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Vaccinations?

post #1 of 7
1/11/11 at 12:04pm
Thread Starter 
coming this february will be the first full year with my cats, and I was wondering if they need to have vaccinations yearly and which ones they should get? they have been indoor cats since we got them, and were tested Neg for FIV/FeLV at the shelters. I've heard so many controversial things about getting cats vaccinated, and since these are the first pets I own that "need" any vaccinations at all, I'm curious. I would ask the vet, but of course they would say yes, that's what all docs say.
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post #2 of 7
1/11/11 at 12:58pm
For the most part I feel it is a personal call. Some states require companion animals to have at the very least a current rabies vaccination. If your cats are kept indoors 100% of the time, that minimizes a lot of their risk of catching a disease. However, it's still very possible that you or a friend/family member could pick up and carry "bugs" on your shoes or clothing, or (god forbid) your cats get loose one day and pick up something that way. Your vet, if they are honest individuals, will give you a genuine assessment of what they feel your cats should have given your specific location and what diseases they see and treat there. Sure, running a veterinary practice is a business like any other, and they want to make money....but it is definitely possible to find vets who care just as much about truly doing what is right for their patients as well.

Personally, my two are kept indoors 100% of the time. They are vaccinated against rabies, as well as having been tested neg for FIV/FELV. It's my personal choice and is supported by my veterinarian. Aside from urinary issues with my male, my two are happy and healthy.
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post #3 of 7
1/11/11 at 1:16pm
If you got them as kittens and this is their first boosters after their kitten series then they need to get all of them. The leukemia shot isn't necessary for indoors only cats. After the one year boosters then the controversy over frequency begins. I think everyone agrees on those one year boosters though.
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post #4 of 7
1/11/11 at 1:58pm
Thread Starter 
i adopted them both as adults, so I don't know if they got those boosters as babies.... when they went in for their complimentary exam after being adopted, the vet finished off the FVRCP (sp?) shot, and I know that they both got rabies shots at the shelter right before I got them.
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post #5 of 7
1/11/11 at 2:45pm
In that case I assume those were their first shots (first FVRCP and rabies shot in the shelter, then another FVRCP shot a month later), so these two boosters are in order this year. Always make sure the FVRCP vaccine is MLV (modified live virus) and that the rabies vaccine contains no adjuvants, and the only brand without adjuvants is PureVax Feline Rabies by Merial. That way the possibility of them getting vaccine associated sarcoma is minimized. After that, they should get the FVRCP vaccine every 3 years, and yearly rabies vaccination is mandatory although I feel it's not needed, but I shall not encourage you to break the law!

A quick question for everyone here: do you think vaccinating some kittens and not others who live with them could be dangerous for the unvaccinated kittens? Could they get the disease from the vaccinated ones, if the vaccine contains live virus? I was considering spacing out vaccinations (kittens are not the same age) but I am wondering how safe is that?
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post #6 of 7
1/11/11 at 3:05pm
Thread Starter 
well, i just emailed my vet office asking about the brands/flavors of shots they use for their vaccinations. do the FVRCP and rabies shots come in a multi-shot series? do they get one dose of each, and then have to go back to the vet for another dose of each?
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post #7 of 7
1/11/11 at 3:20pm
Here's the current vaccination protocol
http://www.catvets.com/uploads/HTML/VaccineSummary.html

FVRCP is the first core vaccine (panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus), the first time cats get it it is followed up by another dose a month later, and then a booster a year later, but they only get one dose of rabies until the booster shot a year later. After that, they don't need yearly shots except for rabies (there is a rabies shot that can be given every 3 years but it has been connected with vaccine associated sarcoma).
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