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When and why should pet owners vaccinate their cats?
The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) recommends that kittens start getting their shots at around 6 to 8 weeks of age, the time when the immunity they received from their mothers starts to wane. "It's important to vaccinate cats because the viruses that we're vaccinating against are very prevalent in the environment," Bellezza says. "Cats that aren't vaccinated are very much at risk."
Despite that high risk, not all cat owners follow the guidelines.
"Unfortunately, there is a lot of incorrect information on the Internet related to vaccinations," says Dr. Nelson. "As a result, I have observed an increase in the number of people who refuse vaccinations for their pets. Now I am beginning to see an increase in the number of animals who contract these diseases."
What vaccines do cats need?
Experts recommend that all cats get the important "core" vaccines. They guard against feline viral rhinotracheitis (a respiratory infection), calcivirus (another respiratory infection) and panleukopenia virus (feline distemper). According to Bellezza, one vaccine, known as FVRCP, protects against all three diseases.
The other very important core vaccine guards against rabies. Because rabies is lethal both to cats and to humans, rabies shots are required by law in most states.
Cat owners may also consider certain "non-core" vaccines depending on their circumstances. The vaccine for feline leukemia is recommended for cats that go outdoors, Bellezza says. And although a vaccine exists for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), many experts do not recommend it. The vaccine is not 100-percent effective, Bellezza explains, and any cat that receives it will test positive for the disease. That makes it impossible to know if a vaccinated cat has become sick and should be treated for the illness.
To determine which, if any, non-core vaccines your cat might need, talk to your veterinarian. "People have to talk to their vet and weigh the risks and benefits to see if it's appropriate for their situation," Bellezza says.
After their initial kitten series, cats need boosters to maintain their immunity against disease. Some vaccines prevent disease for three years, while others are licensed for yearly use. To decide how frequently your cat needs booster shots, talk to your vet about the recommended vaccine schedule for the products your cat receives.
Are there side effects I should worry about?
Most vaccine side effects are mild, such as sluggishness and lack of appetite for a day or two after vaccination. But in rare cases, serious side effects can occur. Some cats suffer from a severe allergic reaction. Usually, allergic reactions occur immediately, when you're still in the vet's office, Bellezza says. Still, it's a good idea to keep a close eye on your cat for 48 hours after it gets its shots. Watch for symptoms like vomiting, unusual behavior or labored breathing. "Seek medical help immediately if any of these signs are observed," Nelson adds.
Another possible risk of vaccines is the development of a tumor, called a fibrosarcoma, at the vaccine site. Such tumors have been linked to adjuvants, chemicals added to vaccines to boost the cat's immune response. "To address that risk, companies are now making vaccines that don't contain adjuvants," Bellezza says. If you're concerned about tumor risk, ask your vet if she uses adjuvant-free formulations.
The important thing to remember is that severe side effects are rare. For unvaccinated cats, though, serious illness from these viruses are all too common.
Are there cats that shouldn't get these shots?
Pregnant cats and sick cats typically shouldn't be vaccinated. Many vets also discourage giving vaccines to cats with uncontrolled chronic illness or those who have weak immune systems. But unless your cat is ill, Bellezza says, even elderly cats should get their shots. Cats of any age are at risk of serious illness from contracting these viruses.
No cat should die from these diseases, Nelson adds. "It is heartbreaking to watch a cat or any animal die of a preventable disease," she says.
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Yeah cat owners should look into this. And every cat is different, so to each it's own. I've had cat's all my life for over 20 years since I was kid, but I'm not saying I know everything.
I got kitten as gift about 10 yrs ago, only I know that the cat was castrate, never thanks to God have any health problem. eat a lot and he became part of the 75% fat people.
I agree with you, cat owners need to look into it this.
I had a cat for 11 years named Spooky. She was both an inside & outdoor cat. She went to the vet for regular checkups but I never had her vaccinated. She was in good health & never became sick form anything. I do see some of the pros & cons of having your cat vaccinated. I feel it is a personal decision of the pet owner. The only thing that killed my cat was the neighbors pitbull who had gotten loose one day. We were devastated beyond words. My Spooky saved my family when my furnace went bad, she woke me up & refused to let me lay down. My family is alive today because of her. I had her cremated & she will go with me when I die....Long story short.. it should be your choice to have your pet vaccinated or not.
My cat is the exception to the rule. My cat is allergic to those vaccines and goes into a severe reaction if she gets them. She is not allowed outside due to this problem and she is doing fine without them. I have had vets tell me that some cats gets tumors at the vaccines site so I am not missing her getting those shots. Look into it. If your cat is an in door cat then your cat might not need those vaccines. Some of those vaccines are to protect cats from diseases they can get from other cats but if you cat is an indoor only cat then why give them those vaccines. Mine cannot have them and she is healthy and not been sick a day in her life. And she is 11 years old.
exactly....they need their kitten series ...then into the first year.......I have a cat who is 15 years old ...because of a skin problem when she was young they said not to vaccinate her....so why not?...because it would aggravate the skin more....any animal with any other medical problem shouldn't get them anyhow......she is 15 and has been fine....but I have heard of other people's animal getting really sick,that is the first sign.
I docat rescue and have been for 10 years now. I have mother cats about to give birth in my home when the people where I got them from don't want the mother soon to be to have an abortion. If the kittens are born inside they will not be feral or hard to handle till you socialize them which is what happens if you let Mommy have them outside in your yard or under your deck, shed etc. I have not had any bad things happen to any of the fosters nor my 10 cats in all these years so I believe all this get shots thing is just a way to make us cat onwers feel guilty & go running to the vets office so they can charge us up the cazoo for an office visit plus plus plus. Nice try but I'm not buying it. My friend got her cats shots every year (rabies) and sure enough one came down with cancer at the injection site. Seven thousand dollars later the cat is dead, my friend is $7,000 in the hole and NOW she does't get rabies updates every year like recommended or by law.
Cats in most states are required by law to have a rabies vacination. This is important as there are some mischevious cats that have found their ways outside when they are not suppose to. Cats if they bite when being caught to go back in the house will then have to go onto a costly rabies quarentine due to the bite and not being vacinated, you will also get a heavy fine and in some states lose your cat all together. Think before you don't vacinate for rabies. I have had a cat for 13 years and once over that 13 years (and in her 13th year) she got out with no warning. I am thankful I had proof she was up to date on her vacination or I would have had to pay a heavy penalty. It is your choice as a pet owner but some think they are doing a disservices and others ...
My cat is an indoor cat. He's never been outside. I choose not to give him the vaccines. He had them once and his reaction wasn't good. I was very concerned. I don't see the point if he isn't interacting with other cats.
if he had a bad reaction the first time ...don't get them
I think the shots for rabies is ridiculous -if the animal NEVER goes outside---laws are bs maybe the politians need to have the shots they are more harm to us--My cat got cancer from that shot- it is documented in the journals that it can cause cancer - I spent 10,000.00 dollars saving her life -poor thing suffered from the law of vaccinating for rabies--
sherry ...I absolutely agree....they can drop sugar cubes with the vaccines to the wildlife ....but they don't ....any wildlife can get rabies and they are roaming ....so why do our indoor cats and dogs need them when they are not exposed to the public...its stupid....I am not doing it ,period.....
to sherry, the reason for rabies shot is because if the cat or dog has bitten u or someone else, a human being can get rabies too, once the animal has rabies, sometimes it has to be put to sleep.. would u want to get rabies? u might want to rethink your comment..
Patricia Lackey, you are obviously speaking from inexperience yourself. Did you miss the part where Sherry said her cat NEVER goes outside? How does one get rabies from staying indoors? Also, have you ever had a cat that got vaccine associated sarcoma from a rabies shot? Has a vaccination ever cost YOU over $10,000 to save your pet? It has cost us over $12,000 these past two months thanks to a rabies shot. You should direct your comments to the pharmaceutical companies. THEY need to make vaccinations safer to eliminate this cancer. We will never vaccinate our indoor cats again.
Dr Jean Dodds has done research on vaccines for 30+ years and there are new vaccine protocols for dogs, horses and probably cats. The vaccine protocol of years ago are GONE. Vaccines DECREASE immunity and over vaccination is rampant in the veterinarian world... though the vets don't want to tell you all that information.
HOWEVER, the schools ARE teaching this now and our pets will not be over vaccinated in the future. Rabies is also a 3 year shot (check Pfizer's website) and this has been known for years too. Even the 1 year shot is a 3 year shot... verified by Pfizer. Rabies ALSO can kill your animals. My personal experience is a friend lost 2 dogs to cancer at the exact spot of the Rabies shot. She now gives a ferret shot to her dogs.
If you think clearly, your children don't get yearly shots so why would a dog or cat need one. I have had cats over the years and would get the kitten/puppy shots and then a booster a year after that then no more shots. Every one of my animals lived to old age. Never did I lose an animal to these "so called" diseases that NEED yearly shots.
Several of our local vets have even "upped the anti" and started telling patients that they need to vaccinate every 6 months !!!! OMG that's OUTRAGEOUS and simply GREEDY !!! Come on people WAKE UP !!! You're killing your pets. And for goodness sakes !! Don't fall for the "rattlesnake" shots. The shots only cover one particular type of rattler and even then it's not guaranteed. Just another $18 out of your pocket into their pocket to pay for their yacht, BMW or state of the art vet clinic. sheesh Go home and enjoy your animals and keep your yearly vet fees and ENJOY !!!
B Snider
Georgia
B Snider-
I would like to know where you have acquired all of this knowledge. Your claims are absolutely wrong, and unless you have attended veterinary school you have no idea what we are being taught! While you are correct on the ever-changing opinions on vaccine protocols, many of your statements are just wrong. Why would vets want to do something that hurts an animal? And, if you really think vets are making big money off of those vaccines you are 100% wrong. There is hardly any profit margin in a vaccine, again something you probably know nothing about. It is people like you that confuse well-meaning pet owners. Why would you forgo taking your cat to the vet once a year, even if you are going to refuse vaccines? By the way, there aren't many vets driving BMW's your yachts. Get your story straight!
Dr.B
Dr B....the rabies vaccine can last as long as 7 years...its called a titer test...funny noone seems to know much about it....how about enlightening everyone here.....cleaning teeth is not necesary...dogs ..give them hard chews....cats can chew on toys with catnip in them....I have had animals al my life and have done rescue. I am not vet educated ,either...I could be a vet tech because some of them need major refresher courses...if you know what i mean...........
I agree to each his own... HOWEVER whatever you believe you shouldn't pass onto someone else. Especially when you are talking about someone's pet that is a part of the family. If you have not worked in the vet feild for a long time or are a Dr. then you should hesitate to throw your words around.
I do have my stories straight... Look up Dr. Jean Dodds on the internet and read. She does evidence based research and I do know what I'm talking about. I've been in the dog fancy world for 40 years and I've done my research. Though I don't have the diploma on my wall, I do know what I'm talking about. Keeping up to date on new and improved methods of treatment is more important than staying in the dark ages of medicine.
I have several vets who care for my pets, and not money. They have more clients then they can handle and they don't give vaccinations unnecessarily, they don't charge an office visit and they do titers.
I've belonged to several different breed clubs and all breed clubs, as a board member, and am a co founder of an all breed club so I'm not a dummy when it comes to knowledge on animals. I learn more and more every day, as you should be learning.
My stats are real and my information is real.
Becca
Georgia
You don't need a diploma to speak about what you know to be true. You make your decisions on things by knowledge you glean from others. If you stay in a tiny box without learning then shame on you.
I want to know and I want knowledge from many different places and then I make my decisions. If I don't learn then shame on me but I won't stay in a box and let one person dominate me and tell me how to think. That's why we have FREEDOM in this country. Freedom my husband fought for and I believe in.
B
Georgia