I have two kittens. Both will never go outdoors (coyotes in woods behind home.)?

Question

They have had feline leukemia and a few other shots. What shots are not truly necessary since they are indoor cats?

Answer 1

All shots are necessary. Humans can bring in worms and parasites and disease from outside on them. It is better to be safe than sorry!

Answer 2

If they never go outside then I'd have to ask if any shots are necessary. I definitely wouldn't bother with the leukemia shot. I adopted 2 cats a couple of years ago, then a kitten arrived in my garden and decided to stay. I already had another cat. The kitten formed a great attachment to the male cat I adopted (Tigger) he had been feral for many years but was very friendly. He and the kitten (Benji) were inseperable, ate from the same bowl, slept together, even groomed each other. When Benji was about 6 months old Tigger was diagnosed with feline leukemia, I immedately had the other cats tested. I was particularly worried about Benji as they spent so much time together. None of my other cats had caught it. Tigger probably got it during a fight with an infected cat. The chances of cats who never come into contact with other cats catching anything like that must be pretty remote.

Answer 3

actually, i think the FIV and feline leukemia shots are probably the least important since they catch these disease from other infected cats, so if you were going to skip any shots it should be those two in my opinion, since they won't be in contact with other cats. But really, it's a good idea to keep them up to date on all shots.

once the initial kitten shots are over, they only need booster shots on a few things like rabies, so it's not too expensive. you never know when your cats might make a run for it or accidentally get outside through a broken window or a door that blows open in the wind, so my advice is to treat them as if they do go outside. both rabies and distemper are horrible deaths that you wouldn't want to put your kitties through. also, you can track in all kinds of stuff from walking around outside as far as parasites go, so be aware of that, too.

good luck!

Answer 4

My cat is a strictly indoor cat. The only shots she gets are rabies, feline leukemia and FIP. The vet gives these as a combination shot once per year.

I always make sure she is protected from any feline disease that can be brought in to her and also common feline diseases that she could contract if (heaven forbid) she got outside somehow.

Answer 5

The basic series of kitten shots is absolutely necessary for your kittens. Do not give any other shots - especially the leukemia one as it has been imlicated in GIVING cats the disease.

Rabies is mandated by law in most places and I do not give that one either. There are no "rabies police" to check if your cats have it and you can tell your veterinarian to not vaccinate.

Vaccinnations are highly controversial and many vets are reconsidering past protocols which vaccinated cats frequently and for just about anything a vaccine had been created for.

You can discuss with your vet what he considers is necessary since your kittens will not have exposure to deadly diseases. They must of course be spayed and neutered. A sexually intact cat will manage to get out somehow to mate and many of the cat diseases are acquired by biting during the mating process.

You can also go to www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled "Vaccination". You need to scroll down quite a ways through the articles as they are in alphabetical order.

Answer 6

I have 2 cats, strictly indoor. When I first got them they were immunized with all their shots and checked out by my vet.
I haven't had them back to the vet since and they're fine, the only thing that could cost you extra money is if you try to take them to the same vet after a long period of time with no check ups or shots. The Vet (who wants money) will make you update the cat's shots before seeing them for whatever problem you take them in for.

This happened to me when I had to get my first cat fixed. I didn't get her fixed as a kitten and then when I tried to take her to my original vet they told me in order to do the operation they were going to have to update her shots.

Contrary to popular belief cats who are kept strictly indoors - and I mean strictly - no chance of getting out, do not need constant check ups and shots. I live in an upstairs apartment building where there is no way my cats can get outside unless I take them out. So that's why am not worried about check ups and shots, they are completely fine.

Answer 7

I've had cats all my life and they've always been indoor only cats.
We've always made sure that they had all of their shots, and boosters when the time came.
BUT, my Vet doesn't believe in boosters for indoor cats after the age of 6, he says it stresses the cats out to much as sometimes they have reactions to the shots.

On the other hand if the cats are indoor/outdoor or outdoor only he gives boosters all of their lives.

Answer 8

It depends on where you live, and on what exposures you or your cats may get:

In some areas, rabies vaccination is required by law. Personally I think it's a good idea to keep all pets vaccinated for rabies, because of the seriousness of the disease, and its potential to be transmitted to humans.

Feline distemper is highly contagious so it's a good idea to vaccinate for that too.

Feline leukemia vaccinations are a good idea if your kittens may ever be exposed to other cats or if you handle strange cats.

The FIP and FIV vaccines are controversial, and I would personally avoid them.

See the link under 'sources' below for more info on vaccination frequency, specific recommendations and vaccination safety.

Answer 9

Now remember, this in only my opinion, but we have 6 indoor cats. When they were kittens, we brought them for their shots, and it actually made 2 of them really sick, so we never, ever had them get shots again, unless they were sick or something (which was rare to never). They all have had very long and healthy and active lives. (18 years plus). I seriously believe, if they are 100% indoor cats, it's a matter of your choice.

Answer 10

I would go with whatever my vet recommends. Mine says as long as they are indoor cats, they only need rabies every other year. I still use advantage for fleas fron April to November because people can bring fleas in on their shoes.