Rabies Vaccine Side Effects

[destinyz12]

My 18 month old cat just had her rabies vaccine last night, and our vet didn't bother to warn us about any possible side effects afterwards. For the first few hours after, she was her usual hyper crazy self, and she ate her wet food dinner, but before I went to bed, she barely ate any of her late night dry food feeding (her favorite type of food). I woke up in the middle of the night, and normally when I do that, she comes running upstairs to me when I open my door, since she is always very active in the middle of the night, and she didn't do so. I went and found her on the couch in sleep mode and the area on her body where she got the shot was pretty warm (but the rest of her body felt normal temperature). Is this normal? She still refused any food this morning, and also went into hiding under my sisters bed and wouldn't come out (something she hasn't done since we first brought her home as a small kitten). Are delayed side effects such as these from rabies shots normal??

 

[furrypurry]

I would say yes, it is fairly normal. But then, you know your cat best. One of mine will have a total personality change for at least two days after a rabies vac. He's usually a love bug but he won't have anything to do with me! The other one doesn't seem to be bothered by it. The feverish feeling usually goes along with it, too. I would watch her closely for a few days and be sure to call your vet if she doesn't get back to her normal self within a reasonable amount of time.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

She should be back to herself within 48-72 hours AT MOST. So long as she is eating and drinking normally, you will most likely be fine. Should she stop either of those, support her with food/water administered via syringe, and take her in asap. I'm betting you won't need to do that, though.

 

[destinyz12]

It's been 28 hours since the shot, and she seems to be almost back to normal, behavior wise. Her appetite is still very limited though. She is thin to begin with so i especially hate to see her losing daily calorie intake.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Rabies vaccine makes them feel like crap. The only reason I even do it is because my complex requires it. Glad she is almost back to normal!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

She is eating something, though...right?

 

[destinyz12]

her appetite finally is back to almost normal. She's having a rough week though...last night she cut her leg on something while trying to reach for a toy that went under the fridge. That was scary, and she flipped out about having a bandage on her leg.

 

[Ladewyn]

Yeah, it's pretty normal. The vaccine shouldn't cause illness, but the immune system is reacting, which can cause inflammation, some swelling around the injection site, and tiredness (your immune system uses energy, so it's common to be sleepier than usual for a few days after a vaccine). My immuno prof actually likes to say that not feeling great is a good thing because it means the vaccine is working. The same thing happens with human vaccines my class just had our last round of rabies vaccines, and some actually needed to take the next day off of class because they felt so crappy. It's better than getting rabies though.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

.last night she cut her leg on something while trying to reach for a toy that went under the fridge.

I'm glad that she is eating again, but...she just can't seen to catch a break, can she? How's the leg doing now?

 

[destinyz12]

The leg looked a lot better this morning, although she managed to remove the bandage at some point during the night. Still worried about the wound getting infected but she will just keep ripping off the bandage. She doesn't seem to be in pain or limping at least.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

There is no way to keep it on other than the dreaded Cone of Shame if she is determined to pull it off. Just keep an eye on it. You can safely use an antibiotic ointment WITHOUT PAIN RELIEF.

 

[Ladewyn]

There are vet wraps you can get that taste bad to cats, if you can get a hold of that and put it over the bandage it may keep her from pulling it off