Vaccines

[Loril Hawk]

SO, having a real struggle as far as getting my 2 best cat friends, Keely and Finley, a rabies vaccination. They have always been indoor cats, and I have heard all of the rhetoric about how indoor cat can get rabies, etc., but I am feeling very anxious about getting my two 4 yr old cats rabies vaccinations, even with PureVax. Seems someting is different these days. Vaccinations were not considered as being life threatening, The sarcoma risk is is terrifying me. Getting them vaccinations that will possibly kill them is something I just can't do. Help. I cry just thinking about it.

 

[misty8723]

See if your vet will give them in their tails. They can do that now and my vet started doing my two many years ago. I read about it and asked her and she said yes they could do it. I guess not all cats are agreeable to allowing it, but my two are. At least that way if it does become an issue, losing part of a tail is better than losing a life. Just make sure they give in the end of the tail not the top of the tail.

Tail Vaccinations in Cats – How to Give a Tail Vaccine » Shelter Medicine Program » College of Veterinary Medicine » University of Florida

Also I have been using PureVax since I researched it and it is supposedly safer and not as likely to get the sarcoma from it. I have always been freaked out about the rabies especially since mine are only indoor, but they always point out something like bats could get into the house (and we did have bats in the attic once). And it is the law here, so I get them.

Good luck! I'm a little more relaxed about everything than I used to me, but I still stress out about them getting sick or hurt.

 

[Kieka]

I always get my cats (and tell my dog owning friends the same) their rabies vaccine. It's the one vaccine where the risk is vastly outweighed with the reward. Any vaccine has a risk of sarcoma, but that is such a small risk. It's not worse then it used it be, just we are more informed.

While your cats are indoors, what if some how a bat or other carrier got in without you knowing? By the time you realized what happened, it would be too late. That would be 100x worse in my opinion because it would have been 100% preventable. Alternatively, if you have a friend or family member who is visiting and something happens where your cat bites or scratches them, without a current rabies vaccine you could be looking at having your cats impounded or quarantined to verify that they didn't have rabies. I do know people who the rabies certificate has been the deciding factor between their dogs being impounded, or put down, and their dogs being able to stay home and be looked over by a vet in 7 days. And in both cases, the dog in question was pervoked into biting a person. While animal control doesn't act always follow the same protocol with cats, they can. There is also the scenario of your cat getting out one day and coming across a wild animal before you get them back in.

Really, it boils down to selecting risk. The risk of the vaccine and knowing to watch after for side effects or the risk of not having the vaccine if the unexpected happens. Personally, I err on the side of not regretting my lack of action and always pick the vaccine.