cats and their annual shots

Hi Flatted 5th! I'm likin' your avatar...

I found this:

http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/neighbors03/031303_neighbors_jenpet.shtml

Interesting article sozobe, in Oregon/Washington rabies shots are given in the 3 year cycle. My cat is due for a rabies shot this year, but I think we'll skip the FVCP and feline leukemia.

F-5th - are your cats indoor only?

My cat is indoor-outdoor, littlek. I live in a rural area with lots of barnyard/feral cats around.

I didn't read the article, but I'd be nervous about not giving my cats those shots.

F 5th - that's a rumour spread by cats! - Mostly mine!

Hmmm - - mine are now indoor only -and I stopped updating their shots when that happened. Hope I am right!

I always wondered what those cats talk about when they get together


There seems to be a split in the vets opinions of this. Holistic vets are of the opinion that adult booster shots are not needed, where as the other vets feel annual shots are needed.
All I know is when I was a kid, manymanymanymany years ago, our cats never had annual shots and they all lived long healthy lives.
I've given Marmie my cat annual shots for the last 3 years. It's always a very traumatic time for her because she hates riding in the car and going to the vet. Then when she gets home she mopes around the house listless for 3-4 days from the effects of the shots.
I think the holistic vets might be on to something.

I haven't made my mind up about this, yet. Our cats are indoor cats. They received shots in their first and second year. Now it's their third year and I am thinking about not giving them yearly shots this year. I guess I'll have to do some research on this.

i don't know if that fact is true, but i am never getting vaccines for my cats again. this is because i just recently I learned that my cat has cancer, the vet told me that it was caused by the rabies vaccine. he said that the chances of this are slim but she got it. the tumor is called a fibrosarcoma. i think that everyone should do extensive research on these vaccines before getting any of them done on there cats.

vaccine Associated fibrosarcomas

I'm so sorry, jw12sg14. That's awful.

Yes, there are some rather rare reactions/side effects to the shots. Still, as the link you provided says, the odds are much greater that your pet will die without them...especially if they are exposed to other animals. The feline leukemia thing has become epidemic around here, and it causes a slow, painful deterioration and death. It's one of the main reasons I keep my cats indoors all the time. (So there's no reason to give them those shots.)

Eva, yes, keeping them indoors seems to be the best solution for me, too. I wouldn't want to let our cats outside anyway where we live. Much too dangerous!

I keep hearing more and more about the sarcomas caused by the shots. I saw something on TV on the weekend where they said that it can be caused by giving the shot the wrong way.

jw12sg14, I am very sorry for your cat.

Me, too, jw12sg14!
Nothing worse. It makes you feel so helpless & sad. All you can do is make their remaining days as comfortable & pleasant as possible. Which I have done ... many a time.
My commiserations.

I agree that indoors is the best way to keep your cats.