Rabies shots for an indoor cat?

[misskiwi67]

Originally Posted by mzjazz2u

As far as shelters not giving rabies... I think mostly that is because they don't want to give too many vaccinations at once and leave that one up to the person adopting.

Shelters do not vaccinate for rabies because the animal must be healthy and stress-free in order to mount a proper immune response, and unlike other vaccinations, rabies is not boostered in two weeks after adoption when the animal is in a more stable environment. There is very little risk of the animal contracting rabies in the shelter, but high risk on the streets, and not vaccination prevents confusion if a stray with no vaccine history happens to develop neurologic signs. It is also required by law to be given by a veterinarian, which many shelters do not have on-hand all the time.

 

[momto3cats]

Originally Posted by EnzoLeya

Mice and rats can carry it too.

According to everything I've read, mice, rats and other rodents like squirrels can't carry rabies. But of course bats can (though I've never seen one indoors), as well as raccoons, which we sometimes have in our yard. My cats are vaccinated (once) for their protection, and after that they are vaccinated every year because of the law.

 

[7_angel]

Are rabies vaccinations needed every year? I would say definitely not. Titer tests have proven and continue to prove that vaccinations are active in the cat's body for long over a year. Some would say that if a cat is vaccinated once for rabies, they are vaccinated for life. Others would say that boosters are only needed every three years. I'm not going to say "never vaccinate your cat." However, I believe there needs to be an awareness of the risks associated with vaccinations themselves.

My cat DIED from a rabies vaccine. Because I needed to travel outside the U.S. I was very careful to follow the laws and regulations... so she was vaccinated every year for rabies. When I took her in for her rabies vaccination in December, she went into anaphylactic shock and died within a couple hours of receiving the vaccine. The more research I do, the more it seems like my cat was over-vaccinated and her body couldn't handle one of the ingredients found in vaccinations. Having lived through this nightmare, I now believe that vaccines themselves carry a very real risk. My signature has a link for my website which has more info about anaphylactic shock from vaccinations.

 

[ilovemy2cats]

Originally Posted by momto3cats

According to everything I've read, mice, rats and other rodents like squirrels can't carry rabies. But of course bats can (though I've never seen one indoors), as well as raccoons, which we sometimes have in our yard. My cats are vaccinated (once) for their protection, and after that they are vaccinated every year because of the law.

Any mammal can get rabies.

I'm glad my two indoor cats have their rabies vaccinations. A few weeks ago a squirrel got into our house and my cats were going nuts trying to catch it. My cats have also escaped outside.