Be aware though that if you ever have to travel with or kennel your cat, they will need a full set of current vaccinations.
 
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