Kitty sore after shot?

Hi all,

I took my baby in to the vet this morning to get some vaccinations. She is 12 weeks old, and got vaccinations for panleukopenia, pneumonitis, and rhino. Its been about 3 hours now, and she seems to be very sore near the location of the shot (rear right hip). She was also given a pill for round/hook worms, but its definitely the site of the shot that is sore.

She is walking around ok, but is not interested in playing, hasnt eaten a whole lot, and will have nothing to do with being pet on most of her right side.

Is it normal for a kitty to be sore after a shot, or is this something to be concerned with?

Thanks in advance!

It is common for kitties to get the "feel bads" when they go to the vet and get vaccinated. Usually by the next day they perk up and are themselves again. If the shot site is swollen and has heat, then if she will tolerate it, put a washcloth that has been dunked in ice water and wrung out well on it while she is snuggling on your lap.

Watch her closely after her next round, too, because some kitties cannot tolerate all their shots on the same day. I had one little girl who had to have her shots staggered because she would get quite ill if she had them all at once.

Thanks for the replies!

Ill keep an eye on her and hope she gets back to normal soon. She doesnt seem to be swollen at all, doesnt have a limp or anything, she is just VERY sensitive to touch anywhere near her back hip.

jaid? How is kitty doing this morning? One way you can tell if she is in a problem is to set her on your lap her sore side up. Get her comfortable and then take your hand and very slowly run it alongside her fur, but don't touch her, keep your hand about an inch above her body. If you feel heat coming up from the shot site, then call your vet and let them know. Hope this helps!

hissy,

Thanks for following up. Last night I was still getting pretty worried. Yesterday was the first day that she has been home, and gone all day without purring once (shes been home about 2-3 weeks now) She finally got up to use the litterbox and get a bite to eat around 4am. She was still very very sore at that point, and had even started limping a bit. She wouldnt jump or do anything active at all. She finally retreated to underneath my dressar, curled up, and went to sleep. Needless to say I didnt get much sleep last night, so I slept in very late this afternoon

When I got up, she was still sleeping under the dressar, but came right out when i called her. I gave her some food and she let me pet her while she ate, and started purring as I did so. After she ate she started up a few of her normal kitty antics, such as stealing items from off of my desk to drag back to her room. She doesnt seem to be swollen at all, and there doesnt seem to be any heat from the shot location. She is still a bit sore, but nowhere near as bad as last night. She isnt crazy about being picked up yet, but she doesnt mind being pet, and has much more energy. Just the fact that shes interested in playing again puts my mind at ease a bit.

Thanks again for everything!

Sounds like she just had a reaction to the shot, thankfully not a bad reaction. Most cats will retreat to a very dark place to just sleep it off. I had one kitty that curled up inside of one of our dresser drawers for about a day and a half after he went to the vet. I just let him be, and he slept it off and got stronger and was fine. I am glad that she is coming around, but I would call the vet and tell him so he can mark the cats chart and advise you further. Depending on the type of shot, sounds like they might of hit a deep muscle?

She is still pretty small, so I would imagine it wouldnt be too hard for them to hit a deep muscle. She was very good when she first got the shot, she didnt even cry, just sat there very calmly and let the vet give her the shot. When we first got home, I didnt notice her acting at all sore, but after an hour or two, is when she really started acting sore.

The shot that she got, was (according to the listings on my 'receipt' from the vet): "Adult feline distemper-rhinotracheitis-calicivirus". As I just typed this, I realized for the first time the 'adult' part. Would it be normal for a 12week old kitty to get 'adult' shots, or is this just a matter of semantics?

She only got the one shot, so I assume it just had the different vaccines 'all in one'?