My cats have had the shots the vet recommended for "indoor-onlys"....but after reading so much on here about vets that seem to have been incompetent.....I want to know EXACTLY what they need...so I can ask for it the next time..or at least check out what my vet is giving mine and be sure they get those shots they do need and NOTHING that they don`t need.
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Which shots are NEEDED for "indoor only" cats???
- Thread starter stampit3d
- Start Date
The others will advise you for your country, but we don't have rabies shots etc... over here in the UK, so because of mine being indoors the only ones they have are the flu/enteritis, because thats something that i can bring indoors with me and transfer it to them.
FVRCP, which covers distemper and various upper respiratories.
My cats are indoor and have everything they can get, just incase.
Dori gets rabies since it is required by law here, and she also gets the FVRCP shot. I decided against getting the leukemia shot.
I do 3 year rabies (rabies is required by law, and if by chance animal control were to stop by I am already over the limit on pets) and the FVRCP which covers the diseases that are actually out there for your cat to catch. I keep mine very current on their vaccines because I do alot of foster care (I test for FELV before a kittens is ever brought into my home). I have alot of client's who say "Oh, but mine don't come into contact with other cats" and I tell them "if you saw a kitten wandering around somwhere that needed help would you not take it home, if even till you can find a rescue group or foster care for it.". So even if you think it won't happen to you, it can.
For your indoor only cats you should get the 4-way vaccine for the following:
feline rhinotracheitis, calici virus, panleukopenia (distemper) and chlamydia psittaci.
These are highly contagious and you could bring them home on your clothing hands, shoes, etc. and infect your cats. Particularly if any of them has a compromised immune system at any time.
You'll have to get the rabies vaccine if it required by law in your state.
I wouldn't recommend vaccinating for Feline Leukemia, if you're positive your cats won't venture outdoors.
There are a couple of studies out now to see if this vaccine might actually cause the illness in compromised cats or even healthy cats.
One of our Vets said it is completely safe, the other said he suspects it might be a problem. So you can see that the jury is still out on this.
feline rhinotracheitis, calici virus, panleukopenia (distemper) and chlamydia psittaci.
These are highly contagious and you could bring them home on your clothing hands, shoes, etc. and infect your cats. Particularly if any of them has a compromised immune system at any time.
You'll have to get the rabies vaccine if it required by law in your state.
I wouldn't recommend vaccinating for Feline Leukemia, if you're positive your cats won't venture outdoors.
There are a couple of studies out now to see if this vaccine might actually cause the illness in compromised cats or even healthy cats.
One of our Vets said it is completely safe, the other said he suspects it might be a problem. So you can see that the jury is still out on this.
Bijou and Mika are indoor with supervised outdoor visitations and they get everything including rabies.
Hi there,
I have three strictly indoor cats - 2 purebred Siamese and one young "alley cat" . I used to give my older cats -- who have all passed on now --- every conceivable vaccine on the planet "just in case" though none of them ever set foot outside. I've gone now almost 180 degrees the other direction.
In PA, we have to vaccinate for rabies. The only other vaccine I'm allowing for now this the four vaccine combo that's distemper and the URI stuff. But I've read a number of articles that say the immunity from these last much longer than one year, so there is really no need to re-vaccinate every year, especially if your cat never goes outside. I was going to skip the yearly booster for the Siamese this year, but in light of bringing in little Gypsy and knowing how many bugs kittens can carry, I decided to go ahead and do it this year, but I may stop vaccinating for anything except rabies.
Also, I don't know what type of cat you have, but it seems that the oriental breeds are FAR more sensitive to vaccines and prone to bad reactions from them than many others. Some Siamese breeders I have talked to do not vaccinate at all because of the amount of "vaccine shock" cases they've had. In fact, Jango (one of the Siamese brothers) got very sick one week after being vaccinated this year, and I can't help but think that's not a coincidence.
Just my opinion.......
Karen
I have three strictly indoor cats - 2 purebred Siamese and one young "alley cat" . I used to give my older cats -- who have all passed on now --- every conceivable vaccine on the planet "just in case" though none of them ever set foot outside. I've gone now almost 180 degrees the other direction.
In PA, we have to vaccinate for rabies. The only other vaccine I'm allowing for now this the four vaccine combo that's distemper and the URI stuff. But I've read a number of articles that say the immunity from these last much longer than one year, so there is really no need to re-vaccinate every year, especially if your cat never goes outside. I was going to skip the yearly booster for the Siamese this year, but in light of bringing in little Gypsy and knowing how many bugs kittens can carry, I decided to go ahead and do it this year, but I may stop vaccinating for anything except rabies.
Also, I don't know what type of cat you have, but it seems that the oriental breeds are FAR more sensitive to vaccines and prone to bad reactions from them than many others. Some Siamese breeders I have talked to do not vaccinate at all because of the amount of "vaccine shock" cases they've had. In fact, Jango (one of the Siamese brothers) got very sick one week after being vaccinated this year, and I can't help but think that's not a coincidence.
Just my opinion.......
Karen
