Complete List of Shots

OK..Hope this doesn't come out to sound...stupid...but...I thought about this today...my cat hasen't been to the vet for over 2 years. I'm unsure of the shots she had prior (due to me being younger and not knowing the meaning of RECORD KEEPING...!)

So I'm wanting to take Alex in to the vet to get all caught up on shots and anything else she may need, regardless of the cost. I want my baby to be healthy and worry-free of any illness that could be prevented. Also to have the vet look at her weight as she seems a little on the skinny side...though she eats a lot. It's to the point where people look and think she's a 7-8 month old cat. In reality she's about 5.

So...what shots will I need to ask the vet to give her? and anything else she may need?

Thanks muches everyone.

I know she is overdue for a rabies vaccine. Other than that, not too sure. The vet you take her to should know what she needs to have done.

Here in NZ(all the breeders that I know of anyway!!) only get two vaccinations 10 weeks and then a booster 2 weeks later, we don't worry about yearly vaccinations or anything.

Rabies I agree , Might ask about a 3in1 booster but that I think would be optional

You didn't say whether your cat is indoor only or indoor/outdoor. If your cat goes outside, you need rabies, FRVCP (3-in-one, or "distemper"), and FeL (feline leukemia). If your cat never goes outside, I'd skip the vaccinations since each vaccination carries a very small risk of a reaction or a sarcoma. However, the local ordinances where you live might require a rabies vaccination in order to be licensed, if licensing is required. Confusing, eh?

Many vaccinations actually are good for a few years, but check your area and see what the laws are about rabies and other vaccinations. Also as someone mentioned, it is really a big concern if your cat goes outdoors. If your cat is strictly indoors, it is not a big worry. But there is always a chance your cat could get outside, so, decide for yourself. You can just call your local vet and say your cat need the yearly shots and see what that includes.

At the absolute least, your cat should be vaccined against Rhinotraceitis, Calici Virus and Panleukopenia. Since I KNOW that Panleukopenia can be brought inside on your hands, clothes or shoes, I feel it is a necessary whether your cat goes outside or not. Rhinotraceitis is an an airborne virus so if your cat ever has any contact with other cats (you never know what happens when you leave your cat at the vets, do you???) you will WANT that vaccine. Also, many places have local or even State ordinances which require a up-to-date Rabies vaccine. There is still some speculation as to whether or not the one-year or three-year Rabies vaccine is the way to go, but until the jury reaches a verdict on that, I go with the one-year vaccines for Rabies.

Again, as previously mentioned, if you cat EVER goes outside, you will want to vaccine against Feline Leukemia. Do not bother with the FIP vaccine. It is essentially worthless and you will pay for something that IMO, isn't going to provide the first iota of protection for your cat.

You will also want them to draw blood and you should probably take in both urine and stool samples for analysis as well. Deworming is something that needs to be taken care of if you haven't in a while. make sure the vet takes your cat's temperature, weighs her, checks her fur and skin for parasites, fleas or other skin problems, looks into her mouth and checks the gums for signs of gingivitis. If there is redness at the gumline, schedule a dental cleaning and subgingival scraping after the bloodwork analysis is returned from the lab and all is well for her to be exposed to th anesthesia. Talk candidly with the vet about her behavior - if anything is out of the normal, mention it. Your vet will probably ask what you are feeding and how much ... be prepared to answer some questions while you are there. Good vets will examine, investigate, ask questions and make recommendations based on their findings, your answers and the overall condition of the cat.

Hope this helps,

~gf~

Good point about bringing the viruses in to an indoor cat.

Something happened last night that brought up another question: it was a warm night and the windows and patio door were open for the fresh air. I was laying on the couch. Suddenly I heard this loud basso profundo yowl. I jumped up and saw a stray cat heading out off the deck into the darkness and Rocket on the inside all puffed up with an anxious look on his face. Apparently there had been a face-to-face through the screen. My cats haven't been vaccinated for FeL, as the vet didn't recommend it since they're indoor cats. But I'm wondering now if it's possible to transmit it through a screen. I didn't hear any hissing or spitting, but I'm thinking it's possible, no?

Too late now for last night, but just in case for the future, is it a good idea?

Thanks....

I would say you are probably safe unless there was an exchange of saliva, urine or feces.

Subsequent to my previous post I was advised by a vet that the probability of infection in the screen-door scenario was exceedingly small. Since the FeLV virus is killed by contact with air, it would require actual contact with an infected cat. So, no need to worry!!

I have a question that might be stupid, but I'm going to ask anyway. Isn't feline leukemia cancer? And if so, I didn't know they had a vaccine against cancer and also cancer isn't contagious.

No, FeLV is a virus. Here's an article about it: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/resou...hure/felv.html

It's not the same thing as the disease called leukemia in humans, which does tend to make it confusing. But that's OK, "there are no stupid questions"

Thanks for the info. That article was very informative.

Concerning vaccinations, what do some vets say:

"Routine" vaccination has adverse side-effects, either short or long term. With vaccines that are repeated year after year, the frequency and severity of these side-effects in our pets has increased dramatically. Most of the problems involve the immune system. After all, the immune system is what vaccines are designed to stimulate. But they do so in a very unnatural way that can overwhelm and confuse the immune system." donna starita mehan DVM
Dr. Ronald D. Schultz, Ph.D..- "Annual revaccination provides no benefit and may increase the risk for adverse reactions. "

Charles E Loops DVM - "Homeopathic veterinarians and other holistic practitioners have maintained for some time that vaccinations do more harm than they provide benefits. Vaccinations represent a major assault on the body's immune system.... Vaccine induced chronic diseases range from life-threatening conditions such as auto-immune crises to conditions destroying the quality of life of an animal as in chronic skin allergies."

Dee Blanco, D.V.M - "You take healthy animals and often very quickly after you vaccinate, you can see simple things like itching of the skin or excessive licking of the paws, sometimes even with no eruptions. We see a lot of epilepsy/seizure, often after a rabies vaccination. Or dogs or cats can become aggressive for several days. Frequently, you'll see urinary tract infections in cats, often within three months after their [annual] vaccination. If you step back, open your mind and heart, you'll start to see patterns of illness post-vaccination."

You currently have a healthy cat. Should you vaccinate? The consensus is, if you have your pet vaccinated once, that's enough, and it may even be too much if the cat is in a no-risk area. It's up to you.

Originally Posted by Bugmom3

I have a question that might be stupid, but I'm going to ask anyway. Isn't feline leukemia cancer? And if so, I didn't know they had a vaccine against cancer and also cancer isn't contagious.

Click to expand...

There is a cancer that they sometimes call feline leukemia or just plain leukemia. I lost a cat to it many years ago and my vet reassured me that it was the cancerous leukemia and not the viral leukemia. It is blood born and spreads fairly quickly.

Regardless of what vaccinations your vet recommends, you should schedule an annual health screening with your vet for no other reason than to monitor weight, check out their mouths for dental problems, etc. If you have a good vet, they can tell if there was any decline in their health that you may not have noticed because it came on gradually. My vet goes with a 3 year rabies and once the cat is a few years old, only does vaccinations every few years. But he complains that a lot of folks forget about the annual checkup and he sometimes gets to see them after they are sick and it could have been avoided.