My baby kitty, jack, has a lump at his vaccination site (shoulder area). He had his final kitten shots+rabies on January 5th. My vet said it could just be a reaction and should go down on it's own, but to bring him in if the lump was still present after 30 days. We noticed the lump a week or two after his shots and here we are approaching the 30 day mark and the stupid thing is still there. I am so worried about him and terrified it could be a tumor from the shots that I didn't really want him to have in the first place. I feel so guilty. I love my baby very much and hope and pray that this won't turn out to be bad. He is the sweetest kitty and I will be beside myself if anything happens to him.
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vaccination site lump
- Thread starter jnnfr
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I can understand why your are worried. I would take my kitty back to the vet asap.
Let us know what you find out.
Let us know what you find out.
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I would take the kitty back to the vet who gave the shots. The lump should be gone. I hope you little fur baby will be okay. Keep us posted and we will be praying for the kitty.
oh my god! my kitten got her final vaccines january 5th too and she has a lump (almost touching her spine) too. I "researched" a bit when i first noticed it and thought maybe it was from vaccinnes. She's going to get spayed next monday (we're dropping her off feb 6th, the procedures done on the 7th) so i'm going to mention it when i drop her off. My mom swears it's going down, but im not sure. I'm still worried its a tumor too though, hopefully in both our cases its the vaccinnations. Good luck!
i hope both your kitties are ok,{{{{{good health vibes}}}}}for both of them
It is common for the rabies vaccine to cause a lump like this. It often appears some time after the vaccine is given and persists for a long time. It is usually NOT cancer. That is why it is a good idea for vets to plan out where they give their vaccines. At my clinic rabies is always given over the right hind leg. That way if a lump appears there we know that it is probably just the rabies vaccine and it should go away. I hope you kitty is fine. If he still needs to be neutered perhaps your vet could remove the lump at the same time?
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Our vet has specific sites on the legs for different vaccines.
If a cancer develops, it will be known which vaccine might have caused it.
If necessary because it was done in the upper leg, an amputation can be done to save the cat's life.
Next time you see your vet, ask them to use these vaccine protocols on your kitty.
If a cancer develops, it will be known which vaccine might have caused it.
If necessary because it was done in the upper leg, an amputation can be done to save the cat's life.
Next time you see your vet, ask them to use these vaccine protocols on your kitty.
The RABIES goes in the RIGHT hind leg as far down and back on the leg as possible. The ohers should be given intranasal as there is no danger of VAS then.
Where on your cats are the lumps? On the scruff or between the shoulder blades? If so you CAN and SHOULD sue your Vet as they KNOW better than to administer them there! The "new" protocols have been out for years and ALL the vets know them.
Where on your cats are the lumps? On the scruff or between the shoulder blades? If so you CAN and SHOULD sue your Vet as they KNOW better than to administer them there! The "new" protocols have been out for years and ALL the vets know them.
I know you are worried, but it is okay.
That is most likely a reaction to the vaccine and not a tumor, for two reasons.
One, that area is usually where FCRP vaccine is given and this vaccine is not greatly associated with tumor formation, like the rabies and FeLV vaccines are.
If the rabies vaccine was given here and not in the right hind leg like people said, I would start looking for another vet. I'm sorry, but speaking as a cat owner, I wouldn't take that kind of risk.
As for the second reason, a tumor usually develops months to sometimes even years after the vaccine is given. The fact that the lump developed a week or two later is very rare for a tumor to happen that fast and is more likely a inflammatory reaction to the vaccine.
However, if it is still present at 30 days I would still bring him in. It won't hurt and they can inspect the lump to make sure.
That is most likely a reaction to the vaccine and not a tumor, for two reasons.
One, that area is usually where FCRP vaccine is given and this vaccine is not greatly associated with tumor formation, like the rabies and FeLV vaccines are.
If the rabies vaccine was given here and not in the right hind leg like people said, I would start looking for another vet. I'm sorry, but speaking as a cat owner, I wouldn't take that kind of risk.
As for the second reason, a tumor usually develops months to sometimes even years after the vaccine is given. The fact that the lump developed a week or two later is very rare for a tumor to happen that fast and is more likely a inflammatory reaction to the vaccine.
However, if it is still present at 30 days I would still bring him in. It won't hurt and they can inspect the lump to make sure.
If you go to shorti-online.org you can find out about these vaccine site sarcomas. The owner of the site lost a cat to VAS and she runs the VAS group on yahoogroups. That site is very educational! Here is the link for it:
http://www.shorti-online.org/
http://www.shorti-online.org/
I just noticed a lump on my cats behind area, right about where she received a shot 2 weeks ago. We took her in because of excessive grooming to the point of causing infections. I just felt it last night. I don't know how long it's been there, she is not a cat who likes to be petted a lot, she has to be in the right mood. But I'm fairly certain that it wasn't there before the shot. I'm a little bit worried (a lot, actually). What should I do?
You need to call the vet.
They will ask you questions about the lump - is it movable, soft, hard, etc? It would be best for it to be checked out.
Just so you know it is common in some cats. My baby has his last shot in december and i panicked when i found a lump on his back i called the vet and they had told me the same thing that if it got bigger or stayed longer than 30 days to bring him back in. But it slowly went away. but it is good for you vet to know that they had a reaction. i know what you guys are going through. but trust me everything will be fine!
To ALL of you! MAKE sure the VET REALLY digs down deep when removing the lumps - in case they are vas. AND NEVER allow a Vet to take your cat from you when vaccinating it. ALWAYS make sure you see that the Vet gives the shot in the CORRECT place.
AND if you know a Vet who does INTRANASAL Vacs - go to them as they are much safe.
A cat on one of my Health only message boards has not had a shot for years and is STILL gettting reactions from it's rabies shot!
Good luck to all!
AND if you know a Vet who does INTRANASAL Vacs - go to them as they are much safe.
A cat on one of my Health only message boards has not had a shot for years and is STILL gettting reactions from it's rabies shot!
Good luck to all!
FIRST a cat should NEVER be vaccinated in the scruff or between the shoulder blades. ALL vets know this as the no longer so new protocol has stated this for YEARs!
Secondly VAS IS comman in some cats. It is UP from 1 in 10,000 REPORTED cases to 1 in 3000 REPORTED cases. SOME cats CAN and DO get VAS from the first shot they ever get. THIS I KNOW as I was on the Vas Support group when Corkie was alive and saw a cat who had ONLY had one shot get VAS and die!
There are 2 ways of thinking on vaccinations. ONE says they NEED either annual or every 3 year vaccinations in order to protect them from the diseases out there, BUT
TWO says the vaccines are a foreign body and THEY cause more HARM than do good!
You will have to read and study and make up your own mind but PLEASE do not let a vet give your cat a shot where it should not be given!
I'm reading this thread with much interest and would also like to know where annual shots should be given. Whilst we're on the subject of jabs, my previous cat Mittens was diabetic and we were taught to inject her insulin between her shoulder blades. Should we have injected her elsewhere???
the "NEW" protocol is 3 years old now and it states that shots are to be given every THREE years UNLESS the cat is "at risk" ( outdoors or you rescue or board or it c omes in contact with other cats that could possibly give it these diseases.
The felv vac is usually given as a kitten and a booster at a year and then at 4 years and than no more. IF you have an At RISK cat you might want to vaccinate annualy BUT these vaccines are supposed to last about 7 years if not a life time.
PLACES to vaccinate are Felv LEFT HIND leg as far DOWN and BACK on leg as possible. RABIES = RIGHT HIND leg as far DOWN and BACK on leg as possible.
The UPPER RESPIRATORY vacs go in the right FRONT LEG BUT as far down and back on the leg as possible. REASON is a lump between shoulder blades or in the scruff you cannot get clean enough margins and cat USUALLY (not always as there have been some cases cat was cured) dies within 3 years. In the lower part of the leg, the leg can be amputated at the shoulder or hip. As terrible as that sounds, it is a cure and the cat will be just fine on 3 legs!
The felv vac is usually given as a kitten and a booster at a year and then at 4 years and than no more. IF you have an At RISK cat you might want to vaccinate annualy BUT these vaccines are supposed to last about 7 years if not a life time.
PLACES to vaccinate are Felv LEFT HIND leg as far DOWN and BACK on leg as possible. RABIES = RIGHT HIND leg as far DOWN and BACK on leg as possible.
The UPPER RESPIRATORY vacs go in the right FRONT LEG BUT as far down and back on the leg as possible. REASON is a lump between shoulder blades or in the scruff you cannot get clean enough margins and cat USUALLY (not always as there have been some cases cat was cured) dies within 3 years. In the lower part of the leg, the leg can be amputated at the shoulder or hip. As terrible as that sounds, it is a cure and the cat will be just fine on 3 legs!
