vaccinate?

Question

all my cats are indoor cats and are vaccinated but i havent decided yet if they need to be boosted every yr if they never come into contact with other cats,my kittens just had his first set and was really depressed and sneezing with runny eyes for a good week after both doses.i know that vets and books from america advise 3yrly jabs i just dont know why its different here.i have spoken to my vet who said yes i still need to vacc them even though they are indoors but she was vague as to why.money for them perhaps?i dont min getting them vacc but if its not needed so often then why put them through it especially the ones who seem to have a reaction.opinions please!!!!

Answer 1

After doing my research on vaccines I decided to not vaccinate after all the kitten vaccines are given. Like us, they produce antibodies against diseases when they are given their first sets of shots. It makes no sense that the antibodies just disappear after a year or 3. Many cats end up sick from the vaccines and some end up dying, all of which could have been prevented by not weakening their immune system from unnecessary shots. Feed a high quality canned food, and that will help keep their immune system healthy. Absolutely never vaccinate your cat if it is fighting an illness. The immune system is already weakened, so getting a vaccine on top of that can cause serious problems.

For me, money is not an issue. If I thought annual vaccines are a good idea, I'd definitely be getting my cat vaccinated yearly or 3-yrs.

My cat is an indoor-only cat as well. We adopted her at the age of 4, last year, and we have never let her outside, and she has never tried to go outside. She's quite scared of things, probably scared to go outside.

Answer 2

most states legally require a rabies vaccine, even for indoor pets. The time frame, yearly, every 2 or three years, all depends on what state you are residing in. Most veterinarians will recommend the vaccines be boostered one time per year simply for a safety factor. There are many "indoor" cats that escape and if one of your cats got out, and was exposed to a disease for which the kitty's vaccine wasn't current, then they could become sick. SO that's the reason, if you are confident your cats will never be out, then don't get the boosters every year. I would be certain too, that all the cats are disease free by getting them all tested for feline leukemia, and FIV. These viruses are incurable and eventually fatal, but can be carried silently for months or years. If a cat is already carrying the feline leukemia virus then vaccinating for it won't help. Hope this isn't too much info, just wanted to explain everything. Best wishes.

Answer 3

Hi,

It's true that there are now some vaccines that have been tested and registered for use every three years. The main reason that we as a profession still advise annual vaccination is that it gets people to bring their pet in for a yearly health check. This isn't such an issue in young animals, but can be crucial in picking up common health issues in middle aged and older pets. The vast majority of people won't bring their animals in for a health check unless they are sent a vaccination reminder every year.

Even indoor cats will get outside occasionally, and even if they don't, they will still at some time in their lives be exposed to other cats. If they have to have a stay at the vets for any reason, they will be caged in a 'kennel room' where there are other cats. If you ever have to put them in a cattery for some reason, you are required to provide proof of vaccination.

For all those reasons, you really should keep your cats up to date with vaccinations, but there really is no reason why you can't vaccinate your cats only once every three years, but they should still have a yearly check-up.

Answer 4

Well, I'll tell you what. If your cats are NEVER, and I mean NEVER (not rarely or once in a while), but NEVER outdoors or in contact with any other animals (cats or dogs), then, I see absolutely NO reason to keep up their vaccinations. When I first adopted mine, I had all of his shots done, since nobody at the shelter knew anything about this cat. But, I have kept him as strictly and INDOOR ONLY cat for well over 9 years now and have never taken him in to have any booster (or any other) shots. I figure--why? He's never around any other animal, he's NEVER outdoors for one minute (he's actually afraid to go outside), and I can find no logical reason to have these shots done. Mine happens to be a pure bred Turkish Angora, and God knows, I have to spend enough money on the groomer for this guy. I can see no reason to keep up on any vaccinations for things he's never going to be exposed to. This is just my opinion.

Now, in your case, if you recently had kittens--I'd highly suggest you have some spaying and neutering done. The very worst thing you can do is to allow a brother and sister to mate--this causes all types of abnormalities (even death) in some cats. So, I'd say it's more important right now to have these kitties fixed than to worry about the vaccinations. You can decide about that later.

Answer 5

If your cats show a reaction for that length of time seems to indicate they were not well when they had their vaccs. The reaction could easily be feline herpes - brought on by the cats being less than well when they were vacc'ed.

Cat flu is an air-born disease and can come floating in the window or you yourself can bring it on you clothes.
Changing weather can also make your cats ill.

Answer 6

I only do mine every three or four years after they've had their kitten shots and a booster in a year.Rabies is done by law every three years,but the rest,I think,are unnecessary every year unless your cat goes outside to roam or is being shown and comes into contact with other cats.Even my vet agrees that animals are over - vaccinated.My Beagle used to get horrible urinary tract infections every time he would get his shots;he would pee pure blood.The first time,we didn't connect the UTI and the shots,but after it happening three years in a row,I stopped vaccinating every year.Recent research has shown that even the rabies vaccine may last as long as seven years!

Answer 7

Even with the ones that do go outside there is dispute about whether repeating vaccinations does more harm or good. I would not vaccinate my cats again after getting the original shots
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Farm/1050/vaccinations.html
http://www.holisticat.com/vaccinations.html

Answer 8

id not bother if they are never out and the cat seems to be ill after maybe every other year would do my cats gets a jab one year and never again none of mine have died from not having it and my cay has a 15 yr old never caught nothing and it was outside and inside

Answer 9

I vote that rabies should always be up to date, even in indoor only cats (small rodents/bats can get in), but past that, it's up to you.