Current thinking on vaccines, cat age 6 and up?

So I have a cat Poppet who's been home here more than a year now, almost a year and half actually, who has had no problems that sent us back to the vet after our initial visit when first adopted.  So she is overdue for a checkup, I should think.  Her sister Widget was at the vet once or twice in the meantime for one condition, about 6 months ago, so I'm not feeling like she has to go back quite as soon. (It isn't like I really got a special deal for bringing them in together that I could tell, hehe.) They are 5 years old, closer to 6 years, if I remember correctly from their records.

What I'm wondering is if you have some thoughts and/or sources of info that you like on current thinking with vaccines.  Before I just did what the vet suggested, and for that matter my only experience with my current vet and vaccinating was with Amber, who only saw him when she was into her senior years.  From what I remember he didn't give her anything but the rabies vaccine, and in her last year he might not even have done that, although I think we have a law here for annual rabies shot (Pennsylvania).

In other words, at close to 6 years of age, how often if ever should a cat still have a FVRCP vaccine?  The other thing is I'm not up on the different rabies vaccine choices and I should probably know about that as well.  If nothing else she would likely need the rabies shot.  I have all the paperwork which should show when they last had shots, as they spent 6 months in the shelter before they came home with us.  They had no shots in their initial vet visit because they had come from the shelter where all that was up to date, so no shots have been done in over a year now, probably about a year and a half and could be going on 2 years.

I'm not at all anti-vaccine.  Indeed as far as humans go that stuff seems to get us into trouble and we may well not have good immunity towards some of the things well into our adulthood (measles, pertussis, etc.)  But there is certainly also a point at which we'd be overdoing it for the cats.  I read some pieces on this site about what to definitely vaccinate for and what is optional,  but not what later in life schedules should be.

The cats stay inside 100% of the time and are the only two pets in the house.

Thanks for any input.  If it helps to know more precisely when their last shots were I will post them here.  I gather I'll be looking them up anyway to tell the vet.

EDIT:  Because of the long shelter stay it is actually approaching 2 years, because of course the shelter does this right away on admission.  It's 5/11/13 for rabies, and 6/10/13 for the FVRCP because they gave a set of 2, a month apart.  The cats appear to have been born in early July 2009. (I know this because they even came into the same shelter as tiny week or two old kittens, and then were returned there twice by people who were apparently less cat-worthy.)

Per AVMA, Rabies should be given yearly (adjuvant-free vaccine is the preferred) and FVRCP should be given every 3 years.

You're going to get differing personal opinions on how to vaccinate.

My crew is still in between FVRCPs, so haven't yet decided how I'm going to do that. Everyone gets their RV yearly, with the exception of my senior (soon to be 17) and possibly another that had a reaction last year.

Hi,

I live in PA as well,

and the law is every 3 years now for Rabies,

but the caveat to that is - the 1st time shot, for either a kitten or a cat whose history of shots is unknown,

must be followed by a "booster" ONE year later.  From then on, the requirement is every 3 years.

The ironic thing about it all is - the 1 vs. 3 Year labeled shots in fact are the same exact thing; originally they were tested by the manufacturers for efficacy for 1, then 3 years, and can be labeled as such.  The vet can then issue you a certificate and tag, proving they've met the legal requirement for 1 or 3 years.

One time the vet mistakenly issued me a certificate for 1 year, since he used the vaccine labeled "1 year" but it was his booster, so he just issued me a corrected certificate.  LOL

The Rabies laws have not caught up to the science, but at least most states have eased the yearly requirement (for both cats and dogs) to 3 year after the initial course.

Please consider these 4 fifteen minute videos explaining the proven immunity of vaccination, vs. the racket of vets issuing them every year, for so many.


Viral diseases for the most part can be prevented by vaccinations (bacterial- yes, need more frequent "boosters") that last likely the life of the pet, but certainly 7 years or more as Dr. Shultz's studies have proven.

He is not some kook, rebel vet, by the way - he is the U.S.'s leading animal immunologist that wrote the most-used textbook on that system for the veterinary colleges across the country.  His work got the AAHA to change it's recommendations to 7 years (for CORE viral) for a short while before the members gave blowback and they back-peddled and went to 3 years recommendation.

So I have taken in young, but adult looking cats and I do RCCP, Rabies, and Leukemia twice, 2 years apart,  then they are DONE.

I defy the law, then, on the Rabies-  but it's up to you. 

Some vets won't treat your animal for anything unless they are "up to date" by THEIR OWN policy/standards, so I will acquiesce on the Rabies alone.

I wouldn't defy the law on Rabies with my dogs, and they are far more likely to get caught, and then I'd have to deal with the authorities- which more or less just means you are given a set timeframe to come into compliance (get the certificate) or pay a fine.

(Kittens who are under a certain age do need more boosters as they are coming out of their mothers' natural immunity passed on, and not fully getting the benefit of the shots, so it is called the "window of vulnerability" or something.)

@4catsNcounting, the 1 yr and 3 yr rabies vaccines are NOT the same...at least in regards to the adjuvant-free RV made by Merial. The adjuvant-free vaccine is the one that I think pretty much everyone can agree is the preferred RV to use on cats as it is much less likely to cause injection site sarcomas.

Now, the 1 and 3 yr RV that IS adjuvanted (meaning is has an additive that causes an increased immune response) could very well be the same thing. I know the RV labeled for 3 yr use in cats is the same as the RV used in dogs. I know a few clinics around me that only offer this RV b/c it reduces cost for the clinic.

I forgot she also asked about the vaccines themselves -

Yes, Merial makes the canary-pox based recombinant, non-adjuvinated Rabies called PurVac.  Last time I checked it was made labeled for 1 year only.

It is widely considered as having the safety (in terms of the disease itself) of a killed with less of the sarcoma risk as killed w/ adjuvants added.

Fort Dodge (now Boehringer Ingelheim) has an adjuvinated Leukemia shot called Fell-Vac Killed but the additive is NOT aluminum, but an "aqueous" proprietary one that is, according to the phone call I made to them, not metal of any kind. Because it is proprietary they won't tell me specifically what it is.  Harumf.  They also tell me their FeloVax Lv-K IV does not contain metals.

Merial also has a recombinant Leukemia, but it must be administered by a transdermal injection gun, which most practices (I assme?) don't bother to have on hand.

Merial have PureVac 4 which is modified live for the 4 diseases and is not adjuvinated.

There may be newer ones from different manufacturers or the same ones by now , as my research is many years old.

I got my cats vacines in their early years, and then figured since they are indoors only, by the time they were 3 or 4, they had built up enough from the few years of shots that they should be good for life.  This is all except the rabies vacine, which is required if they go to the groomers, which they do every once in awhile.  In the meantime, this has been debated before, and I'm searching for the thread about it.  When I find it, I'll post the link.

CatPack said:

Per AVMA, Rabies should be given yearly (adjuvant-free vaccine is the preferred) and FVRCP should be given every 3 years.

You're going to get differing personal opinions on how to vaccinate.

My crew is still in between FVRCPs, so haven't yet decided how I'm going to do that. Everyone gets their RV yearly, with the exception of my senior (soon to be 17) and possibly another that had a reaction last year.

Click to expand...

there is a 3 year nonadjuvanted rabies vaccine available

OK, found the old thread.  Here it is:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245463/do-indoor-cats-really-need-vaccines/120

Thanks everyone your input, I think it will help.  I haven't really had a chance to spend time with this topic again yet, and now it will probably be another few weeks at least before I would be thinking about a vet appointment.  (I'm going to be away next week.)  But this should give me a chance to read up and learn more.  Until a few years ago I wasn't used to doing really anything other than what the vet suggested (except a little bit with food sometimes) and even then with Amber I maybe didn't question as much as I should have with some of her care in her last months.  But with these two I have set out to feed the best I can (and I think they are eating well and very good foods) rather than keeping them on Hill's c/d which is maybe what a less informed adopter would have done.  And since they are only 6 years old I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing with the vaccinations and other care.

They did actually have the leukemia vaccine with a booster back in 2013 from what I can tell so I wouldn't do that again.  That's why I was focused mainly on the rabies and the FVRCP.  For all I know they had the leukemia shot earlier in life too but I forgot to look at that in the earlier history.   It sounds like they maybe wouldn't be due for either at this point, although the old info says the rabies should be boosted in a year.  That might have been before the PA law changed if it changed recently.

I'll take a look at the older thread linked first before repeating too much on this one, thanks!  I'm not sure if I didn't find it before or what....

And again - if a pet is vaccinated with a dose of a Rabies vaccine in which the bottle is LABELED for 1 or 3 years, then that is what the vet will in all likelihood certify to in terms of the law.

(My example of the vet changing the certificate is a rare happenstance.)

The reminder you have stating - due in 1 yr. may be because that is the type of vaccine they typically use (gave you a certificate, not just a receipt, yes?), and/or they set up their protocol to have clients come in yearly at any rate.

And so even if your cat receives a 2nd Rabies shot that is labeled 1 yr the following year of the initial shot, in terms of the law - he is only "up to date" on shots for 1 year.  Gah.

Even though the animal is likely actually immune for life for Rabies.

I lost track of how many times you have on record as your cat being vaccinate for Rabies, but it was at least once - so if going for a 2nd time, I would seek a 3 yr.option especially if a non-adjuvinated 3 year is now available.

Anybody have the brand and name of such?

Some vets will play ball and order in a vaccine they don't normally carry if you ask.

4catsNcounting said:

 
And again - if a pet is vaccinated with a dose of a Rabies vaccine in which the bottle is LABELED for 1 or 3 years, then that is what the vet will in all likelihood certify to in terms of the law.

(My example of the vet changing the certificate is a rare happenstance.)

The reminder you have stating - due in 1 yr. may be because that is the type of vaccine they typically use (gave you a certificate, not just a receipt, yes?), and/or they set up their protocol to have clients come in yearly at any rate.

And so even if your cat receives a 2nd Rabies shot that is labeled 1 yr the following year of the initial shot, in terms of the law - he is only "up to date" on shots for 1 year.  Gah.

Even though the animal is likely actually immune for life for Rabies.

I lost track of how many times you have on record as your cat being vaccinate for Rabies, but it was at least once - so if going for a 2nd time, I would seek a 3 yr.option especially if a non-adjuvinated 3 year is now available.

Anybody have the brand and name of such?

Some vets will play ball and order in a vaccine they don't normally carry if you ask.

Click to expand...

Purevax by Merial

http://www.merial.com/EN/PressRoom/...uces-PUREVAX®-Feline-Rabies-3-YR-Vaccine.aspx

Thank you DeMut!

Very glad to know a 3 yr. is available.

Now to push for a 7 yr.  ... then a Lifetime labeling...