What vaccines do you do?

Arnold hasn't been vaxed since 2003, which means he's hasn't been registered since then. He's back w/ us now and we want to get him registered w/ the city again so he has to have at least his Rabies shot. I can talk circles around most people about human vaxes and am very up to date on that and we'll just say we make very conservative choices, lol, but this cat stuff is beyond me. I read a few links in another post I had made and it helped some. I need to look up and see what vaxes are on his care plan that the vet would reccomend for him. He's 9, or almost, indoors unless he gets out on a warm day for a few minutes while we go grab him and bring him back in. Currently OTJ but I have no idea how long that will last or if it will etc. Thanks so much!

none, don't believe in them.....well actually i think they're dangerous but i'll leave my response at that as there are widely varying opinions on vaccines

I'd love to hear more about your reasons and why personally. We don't vax our kids for probably a lot of the reasons you don't vax your cat. Legally, if I want him registered though he has to have rabies so we'll probably do that one at least. I just don't even know where to start w/ researching this as I'm not even sure what vaccines are available for cats really and what they're for.

Morris hasn't been vaxed since 2003...he had a bad reaction to a vaccine after his diabetes was dxed and became very sick. Anyone asks, I just tell them that and that's the end of it. As for registration, what is that for?? We are supposed to license our cats here too but if they don't go out, who's to know?? Morris hasn't driven in years!! :lol: :lol: :lol: (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

in short? they told us for years and years and years the best thing we could do for our animals was vaccinate them. so i did. then their vaccinations gave our animals cancer. i've lost one so far to it. how many more will i lose in the coming years to cancer caused by their vaccines? they now say they found the problem and the new vaccines are safe. i'll believe it after they've been used for 20 or so years and don't give our animals cancer.

don't get me wrong. i do believe there are situations that are a bit different than mine, i.e. your animals run free outside and are in danger, your local government requires them (although if that be the case and my animal got VAS, i might look into suing the local government that required it), etc....but for me, vaccines are a thing of the past

My 17 YO diabetic Ennis no longer gets vaccinations. He got regular rabies and the three-way FVRCP (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia--Distemper) up until maybe 12 YO.

My new cats are currently about 10 months (Nellie) and 18 months (Casey).

Casey got FVRCP and FeLV (on the same day) after I adopted him at about 5 months old. He had already had his rabies. One year later, he got a combo rabies/FVRCP vaccine.

Nellie got her rabies and FVRCP (on different days) after I adopted her at about 3 months old. She will get them again one year later.

When I adopted Casey, I also adopted Emma (GA). She was about 3 months old. She got rabies, FVRCP, and FeLV. Some of those were on the same day, but the FeLV was separate. A couple weeks after that FeLV vaccination, she came down with a fever of unknown origin. Despite all attempts to help her, she died about 4 months later. We don't know for sure what took her, but I think that getting vaccines on the same day and the FeLV vaccine were just too much for her immune system.

That's why Nellie got her shots on different days, about a week apart. That is also why Nellie, who like my others will be an indoor cat, did not and will not get the FeLV vaccine. Casey will not be re-vaccinated with FeLV.

My new cats will likely get the rabies and FVRCP regularly until they are about 4 YO. Then I will likely ask for titer testing, to test the level of antibodies present in their blood. If they have adequate protection, I will likely stop the vaccinations. I will likely redo the titer testing every 3 years or so.

I do believe that companion pets are over vaccinated. I believe protection for certain diseases is necessary, but that that protection does not require annual revaccinations after a point. Your post does not indicate whether Arnold has received any vaccinations since 2003. If not, he likely will need a FVRCP booster. Rabies is a matter of law, but you do also have a choice. If it were my cat and he hadn't had a rabies vaccination since 2003, I would do that this year, but probably not after that.

Hope this helps.

Too much to type on this subject but NEVER let an adjuvant be injected into your cat. If you feel the need to get him a rabies vaccine, make sure it is a Purevax.

(My indoor-only cats are not vaccinated for rabies. And when I say "indoor-only" that means 100% indoors.)

my cats are all indoor and if I take them in, he insists they are up to date so I only take in when I need a dental or something is really wrong with them.( I KNOW) my vet refuses to treat unless he brings them up to date on shots. I have asked to have titer run and he poo pooed me and says that tells him nothing.
otherwise he is ok. at least I can kind of afford him. others are more expensive

There can be ramifications in a animal bites someone and does not a a valid rabies vaccination. The worst case would be having the animal euthanized to test for rabies. Another is having the animal quarantined at someplace other than you home. Most if not all states do allow rabies titers to substitute for a rabies vaccination. For most diseases not enough research/testing has been done to correlate a titer with when the the next vaccination would be required. I.e., a titer shows where you are today, not where you will be days/months/years from today.

All my animal get rabies and the core RCP (feline) and distemper combo and Bordetella (canines).

All of my vets have agreed that my cats don't need rabies shots, so they don't get them. After kitten shots they don't get the others until they are 10 years old, and they are tested for titers first to see if revax is necessary.

Many vets will skip rabies shots for diabetics and will write a letter to the health authorities giving diabetes as their reasons for refusing. Perhaps your vet will do that so you can register your cat without the vax,

May I ask, why you even need to register your cat? What's the purpose (aside from giving the county or city more money?)

Here are some links to take a look at:

http://www.vas-awareness.org/vaxreccs.htm

http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... ?8,1650172

Personally, I didn't know any differently, so all my cats were vaccinated (non-adjuvant or not, I don't know and didn't know to ask).

I'd get the annual postcards saying it was time and would dutifully take them in. That is until about 2 years ago. I stopped taking them. I also don't give rabies, as mine are indoor cats and didn't feel it necessary.

My thoughts today are to give kittens nonadjuvant vaccines and then not give any more as they supposedly don't/won't need it. If I decide to vaccinate in the future it must be non-adjuvant or it won't happen. That much I do know.

As you can see this is a contraversial issue and one that you need to do your research, then formulate your own opinion.

Glad that Hillary gave you those links. I just want to stress that if you do decide to vaccinate please make sure they vaccinate in the limb, never the scruff!

Thanks guys. Vet wants to hold off for 1-2 more weeks anyways to see what his BG is going to do since it's staying lower on it's own right now. I was thinking about printing out his ss and taking him in for a quick check this week anyways and I can ask what vaxes they use etc. Thanks again!

I foster kittens from a local shelter, so I have kittens of unknown history in my home on a regular basis. Because of this I give my crew the distemper vaccine. I also give the younger ones the purevax 1 year rabies vaccines.

The distemper used to be given annually around here, but now they are saying it is good for three years. My vet recommended to me to do it every other year, but I'm not keen on that, so I've done it on the third year. I'm not convinced that both of these vaccines don't last longer then they say, but because I have a known exposure in my home, I'm not willing to risk it.

My Em when she was alive stopped getting vaccines at about 12 years of age. My vet said if she hadn't developed immunity yet, she probably never would, and wrote off on her not getting them. Ollie my current oldest has had two lumps removed from where the vaccines have been given, so he is no longer getting them either.

being in rescue, and having seen kittens die from distemper, I'm a firm believer in vaccines. But I also believe in caution. I feel that all cats should get their kitten shots (rabies and distemper. Felv ONLY if the cat is free roaming outdoor cat) and then a booster one year later. After that my belief gets a little fuzzy. Since distemper is airborne, if you come in contact with cats of unknown history, you could bring it home to your crew, or if you have open windows and a feral population... etc.

We all say our cats will *never* get out, but it does happen. Anything from a door left open too long to heaven forbid a fire in the home. Only you can assess your risk, and decide to do what YOU feel comfortable with.

I think a lot of vets are vaccine happy. It is a good way to ensure you come in for an annual visit if you feel you *have* to vaccinate your pets for the pet's health. Too many people skip the annual if they don't do vaccines which is a shame. And it is a shame that vets make you feel like a bad pet owner for not vaccinating to their schedule and basically make you feel as if you can't take your pet in for an annual. They are shooting their own revenue in the foot and in the end doing more harm to the pets in more ways then one.

Connie

I generally vaccinate regularly, because I do believe in vaccines. The two shots I used to get regularly are rabies and FVRCP. I've also, on varying occasions, had FeLV, FIV, and FIP vaccines given.

Some places require you to register your pets, and many of the places that do so require you to provide proof of current rabies shots. The area I used to live was one of those places, and I generally didn't have a problem complying with the law. However, last year, Gwyn suffered a decline and I felt that getting the vaccine would jeopardize her health. I checked with the police who run the animal control services in my area, then I got a letter from my vet explaining Gwyn's health issues and that vaccination could pose a serious risk, and sent it in with the license renewal form. They renewed my license without my having to get any vaccinations. I certainly don't advocate doing this in most circumstances, but it may be valid for other folks who have pets with serious health issues.

The vet has already said if he didn't feel comfortable giving Arnie vaxes by March 15th (the cutoff date for registering w/out the late fee), he'd just write us a letter saying he couldn't have them.

Thanks for the info on fostering, I just thought about that after I posted last. I had wanted to look into that. We haven't had Arnie in 2 yrs and now that he's home I remember why I liked him so much, lol. I tried to talk DH into a new all black cat the other day. He looked just like our Salem and Felix did.

My Buddy had the rabies shot before i adopted him, but none after that-dont believe in them for indoor cats.he never saw a vet until he was 13 and got diabetes.

Mine are vaccinated annually. I don't like it but it's the law here. Moochie bites. Moochie bites vets and techs with great gusto if they don't move fast enouh. Under the law where I live she would be impounded for a mandatory ten days and I can't run the risk because I seriously doubt that she would be treated.

Bo and Eartha were, to the best of my knowledge, never vaccinated until I TNR'd them. Bo, I could probably get away with except that he has had other fairly serious but unrelated health issues since he adopted me starting with the surgery for hernias that began as a biopsy of some "lumps" that he had. He also recently had his right eye enucleated because of glaucoma. His vaccines need to be up to date for him to be seen so he gets them.

Eartha Kitty is a little feral girl. She is a pretty healthy little thing but doesn't do well with vets. Moochie's house call vet vaccinates her. I had to take her to the clinic that Bo uses a few months ago because Dr D was out of town and, as it turned out, poor little Eartha had some nasty dermatitis from fleas. I did need to prove that she was current before they would see her. She was so terrified that she froze and her exam went well but that was pure luck. I had no idea at all how she would behave and so I sure couldn't be certain she wouldn't bite anyone. An impound would be disastrous for her too because while she has proven herself a very sweet cat with me she is terrified of strangers.

I would love to be able to skip the vaccines for them but just can't do it.

I am a vet tech and a abyssinian breeder and I only use Fvrcp and I only vacc my adults every 3 yrs and not sure how long I will continue to even do this
vaccines every year to me are not necessary even though I know we are told they are maybe in high risk situations I do not do rabies except for cats we are showing in CFA and thats just for out protection in the event for whatever reason a bite were to occur even though you are showing a laid bk cat its a risk I do not take. I never use FIP or FELV vaccines.

I was also going to ask why you want to register your cat? Is it required in some states?? I only have to register Misha (dog) but not any of my cats. My vet even said she only recommends the rabies vax for any of my cats if there's any possibility of them biting anyone. They've never bitten.. so I skipped it. So far, I've only been getting the kitten shots/boosters, then the FVRCP a year later. I may do another booster further down their lives, but not even sure it would be in the 3 years.. probably every 5. And that's just because I foster kittens too. (They stay separated from my crew tho.)

Yes, it's city regulations. I'm assuming if he did ever get out and was picked up by animal control, I'd get fined if he weren't. I know the late fee is $50 so I'd rather not have to pay that plus the normal fee and whatever else they charge! This is highly unlikely, but still a risk for all pet owners I'm sure. Plus if we ever boarded him somewhere while we are gone on vacation, he'd have to have his rabies and distemper I think it was. Not too long after I posted this, Arnold was sick so we postponed his vaxes again. The vet was nice and only reccomended 2 of the ones they give since he's an indoor cat, the rabies and distemper. The distemper only if he's ever around other animals or goes outside and digs around. I still haven't gotten them, deadline is Monday I think.

my girls are up to date on rabies shots. When I had to help my girl blacky over the rainbow, she bit the vet assistant. We got a call a few hours later, peter took it. They told him because she bit the vet assistant, she had to be checked for rabies. To do that, her head had to be sent to a lab. Blacky was an indoor (100%) cat for all 16 years of her life. It was one of the worst phone calls we have ever gotten. So both of our cats are kept up to date on rabies shots, in case they were ever at the vets for something else, and bit someone. I'll never take that chance.

Dr. Lisa if you are perusing this post (or anyone else that may know - *for sure*) I've got one cat that is FeLV positive and 5 other cats that as far as I know are negative. I found out about him just before my other baby Oliver was diagnosed with FD which forced me to learn about proper feeding. Prior too that they all ate dry food from a drop (auto) feeding bin. My vet here told me that it wouldn't be worth it to vaccinate my other babies because the FeLV vaccination is only 60% effective. So, I didn't do it. BUT what I am doing is making sure that they eat seperately so that there is a reduced chance of getting into saliva or wet food that may have something infectious on/in it. What are your thoughts on that?
:?: