Vaccination question

My cat has always been living indoors.

I've been trying to keep it this way, but is becoming increasingly difficult, because nothing else excites him now, and he just cries and whines all day long to go outside, until I finally put a leash on him and go for a 1h walk, just for him to restart the whining as soon as he gets back home.

I went to the vet, that mentioned that because of the risk of going outside, he needs new vaccination: "RCPCh" and "FeLV". He received them and

a new appointment was booked to 3 to 4 weeks later for one more shot.

Well, I missed the booster appointment and now it's been 5 weeks since he first got vaccinated.

I just called the vet and she said that, because it's been 5 weeks, he needs to RESTART the vaccination schedule (take the same shots again), so he can receive the boosters 3 to 4 weeks from now??

Is this even healthy for my cat?

Trying to get advice from you on what's the best thing, now that I (unfortunately ) missed the appointment.

Is this the first time he's ever had any vaccines?  I know when they are kittens they do have to get a series of shots for them to be effective.  Did he never get them in the beginning?  Or is he still a kitten? 

The real question to me is....WHY is he crying so much?  What is his history?   Why is he only happy outdoors?  These are questions that need answering and maybe we can help you resolve the issues so he can be happy indoors, or with a short walk outside, although if he goes outdoors at all, even for a short walk, in my opinion then he still needs his vaccines as he can be exposed to things out there.

No. He is 3 years old and has been vaccinated.

The risk of him going outside (he already managed to escape 2x) imposes different risks (possible contact with other cats, etc) so the vet gave some different vaccination.

As it is a first time for these, aparently, he needs to receive 2 shots in a 30 day interval. My question is: After 40 days, if I miss the 2nd vaccine, do I really need to restart the plan, so he would take 3 shots in a 70 day interval. Isn't that too much?

I would say if your Vet says he needs them again, then you need to be able to trust your Vet's word.  If not, then possibly call a different Vet?

BUT, I still wonder why your cat is trying to escape outside? Is he neutered?  What has changed that he's no longer happy to stay indoors?  If you are interested in trying to figure this out, then you might want to start up another thread for that issue in the Behavior Forum.

If your kitty doesn't have a cat tree, he needs one.  Also, hanging bird feeders outside his window will provide hours of entertainment for him.  Another option is to adopt a second cat to keep him company. In addition, if he's not neutered, I'd get him neutered.  That might help as well.  I'd still work to keep him indoors and tell him that going out isn't an option for him. 

At 3 years of age, I'm not sure why he would need a series of shots.  Usually that's done for kittens whose systems can't handle the whole dose at once.  If you got him from a rescue, he should've already been vaccinated prior to your adoption.  I think I'd call around and ask about the shots, though. 

My 7 month old (almost 8 months old) always tries to escape outside, this is one of the reasons he has his own room. He's been successful twice, went further the second time but still in the yard and on our property. We used to take him out on a harness and a leash, but he grew out of his kitten harness and is still in that awkward kitten stage where he is too big for his kitten harness and too small for an adult cat harness. I also think taking him out on a harness encourages his "escaping" behavior. 

Another thing you could do, as someone else has suggested, getting a cat tree for him if you don't already have one. 

I'd also suggest a window perch that you set on your window sill and has metal things that press against your walls. This will provide him being able to look outside and enjoy all the cool things. Plus, as someone else has suggested, bird feeders outside in your yard, on your porch, etc... will provide entertainment. I've done this with a bird feeder for both of my cats. They enjoy it. 

If you do the advice of getting another cat, you may have to get a feline herpes vaccine and a booster for that. I had to do that with my 14 year old to get my 7 month old. Also, I'm suggesting this from experience, get a cat that is around the same age and activity level. My 7 month old was not a good match for my 14 year old. I love my 7 month old a lot, though, I only wish I would have had this advice when we were looking to get a second cat (though Link chose us, so we really couldn't say no ). 

You might consider putting together a "catio" to give your kitty a safe, limited outdoor experience. You don't have to get real elaborate, here's a few ideas:

https://www.google.com/search?q=catio+ideas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=catios+designs

JaVo2004 said:

No. He is 3 years old and has been vaccinated.
The risk of him going outside (he already managed to escape 2x) imposes different risks (possible contact with other cats, etc) so the vet gave some different vaccination.

As it is a first time for these, aparently, he needs to receive 2 shots in a 30 day interval. My question is: After 40 days, if I miss the 2nd vaccine, do I really need to restart the plan, so he would take 3 shots in a 70 day interval. Isn't that too much?

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There's no easy answer, because how much leeway is given depends on the individual vet. Many will insist on starting the whole series over if the second shot isn't given within 21 - 28 days of the first, while others will say 6 weeks between shots is still okay, but 8 isn't. They're dependent on the recommendations of the vaccine producers.

The shelter I work at regularly gets strays, who are given their first round of shots within the first week after their arrival and the second round four weeks later. Presumably many of these cats were UTD on their shots before coming to the shelter, but we can't put the other cats at risk by not vaccinating. So far there haven't been any problems caused by the "extra" inoculations.

stephanietx said:

 
If your kitty doesn't have a cat tree, he needs one.  Also, hanging bird feeders outside his window will provide hours of entertainment for him.  Another option is to adopt a second cat to keep him company. In addition, if he's not neutered, I'd get him neutered.  That might help as well.  I'd still work to keep him indoors and tell him that going out isn't an option for him. 

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These are exactly the things I was thinking, but not sure what the issues are.  Neutering, if not already done, could be a big one. 

Additionally, just playing with him might be helpful.  My "boys" love playing with Da Bird.  OMG, they go crazy for that one.  They know where I keep it stashed when not in play, and will actually paw at the door of the closet to let me know they want to play .  the problem is, it's hard to fly around our house because of the layout.  But we make do.  I just have to make sure I cover up the leather couches with blankets first though, because they tear through here so fast I'm afraid they will rip the arms or something in their haste to catch it flying past