vaccination reactions?

How do your kitties react to vaccinations?  What exactly is worrisome?

I took my guy Otis to the vet yesterday and he ended up getting 2 vaccines.  He was vaccinated as a kitten but I hadn't followed up since then (He is about 2.5 now), so I don't remember how he reacted then and I am being a bit of a hypochondriac now dealing with him.

He has NOT thrown up, swelled up, had trouble breathing, or had diarrhea. 

Not too long after we first got home, he did have a little food and water.  He did use the litter box regularly.  He has eaten some treats.    He does seem a little extra lazy and tired, but I know that's not abnormal. 

But since late afternoon yesterday, I don't think he has eaten.  I measured out his food to be sure, and remeasured this morning and it was the same level.   He does feel a little warmer than usual, but I don't know what the "too warm" measure would be.

As I was writing this he did go over by his food. I'm not sure if he ate or drank or just kinda played with it.  When I looked he wasn't actually eating it, but he may have already finished.

I know to just wait it out but I am going out of town in a few so I wanted to be sure to take him in first, or at least tell my roommate if she needs to keep an extra eye on him.

Have any of your cats had a bad reaction?  What did it look like?  Thanks!!!

Hi gypsylove, 

My kitten Willow (1 year now) has had rabbies vaccination 2 days ago and has had trouble with her tommy. It not that she has no control over when she goes but her poo is 'looser' so to speak. I got a little worried seeing as I don't remember her having such issues before (mind you I am a bit paranoid about this cat, I just love her so!) and so I went to the vet and was given some tablets. If you are still worried about Otis, maybe you could call up the vet and ask them about it?

My parents' cats, whenever they are sick they always have warm ears and a dry nose. 

Hope that helps somehow! 

Gabi & Willow 

Its fairly normal, for the kitty, to act, like he doesn't feel that great, but, he should return to normal in 24 hours, if not, he has to go in. 

Reactions to the shots would be violently throwing up, that one, you best get the kitty back to the vet, immed, diarea, throwing up, lethargy, swelling at the site of the vaccination, so you need to ask, where was he given the shot.  To be safe, the shot should be given in the hind leg, so its farthest from his heart.

You should never give 2 shots at the same time, because if the kitty has a reaction, you won't know, to which shot, he had the reaction to.  You never never never, want to give a kitten 2 shots at the same time, its too much on their little system, you are injecting poison, per say, into them.

Vets always advocated giving 2 shots at the same time, I used to do it too, until one had a reaction, he was violently throwing up, in 5 min, had to rush him back, they gave him a shot of benedryl, and watched him for 30 min.  Now he has to be pretreated with benedryl, before any shot, because we don't know, which shot it was.

I now do one shot at at time, and even the ones that don't need to be pretreated, continue to act their normal selfs, don't act sick at all, and now that he is pretreated, he acts fine too, not sick at all, like he used to, when he got 2 shots at one time.

One was a few weeks overdue, my vet could not get me in, so went to another vet, as they explained it, and I didn't know this, so learned something new.  They should do one shot at a time, as the body is trying to adjust, and do what its supposed to do, for the vaccine just given, if you give 2 shots, it confuses the body, and it has a harder time adjusting and doing what it is suppose to do, hence, the reaction.  You should space the shots at least 3 weeks apart. If its a kitten shot, and its in 2 parts, you don't want to wait, any longer than 2 weeks, between the 2 part shot, or the first shot just lost its effectiveness.  

If your kitty is acting like he doesn't feel that great, he should be back to normal in 24 hrs, if he is not, you need to take him back in.  Then next time, do one shot at a time. Hope he is feeling better soon.