Vaccinations

Just wondering how often everyone vaccinates their cats. Mine have always had the yearly shots except for the rabies. NC law requires the rabies and that is every third years. I have been reading a lot about folks deciding not to give yearly shots. Last year the vet decided not to give Speedboat the yearly shot and said it was because of his age. Muffin is 10 years old and Mattie is 5. Please give your opinions and why to vaccinate or not every year.

10 year old my regular vet would say NO ... as they are over vaccinated and age can bring more vax issues ...

5 yr old rabies if outside and in a area that you need to show proof of vax if something happens

Only my Zoey is going to be Up to date with Rabies as she goes out and we have one rabid animal in the area that she could catch possibley...

I personally and have seen research that over vaxing could be causeing many of the "old" age issues we are seeing in younger cats

I have always had strictly indoor cats. All of mine have either been strays I adopted, or adoptions from the Humane Society.......some adopted very young, others older (though never older than 2-3 yrs old at the time I took them in).

My preference is to give a cat their first set of shots including boosters........then that's it. No more. It's not mandatory where I live, for the rabies shot so I don't bother with that...........except.........my last 2 adoptions from the Humane Society. I did get them their Rabies shot only because I didn't know their history and was fearful that if they ever bit someone (even just a family member who I know wouldn't rat them out LOL), would just feel safer knowing they'd been vaccinated. But that will be their last Rabies vaccine.

I don't think it's ever a good idea to vaccinate older cats. I think it's really hard on their immune systems, but that's just my personal opinion.

My 2 oldest cats do not get shots anymore.
Oreo and Sasha get the 3 in 1 Distemper shot.
Wrinkles and Cleo get the Purvax yearly 3 in 1 Distemper shots.
Cleo gets the Purvax Rabies shot because I show her and she nipped a judge once.
The 3 year Rabies shots have stuff added to them that can cause problems.
The vet had to call her breeder to get the right shots.
My cats do not get any other shots.

Mine always get the rabies shots. They are indoor, but there are bats around here. My vet told me of a man who had two wonderful indoor cats. They were his babies.They were not vaccinated.

A rabid bat came down the chimney and got into his basement. The cats's came into direct contact with it. It was a very sad outcome.

My daughter had a bat in her house last year. Their cat, Mikey found it. It was sent to Albany, NY for testing. They were on pins and needles because Mikey was not vaccinated. Luckily, the bat was negative.

Rabies scares the heck out of me. I don't ever want to go through loosing one of my furkids to that.

I'm going with an every other year plan on the cats for normal 3 in 1 shot and the rabies. My rex that passed away at 15 1/2 yrs old a few years back - I quit giving him shots after age 10 because he was permanently retired from shows and never went outside. The rest of the inside cats were vaccinated so I felt he didn't need it any more.

I read my original post and saw that I failed to state my cats are outside only cats. My husband is allergic to them. Even though they live outside, they are confined within a chain link fence. It has the cat fence-in system attached around the top. They have never gotten outside the fence. When we first installed in before needed adjustments a neighbors barn cat came over the fence a time or two. However, they could have nose to nose contact if ever a cat came up and to the fence and they decided to smell each other through the fence. So based on knowing that my cats are outside cats, what is the opinion now.

Mine are inside only, and get vaccinations just the first year. Hunter likes to prove he can outsmart me and slip out onto the porch so I try to keep him up to date.
As annual rabies is required here when one has to go to the vet after the first year they usually get one, but I don't feel it's needed other than to satisfy the law.
For outdoor cats I would follow the vets reccomendations as to what they are likely to be exposed to in your particular area.

Rabies as per your vet and local laws... 3 in1 if those diseases are prevalent every 3 yrs ( vet will know) ... Felv shot if this is a issue in your area..

If they haven't been vaxed for FeLV before or recently I'd do it. You don't always know if FeLV is an issue where you live. Attitude and Nuts have it(as well as Mama, Biter, Goldie Jr, Runt, Half-tail, and possibly Blue.) You can't tell any of them are sick, and Attitude and Nuts are the first kitten(or cats) with leukemia that the vet clinic I go to has had in years. Their main vet had to read up on vaccine recommendations for positive kittens, which is to vaccinate as usual(it has flipped flopped back in forth that it is hard to know what they currently recommend.) So you don't always know if it's living in your neighborhood or not. The vets don't always know, Attitude's leukemia test was just a technicality, no one dreamed it would come back positive, like I said the vets hadn't see a cat, much less a kitten, with leukemia in years. Just wanted to say that leukemia can exist and it not be known about.

I would have titers drawn to see what everyone is immune to and what they need vaccines for. If they are immune to stuff like leukemia and other things they'll need fewer, or no shots other than rabies.

When it's time for Attitude and Nuts to go for their yearly stuff I'll see what the vet recommends, other than FeLV(for obvious reasons) they are fully vaccinated. I know I have to get their rabies done, but like I said I'll listen to what my vet recommends on other vaccines since they had their full series as kittens.

Taryn

My cats are vaccinated annually with the Purevax rabies shot. It is law here, but even if it wasn't my cats would be vaccinated against rabies annually with the Purevax rabies shot.

Purevax rabies is a non adjuvanted vaccine, which is why it is an annual vaccine. It is thought that it is the adjuvant in other vaccines that may be the cause of vaccine site sarcomas.

Rabies is everywhere. Rabies vaccine is what keeps it from becoming rampant. One un-vaccinated cat is one too many, in my opinion. Rabies is fatal. All it takes is one bite. Indoor cats are at risk too. Bats can get into the house. Cats can slip out. These things happen.

And..a cat who has not been vaccinated for rabies, that bites a human is subject to quarantine or possibly immediate euthanasia, ask questions later.

My younger cats receive the three way distemper every three years for their first seven years, and about five years later after that, then no more as they become senior.

No FeLV vaccine, as their risk for that is almost non existent.

I vaccinate all four of mine every year. I don't know- I have this fear (which I know isn't very rational since there is no way they could get outside) but I'm afraid that if they were to go outside for some reason, then they would get some sort of incurable illness. I guess that's the motherly side coming out in me lol, trying to protect my babies . I also believe that since cats are domesticated, they are unable to fight off illnesses and diseases as well as a wild cat would. That to me is just my common sense talking (which sometimes is WAYYYY off). Also it is the law here that all animals have to be UTD on their rabies. However the rule is that all pets need to be registered, and there can only be a certain number of cats and/or dogs in the household. I'm pretty sure that South Milwaukee, where I live, is only like 2 cats, therefore I'm already breaking the law lol. So I figure if I ever get busted and I can provide proof that they are all vaccinated and UTD according to the laws, then they may just let it slide (once again that's my common sense ). I also do it because I occasionally get foster cats/kittens, and they come from really shady backgrounds so I want my guys to have that extra "layer" of protection from illnesses and such. It doesn't always work, but it makes me feel more comfortable at least.

Attitude and Nuts were living outside when they got all their shots. They have feline leukemia and Maude was negative(and still was when she crossed the bridge, so she was already immune or her immune system fought it off.) The vet didn't want them inside, of course they didn't want them outside either, but everyone in the neighborhood either already had it or was immune, it was so deeply embedded in the neighborhood 2 kittens didn't matter. I finally decided I wanted them inside(I think it was before their last round of shot at 16 weeks), after Attitude disappeared for almost an entire day, she wasn't there in the morning and didn't appear until 5 PM that night. I just couldn't take the worry anymore. Paul decided it was ok(Maude was his cat) and took Maude to be vaccinated and I moved them inside.

Like I said I'll see what the vet recommends next year as far as vaccinations. We have the 6 outside cats and Nuts like to 'meet' them(he is related to all of them but Blue, but he did meet Blue last week) and touch noses and get acquainted. Also, if one is seriously ill or needs monitoring, like Mama after she came back from the vet from her rectal prolapse to make sure she didn't re-prolapse as she went back onto a full dry diet. I might have to bring them inside They meet in the doorway, he stays inside and they stay outside, it's cute. Like I said except for FeLV(I wasn't even sure if I was going to vaccinate them against it, but I didn't have to make that decision since it was useless) they have had all their kitten shots.

Like I said I'd get titers drawn to see what shots they really need.

Taryn

My little girl is getting her first set of shots in two week.
We don`t have rabies in Norway, so thats not needed.
Today she got wormed.