Is It Safe For Me (i Have Two Cats) To Be Around Cats That Have Never Been/never Will Be Vaccinated?

iheartlife · Dec 21, 2018

I have two indoor only cats. They are both vaccinated annually for rabies and FVRCP. They haven’t been vaccinated for FIV or FeLV, but I’m wondering if i should be. I recently made two new friends and went over to their house for dinner one night. Their two cats are both unaltered. They have never been vaccinated and the owners say they will never vaccinate them (“except maybe rabies in the future”). Now I will never, ever bring my cats anywhere near their cats. But is it safe for me to go to their house with their unvaccinated cats in it, or should I just stay away from them? Would adding the FIV and FeLV vaccinations to both my cats do any good? They never go outside and they don’t see any cats directly, but I worry I could carry the diseases home after visiting my friends.

Please help calm my fears and tell me what I should do.

FeebysOwner · Dec 21, 2018

Hi. Although I think transmission of either virus would be rare in your case, I would recommend it as a precaution. Maybe read up on it - with the article link below - and see how you feel about it afterwards.

What is FeLV? | What is FIV? | petMD

I hope this helps, but am sure other members will soon read your post and offer their opinions as well.

Willowy · Dec 21, 2018

I wouldn't bother. FIV can only be transmitted by a deep bite, and, while FeLV is slightly more contagious, it does require direct and prolonged exposure to bodily fluids. They are not diseases that can be casually transmitted by third-party exposure.

Plus the FIV vaccine is on the "not recommended" list due to low efficacy and the fact that it makes the cat test positive for FIV forever. Which can get them put down if they end up in a shelter for some reason.

Would your friends be open to information about low-cost spay/neuter?