Argument for inoculating indoor cats against rabies?

I'll have to see if I can get pictures of one or both ears. The tattoo (Kelly green) has faded considerably, and Jamie's ears are pretty hairy inside. Basically, Jamie has the official abbreviation for our county in one ear, together with the year he was tattooed, and a registered abbreviation of the vet's name and a number showing what number cat he was to be tattooed by that vet that year in the other.
Here you can just see the green, basically like in the photo on the right of my siggy:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...newpics009.jpg

If rabies was a threat here they would get their innoculation whether indoor or not

I found a photo (not of Jamie) where you can see the ear tattoo:
http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/display/2748660

After a vet visit today, I was told in was unnecessary to innoculate Sophie for rabies. My county doesn't require it, and since she is an indoor cat with no exposure to skunks, raccoons, bats, etc....the vet did not recommend the vaccination. He states that there is actually an increased chance of cancer from vaccinating your cat, and he will only give the injections that are actually considered a risk. If I decide to have her vaccinated, he'll do it of course, but right now I'm taking his advice.

My mom has her dog's ear tattooed as well. It's pretty cool!

Originally Posted by sunnicat

After a vet visit today, I was told in was unnecessary to innoculate Sophie for rabies. My county doesn't require it, and since she is an indoor cat with no exposure to skunks, raccoons, bats, etc....the vet did not recommend the vaccination. He states that there is actually an increased chance of cancer from vaccinating your cat, and he will only give the injections that are actually considered a risk. If I decide to have her vaccinated, he'll do it of course, but right now I'm taking his advice.

My mom has her dog's ear tattooed as well. It's pretty cool!

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Illinois doesn't require a rabies vaccination for cats, but most states do: http://egov.oregon.gov/ODA/AHID/anim...t_import.shtml

Virginia does not have a legal requirement to vaccinate cats against rabies. However, I have people into my home frequently and I have a whole male cat who will bite if he feels compelled - so I do vaccinate him against it in order to have the records proving he is up-to-date and that I am compliance.

~gf~

It's so difficult sometimes to weigh the risks. Jamie tested negative to Corona viruses twice, and so I agreed to have him vaccinated against FIP. ZsaZsa tested positive, so she wasn't vaccinated. At the moment, our town is a "hotbed" for FIP, and preliminary results of studies seem to indicate that the vaccine is effective, and the county veterinary officer has changed the regulations - no cat that isn't vaccinated can be boarded, even at a vet's. ZsaZsa is an indoor/outdoor cat, hunts prey twice her size, and is accident-prone. After a lot of discussion with our vets, I decided that vaccinating her against FIP, despite her positive Corona result, was the lesser evil. In other words, the chances of her being hit by a car or injured by another animal are higher than of her developing FIP because of the vaccine. I hope.
I don't think the question of vaccines' effectiveness/usefulness can be adequately discussed here, because so much depends on local regulations and problems. The best course would be to see what regulations or recommendations apply in the area where you live.

Rabies vaccines are mandated by law in most parts of the US, so that is something to keep in mind when making a decision.

I personally would give the cat one rabies vaccine and then just have the titre checked yearly from then on. That way you know if the cat is still protected and don't have to take the risk associated with extra vaccines. Plus many areas will accept a recent titre in place of proof of a recent rabies vaccine.

I think there isn't any evidence that vaccinating annually or every 3 years is necessary and there are documented risks with the vaccine, but on the other hand it's not a great idea to leave your animal totally unprotected against a disease that's 100% fatal for both cats and humans. I think titres are a good middle ground.

I was told rabies vaccinations are mandatory. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it.
With indoor cats, I have a lot more chances of getting rabies that they are.

Originally Posted by Petnurse2265

Rabies is a mandatory vaccine in the United States because of the potential of pets being carriers to humans. I vaccinate mine with 3 year rabies (not recognized in some states) so that they are compliant with the law but don't have to get poked every year. If 3 year rabies vaccines are available in your state it is recommended to use the 1 year for the first year and then a 3year the next year (something about how the body's immunity is set up with the vaccine).

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A Rabies shot MAY be mandatory for Dogs BUT not for cats in all states! Where I live you do not have to get a rabies shot for a cat BUT if you live where Bats can get in or your cat goes out UNSUPERVISED you SHOULD vaccinate for Rabies.

THe protocol is kitten shots, then the annual booster then every 3 years BUT they do say these shots can give immunitiy for a lifetime.

IF your cat(s) go outside at will THEN you SHOULD either vaccinate them every 3 years or at least get them titered!

Originally Posted by buddha&Meeko

I heard a rumor that most places don't actually scan for the microchip unless you take the "stray" to a Vet and ask them to scan it. Is that true?

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At least in my county the local shelter scans all incoming animals for a microchip, so I figured it was worth getting Lucas microchipped.

Originally Posted by MyBabies

A Rabies shot MAY be mandatory for Dogs BUT not for cats in all states! Where I live you do not have to get a rabies shot for a cat BUT if you live where Bats can get in or your cat goes out UNSUPERVISED you SHOULD vaccinate for Rabies.

THe protocol is kitten shots, then the annual booster then every 3 years BUT they do say these shots can give immunitiy for a lifetime.

IF your cat(s) go outside at will THEN you SHOULD either vaccinate them every 3 years or at least get them titered!

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Rabies vaccines are mandatory here for cats because we have had cases of bats with rabies. With Spirit it is much easier to giver the vaccines every 3 years than to get blood for a titer, she didn't agree to that. I also do alot of fostering of strays, so my cats are kept current on their vaccines for that reason too.