vaccinations

do you get your cat a round of shots every year? I've had my cat for a year and she's had two rounds of shots so far. But I've heard that for indoor cats it's not necessary to get those shots every year after they've grown into adulthood. And that they actually can cause some cancers later in life.
So should I stop?

All of mine are indoor kities, and I do keep up with teir vaccinations every year. I also do alot of fostering of kittens so that puts my cats at more of a risk. I would talk with you vet about it, some viruses can be more prevalant in some areas. Also if you do stop vaccinating every year continue to get a yearly check-up, so that way things can be caught early, and your kitty will stay healthy.

Originally Posted by abnihon

do you get your cat a round of shots every year? I've had my cat for a year and she's had two rounds of shots so far. But I've heard that for indoor cats it's not necessary to get those shots every year after they've grown into adulthood. And that they actually can cause some cancers later in life.
So should I stop?

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You should probably continue to get the FVRCP vaccine at whatever interval your Vet recommends. This shot is a 4-way vaccine that protects against distemper and some highly contagious viruses that affect the upper respitory tracts of cats.
You can actually bring some of theses viruses into your home accidently by touching an infected cat outside your home, or even a surface that an infected cat shed virus on. Better safe than sorry with that vaccine.

If you're giving the FeLv vaccine (feline leukemia), I would stop. Your indoor cat has virtually no chance of contracting that as an indoor only cat.

Don't get your cat vaccinated for FIP, no matter what your vet says. This is a controversial vaccine that is still "iffy" on its effectiveness and is actually suspected to have caused the disease.

I would also forgo the Rabies shot unless it is required by law where you live.

Rabies is required by law where I live, so I do a 3 year vaccine on that one.

Sorry to sound stupid...but what is FIP ???
Linda

Feline Infectious Peritonitis

Very nasty disease that hard to treat and is very deadly.

Oh my! How is it contracted??? Can my 2 "indoor onlys" get it???
Is`nt Peritonitis what they worry about if a humans apendix bursts??? (I know I have heard that word before!)
I know I`m sounding dumb here....but please inform me so I will know.
Thanks! Linda

The disease is poorly understood. A corona virus, that many cats carry in their intestinal tract, mutates for some reason and then causes FIP.
There are then 2 types of FIP, the dry variety and the effusive variety. The effusive or "wet" is a very ugly type and kills cats extremely quickly. The dry can usually be managed for awhile, but eventually most cats sucumb, since there is no cure.
My understanding is that cats younger than 2 years and older than 14 years are most at risk.
I think your indoor kitties are safe and sound. If you introduce a newbie later on, it's a good idea to be cautious about health, where it came from etc.

It's also my understanding that active FIP isn't all that easily transmitted between cats. Supposedly they have to be exposed to the feline corona virus and then in a certain number of cases, this virus will mutate to the type that causes FIP. This isn't true for nursing queens though, they easily pass the virus to their kittens in the milk.

It's a difficult disease that vets struggle with to positively identify. Many times they are only 100% sure when it's too late to doing anything for the cat anyway.

I'm sure there are others on the boards with more in depth information and can correct me if I'm wrong about any of my thoughts on this.

Gosh that sounds awful!
My cats are both just a little over a year old. I`ve had Toby since he was 8 weeks and Tedy since he was 6 mo.....so if they don`t have it now, does that mean they won`t get ir, or is it something that develops from within themselves?
It must be farely rare if you are advising against immunizing...(I`m assuming the vac can be dangerous in it`self)
Another question....(sorry!) ...and I never used to be considered a "worrier" till I git these 2 cats....but I can get paranoid about certain things...like petting a stray (change all clothing and wash good afterwards) so as not to "give" my babies anything...and I`m also a bit wary evertime I have had to take one of them to the vet....worried about ALL THOSE OTHER SICK ANIMALS that have been in and out of there. (Could my cats catch something there???) Oh gosh! I guess I am really getting old! Linda PS I promise not to ask any more question on this thread!

Originally Posted by stampit3d

Gosh that sounds awful!
My cats are both just a little over a year old. I`ve had Toby since he was 8 weeks and Tedy since he was 6 mo.....so if they don`t have it now, does that mean they won`t get ir, or is it something that develops from within themselves?
It must be farely rare if you are advising against immunizing...(I`m assuming the vac can be dangerous in it`self)
Another question....(sorry!) ...and I never used to be considered a "worrier" till I git these 2 cats....but I can get paranoid about certain things...like petting a stray (change all clothing and wash good afterwards) so as not to "give" my babies anything...and I`m also a bit wary evertime I have had to take one of them to the vet....worried about ALL THOSE OTHER SICK ANIMALS that have been in and out of there. (Could my cats catch something there???) Oh gosh! I guess I am really getting old! Linda PS I promise not to ask any more question on this thread!

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I'm sure your cats are fine, it's not something to be overly worried about, but it's good to be aware.
I wouldn't say FIP is rare, it happens enough that the Vet. community is trying hard to develope a vaccine that works. It's just that the one they have out now is known to have caused FIP in otherwise healthy animals and hasn't proven very effective at reducing FIP occurances in vaccinated cats.
I think it needs to be worked on some more before I would trust it.
I get concerned about other sick animals at the vets office too! When our cats go, they are confined to their carrier and on our laps and we just have to hope that the exam table has been thoroughly cleaned between each patient seen.