Do you titer instead of vaccinate?

Last year, Queen Eva had such a rough time after her PureVax rabies vaccine I had just about decided to talk to my vet about skipping it and titering this year. Well, time passes and I guess I forgot how much it bothered me seeing her so low, and she's thriving so much, I decided to try again this year and see how she does.

Well, she's been affected just as hard, this year. Poor little thing, when we got home from the vet this morning she had an extra big appetite, and boy am I glad she ate that little bit of extra food because she hasn't eaten, or even really moved, since.

PureVax rabies is approved for only one year, in my state, and current rabies vaccine is required by law. But I just can't stand this. I've got to find out what exceptions there are, for kitties who can't tolerate the vaccine. I think titering is accepted in my state, but not sure.

Looking for anyone else who already does this, your experiences, feed back, links to info on it, etc.

So far, in searching most of the info I've found pertains to dogs.

I did find this page:

http://www.thedogplace.org/VACCINES/Rabies-exemption-form-states-2012.asp

My state is on this list as accepting waivers. I am familiar with Kris Christine, as she often posts updates in some other forums I visit.

My vet said, in Texas, even though titer is NOT accepted by the city, he can write a letter to the city if the cat has strong reactions to the vaccine and is an inside cat..... Bugsy almost died with a Rabies Vaccine..... This is what I will do next. Ask your vet

Thanks Carolina. Titer is not accepted here either, but there is a waiver form my vet can fill out. I hope my vet will be willing to use it next year, and maybe Queen Eva can skip every other year. It makes me nervous to skip, not because I think she is unprotected but because the laws in my area are really really strict. If she bit me badly, or bit anyone at all, she'd end up in six months quarantine, at my expense. I'd hate to have that happen to her. Queen Eva is not a biter, but still.

On the other hand she is much better this morning.

I got up in the middle of the night to check on her and she responded with a prrt and a purr, which was a good sign. Earlier she wasn't responding to me at all.

Then this morning she was a bit wobbly when she first got out of the bed (never moved all night), but got her legs back under her in no time and ran to the cupboard and asked me to play. We usually don't play that game in the mornings, but I guess she was feeling gypped out of her Game last night, so I got the string on a stick toy out and she had a gentle Game. She tired quickly though.

And she's just had half an ounce of Rad Cat Lamb, which she ate with great enjoyment. She asked for more but I told her she better wait a bit and see how that sits on her tummy. After a few minutes she decided I was right and wandered off to use the bathroom.

Poor Eva.  I am sorry she is going through this.  I hope your vet will work with you and come up with a plan so your cat doesn't have to tolerate this every year.   I am not sure what the law is where I live other than the rabies is required, not optional.  I might ask my vet that question.

otto said:

Thanks Carolina. Titer is not accepted here either, but there is a waiver form my vet can fill out. I hope my vet will be willing to use it next year, and maybe Queen Eva can skip every other year. It makes me nervous to skip, not because I think she is unprotected but because the laws in my area are really really strict. If she bit me badly, or bit anyone at all, she'd end up in six months quarantine, at my expense. I'd hate to have that happen to her. Queen Eva is not a biter, but still.
On the other hand she is much better this morning.
I got up in the middle of the night to check on her and she responded with a prrt and a purr, which was a good sign. Earlier she wasn't responding to me at all.
Then this morning she was a bit wobbly when she first got out of the bed (never moved all night), but got her legs back under her in no time and ran to the cupboard and asked me to play. We usually don't play that game in the mornings, but I guess she was feeling gypped out of her Game last night, so I got the string on a stick toy out and she had a gentle Game. She tired quickly though.
And she's just had half an ounce of Rad Cat Lamb, which she ate with great enjoyment. She asked for more but I told her she better wait a bit and see how that sits on her tummy. After a few minutes she decided I was right and wandered off to use the bathroom.

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Well, I guess a waiver and a Letter would be the same thing, really :dk: If she bites you, would you need to tell anyone that it is her? I wouldn't... How would anyone know? :dk: Just say you were feeding a stray.....

Carolina said:

Well, I guess a waiver and a Letter would be the same thing, really :dk: If she bites you, would you need to tell anyone that it is her? I wouldn't... How would anyone know? :dk: Just say you were feeding a stray.....

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If I said that, I would have to take the rabies shots myself. I'd rather not put myself through that.:lol3: If I I do skip a year and then am subsequently bitten by Queen Eva severely enough to need treatment I would just say it was Jennie or Mazy.

But it's not me being bitten that is the concern, it's anyone else. Not that it is likely, in fact it is highly UNlikely. But the way the laws are here....I just don't like to take chances. Since we have a high incidence of rabies, in spite of all the free and reduced cost rabies vaccine clinics, the law has no loopholes.

Queen Eva is completely back to normal now, as far as appetite and interaction response. She's still not at her normal activity level, but otherwise recovered.

I'm told. . .that barbed wire wounds are virtually indistinguishable from animal bites, and, even if they think it's an animal bite but you insist you tangled with some barbed wire, there's nothing they can do. . .if you're comfortable with telling doctors that sort of thing. Just sayin' .

My cat is an inside cat (the only outdoors he gets is a supervised leash time on his harness). He was vaccinated in the SPCA where I got him and then a year later (all vaccines + rabies). I will not be doing any more vaccinations for the remainder of his life.
There are no necessary vaccines where I live... I'm lucky.

Willowy said:

I'm told. . .that barbed wire wounds are virtually indistinguishable from animal bites, and, even if they think it's an animal bite but you insist you tangled with some barbed wire, there's nothing they can do. . .if you're comfortable with telling doctors that sort of thing. Just sayin' .

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I don't mind lying, but the danger would be, if she bit someone else. Say, at the vet's office, during a procedure. And the wost, if she needed emergency care sometime, when my vet was not on call. The last thing she would need, if she was sick enough to need emergency care, is a rabies vaccine. But around here, that's the first, the very first thing, you are asked. "Is she up to date on rabies?" "bring rabies certificate when you bring her in".

Rabies is taken very seriously here. There are no exceptions. Last year when Tolly sunk a tooth into me by accident when I was trimming his nails he was put on house quarantine for 10 days. He was 12 years old, an indoor cat, had had a PureVax rabies vaccine every year of his life. But the "bite" needed treatment and the department of health had to be called, forms had to be filled out, and they followed up at the 10 day mark. When I didn't call them back right away they called again, and again, until I was able to call them back during business hours.

I think Queen Eva's sensitivities date back to her early days, before I was able to rescue her. When she was 5 weeks old she was given multiple baths with a Hartz flea shampoo, toxic enough for an adult cat, but I'm lucky she's alive at all, as she was so tiny. And of course she continued to be so flea ridden you could see them crawling on her, even through her black fur. Oh, my poor baby girl! This was not me that did that to her. It took me four weeks from the time I first met her (when she was 3-4 weeks old) to get her out of there. I was crazy to rescue her but the circumstances were tricky, and I'm just grateful I was able to get her when I did.

Her energy is still a bit low today but she's eating now. I really don't see anyway around putting her through it every year, unless the laws are changed, which, with the power Big Pharma has, is not likely to happen any time soon, in spite of the efforts of people like Kris L. Christine.