Should An Adult Cat Get FeLV Shots?

tb75252

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I have inherited a 10-year-old, spayed, female cat.  She was born feral but got used to humans little by little.  She stays outside approx. 80% of the time.

The person who was taking care of her before took her to the vet for basic shots about 8 years ago.  So, I recently managed to take her to the vet for another round of basic shots.

The vet also recommends FeLV shots since she has tested negative for that disease and mostly stays outside.  She has also tested negative for FIV.  So the vet is recommending a shot for that too. 

What do you guys think?  Should I go ahead and get her these shots?  She is about 10 years old...  Could such shots do more harm than good at that age?  Also, if she has not gotten FeL and/or FIV by now...
 

missmimz

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I would not, even for an outdoor access cat. I follow these guidelines for vaccinations, and this is what she says about FIV/FeLV vaccines

"Do not vaccinate adult cats for FeLV – even if they have access to the outdoors – since natural immunity to this disease is very strong by the time the cat is ~1 year of age.  If an adult cat is going to be living with a FeLV positive cat, then vaccination should be considered."

"Please do not vaccinate for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus – aka “feline AIDS”), FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), bordatella, giardia, or chlamydia. Some vaccines, such as the FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) vaccine are not very effective at stimulating immunity in the recipient.  In addition to this issue, the FIV vaccine is a killed product which means it contains an adjuvant.  Therefore, it should not be administered to any cat, in my strong opinion, due to the risk of VAS."

http://catinfo.org/vaccines-for-cats-we-need-to-stop-overvaccinating/
 
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