Vaccinating indoor cats?

catsallaround said:

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? 
 

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As I understand it, usually not. Exemptions are typically only given for health reasons. But some organizations are working to make good titer results an exempting factor. I'd say write your representitives.

Look at the vaccines they give kids today.  So much junk goes into vaccines.  You can prove anything you want in the world today if you have enough money.  It all depends on what you can handle and feel comfortable doing/dealing with.

Before you give anything it is always a good idea to see WHAT you actually are giving and the inserts are viewable by anyone.

Actually, Winn Feline just published about a study that indicates the non-adjuvanted rabies vaccination does provide at least 3-year protection: http://winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com/2013/06/long-term-immunity-to-rabies.html

This is major for anyone that practices TNR and works with feral cats - but only because it is current research based on the non-adjuvanted vaccine.

The research already existed for the older vaccines:

http://www.alleycat.org/Page.aspx?pid=686

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1319696/

And a French study from 1992 found the same 5-year immunity: http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/vaccines/FrenchRabiesStudy.html

The Rabies Challenge Fund: http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/latest/latest-rabies-challenge-fund-updates They're up to year six...


However, there is reason to believe vaccinations confer long term immunity in general, the way (most) of them do in people: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021997509003338

catsallaround said:

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? 

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TOTALLY depends on the State and County. We're both in NJ - in my county, the rabies vaccination isn't even required at all.

From the Rabies Challenge Fund news:

16 U.S. States Have Medical Exemptions in Lieu of Rabies Vaccination: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.

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There is a link to each State's fuil text: http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/latest/latest-rabies-challenge-fund-updates

I suggest everyone ask their vets how often they get their rabies vaccinations. My vet's last titre test showed that at 7 years, his titres are still going strong...

Thanks.  I do not know about Burlington County as never looked into it.  I know a few of the cities I was in in Ocean all had cat limit of 6 or less and required licensing in order to get license you needed rabies proof.  No one cared/asked about the cats but a time or 2. 
 

catsallaround said:

Thanks.  I do not know about Burlington County as never looked into it.  I know a few of the cities I was in in Ocean all had cat limit of 6 or less and required licensing in order to get license you needed rabies proof.  No one cared/asked about the cats but a time or 2. 
 

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Never know; maybe they allow titer exemptions. It'd definitely be good to check, if it ever becomes an issue. But personally, if "the man" isn't bothering me, I prefer to just fly under the radar than cause myself the headache.

We were usually at 15 or so cats so yeah we kept quiet.There is a low cat limit where I am now but no one cares/asks about cats.  actually have yet to have AC ask about my dogs being lic or not(have heard they come yearly)  The vet was unaware of any limit and told me MANY have 4 cats or more in my town.  I have heard there is a hoarder in area who they go in every few years and take all her cats so may be based on that.

My mom just took one of her cats in to be boarded, and they had her sign a waiver saying she didn't want to vaccinate. So I guess at some boarding places at least, even that's not a good reason to vaccinate :dk:. They let her waive the distemper vaccine for her dogs but required a bordetella vaccine for them . Which is ridiculous because the bordetella vaccine is nearly worthless.

Personally, I'll vaccinate kittens over 4 months old and adult strays once. After that, no vaccines for cats (or ferrets). I do keep the dogs legal on rabies because it's a requirement for their city license. Honestly, I've had more problems from vaccinating than not vaccinating (cats and ferrets anyway. The dogs seem to have fewer issues with it. Although my first dog did have bad reactions).

Did the boarding place put him in a different area/with the small dogs?  I know the one vet I used when Ben went for a dental they were like we will keep him in iso so none of the other cats get sick.  Um no thanks you can stick him with the small dogs.  And that is where they stuck him 

Glad to hear that she was able to sign waiver.  Did they make her do the dogs a few weeks before or a vaccine on spot?

She just dropped them off, none have been to the vet for ages :lol3:. The dogs are legal on 3-year rabies, the cat might be legal because my mom just got her from someone else about a year ago. It's the vet's office, not a boarding kennel. I don't know where they put the cat but they did say that they don't get many cats for boarding. My mom only boarded her because the cat's litterbox habits are bad and she didn't want the petsitters to have to deal with the cleanup :tongue2:.

The rabies shot is VERY affective, but not all animals will produce antibodies from the immune reaction. As far as I understand, that's the basis of observation and revaccination after exposure to a wild or feral animal. Indiana has a 3 year rabies law, so that's what we do. My pup (13 months old) got the one year, and she's due for the three year 'booster' in August. From then on it's every three years. I've asked a local vet (recently moved, still trying to find one) if I could just get the three year for the kitten and he said yes, but some vets insist on what we're doing with my pup for cats as well.

tabbiesarebest said:

...Indiana has a 3 year rabies law, so that's what we do. My pup (13 months old) got the one year, and she's due for the three year 'booster' in August. From then on it's every three years................... I've asked a local vet...if I could just get the three year for the kitten and he said yes........

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That's a NO-NO! Three-year vaccines are ADJUVANTED vaccines.......yes, Vets provide them BUT...those products are the ones known to cause vaccine site problems, the most dangerous of which is the vaccine associated sarcoma.

The one year vaccine - Merial's PUREVAX - administered yearly where law requires periodic boosting regimens (yes, yearly where 3-year is acceptable) IS SAFER  than the 3-year products.

From the article I quoted waaaaaay back above:

Rabies:

...vaccinating cats for rabies is required by law in some areas of the country.


There is only one suitable rabies vaccine and that is Merial's PureVax rabies vaccine.  This is a NON-adjuvanted vaccine.

DO NOT ALLOW AN ADJUVANTED RABIES VACCINE TO BE USED.

Unfortunately, the PureVax rabies vaccine only carries a 1-year rating even though 2 studies have shown that it protects cats for much longer.  This is in contrast to the more dangerous adjuvanted rabies vaccines that carry a 3-year rating.


As counter-intuitive as it may sound, it is much safer to administer a PureVax vaccine yearly than it is to inject an adjuvanted rabies vaccine every 3 years.

That said, I do not recommend yearly PureVax administration unless your local laws mandate rabies vaccinations for cats, or your cat is at risk for rabies infection, or your cat is an aggressive biter

http://catinfo.org/?link=vaccines#Vaccines

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Since Si was a stray who was approximately 8mos old when he adopted us, we reasonably assumed no one had ever properly cared for him (no shots or worming as a kitten)  - we chose the non-adjuvanted FVRCP 3yr shot.  And a round of wormer.

As a primarily indoor cat, I'm still on the fence as to whether he'll receive any more vaccines outside of the law in Texas being every 3yrs for rabies.

We live & travel all over in an RV, so rather than try to keep up with all state(s) & border country requirements, which are primarily rabies, I'm leaning towards keeping the rabies only UTD every 3yrs, or longer if I feel I can.

Perhaps I haven't understood your meaning, but because I'm not sure that you're clear about the danger of using a 3-year vaccine, I'll go ahead and pose the question:

Bluebird Gal said:

We live & travel all over in an RV, so rather than try to keep up with all state(s) & border country requirements, which are primarily rabies, I'm leaning towards keeping the rabies only UTD every 3yrs, or longer if I feel I can.

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Here's what I understand from that:

1. You're tending toward having Si "up to date" with his required rabies vaccinations, so that he is compliant with all regional requirements
2. To keep him "up to date" you will therefore vaccinate him every 3 years.

IF that's correct, every 3 years you will have to give him the adjuvanted vaccine........you'll have no other choice.

Now, there IS a SAFER way to keep him "up to date".........give him the non-adjuvanted PUREVAX vaccine each year.

Well, just having recently been published, State laws obviously haven't caught up to the science yet. But a study clearly shows that the non-adjuvanted rabies vaccination (if administered with an initial one year booster) confers immunity for three years:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/260428/...s-vaccine-purevax-provides-long-term-immunity

Of course to be legally compliant, kitties (currently) either need the annual PureVax non-adjuvanted vaccination or the problematic 3-year adjuvanted rabies vaccination.

White Shadow said:

Perhaps I haven't understood your meaning, but because I'm not sure that you're clear about the danger of using a 3-year vaccine, I'll go ahead and pose the question:

Here's what I understand from that:

1. You're tending toward having Si "up to date" with his required rabies vaccinations, so that he is compliant with all regional requirements
2. To keep him "up to date" you will therefore vaccinate him every 3 years.

IF that's correct, every 3 years you will have to give him the adjuvanted vaccine........you'll have no other choice.

Now, there IS a SAFER way to keep him "up to date".........give him the non-adjuvanted PUREVAX vaccine each year.

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Guess it was bad wording on my part.

What I would like to do is give Si a PureVax 1yr non-adjuvanted vaccine every 3yrs.   As an 95% indoor cat (out with us on a harness) I don't see his exposure to rabies high enough to vaccinate every year.   And certainly don't want a questionable 3yr shot going into him ever again.  Didn't know any better when he had his first vet visit because I had not owned a cat in 20+ yrs so have not followed where we were as a country, or state, with the over-vaccination of every living thing.

Well, the main thing is that you knew to stay away from the other!

I wasn't sure whether I should ask or not, whether/not I was being 'anal' about the whole thing, etc etc.....I just hate leaving something when there's that 'nagging doubt'.

Si is in good hands!
 

Totally understand White Shadow .. and that's why I'm so thankful to have found this site!

When we decided to keep him, I remembered quite a bit about overall cat care - but he had some immediate issues to deal with - a cat bite starting to abcess, minor wormy issue - and, of course, no likely history of ever seeing a vet for core kitten shots - so I could only take the recommendations of the vet that treated him for us.

Since we travel in retirement, theoretically, he could see a vet in any State if an issue arose, so I am determined to learn as much as I can about potential drugs/vaccines that I may be suggested to use.  Once we're back through Texas in the winter, I do plan to get Si established with a cat-only vet as his primary care giver.  I believe it's in all our best interests to have someone we can see annually for an overall health check and who's able/willing to consult with any vet we may have to visit in our travels.

I am still shocked after reading here about some of the horrible side effects, if not worse, but he also got a shot of that Covenia stuff because of the abcess    Thankfully he had zero side effects from it and was eating, drinking and just being as crazy a kitten the day following the shot as the day before he got it.  I didn't receive a response, but I did write the vet that treated/neutered him for us in Louisiana both thanking them for their help as well as asking him to reconsider alternatives to that product based on the research.