I learned the hard way :( late on vacinations

With a busy household 3 kids and hubby and my 4 fur babies.I completely for got to have my 4 cats vacinated for Distemper! I knew my rabies where fine untill 2006 and thought the distemper was good also for 3 years. How could I be so stupid. having owned cats for years I should of remembered distemper shots are yearly. So they all were not up to date on the distemper.

8 weeks ago I added a new Tortie Siamese to my family of 3 Siamese and 1 Persian. Took new kitty in the day after I got her for a check up and kitten shots.She appeared fine and healthy. About a week before her 2nd set of shots where due she started sneezing just abit and by the time she was due for her 2nd shots she had a tiny eye discharge also. The Vet said it was just a little upper respitory infection.And put her on 7 day course of antibiotics . she improved. Then my Big 16 pound Siamese started getting a eye infection off to the vets with him.Saw a little scratch which we assumed was from the new kitten Lily as she played with him alot.And started him on eye ointment for the infection. This was on weds. Late friday he started getting the other eye looking like it also had a discharge so I though well maybe he wiped that eye with his paw and got some bacteria in it from the infected eye is I started putting the ointment in that eye also.
He also just seemed not himself sleeping and not being his usual Vocal with my people all the time cat. Well I thought of course hes hiding out under the bed two sore eyes and someone always putting goop in them. Saturday vets closed of course. Jade my female Siamese is sneezing. Yowser the big guy still not feeling good. And new kitty sneezing again!
Sunday all 3 seemd under the weather. Yowser felt hot. I was up all Sunday Night worrying. Couldn't wait till morning and Vets to open. Off to the vets as soon as they opened.
Saw a different vet this time. More experienced he knew right off what was wrong. He said the new kitten must of had distemper. As soon as he said that my heart sunk. He checked and my other cats should of had their distemper shots a year ago!! So he said all 3 had distemper and probably the other two would soon have it. They were not showing any signs of it. And so far they still seem ok.( These two I had to go home and bring in for their distemper shot. As he hoped this would help them not get it.)
Then he went on to say that they had the least seriouse kind and almost always curable ( Chalmydiosis) They all got a shot of antibiotics.And the two older a shot for the fever.Yowsers fever was 106! And then Antibiotics to be given at home twice a day for 10 days.Plus a med for a few days for the fever. Eye ointment that I had to go pick up at the drugstore as they need a special type for this that is made for humans. Total vet bill so far $ 698.00.
And I am so worried. They do seem better but still eyes yucky less sneezing and fever seems to be gone. He did say they may need more antibiotics after this course is taken . They go back to be rechecked next Monday. They can't have there distemper shots untill they are well of course.
I hope and pray my cats will be ok. I'm still so worried. They all hate the eye ointment 4x a day and the liquid antibiotics 2x a day. They hate me now! Here she comes with that yuck )
The moral of this long story is please be up to date on all shots. I will never ever forget again!

Oh no!!! Its so easy to forget when they're spread across years....doesn't your vet office remind you when its time for shots? I hope your babies get better soon!

I am curious….did the vet actually run any sort of test on your cats to confirm a distemper diagnosis? I always thought feline distemper presented with vomiting, diarrhea, and neurological symptoms along with a high fever, rather than sneezing and conjunctivitis. Just from your description and not actually seeing your cats (and me not being a vet), it sounds to me more like an outbreak of Feline Herpes or Calici, which causes URI symptoms and conjunctivitis. A new kitten could also easily carry in this sort of virus and cause an outbreak. The reason I ask is that there is now a lot of evidence showing that distemper vaccines last far longer than 1 year; they actually last as much as 5-7 years, although it is not recommended to go that long without a booster. Instead of doing annual vaccines, our vet runs titer tests to see if the cats still have the antibodies on their bloodstream; if the titers are good, we donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t vaccinate that year and re-run the titers the following year. Of course follow the advice of your vet, but I wanted to share this info in hopes that it would reassure you a bit.

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m sorry your kitties are under the weather. We went through a similar situation about a year and a half ago; 5 cats with URIs presenting various symptoms; all were congested, some where lethargic, 2 had conjunctivitis, one had coughing, sneezing, and reverse sneezing. It was a very stressful time so I defnitely understand what you are going through. I hope your kitties are feeling better soon!

~Amy

Poor kitties! I hope they are all well soon!

Sometimes shots don't help.. I worked in a cat rescue for a long time, and the amount of vaccinated cats that got sick was unbelievable.

my one cat cna't get vaccinations, as he has a reaction to them and gets the URI from the shots.

What clinical signs does a cat infected with Chlamydia develop?

The bacterium primarily infects the conjunctiva (the delicate membrane lining the eyelids and covering the edges of the eyeballs) causing inflammation (conjunctivitis). In normal cats the conjunctiva is not readily visible and has a pale, salmon pink color. In cats with conjunctivitis, the conjunctiva becomes swollen and reddened often making it more visible. The nictitating membrane or "third eyelid" in the inner corner of the eye may protrude partially across the eye and be red. One or both eyes may be involved. Affected cats initially develop a watery discharge from the eyes that later becomes thicker and is usually a yellow or greenish color. The eyes are uncomfortable and cats often keep the affected eye(s) closed. Most cats remain bright and otherwise appear normal, but some may develop a fever or lose their appetite. Occasionally, sniffles and sneezing may also occur. In adult cats, infertility can result from infection. In kittens the infection may be widespread and cause a fatal pneumonia.

If left untreated, the conjunctivitis and associated discomfort and discharge may persist for several weeks or months during which time the cat is also a source of infection to other cats. There may be apparent recovery and then relapse.



Vaccination may also be desirable in Chlamydia-free colonies and in household pets to provide protection for high risk situations such as boarding, catteries and breeding. Chlamydia is often a component of multivalent (multiple organism) vaccines for cats. Vaccination will decrease the severity and length of the disease but does not always prevent a cat from catching this infection. Your veterinarian will advise you on the appropriate vaccination choices for your cat. The feline distemper vaccine is the vaccine used to prevent this.

Just thought I would post this info this is what my cats have. so far two are still ok. the other 3 are improving daily.

Originally Posted by AmyH

I am curious….did the vet actually run any sort of test on your cats to confirm a distemper diagnosis? I always thought feline distemper presented with vomiting, diarrhea, and neurological symptoms along with a high fever, rather than sneezing and conjunctivitis. Just from your description and not actually seeing your cats (and me not being a vet), it sounds to me more like an outbreak of Feline Herpes or Calici, which causes URI symptoms and conjunctivitis. A new kitten could also easily carry in this sort of virus and cause an outbreak. The reason I ask is that there is now a lot of evidence showing that distemper vaccines last far longer than 1 year; they actually last as much as 5-7 years, although it is not recommended to go that long without a booster. Instead of doing annual vaccines, our vet runs titer tests to see if the cats still have the antibodies on their bloodstream; if the titers are good, we donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t vaccinate that year and re-run the titers the following year. Of course follow the advice of your vet, but I wanted to share this info in hopes that it would reassure you a bit.

~Amy

Click to expand...

Could be you're battling several different viruses too. Feline Herpes usually doesn't cause high fever, and by your description it sounds as if they have a case of it. If you're cats are vomitting at all, ask your vet if he'll ok the use of pepcid AC. In kitty dose of course. This works wonders on settling their stomachs so they can eat and keep it down, which goes a long way in making them better faster.
Be SURE to ask your vet first if it's ok in your case.

Thank you for this information and especially for sharing your kitties' illness with us so that we may learn from your situation. Please get well soon, little ones!

Thanks for all your replies. The cats are not showing any stomache upset. TG. The vet said that if they develope any sinus infection and lose their smell then they may not eat. We caught it before that happened. So all are eating well and drinking.
My poor babies I'm still worried. And keeping my fingers crossed the other two do not get this.

I'm a receptionist at a veterinary clinic. Did your vet do a blood test before diagnosing your cat? I'm not a vet, but the symptoms you described don't sound like feline distemper to me. The symptoms are much worse than what you described your cats as having: loss of appetite, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, severe abdominal pain. Most cats that contact distemper are unvaccinated kittens or cats that live in large groups. The mortality rate is about 90%. A kitten that survives the first 5 days of distemper is likely to survive the infection. Also you are correct when you said that you thought the feline distemper vaccine is good for 3 years. Studies were done several years ago (which were funded by a vaccine company) that showed that the feline distemper vaccine is effective for at least 3 years (and probably much longer). The reason these studies were done was because of the number of vaccine related tumors cats were getting. At the clinic where I work kittens receive a distemper booster every 3 weeks until they're 12 weeks old. A year later they get a booster. After the one year booster they only get their distemper vaccine every 3 years. A lot of vets are still recommending yearly feline distemper vaccines though. I think the reason is because they're worried they'll lose money. Our clinic still recommends annual exams for cats even if they aren't due for any vaccines though. Indoor/outdoor cats also still get their Feline Leukemia vaccines annualy (because they're haven't been any studies done on how long that one actually lasts). Most cats that contact distemper are unvaccinated kittens or cats that live in large groups. The mortality rate is about 90%. A kitten that survives the first 5 days of distemper is likely to survive the infection.

According to my vet the distemper shot covers 3 types of distemper. Mine had the Chlamydia type which is less seriouse and almost always curable. I too had thought distemper was one thing and usually they died from this. After doing alot of research I have found that the distemper shot covers 3 different types.

I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think Chlamydia is a strain of distemper; it is a bacterial infection in and of itself. However, the distemper vaccine usually does also include vaccinations for other diseases (itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s called a “multivalent†vaccine), so thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s why the distemper vaccine would cover Chlamydia. I think this is where the distemper confusion is stemming from here.

Feline Chlamydia

Just to clear things up.
Panleukopenia is the feline distemper virus. Chlamydia psittaci also known as Feline Pneumonitis is not distemper.

Thank you. probably the vet called it distemper as you have stated that the shot covers other virus's. he said it is a virus but the virus rapidly causes a bacterial infection.Thats why he needs to treat the bacterial infection aggresively . While the virus runs its course.
Thanks for clearing this up for me. When he said distemper I went into shock mode!

My poor babies also have sniffles. They eat, and drink OK. Play with each other excessively and haven't had any vomit or diarrhea. My Lightning sometimes breathes rapidly and has some clear fluid fling from her nose when she shakes her head. I took her to the vet a few days ago and he said it was either an upper respiratory infection or an allergy to her flea collar. She got better right after the antibiotic shot, but seems to be getting sniffly again. The clinic that spayed her sister thinks it might be distemper and now I'm worried.