How often do you vaccinate your cats?

I was wondering how often do you vaccinate your indoor cats? My cats were all vaccinated twice as kittens with the combo shot for calicivirus, parvovirus and rhinovirus.  In Croatia we are not obligated to vaccinate at all our cats. But I do it since Picard had calicivirus when he was adopted. I do not want to over do it but I do want for them to be safe. The vets say that you should vaccinate your cats every 13 months. I have read somewhere that it last up to 3 years. Does anybody have any other information? Thanks

All of my cats were vaccinated against everything when I first adopted them but now I only do the rabies shots which last 3 years as required by our local bylaws. I don't believe cats need to be vaccinated so frequently, particularly if their immune system is strong and healthy. I prefer to support the immune system of my cats through good food and dietary supplements such as L-Lysine and Coconut Oil.

Once a year vet visits are in order. They get their rabies shot that last for 2 years. Plus I always get a routine bloodwork done to make sure all is in order. I also have to bring in a poo sample to make sure there are no parasites. I have 8 cats, so every Saturday 2 go to the vet for Christmas gifts for them, so we do it each December. My vet is very reasonably priced so it usually cost 125 per cat for the works. My Momma Pooch who is 20 gets so stressed out that this year we decided to pass on her and only take her every other year when her rabies shot is due.

Sandra86 said:

 
I was wondering how often do you vaccinate your indoor cats? My cats were all vaccinated twice as kittens with the combo shot for calicivirus, parvovirus and rhinovirus.  In Croatia we are not obligated to vaccinate at all our cats. But I do it since Picard had calicivirus when he was adopted. I do not want to over do it but I do want for them to be safe. The vets say that you should vaccinate your cats every 13 months. I have read somewhere that it last up to 3 years. Does anybody have any other information? Thanks

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A lot of vets in the USA citing studies that show immunity well past 3 years for the 3 in 1 vaccine you mention are recommending it once every 3 years for adult cats after they've had their first annual booster at one year of age.  And then as they become senior cats they no longer get the vaccine, assuming they don't have contact with outdoor cats.

There is a 3 year rabies vaccine, although a lot of people skip this vaccine entirely for indoor-only cats due to the cancer risk.

Stephen

Thank you all for sharing.

Stephen - please bear with me - the kittens get vaccinated twice with the combo shot and then again one year after, and that would do for the next few years? Did I get it right?

Thank you, this was exactly the info I was looking for.

We do the Fvrcp combo every 3 years once they are adults and we use the Non Adjuvunted Rabies vaccine so it is done every year.  From the research  I have done it is safer for the cats.

Sandra,

In the US, kittens usually get the 3 in 1 vaccine 3 times at about 8 weeks, 12, and 16 weeks of age timed with the wearing off of the natural immunity they get from mom. Then its one booster at one year of age, and then many cats but not necessarily all   will get it every three years after that until they become senior cats.

You can download the most current recommendations from the American Association of Feline Practitioners website at (get the summery, not the full report)

http://www.catvets.com/guidelines/practice-guidelines/feline-vaccination



Stephen

I find the vaccines page on www.catinfo.org to be very informative and helpful in terms of deciding which vaccines to use and when. It's written by a vet, and it makes a lot of sense to me.

vball91 said:

I find the vaccines page on www.catinfo.org to be very informative and helpful in terms of deciding which vaccines to use and when. It's written by a vet, and it makes a lot of sense to me.

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Yes, Dr. Pierson's page on vaccines is a very good read. Here is the direct link for those interested : http://www.catinfo.org/?link=vaccines

Thank you all, the problem here is that the vets are usually not well informed or they just want more money, so every pet owner has to do a lot of research. I will study all of this pages and it does seem logical to me not to vaccinate them so often.