can someone give me a reason why I should vaccinate my kitten?

I cannot advise on whether or not to get your kitten his shots, I always have gotten mine done.

Since you live in Atlanta though, I can help there. I also live in the area. Registration/licensing is done by county - some require it, and some don't. Usually the vet tells you when you take them in.

I don't know what part of the city you are in, but I have an amazing vet in Norcross. He is an older guy who really believes in pets - he doesn't charge an office fee, though his office hours are sometimes a little strange. I will PM you his information.

Edit: I just called and my vet does the initial kitten exam, fecal and shots for $30, or $35 if he has worms and needs to be treated. That is repeated for a total of 3 rounds of shots 2 weeks apart and then they charge $20 for the rabies at the last visit - so total $110 (or $115 if he has worms) over a 6week period. That does not include the FeLV shot though, they only do that if he is going to be an outside cat or you insist on it.

Originally Posted by carolinalima

Ok - So: Rabies once /yr due to licensing.
What about FeLV? How often?

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FeLV is done twice as a kitten (the second is a booster) and then yearly after that. I view the FeLV vaccine as optional, and would only do it if I knew I would bring in additional cats in the future, I was purposefully mating a cat, I was at high risk for the cat getting outside, if I had indoor/outdoor cats, or I did any type of fostering/rescue. FeLV is not picked up casually, and needs either extended casual contact or extreme short term contact thru fighting or mating. I stop the vaccination once they hit about 8 years old. I would never, ever get the FIV vaccination.

As someone who has recently lost 15 cats/kittens due to FeLV and feline distemper. I urge all of you to scrape up every last cent you can and keep your kittens vaccinated. The only vaccine that is 100% effective is the distemper vaccine, the others are preventatives only. You don't want this virus in your home as it takes no prisoners. It splits cells and wrecks havoc, dehydrates your kitten in half a second and he or she dies from shock. It is not pleasant to deal with and it lives outside the host for 2 years.

Even if you have indoor cats you can still bring this virus home without meaning too. Also, it can lay dormant in a kitten who has survived distemper making her a carrier and she can pass it on to others without her even being symptomatic. It is a dreadful, heartbreaking disease.

They just had a outbreak of Distemper in at the pound in Sacramento and they lost most the cats.
The worse part is some people had adopted the sick cats and their cats got Distemper.
Its been all over the news here.

Originally Posted by hissy

The only vaccine that is 100% effective is the distemper vaccine.

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I agree at least get the distemper. That is a deadly sickness. Rabies if it is required in your area by law. Herpes and Calici are only 50-60% effective and do not cover all strains. You will need at least 2 distempers with one being after the kitten is 16 weeks old.

Any others like Leukemia and chlamydia are not protocol for indoor only cats.

Here is a link for the AAFP vaccine guidelines

http://www.catvets.com/professionals...ations/?Id=176

I recommend taking the time and reading the entire 37 pages to fully understand vaccinations to make your own personal educated decision in what your kitten needs.

Ok, so the first set of shots got done today. They did give him one for chlamydia and one for distempter, they checked his stool for worms - it was negative. The vet was really really nice, he actually took the time to have a conversation with us about what is best for the kitten and I'm really pleased that I decided to vaccinate him. It's not that I couldn't afford it, it's just that I didn't want to be wasting money, and I was worried he might have an allergic reaction or catch a disease in the process of going. I have had a lot of sick animals in the past which makes me very worried and sometimes paranoid about my pets' health. Jake is extremely healthy now which makes me so happy and I am just afraid to do anything to compromise that, as little chance as there is. He definitely didn't take this visit lightly- he was scared the whole time and now he has been sleeping and sort of sluggish. It should be normal for a day, I hope he is at his best tomorrow. CruiserMaiden gave me an awesome tip with her vet's address which is going to help a lot, it will cut the cost with $20, so that's pretty awesome as well...

Originally Posted by mews2much

They just had a outbreak of Distemper in at the pound in Sacramento and they lost most the cats.
The worse part is some people had adopted the sick cats and their cats got Distemper.
Its been all over the news here.

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I live up in Redding and I am worried about a kitten that I have that is about (maybe)3.5-4 mo. old. I am TRYING to get enough to get him in to be fixed and get his shots in Jan.

BUT like all of us, money is BAD.. I live on SSI and THAT was cut back in Jan. It is tough to live now. I am a disabled Respiratory Therapist (UCDavis Med Center alum) But, after getting hurt while doing CPR, my life has been hard.

I don't want my kitten to have any problems if I have to wait another month to get him in.

I don't know if the vet will just do the rabies since Sac if very close to us!!

Thanks, Melissa

My brother in law lives in Cottonwood.
I was scared because I had to get Cleo at the Sacramento Airport.
She had all her shots before she got on the plane except the leukemia shot which she will not be getting.
I hope you feel better.
Where did you get your kitten from?

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

agreed 100%



agreed again, somewhat, but just wanted to point out that 'some' people who own pets, got their pets when they could afford them. We're in a recession now, and alot of people are losing jobs, etc. The animal shelters are full, and most vets won't let you run a tab. I would much rather see someone trying their best to take care of their pet, then throwing it out in a shelter that will euthanize, or letting it out on the street.

"Downgrading" foods is something people feeling the "money crunch" can do easily. Especially if they were feeding a very expensive brand. There are cheaper, just as good brands out there. Again, I would rather see that, then the person putting the cat outside or in a shelter (if they can find a shelter).

The above is ONLY regarding people who know the responsibilities of owning a pet, and were willing, but life has hit them hard lately.

I have no tolerance for those who take on an animal, without thinking about its costs, or take on an animal for the wrong reason.


DEFINATELY get your cat vaccinated, there's been some helpful links and advice in this thread that will help you know which vaccines to get, and which not to get.

It is something I have to do once Kizzy is feeling better too. I do not know which vaccines are offered here, but I most certainly am going to ask.

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Snake lady, I agree with you I'd much rather see them do their best

Jake has not been feeling well. He slept the entire time, and usually at this time of day he is awake and playing like crazy....today- he is sleeping He walks kind of hunched, I am guessing it might be from the stool sample they took from him, it may have hurt him while they were taking it..He is a little bit better now, and if I try really hard he will play with me but he doesn't really try to initiate play ...I got him a little excited with his catnip mice and I really hope he perks up!! He has been eating and drinking but maybe a little bit less than usual. He meows that complaining sort of meow when I try to take him in my hands, and I'm pretty sure that's because the place where he got his shot is sore...When I remember the last time I myself had a tetanus shot- I was in bed with a fever for two days afterwards....So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my baby is not his usual self...
WellingtonCats and Snake Lady, by the way all of Jake's brothers and sisters went to a shelter today It's really sad and I wish I could take them all so badly Unfortunately they were conceived on accident and my friends' family cannot take care of any of them...So, I think someone trying to take care of them while loving them even with a shortage of cash, would be much better than the shelter where they are likely to be euthanized anyway because shelters are all full... Can you imagine, little two month old kittens in perfect health being euthanized? it makes me sick

It IS so sad that those babies went to the shelter! I wish I could take in another but my apartment only allows two and both spots are filled.

About Jake being sleepy – my vet always told me the shots can make him sleepy, and my boys usually were for the whole day they got their shots. I hope he perks up soon, but if he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t I would call the vet.

First time vaccinations often make your kitten feel under the weather. My Aura when she was kitten slept under the chair for 48 hours when she got her first shots. The second set of shots she didn't feel good for 24 hours and by the 3 set she seemed to be just fine.

As for what vacs I get. When they are kittens I do the 4 in 1/distemper and the FelV on the schedule the clinic suggests for kittens. They also get their 1 year rabies shots on their final kitten visit. A year after their last set of kitten shots I get them another 4 in 1/distemper and they also get their 3 year rabies. I skip the FelV and I won't get that again until its time to get their next 3 year rabies. The 4 in 1/distemper I get every year.

Now that I have 6 cats I have to literally keep a spreadsheet to remember which cats get which vaccinations when!

Originally Posted by ut0pia

WellingtonCats and Snake Lady, by the way all of Jake's brothers and sisters went to a shelter today

It's really sad and I wish I could take them all so badly

Unfortunately they were conceived on accident and my friends' family cannot take care of any of them...So, I think someone trying to take care of them while loving them even with a shortage of cash, would be much better than the shelter where they are likely to be euthanized anyway because shelters are all full...

Can you imagine, little two month old kittens in perfect health being euthanized? it makes me sick

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I can't speak for WellingtonCats, but I wholeheartedly agree with you about trying to take care of the poor kitties with limited funds, than having them sent to a kill shelter. I posted that in my other post.

I'm very sorry that his brothers and sisters had to be sent to a shelter It is quite sad, its too bad the momma hadn't been spayed to prevent this... I wish I could take more kitties in...there was so many at the shelter I visited, thankfully its a no kill shelter, but still. I would have loved to bring a few home with me. Unfortunately, I'm not working either, so I know my limit has to be one Plus thats all my hubby will allow me to get

I'm glad you were able to get Jake's shots I hope he is feeling better now too.
I've learned alot in this thread, Kizzy has to get his shots as soon as he is healthy enough to do so.

He is much better!! He woke up and is now running around as usual I'm soo happy yay
Unfortunately the family I got him from is from somewhere in Asia and I don't think developing countries spay and neuter, or if they do only upper class can afford it over there, so they just don't understand the importance, and I'm not sure they even know what spaying and neutering is. I think it's hard for someone who has lived in a place where it's nearly impossible to feed your family and get proper healthcare can understand that paying money for an animal's healthcare and vet expenses is important. I know this because my parents were not born in the US and lived in a developing country and they have the same mentality towards animals- they can be fun to be around but they would never spend a dime for vet bills unless the animal is about to die, then they might consider it... It's the reality, people can become less sensitive when they have struggled for their very basic needs such as food in the past...I'm sure the family really loved Jake's mom though, she was a stray and they found her and rescued her.