Vaccinating indoor cats?

Why should I vaccinate a kitten that has no prior shot history if he's going to live his entire life indoors? The only exposure to other cats is an adult male who's been vaccinated multiple times over the past 7 years and is negative for any infections disease. The adult cat also lives indoors.

Feline distemper is a threat to kittens.  It's a parvo type virus that can live in the environment for a very long time especially in the soil.  We can bring it in on our shoes and with kittens being so susceptable to it they can catch it that way.  It's a three shot series with a booster given at one year.  There are varying opinions on shots after one year but there is agreement on the shots up to one year.  I wouldn't get the vaccination for feline leukemia for an indoor cat because that one can only be caught by direct contact with fluids from an infected cat.  Many localities have laws requiring the rabies shot.  There is a very slight risk of infection for an indoor cat from a bat that gets in the house.  I used to think that was something that didn't really happen until a man in Ohio caught it that way, didn't know he had been bitten and died from rabies.  I guess from what I have read a few people a year nationwide contract rabies from bats that got in the house.

tabbiesarebest said:

Why should I vaccinate a kitten that has no prior shot history if he's going to live his entire life indoors? The only exposure to other cats is an adult male who's been vaccinated multiple times over the past 7 years and is negative for any infections disease. The adult cat also lives indoors.

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Because you never know.

My elder kitty wound up with clinical toxoplasmosis, despite being an indoor only-cat her entire life. There's no vaccine for that, but it goes to show that infection is not always as easy to prevent as we might like.

What about animals around at the vet? "Left overs" from animals if you go to a new place? What if your cat gets loose?

You never know.

And besides that, it makes things really tough for you if you ever, say, have to board them somewhere.

15 to 20 years is a long time. A lot of things could happen.

Lilin raises a good point about the problems you may run into if  you have to board  your cat.  Many vets require rabies vaccination (as do local jurisdiction); some vets and pet insurance companies may require proof of feline calici virus, feline herpes virus type I (rhinotracheitis) vaccinations.  At the vets, even if only for a wellness check, your 'indoor cat only' has suddenly been exposed to cats who may be outdoor/indoor cats who may be sick, but showing no symptoms.

Now, if you don't board your cat, I'd still go with the rabies shot.  After a certain number of years/vaccinations, you can get the vet to tritate (?) your cat's blood to see if he/she has enough antibodies in her blood to be immune from rabies (or, whatever the scientific terms are) and get a letter from your vet saying your cat should be exempt from the requirement.

I'll definitely look for the distemper single-virus vaccine and give it to him. I'm pretty sure I can buy it online. All of my knowledge on animal vaccines is related to canines.

And yea... rabies is required by law so I don't even lump that in with the other vaccinations. It's just something I have to have done.

Are you sure it's three shots? My vet said it was only two. (Kitten has had first two shots plus rabies.)

As for the OP, I would get the first shots plus the rabies. Especially the rabies. God forbid they somehow escape and catch it - or anything else for that matter. I've always been of the opinion to be more safe then sorry.
 

A friend's indoor cat got loose and was missing for a month. So you never know what may happen.

I also know someone who brought a stray kitten home and he ended up giving her cats FelV.
 

Unfortunately, the FeLV vaccination doesn't provide "certain" prevention of FeLV the way a rabies vaccination does for rabies. IMO the FeLV must be given based on risk, because it's only effective about 70% of the time, and an adult cat has about a 30% chance of clearing the infection on its own, if exposed.

Here's another discussion of indoor cats and vaccinations: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245463/do-indoor-cats-really-need-vaccines

Ares said:

Are you sure it's three shots? My vet said it was only two. (Kitten has had first two shots plus rabies.)

As for the OP, I would get the first shots plus the rabies. Especially the rabies. God forbid they somehow escape and catch it - or anything else for that matter. I've always been of the opinion to be more safe then sorry.
 

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I think the number of shots depends on the age the first one is given.  If they get their first distemper shot when they are very young then they get two more.  Distemper is the big viral killer of kittens so they do all they can to get an immunity built up.

Hi tabbiesarebest!    (three of my guys were cheering when they heard your name!)

I really recommend that you get yourself up-to-speed on feline vaccines. There are major differences between these and canine shots....differences that pertain to the unique sensitivity of felines to any kind of injection.

A well-respected feline Vet has an article that I'd recommend - it's here: Vaccines for Cats

Make sure you understand what she says about "adjuvanted" vaccines - and why those should never be used in cats....and, that you need to ask whether/not any vaccine is adjuvanted, not just assume that a Vet wouldn't be using them......and, that there is only one non-adjuvanted rabies vaccine available.
 

Interestingly, just today, another popular online Vet was railing against those less-than-scrupulous "Vets" who, despite a mountain of evidence against the practice, still cling to the "yearly shot" routine. That article's here: The Outdated Vet Vaccination Advice That Can Harm...

LDG said:

Unfortunately, the FeLV vaccination doesn't provide "certain" prevention of FeLV the way a rabies vaccination does for rabies.

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I know, I was just giving it as an example of how cats might be exposed to illness or need vaccination even though they are kept indoors.

Oh gotcha.

Thanks for the link about adjuvanted vaccines. I briefly went over the vaccination links here on the forum and noticed that it was strongly recommended against.

And yes, tabbies are certainly best! We really wanted another orange tabby to go with Murphy, but ended up finding a grey tabby that has the personality we love. Runner up is black cats, although I've never met a black and white piebald that I got along with. It's funny how some colors seem to go with some personalities, although it certainly has a lot to do with how they were raised.

I never was a big tabby fan before, but apparently the cats had different ideas... I ended up owning 5 brown tabbies (well, one's a torbie).  

I stopped vaccinating long ago.  I have many cats and saw a few issues and after looking into it decided not to.  I did give my puppy 2 rounds as she was at dog park daily but will do nothing else then rabies for the dogs and cats who go out.  Vaccines do have good points for some(If you board then vaccines are most likely required anyways, pet sitter in house means how many cats she sees a day/if they are a vet tech exposure at work) but for our family that far as I can tell is complete(sigh never say 100%) I just do not see it worth the risk. We have not taken a new cat in few years, the 2 outside cats tend to stay outside even in real bad weather(their choice).  Everything has its own risks though. 

Of all my cats only 1 of the inside cats gets out every month or two for a few minutes to go eat grass, I hardly ever go to vet as my guys are pretty healthy(the outside ex feral does get bites a few times a year cause he is an idiot who still tries to take on the unneutered males even though I TNR and he has been fixed for a couple years now)  Boarding is out as I have to many to even afford to board half my cats for a day.

I just noticed someone mentioned that they do rabies because their cat might come into contact with a bat. Rabies vaccination does not protect 100%. If it did, then there wouldn't be a need to quarantine an animal that bites a human that has proof of vaccination. By law any dog or cat that bites a person has to be observed for the incubation period to see if they have it. Also, most vets recommend a booster of rabies if your dog or cat is bitten by a wild animal or feral cat.

TNR cats might be vaccinated against rabies while they're being sterilized but that doesn't mean they've had an immune response and it doesn't protect YOUR cat from contracting the disease from them. If your cat is being bitten by these feral cats then, medically, you should be boostering for rabies every single time and observing for the incubation period. Is it really worth exposing your pet AND your family to rabies so that he can have outdoor freedom? That might sound doomsday-ish but so does the likelihood of a bat flying into a house. It can and does happen.

I've lost several cats to cars and other animals. I refuse to ever allow them outdoor access until I have a fenced yard that I can cat proof to prevent them escaping or other animals coming in after them.

Well it is all I can do for my cat as he would not stay in house.  He is a tamed enough feral.  I have 28 cats together.  2 outside.  I think I know cats enough to say those 2 are NOT going to adjust to being in the house. The other cat I got in 2006 and tried since. When he gets bit he stays in a cage for a few days until it is healed/safe(closed off and not interfering with him running/getting away from something if he must.

I just euthanized a cat 2 months ago to being hit by a car.  He was also an ex feral I tamed.  When a cat starts taking out aggression from being locked in the house on my other cats I have to look at it from that standpoint.

Every time I have brought the cat in not one vet from practice was ever concerned about rabies.  It has been found few cities away in past so it is not like I am saying my state is safe, I KNOW there is that risk.  I also know I have nothing else to offer him as it is either be an outside cat or what euthanize him?  I mean he can NOT be in this house.  With TNR it is give and take really.  Best you can do is revaccinate any cats you can retrap.  Luckily he has had a few rabies shots since 2010. An he is still alive and well.  He has a better chance of being protected then a cat who had no rabies shot.

Also what vets will tell you is you may NOT know a bat was ever in house.  You may find it dead later on after it has been dead a while.  So for that yes it is better to get at least the rabies for in case a bat comes in, but if it does stay on top of it and contact the vet to see if you need to do further testing on the bat if it is possible.

I agree with a lot of posters that we over-vaccinate animals. I will be getting titers for Pia, because I don't want to give her more vaccine than she really needs. We know humans retain rabies immunity for years and years, and we don't re-vacc if their titer is good. So why should I do that for Pia?

But I think there's a middle ground here. Having almost lost my own cat to infection, despite a very insulated life, and having been thwarted from an adoption because the cat was dying of end-stage FeLV, I just don't think the idea of not vaccinating at all is fair.

Titer testing is great if you have the money to do it. Also if the titer is ok does anyone know will that get you out of the township rabies law?