Happy Tuesday! I am happy today for an odd reason. I had a colonoscopy yesterday and I was afraid they were going to find worms because of my flea issues. The nurse did ask me where all my scratches came from and I admitted that I am in an abusive realtionship-with Lucy, my cat. This post may be a little controversial, but it is just my opinion backed with some fact. I know everyone has their cat’s best interest in mind and it is up to you to research the issues you worry about.
I have been afraid of vaccines since my KaChoo passed away from renal failure in 2010 at the age of 16. I tried to do eveything I could to help her live a longer life and I know heredity and ultimately God decide,but still……. I know one bad thing was letting her only eat dry food ( she hated canned) , but the other is vaccines. I know when I first had her which was before the internet had all this information at our fingertips, I made sure she got her vaccines yearly. If I had to do it over again, I would not have gotten her so many distemper shots. Research has shown why: http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/dont-vaccinate-your-adult-cat-for-distemper/
In Massachusetts, the law says rabies every 3 years after 2 in a row ( a year apart). Some states require yearly rabies which is ridiculous, if I lived in one of those states, I would move. My cats are indoor so I don’t bother with the FELV/FIV vaccine, I am just sure to test any cat before he/she enters our home.
Have a nice day everyone and please comment on this, I value everyone’s input. I learn many things from comments that I would not have known otherwise. Also, fellow bloggers, I updated my blogs that I follow- I follow a lot. If I missed you, please let me know because I probably do follow you. And if you would like to add me to your list, I would greatly appreciate it.
IMO if you have a strictly INDOOR cat then you don’t even need the rabies vaccine. It’s just to way for Vet Hospitals to steal more money from pet owners.
I don’t like having to get the rabies either, but I do because if the cat gets sick and you go to the vet, they insist on giving it. I would rather give it while they are healthy than when they are sick.
Interesting. I went to the link you suggested and will ask my vet about this particular vaccine the next time the kitties are scheduled to receive it. I have always vaccinated all cats whenever the vet says these are due. Of the nine past and current eight, I have never dealt with renal failure. Thanks for the heads-up. I definitely will be looking into this. XO, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
I hope you never have to deal with renal failure, it is sad to see the gradual decline of a beloved cat.
In MY opinion, all outdoor cats should have shots. Indoor/outdoor cats the same, but indoor only cats, I feel that its completely unnecessary. Nico my Blue Bicolor Ragdoll cat that was euthanized due to HCM, had had a feline leukemia shot by his old vet, I did NOT want this and had told them multiple different times, and she wouldn’t listen to me, so she went ahead and gave him one–I was pissed. Ragdoll cats are NOT suppose to have FIV/FELV shots, because some Ragdolls are allergic to the shots and there have been cases in which Ragdolls have died from those shots. Nico&Anya’s contracts are against this.
I read about Nico on your blog and it was heartbreaking. I am so sorry. A good vet would listen to your concerns and respect your choices, I would have been mad too.
My human is lax about keeping our vaccines up to date, although it’s actually really important that she does this with the rabies vaccine. Why? A few months ago, Binga was trying to snatch a treat from my human’s fingertips and accidentally chomped down on her thumb. It was bad enough to go to urgent care to be looked at, and if it had been serious, without proof of rabies vaccination, Binga’s life might have been in danger. So in some ways, it’s not even a disease issue, it’s to protect kitties from the law.
Binga is a naughty little girl, isn’t she? I am glad everything worked out and I agree it is good to protect kitties from the law.
My folks nearly lost their kitty last summer after having her vaccinated! They (and their vet) said “never again” for Shadow. I do not vaccinate either; our colony is closed and my vet agrees.
I am glad that Shadow survived. I have heard many horror stories about vaccines, you are lucky your vet agrees with you.
Oh My! Mes finally figured out where yous lives!!! Thanks for visiting mes and this is a fabulishious post! now that mes knows where yous is, yous can be sure mes will be reading (wes don’t comment as often as me would like as Mommy and me often reads our furrends blogs in bed on the tablet and its hard to types)!
Kisses
Nellie
Yay!! I am glad you found us. I just added you to my favorite blogs list. I am glad you like the blog and I understand it is hard to write on a tablet. XO
We trust our cat specialist vet and follow her advice. We do not believe she has every over vaccinated our cats. We could be wrong but we are not veterinarians. We do understand that others who know so much more than us prefer to make their own choices and who are we to ever correct personal choice. Thanks for this post
It sounds like you have a great vet. I wish we had a cat specialist one, but the closest is an hour away and as you know, most cats don’t travel well.
All my cats had their kitten shots, except for Meow-Me and Boomer who joined the family as adult cats. They have all had their booster shots and I don’t plan on having them vaccinated again. The rabies vaccine isn’t compulsory here. I don’t vaccinate my cats against FeLV or FIV as they are indoor only cats.
Our TNR cat, Stinky has also had a booster shot and I also do not plan to have him vaccinated again even though he’s an outdoor kitty.
You are lucky that rabies isn’t required where you are. At least we only need them every 3 years as opposed to states that require them yearly. I have a cat named Stinky too 🙂
We get our “basic” shots every year, but we don’t get rabies as we only go out in a closed fence. Our vet is not for over vaccinate, and he explained very well why. The owner has the final choice. Purrs
Purrs to you too 🙂
Weez liv in one of those rabies evew year states nd movin’ is not an option. Mommy dusn’t like it, but we hav to obey the law specially since we awe Service Cats. As fur da udder vacs, mommy only gives those to us evewy 3 – 5 years and sum nevew aftew initial baby vacs. Weez don’t believ any animal has to be vaccinated evewy year as studies hav pwoved they actually purrtect fur much longer and da law doesn’t wequire them. Ow vet is a stwict evewy year kinda guy, but hims knows mommy and dat hers knows what hers talkin’ ’bout and dusn’t awgue wiff hers. Udder than to say there awe studies on boff sides of da issue to suppowt boff sides of da issue. And then hims duz what mommy wants. MOL
Luv ya’
Dezi and Lexi
That is too bad that some states make you get those awful shots every year 🙁
Poor Admiral, the kitty just before Katie got so sick from the shots I begged and begged for her not to have them. I guess the Vet wanted the money, I almost said here, I’ll pay you the same money NOT to give them to her. She and I and the Vet finally came to an unspoken understanding and she didn’t have them. She was indoor only and he did mention that if she did bite someone there might be trouble and if she had the shot there would be no doubt that she did not infect anyone with rabies.
I have had Katie Isabella 2 years and some months and she has escaped so far…
xxoo
That is too bad that a lot of vets want that money instead of caring about what is best for our pets. I finally mailed out Katie’s prize today so tell her to watch for it in a couple days.