Why did my kitten get sick after getting vaccinated

[clary7]

My kitten is 12 weeks old and got her first round of vaccines 4 days ago. Today one of her eyes is all now goopy with greenish discharge and she clearly has some type of infection going on.

I got my older cat neutered 3 weeks ago and since then he’s been sneezing a little bit so I’m pretty sure he got a little sick. Probably the stress made his immune system a bit vulnerable, but it’s nothing severe at all. I was worried he might get my kitten sick but she has been totally fine and healthy even with his occasional sneezing. So I went ahead and got her vaccinated but now 4 days later she is sick

Ive dealt with this type of infection in the past already so I have ointment for her eye and I know it will clear up in a week or two, but I feel so bad for her. Why would she get super sick right after getting vaccinated?? I thought the vaccine would protect her from getting super sick. Could it have been that my other cat sometimes sneezing transferred the sickness to her but the vaccine actually triggered it?

I’m just a bit bummed out by this. She was perfectly fine and healthy when she got the shot.

 

[sanfran_kitty_lady_21]

So...that's actually kinda how vaccines work - they activate your immune system, often with weakened or dead virus, so your immune system learns how to protect itself from the disease. So if you come in contact with the disease in the future, your body already knows how to fight it and it's less likely to be as serious or make you sick. So getting sick after getting a vaccine is very normal.

Now, is your kitten actually reacting to the vaccine? That I don't know. Did they get sick with something else? Maybe. Is their reaction to the vaccine beyond what's considered normal? Maybe? Overall, if you're worried, you should call your vet to make sure her symptoms aren't something concerning. My vet usually gives me a list of expect symptoms and symptoms I should call right away.

 

[IronCladLou]

Hello Clary,
I don’t have an answer and am replying to show support. We adopted two kittens and they both ended up having similar types of viral infections right around the time of their first vaccinations. It was this time of year and the vet said that unfortunately it is very easy for them to contract eye and respiratory bugs. Cleared up pretty fast with no lasting effects.