Cat acting funny....please advise.

I took my recently adopted cat to the vat yesterday and she was given her rabies and first distemper shot. When we first got home, she was acting normal, but as the night progressed, she became more lethargic. Understand, that she is a very active cat and is in to EVERYTHING! This morning, however, I noticed that she didnt eat her dinner from last night and she didnt eat what I gave her this morning, which is also out of character. I am very concerned for her. Is this normal? Or could she be having an adverse reaction to the vaccine. The vet didn't tell me this could be a side effect of either one, but maybe it is?? I am just worried about Smudge!!

We don't have the rabies shot in the UK but i know through experience the Leukemia shot made Rosie go lethargic and she wouldn't eat her food either.

I rang my vet who told me that this was normal and should last about 24 hours which it did.

Can you not give your vet a quick ring just to confirm it?.

I did call my vet, and he said that if she isn't any better by this afternoon to bring her in. I just wanted to see if anyone else had noticed this in their cats after a distemper or rabies shot. I think she may just be sore, but when you have a cat that is very active, and then all of the sudden not, it leads me to worry about her. She was a rescue kitty, and the personality is wonderful.
Thank you for your advice, I appreciate the help!

Awwww i hope she's ok, but i'm sure she will be

Let us know if you have to take her in though?!

I sure will. Thank you for your concern and caring. I will keep you updated on the developments. Thanks!

It's strange because I had a very similar note on the board last night. Chester had his booster instead of his first round though....but lethargic, not eating and he was scared out of his wits about 3 hours after I got home. This morning he was ok though, I hope the same thing happened to your little honey. I suppose no one likes getting needles, and sometimes you have a reaction to them (my parents almost always get mild reactions to the flu shot every year).
Hope she's feeling better

Thank you! I hope she gets better, too. I am just a little concerned and plan on continuing to watch her. My father went to check on her for me, and he thinks she's just sore from the shots, so hopefully, its nothing too serious. Shes got attitude, thats for sure!!!

It's good to keep an eye on her, and I'm glad you called the vet. Vaccine reactions aren't very common, but they can happen. Next time she's due for shots, make sure to remind the vet about her history of reaction, so your vet can premedicate her before vaccinating her again.

Here are two articles about vaccine reactions in cats:
http://petplace.netscape.com/article....asp?artID=619
http://www.purinaone.com/catcare_con...ticleNumber=56

Sorry, forgot to add - if she contines to refuse food, I'd take her back to the vet. Cats can become very sick if they go to long without eating.

Hope she's feeling better soon.

So how is it going? My concern with lethargy is fever...my one cat reaction was to a felv shot, but along with lethargy came rapid breathing, which had me zipping him in as an emergency, he was so lethargic he was almost unresponsive.

When I got home last night, Smudge seemed to be a little less lethargic, but she wasnt quite herself. As the night went on, she got a little more active, and she has eaten everytime I have fed her, so, I guess shes alright. My morning chaos was back!! Shes still not quite the whirlwind that she normally is, but she swatted at me this morning so she could run ahead of me as usual, and she antagonized her sisters, so shes feeling better. I had already made up my mind that if she didnt eat this morning we were going back to the vet, but she did.
I have to thank each and everyone of you who responded to my plea for help. Not only did I receive some advice that put my mind at ease, but it's good to know that my little Smudge had many more people that care about her!
Thanks again!!!

My CJ had the same reaction, just as you said, with the same shots... she is fine, but it freaked us out. She had a reaction just as you described, and it's been a couple of weeks, and she's fine.

Good luck, and don't worry, she'll be fine!