Rabies Vaccinations Legalities - This is making me nuts

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furrypurry said:

 
WHAT IF in the worst case something happened and they nipped a vet?

I suppose there are some vets who are more holistically inclined, but we seem to be at a shortage of those around here.  

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A shortage or an absence?  The time to secure a Vet who's sympathetic to your wishes is before, "what if," becomes, "what now?"  Were our rôles reversed, I'd start contacting and interviewing Vets yesterday.  You realise, of course, that if a Vet were to be bitten by a cat who had no current Rabies Certificate, that reason would demand that the cat be tested for Rabies, yes?

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I see you read my post before I deleted it.  Yes, there is a complete absence of holistic vets around here.  I am going to seek out a new vet starting tomorrow morning and get their advice.  I feel silly not being able to wrap my head around this.  That's why I deleted my rambling post.   I know they need to be protected. 

furrypurry said:

 
I see you read my post before I deleted it.  Yes, there is a complete absence of holistic vets around here.  I am going to seek out a new vet starting tomorrow morning and get their advice.  I feel silly not being able to wrap my head around this.  That's why I deleted my rambling post.   I know they need to be protected. 

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You weren't rambling, really - your point was well-enough made.  My response was strictly to protect your precious Himmies.  Since rabies testing cannot be carried out on a live animal, I thought it imperative that it be mentioned.  It would be a terrible demise, and unnecessary with good planning.

In the interim, I'd suggest a well-worded letter to your Senators, making it clear that situations such as this make a change in legislation an absolute necessity.

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that if a Vet were to be bitten by a cat who had no current Rabies Certificate, that reason would demand that the cat be tested for Rabies, yes?

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Not necessarily. A lot of vets get pre-exposure rabies vaccines. Vets need to be prepared for the possibility of being injured by an unvaccinated animal.

Willowy said:

Not necessarily. A lot of vets get pre-exposure rabies vaccines. Vets need to be prepared for the possibility of being injured by an unvaccinated animal.

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Taking a chance on the possibility that a Vet who was bitten by a cat without a current Rabies Certificate has had the three-dose pre-exposure regimen and is current with booster vaccines is still taking a chance with the cat's Life.  The time to learn this is before you need the services of a Vet.

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Yes, it is an awful decision to make.  One possible bad outcome vs. another.

1CatOverTheLine said:

 
Taking a chance on the possibility that a Vet who was bitten by a cat without a current Rabies Certificate has had the three-dose pre-exposure regimen and is current with booster vaccines is still taking a chance with the cat's Life.  The time to learn this is before you need the services of a Vet.

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A cat who bites a vet or vet tech will simply have to be quarantined for 10 days (exact time TBD by local authorities) at the owners expense.  Rabies will develop in the animal well before it shows up in the human which allows humans to be vaccinated in time without having to sacrifice the cat in advance of developing symptoms.  So it would be a pain, an expense and the cat wouldn't be very happy but it would work out.  And obviously the vet can be treated if they're concerned, but in 2014 there was exactly 1 case of rabies in a human in the USA...

@furrypurry  

StephenQ said:

 
A cat who bites a vet or vet tech will simply have to be quarantined for 10 days (exact time TBD by local authorities) at the owners expense.  Rabies will develop in the animal well before it shows up in the human which allows humans to be vaccinated in time without having to sacrifice the cat in advance of developing symptoms.  So it would be a pain, an expense and the cat wouldn't be very happy but it would work out.  And obviously the vet can be treated if they're concerned, but in 2014 there was exactly 1 case of rabies in a human in the USA...

@furrypurry  

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Take a quick read through the ambiguity of the wording of California Health and Safety Code, beginning at 121575 - but especially 121610, 121615 and 121620 regarding Rabies.  The State seems to have enough leeway to dispense with quarantine and to order a confirmation if they deem it necessary. 

The next citation - 121630 - addresses the actual situation from the perspective of pet owners:

"Except as provided in Sections 121705 and 121710, every person who possesses or holds any animal in violation of the provisions of

this chapter is guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000).

(Amended by Stats. 1971, Ch. 1379 and Stats. 1984, Ch. 697.)

.pdf online at cdph. ca. gov

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I believe the quarantine in Georgia is 6 months.  My cats would never survive that.  They are SO sensitive and don't interact with any human except me, not even my husband. I'm just going to have to put on my "big girl britches" and take them to be vaccinated.

furrypurry said:

 
I believe the quarantine in Georgia is 6 months.  My cats would never survive that.  They are SO sensitive and don't interact with any human except me, not even my husband. I'm just going to have to put on my "big girl britches" and take them to be vaccinated.

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I'm sorry you've been legislated into this position.  I hope they show no adverse reactions.

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I didn't see the original post, what's the situation---have they had previous bad reactions, do they freak out at the vet, do you not trust the local vets? If they've had bad reactions, personally I wouldn't vaccinate them anymore, but if unavoidable, you can ask that they get a Benedryl injection beforehand to prevent a reaction. It's also a good idea to ask for Purevax vaccines because some cats tolerate them better than the old adjuvanted vaccines. The only vaccine required by law is the rabies vaccine so if you want to avoid the other vaccines you can refuse them.