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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / July 2005Vaccines--which are necessary?
On advice from KellyH, Lauren, and Phil P. I spoke with my vet about vaccines for my two indoor-only cats. (All three veterinarians at the place where I take my cats have been trained a the NC State Vet School--one graduating about 30 years ago, one 20, and the other less than 10, for what that is worth.) He said that he recommends that indoor only cats with no access to the outside (meaning also no access to strange animals at all--even through a screen) have nothing but the rabies vaccine. In other words, he does not think they really need distemper vaccinations, and certainly not FeLK. He said this is particularly true of immune-system compromised cats like my Cheeks who has asthma and ECG. So we are scheduled for a rabies shot later in July, and a Depo shot tomorrow. (As an aside, he said they have had three cats come in for treatment of asthma this week--much higher incidence that usual here in Raleigh, NC. He meant oxygen tent type emergency treatment, not preventive care like Depo Medrol or oral steroids. So, even though Cheeks has exhibited no coughing or other symptoms since her March shot, I am bringing her in just in case.) > On advice from KellyH, Lauren, and Phil P. I spoke with my vet about > vaccines for my two indoor-only cats. (All three veterinarians at the [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > no coughing or other symptoms since her March shot, I am bringing her in > just in case.) How communicable and contagious is FIV and FeLK? What if a FIV positive cat sneezes on your cat in the vet's office by some strange scenario? Or two post-surgical, one positive cat, side by side (but seperate) in the cages? I was discussing this with a friend yesterday after the initial post regarding this subject. And we both agreed that personally, we vaccinate because of clinic reasons. But we may be miseducated. I'm truly ignorant on the issue. But those were my fears, now I have no idea if they're founded or unfounded. Grace "Gracecat" <gracecat@bellsouth.net> wrote : > > So we are scheduled for a rabies shot later in July, and a Depo shot > > tomorrow. (As an aside, he said they have had three cats come in for [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > How communicable and contagious is FIV and FeLK? What if a FIV positive cat > sneezes on your cat in the vet's office by some strange scenario? This is a very good question. Or two > post-surgical, one positive cat, side by side (but seperate) in the cages? I > was discussing this with a friend yesterday after the initial post regarding > this subject. And we both agreed that personally, we vaccinate because of > clinic reasons. I am so glad you brought this up. When we go to the vet, with the exception of when my Buddha had an ultrasound and she had to stay overnight, I carry them in, stay with them while the vet checks them, and leave with the cats. So I have never even thought of this. Thank you, Gracecat. I will discuss this with the vet on Saturday. > But we may be miseducated. > > I'm truly ignorant on the issue. But those were my fears, now I have no idea > if they're founded or unfounded. I think you have raised very important issues. > How communicable and contagious is FIV and FeLK? What if a FIV > positive cat sneezes on your cat in the vet's office by some [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > I'm truly ignorant on the issue. But those were my fears, now I > have no idea if they're founded or unfounded. Hi Gracecat. FIV is generally only transferred via deep bite wounds, and not such casual contact. The vaccination is ineffective at best, and dangerous at worst for a few reasons. I personally wouldn't give any cat this vaccination. FeLV (feline leukemia) can be spread by more casual contact such as sharing litterboxes, food/water dishes, mutual grooming, etc, but the only reason I'd have this vaccination done is if the cat is high risk - outdoor cat, around untested cats, and the reason I had my cats vaccinated with this one before Shadow died - because he was FeLV+. This one comes with a risk of VAS (vaccine associated sarcoma, or cancer). There's another thread here right now that has more info.  SignatureCheryl "The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." - W.C. Fields > On advice from KellyH, Lauren, and Phil P. I spoke with my vet about > vaccines for my two indoor-only cats. (All three veterinarians at the place [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > said this is particularly true of immune-system compromised cats like my > Cheeks who has asthma and ECG.\ Excellent, Mary. I'm glad to hear your vet is knowledgeable about vaccines :) One thing I did want to mention, if at some time down the road, you or your vet, or both of you, feel that Cheeks should not be vaccinated further for rabies, your vet can write an exemption letter. But you will have to check with your state first, as some states won't accept it. > So we are scheduled for a rabies shot later in July, and a Depo shot > tomorrow. (As an aside, he said they have had three cats come in for [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > no coughing or other symptoms since her March shot, I am bringing her in > just in case.) I wonder why the high incidences of asthma. I had never heard of cats having asthma until my own Meesha who has it. Anyway, glad to hear that Cheeks is doing well. Lauren > I wonder why the high incidences of asthma. I had never heard of cats > having asthma until my own Meesha who has it. Anyway, glad to hear > that Cheeks is doing well. I don't know, maybe ozone? I know they tell asthmatic humans to stay in when ozone is particularly high. For our kittens, we did get them a rabies shot when they were little. Rabies vaccinations are required in the county 2 miles from us, but not in our county. We were not sure where they would be finding homes. (Turned out mostly with us...) We chose to get the distemper series. Distemper concerns me because I've read that 50% of cats who contract it, don't make it. The vet is pretty sure the kittens' mother had it while pregnant, due to some of their problems. The distemper shot also comes as a "pack" with vaccines for URI's, which we really need in a multi-cat household. We are going to get boosters of distemper/URI for ours soon, then follow-ups every 3 years or so. We will probably not get rabies vaccines for them again, and definitely not Felv. Our cats don't have immune system problems though, so I'm glad you're talking about this with your vet. Rhonda > He said that he recommends that indoor only cats with no access to the > outside (meaning also no access to strange animals at all--even through a > screen) have nothing but the rabies vaccine. In other words, he does not > think they really need distemper vaccinations, and certainly not FeLK. He > said this is particularly true of immune-system compromised cats like my > Cheeks who has asthma and ECG. > For our kittens, we did get them a rabies shot when they were little. > Rabies vaccinations are required in the county 2 miles from us, but not [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We chose to get the distemper series. Distemper concerns me because I've > read that 50% of cats who contract it, don't make it. Yes, I am torn about the distemper shots because it is such a terrible disease. I'll talk it over with the vet and do some thinking. She had the distemper last year. "Mary" <marys@catlovernospam.com> wrote in message > > Yes, I am torn about the distemper shots because it is such a terrible > disease. I'll talk it over with the vet and do some thinking. She had > the distemper last year. Mary, if your cat received the FP (feline parvovirus a/k/a distemper) kitten series and one year booster and another FP vaccination last year, she does not need another FP vaccination for *the rest of her life*. On rare occasions, at worst, unvaccinated adult cats develop only subclinical infections which are quickly cleared without complications. "Vaccination of 15 kittens at 8 and 12 weeks of age with two doses of this inactivated vaccine resulted in high antibody titers against FPV for at least 6 years." F.W.Scott,C.Geissinger - Feline Practice 25,4,July/August 1997 12 "Vaccinated cats had high FPV titers throughout the study and solid protection against virulent FPV 7.5 years after vaccination." Scott FW, Geissinger CM -Am J Vet Res 1999 May;60(5):652-8 The study is still ongoing. The cats *still* have solid protection against FP after almost *14 years*! Here are few credibile sources: http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ce/vaccine1/felinevacc-01.pdf http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/panleukopenia/panleukopenia_faq.asp Remember, >15% of a practice's income is derived from vaccinations. Along with the vaccinations comes the physical exam and office visit fee. Many people get their cats examined only when they bring their cats in for vaccinations. With fewer vaccinations, vets lose a lot of money in exams and office fees- that's the main reason why many vets oppose the new triennial vaccination protocol and convince their clients that yearly vaccinations are necessary. The only vaccine I would remotely consider for your cats is the Ultranasal FVR/FCV vaccine. Phil > Mary, if your cat received the FP (feline parvovirus a/k/a distemper) > kitten [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ce/vaccine1/felinevacc-01.pdf > http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/panleukopenia/panleukopenia_faq.asp Thanks for the info. I've been a good little doo-bee about the FVRCP vacc because I bring home shelter cats (no contact with mine, but just in case), sometimes before they are vacc, so I wanted to make sure mine are protected. My vet recently "switched" to FVRCP being a 3-vacc, which I suspect is just the same thing, but they now say it's good for 3 years instead of one. > The only vaccine I would remotely consider for your cats is the Ultranasal > FVR/FCV vaccine. Is that the HESKA? Signature-Kelly > For our kittens, we did get them a rabies shot when they were little. > Rabies vaccinations are required in the county 2 miles from us, but not [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We chose to get the distemper series. Distemper concerns me because I've > read that 50% of cats who contract it, don't make it. Yeah, same here, on both counts. One of my sister's cats (who'd previously been a stray) had distemper; he made it, but was in the their vets' ICU for 11 days. He was one sick kitty. Cathy The vet is pretty > sure the kittens' mother had it while pregnant, due to some of their > problems. The distemper shot also comes as a "pack" with vaccines for [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > said this is particularly true of immune-system compromised cats like my > > Cheeks who has asthma and ECG. I'm glad your sister's cat made it. 11 days in ICU, he must have been extremely sick. I'll bet he's grateful to have a nice, comfy home now. Our mom-cat had killer diarrhea when we brought her home, but we have never dealt with distemper and didn't recognize this as a symptom. Luckily, she got better right before the kittens were born. We lost one of the kittens at 7 weeks, probably because of defects due to her illness. Another one is almost blind and has neurological problems (but is the best cat ever!) Everyone else fared better, but gets shaky after vaccinations or if not feeling well. We plan to get them vaccinated for distemper every 3 years. Rhonda > Yeah, same here, on both counts. One of my sister's cats (who'd > previously been a stray) had distemper; he made it, but was in the > their vets' ICU for 11 days. He was one sick kitty. > > Cathy > I'm glad your sister's cat made it. 11 days in ICU, he must have been > extremely sick. I'll bet he's grateful to have a nice, comfy home now. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > We plan to get them vaccinated for distemper every 3 years. We vaccinate the indoor cats, but we have a feral who comes inside the house and the kittens get to play outside in the backyard. They're so happy stalking and playing in the grass, I can't bear to keep them inside. b > On advice from KellyH, Lauren, and Phil P. I spoke with my vet about > vaccines for my two indoor-only cats. (All three veterinarians at the place [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > no coughing or other symptoms since her March shot, I am bringing her in > just in case.) This is the conclusion I have reached too. If Mingy or the fosters hung around the door, trying to get out, I might rethink that, but since they don't, it seems like the risks are greater than any potential benefits. SignatureJean B. > This is the conclusion I have reached too. If Mingy or the fosters hung > around the door, trying to get out, I might rethink that, but since they > don't, it seems like the risks are greater than any potential benefits. I think in the end it is a question of weighing the benefits and possible risks. Given that my cats have some health problems and, like yours never go outside, I think it makes sense for them not to have too many vaccinations. >> This is the conclusion I have reached too. If Mingy or the fosters >> hung around the door, trying to get out, I might rethink that, but [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > yours never go outside, I think it makes sense for them not to have too > many vaccinations. Did you clear this decision with "Phil P"?? ;^) > >> This is the conclusion I have reached too. If Mingy or the fosters > >> hung around the door, trying to get out, I might rethink that, but [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Did you clear this decision with "Phil P"?? ;^) She doesn't have to- she's better informed about cats than you are, EC. >>>> This is the conclusion I have reached too. If Mingy or the >>>> fosters hung around the door, trying to get out, I might [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > She doesn't have to- she's better informed about cats than you > are, EC. Per usual, there is no logic stream when you stray from textbook medicine. > >>>> This is the conclusion I have reached too. If Mingy or the > >>>> fosters hung around the door, trying to get out, I might [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Per usual, there is no logic stream when you stray from textbook > medicine. Yeah, I know. Its much more logical to dump a cat when he gets sick than it is to treat him like you did, eh, EC? >> >>>> This is the conclusion I have reached too. If Mingy or the >> >>>> fosters hung around the door, trying to get out, I might [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >Yeah, I know. Its much more logical to dump a cat when he gets sick than it >is to treat him like you did, eh, EC? |
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