Indoor cats + shots

As of today everyone is now up to date on all of their shots until next year.

Next July/Aug Maui is supposed to get his 3yr Rabies & C/3 annual

Next Oct both Beans & Skunk get their 1yr Rabies & C/3 annual, then I'd assume a year from that they get their 3yr Rabies & another C/3 annual....


My question is how necessary is it to get yearly shots and up to what age?

All three cats will always be indoor cats. Any of the cats we've had as I was growing up only got their shots for the 1st year and then that was it- no more shots unless something happened, which it never did thankfully. Do I really need to bring them all in for shots if they will be staying indoors? Is there a shot that they should continue to get and maybe not necessarily get others?

In some areas Rabies shots are required by law. As for the other shots, I personally get them for our kitties just as a precaution against them ever getting out by accident, someone bringing something in to our home on their clothes or things of that nature. I often will stop and pet an animal on my way home or at a pet store and if any of those animals are diseased I could bring that home to our cats so I want them to have preventative shots.

My cats get their shots yearly because I dont want to chance them getting out and catching something. Rabies here at least you have to get it every year so that you can get them liscenced.

I myself have hemmed & hawed over this. Rabies is required by law. I decided to go ahead & get the "distemper combo" shot for everyone because I volunteer at the shelter. I'd rather not take chances. Now if somebody had an allergic reaction, or didn't do well with shots, then I'd reconsider vaccinating them.

My indoor guys only get the FVRCCP. I feel that giving them Rabies or Leuk shots risk the chance of hurting them more than helping them. (sarcomas, etc). My vet agrees.

I used to vacinate the whole ball of wax... Now I discuss with my vet what is needed and what is optional and when.... My two older animals will not be getting anymore shots as my vet doesnt like to give animals over ten shots... My youngest had a bad reaction and we will be looking at whether she get s a rabies...

What about for cats that already have felv and probably herpes? I've read so many contradicting things. Rabies, no felv shot, get the rest but killed virus, then others don't vaccinate, then in addition to the killed virus, for herpes use the intranasal which is a mlv. So right now she only has rabies. ( no I didn't do this to her, I found her 2 wks ago, had to have an eye socket cleaned out and sealed, had an ulcer previously on her remaining eye).

I only get the first year of shots, and the rabie shot and thats it forever. There is not another vacination given unless they are going to be hospitalized, then I will have rabies done again. My guys are indoor cats and I understand that they develop cancer at the injection site with annual shots. Other than medication, we won't be getting anymore shots except as stated.

There is a slim chance that cats can develop a type of cancer at the injection site, but not much of one. I would be more concerned with them getting any of the diseases that the should be vaccinated for. After fostering several kitties that suffered through calicivirus, i would happily never see that again. Like human vaccinations there are conflicting advice...but since i foster cats of unknown background, I prefer not to take any chances and will continue to get mine vaccinated including Rabies and FELV

Originally Posted by Renny

There is a slim chance that cats can develop a type of cancer at the injection site, but not much of one. I would be more concerned with them getting any of the diseases that the should be vaccinated for. After fostering several kitties that suffered through calicivirus, i would happily never see that again. Like human vaccinations there are conflicting advice...but since i foster cats of unknown background, I prefer not to take any chances and will continue to get mine vaccinated including Rabies and FELV

Click to expand...

I feel exactly the same actually. Just as I wouldn't NOT vaccinate our daughter when she was little, neither would I not vaccinate our cats.

I suppose it's like pretty much else in life - you weigh the pros and cons. For instance, my doc and I don't believe I'm at a much higher risk taking HRT than those who don't take it - others are totally against it. My grandfather smoked a pack of cigarettes a day until he was 90+ and he didn't have lung cancer whereas some folks suffer from just having been around smokers.

I think it all comes down to the fact that some of us and some of our cats are going to be prone to certain illnesses/conditions - some won't. Do we not vaccinate because our kitty "might" be one of the ones that would be prone to this cancer or do we take the risk to ensure he/she is safe from other debilitating illnesses? It's gotta be your call and what you believe in.

I'm not going to pump my indoor only cats full of unecessary vaccinations, I just dont want to do it. Yes you can say well what if they get out etc etc.. but then even if they did get out, where I live, the chances of them getting rabies or leukemia are slim to none. They would not only need to run into another cat or animal, but exchange blood. The chances of that are ridiculously low so therefore I will only vaccinate for things that they can catch from human/clothes/shoes (URIs Distemper, etc).

I do for the first year also.I've talked this over with my Vet and he agrees,that UNLESS I plan on bringing in any more, then the first year is enough.

No unnecessary vaccinations here either. I vaccinate one time and one time only. I have heard from various people, a vet tech, a vet and an animal shelter manager that vaccinations last many many years. The reason vets tell you it needs to be done every year is more for the purpose of the vet giving the cat a check up. Most people don't bring their cats in yearly for a check up unless the cat shows signs of illness. Vaccinations are a good way to get people to bring their pets in yearly to be seen.

So I do not give my cats vaccinations every year, and I would never give it if the animal is over 6 or so years if you do. I have heard of many allergic reactions and illnesses from them.

I just do whatever my vet says...and so YES i do get her shots annually. I don't know if its the law here..maybe.

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I just do whatever my vet says...and so YES i do get her shots annually. I don't know if its the law here..maybe.

Click to expand...

I used to as well until I realized vets don't always know what is best and don't always keep up to date on new studies and things like that. Same goes with food. Most vets will suggest food like purina and iams and we all know that is not very good and vets don't knwo a whole lot about nutrition.

I do one year shots every 3 years for my adult indoor kitties. It's mostly just for when I take them outside/if they were to get outside on their own, god forbid. At the same time, I really believe that doing shots every year is complete overkill and that giving a supposed "3 year dose" all at once might be downright dangerous.

Rabies IS required in Cook County, IL, so I'm kinda up to date

OH! And when I DO get vax done, it's done in the rear leg. None of this shoulder-blades nonsense. While none of them have ever had a reaction, if one of them did, I'd want it to be operable.

Originally Posted by lionessrampant

OH! And when I DO get vax done, it's done in the rear leg. None of this shoulder-blades nonsense. While none of them have ever had a reaction, if one of them did, I'd want it to be operable.

Click to expand...

I wondered why the between the shoulder-blade thing was being discouraged

I personally don't give vaccines after the ones that the rescue group/private owner has given the kitty, but I don't give vacs because my kitties are FeLV+ I figure they're immune-systems are already compromised, why would I purposefully inject my kitty with something that has been known to cause problems in healthy cats. I think they need to be protected when babies, but as adults my kitties are strictly indoor so

My cats get thier initial vaccinations and then I do annual vacinations for a few years after. After that point I only get them done as needed.

I had 2 cats that I vaccinated every year for the upper respitory infection, and they always seemed to be the first to come down with the sickness. When I stopped giving that vaccination to them every year, they didn't come down with the sickness anymore... Maybe that was coincidence... I stopped their vaccinations at about 7 years old. One of them just passed away last June, and she had just turned 18 years old. She passed away from CRF.

When she first went to see her new doctor he asked me if I wanted to vaccinate her at 16, and I just felt that she was to old to be messing with her system, and the vet had no argument with that.

I feel there is a point that we may over vaccinate them after they are a certain age.

Originally Posted by abbycats

I had 2 cats that I vaccinated every year for the upper respitory infection, and they always seemed to be the first to come down with the sickness. When I stopped giving that vaccination to them every year, they didn't come down with the sickness anymore... Maybe that was coincidence...

Click to expand...

What vaccine is for upper respitory infections?

We've had Maui since the beginning of August and he's already had 3 URI's!

Originally Posted by SarahBeez

What vaccine is for upper respitory infections?

Click to expand...

I believe that is part of the FVRCCP shot.

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (URIs), Calicivirus, Chlamydia, Panleukopenia.