Which shots are necessary annually?

I apologize because I have posted this question before, but I cannot get the "search" feature to call up my old posts. I am taking my cat for her annual exam this weekend. She is 10 years old, indoors only, and the only pet.

I only want to give her the shots she really needs. What would those be?

Thanks so much for your help. You have all helped me out so many times, I cannot count them all.

This is really an opinion-type question, but my indoor-only cats receive only the rabies shot and then, only because it's the law. They all had their kitten shots, and I don't intend for them to receive any further vaccinations.

AC

I'm hesitant about shots because she vomited last time, but also I have a cousin who insists that one of the shots is what caused her cat terminal illness.

I think there is one illness cats can catch easily because it travels easily on our clothes, shoes - which one is that?

Distemper exists for a long time in the environment mostly soil and we can bring it in. It is actually closely related to canine parvo rather than canine distemper. Kittens are very vulnerable to it. The protocol now is every three years for indoor only cats. A lot of vets still push the annual vaccinations. Your cat may have had an allergic reaction to a vaccine. One of my cats did that with his one year shots now he gets a shot of Benedryl 20 minutes before the vaccine.

When you work in the soil, you wear gloves right? If not, you should, not for your cats but for yourself. You also probably have shoes, and personally so they don't eat my shoe laces the shoes are never left out.

Combine that with washing your hands with antibacterial soap now and then, and I find it very unlikely that your indoor cats would be subject to anything.

So personally, I am only getting what is legally required in the future, which I believe is only rabies shots in Texas.

There is always a statistical risk for getting a vaccination, humans included. I get mine though, because unlike my cats I am always around other people going all over the place and on airplanes and getting drooled on by diseased babies, heh. My cats are not, so it makes no sense to subject them to it IMO.

My indoor cats get their kitten shots and then rabies every 3 years.

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

My indoor cats get their kitten shots and then rabies every 3 years.

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Every 3 years for rabies shot, that was new to me or I had forgotten. I would feel better about her Vet visit if she doesn't need any shots this year!

No vaccines are necessary annually, unless you get the Purevax rabies vaccine, which isn't approved for 3-year use yet (they're working on it). If your vet still recommends annual vaccinations, he/she is going against the AVMA recommendations, which state "no more often than every 3 years" (I was going to post a link but I can't figure out how to link to a PDF from my phone. If you Google "AVMA feline vaccine recommendations" you can find the PDF for yourself).

Like any business, a veterinary clinic cannot remain open if it is not profitable.

Most veterinarians do earnestly believe in the benefit of vaccinations outweighing the risks IMO, however, the fact that it is almost universally agreed to be the highest profit margin item at the clinic (even higher than prescription pet food I'm told) there is a strong incentive to offer it as frequently as possible even for indoor cats that don't need it with the added justification that the revenue also helps keep the doors open.

So I don't BLAME my clinic for pushing it, but I would advise to read up and consider the risk/reward relationship. For kittens its fine to get those (but not all at once either IMO), but then just get the rabies due to the repercussions if your cat were to bite or scratch a guest and most clinics will require it anyway for their own safety, but no mas.

On that note, same thing with the heartworm/flea medications, these are also very frequently pushed since its a two second squirt for them, but they'll charge you $25 for it. Its perfectly fine to wait for flea symptoms to appear in an indoor cat before treatment, and IMO is better than the manufacturer's recommendation of treating every month preventatively since it is poison after all.

Originally Posted by Ducman69

Like any business, a veterinary clinic cannot remain open if it is not profitable.

Most veterinarians do earnestly believe in the benefit of vaccinations outweighing the risks IMO, however, the fact that it is almost universally agreed to be the highest profit margin item at the clinic (even higher than prescription pet food I'm told) there is a strong incentive to offer it as frequently as possible even for indoor cats that don't need it with the added justification that the revenue also helps keep the doors open.

So I don't BLAME my clinic for pushing it, but I would advise to read up and consider the risk/reward relationship. For kittens its fine to get those (but not all at once either IMO), but then just get the rabies due to the repercussions if your cat were to bite or scratch a guest and most clinics will require it anyway for their own safety, but no mas.

On that note, same thing with the heartworm/flea medications, these are also very frequently pushed since its a two second squirt for them, but they'll charge you $25 for it. Its perfectly fine to wait for flea symptoms to appear in an indoor cat before treatment, and IMO is better than the manufacturer's recommendation of treating every month preventatively since it is poison after all.

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I really appreciate everyone's input. I want to do what's best for my cat. I do understand why they might feel it's a good idea, I have often gotten vaccinations myself, before travel, just because they are a good idea. However, with the controversy over vaccinations in animals, these are some decisions we need to make. I agree it can be a great profit, too and help them stay in business. One time I took my cat to the vet, annual exam was something like $25.00 and with the shots it rose to around $100.

She has lived with me for 10 years and has never had a flea problem, so the idea of waiting until there is a problem makes perfect sense to me. I have not had to have her treated for it.

Some people have expressed that once a kitten is vaccinated for certain illnesses, they are probably protected for life. That makes a lot of sense to me, since that is often the case for us, too. We don't often have to get repeated vaccinations every year for potential illnesses.

I think my cat receives the Purevax rabies shot, which has to be once a year. People had recommended that one to me last year as being the best, so I made sure to ask for it. If they do make a 3-year one, that would be great.

I'm so glad I had a few days before my Vet visit to ask you all for your opinions. They have been so helpful and I feel much better now. Thank you soooo much, everyone!!!

Any more thoughts, please keep them coming.

I'm so glad you asked this question, because two of my boys are due for their annual exams this month, and I have been putting off scheduling until I researched (again) about which vaccines they should get, etc. So we're just going to go the rabies route too!

Rabies isn't even required for cats in this township. We get the rabies (PureVax) done at their annuals anyway, because it's required just about everywhere else, so to see a specialist or consult with another vet, they'd need to be current. But we only keep the rabies current for the cats without a compromised immune system.... though both Chumley and Tuxedo were healthy enough at their last vet visits to get the rabies vaccination.

Originally Posted by mrsgreenjeens

I'm so glad you asked this question, because two of my boys are due for their annual exams this month, and I have been putting off scheduling until I researched (again) about which vaccines they should get, etc. So we're just going to go the rabies route too!

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Great! Everyone on this forum is so helpful, this is where I always turn for advice!

I do not vaccinate beyond 2 years of age.
Rabies is all that is given to my younger two.

Now my routine is definitely not a good idea for those with indoor/outdoor cats.
Mine are indoor only so risk is very minimal.

I do not pet strays, and when I pet owned animals, even those that I know get frst rate vet care, I wash my hands (Shower when possible) and change clothes before coming into contact with my own animals.

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

This is really an opinion-type question, but my indoor-only cats receive only the rabies shot and then, only because it's the law. They all had their kitten shots, and I don't intend for them to receive any further vaccinations.

AC

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I agree. My cats don't even get rabies. It is not required for cats in my county. My cats all received their kitten shots. If you google "vaccinosis" and do your research, you will be shocked. I don't give any of my pets vaccines anymore after the initial loading, then they are immune for life. Of course, the vets and drug companies don't want you to know this.

I take care of a feral/stray/abandoned cat colony and volunteer at a cat sanctuary that has many FIV+ and FeLK+ cats. Recently I rescued a 10 week old kitten who was ultimately diagnosed with Herpes.
Because of this, I get Ritz her rabies shot (required in my state/county), calicivirus booster and FVRP booster. She no longer will get the Feline Leukemia booster shot because I understand you can have a false positive. Ritz is an indoor cat only, but for the first six months of her life lived on the streets.

I'll be the contrarian on this - I read the Cornell and Tufts newsletters and talk with my own vets regarding vaccination protocols and my own pets. I myself don't see vaccinations as the root of all evil, or some sort of profit center for vets. Then again, I'm also disturbed at human parents discounting vaccinations so that we're losing the herd immunity. I'm old enough to remember polio.

I've had titer testing done and would advise any pet parent to go that route if they have questions re vaccinations.

Also, I can't believe anyone in the US would not have a rabies shot done for their pets, unless the vet herself strongly advised against it for other medical reasons -and I live in suburban Chicago with indoor cats...and, yes, rabies pops up way more than one would think.

I also get Revolution for my cats - I've read the clinical studies on heartworm in cats in northern states and I'm not going to screw around when I can get protection for, what, $12 per month per dose? I'm blessed to be working, I can do it. BTW, heartworm is carried by mosquitos - don't know about the rest of you, but mosquitos do get into my house, no matter how I try.

Then again, I'm one who drags my two seven to eight year old cats (adopted as adults, so no idea how old they really are) into the vet for twice-yearly senior exams. Not everyone can, or will, do that, but that's the angle I'm coming from.

I to get the rabies and the four way shot that includes distemper every three years for one of my cats. My other cat has IBD which got into his liver the end of last year. He had two forms of hepatitis and now has a liver panel done every six months along with being on a maintenance dose of prednisolone. His last two liver panels were normal but there could still be some permanent damage to his liver. The vet recommends no more vaccinations because like many other things the liver is part of filtering them out of his system and his liver doesn't need to be taxed anymore than what is necessary for him to live.
The whole thing with vaccinations for animals and humans can be really confusing. I too am old enough to remember some of epidemics that were common before a vaccination was formulated. Epidemics both among humans and animals. I was stationed at Ft. Lewis Washington in the late 70s and 80s when an epidemic of parvo went through. A lot of dogs died both because the supportive treatment couldn't keep them alive and owners that couldn't afford the supportive treatment. They were even giving dogs feline distemper vaccine in hopes that it might give them some protection.

We aren't talking about not vaccinating at all. We're talking about how even the AVMA recognizes that vaccines given to adult animals confer long-lasting immunity, probably lasting for life, and that too-frequent vaccination can cause serious problems, especially in cats (mostly vaccine-site sarcoma). They consider it to be a big enough problem that they've started a task force to look into it. So if the AVMA says "no more often" than every 3 years (meaning less often is fine too), and they're the ones pushing vaccines, I'm inclined to believe that vaccines do confer immunity for much longer than one year.

both of mine are outdoor so I'm going to give them boosters and rabies yearly. What I was wondering is if I need to worry about Feline Leukemia yearly as well..

but after reading that article on vaccinosis I'm a bit concerned now..and also confused on what to do