>I have a cat who stays in the house 95% of the time and is allowed to go
>out occasionally on a leash. My question is: Would my cat really require
>booster shots every year? I have heard that they are both unnecessary
>and can actually be downright dangerous. I've also heard that
>veterinarians promote them because they make a lot of money off them.
>Thank you in advance.
I may be wrong but I get mine every 2 years. Mine are strictly indoor cats and I do like
like putting all this stuff in or on them. But on the other hand at the first sign of a
cold or such they will go to the vets.
My ex had a cat that passed on at 17 years old and never had any shots her whole life.
Took her in when was about a year old and she was strictly an indoors cat. She was taken
to the vet when sick through and did leave us at 17 years from liver failure.
>I have a cat who stays in the house 95% of the time and is allowed to go
>out occasionally on a leash. My question is: Would my cat really require
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>
>Donna K.
Absolutley yes. I had indoor cats, a 100 year old house, I said to
myself nothing could happen to these cats, that they would perfectly
safe.
Well one day a squirrel got into the house, each cat had to go to the
vet to have a "booster" rabies shot. The squirrel apparently made
a hole in the wall somewhere and got in through that way.
I would also add many of these shots are mandated by state law.
Indoor-only cats also need to be tested at least
annually for parasites. I learned the hard way that
indoor-only cats can and will get parasites from eating
insects.
I worked for a vet for a while and got vaccines at cost. they are about
3-5$ a piece. The vet in my area charges 15-20$ for them. a mark up yes,
but honestly everything is marked up. That sofa you bought for 1000$
probably cost a couple of hundred. You have to pay for the drs to be there,
the building, the staff.. You want all this still there when you have an
emergency.
Around here, the distemper complex FVRCP, is every 3 years (although my vet
recommends every two) and rabies can be every 3 years - which is a much more
dangerous vaccine, or 1 year - much safer one.
Rabies is required by law, because no matter how little your cat gets out,
there is no assurance that they can't, and there is none that nothing will
get in.
If you are that concerned about the rabies shot, you can get a titer test
done. This measures the amount of antibodies in your kitty's system which
will show if they are protected or not. When I talked to my vet about my 16
yr old kitty, he assured me that she was well protected since she got
vaccines every year up to that point... she's not getting them again.
As for the FVRCP, some of this group of vaccines are cat to cat contact, but
not all of it. If you come in contact with an infected cat, you could bring
it home to your cat.
FELV is purely a cat to cat contact. Cats who live in a home, who are calm
and well fed and loved have a very low risk of becoming infected, even if
they come in contact with it (My old girl has been exposed to it at least
twice)
FIP is a dangerous vaccine and I highly recommend against it.
FIV.... I am pretty sure there is a vx in the works, but until I see proof
that it works, I wouldn't touch it. Like FELV, not necessary for an indoor
cat.
>I have a cat who stays in the house 95% of the time and is allowed to go
> out occasionally on a leash. My question is: Would my cat really require
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>
> Donna K.
Dr. Woodard - 14 Apr 2006 21:52 GMT
>I worked for a vet for a while and got vaccines at cost. they are about
>3-5$ a piece. The vet in my area charges 15-20$ for them. a mark up yes,
>but honestly everything is marked up. That sofa you bought for 1000$
>probably cost a couple of hundred. You have to pay for the drs to be there,
>the building, the staff.. You want all this still there when you have an
>emergency.
I would add that $2.00 vaccine that the vet problaby is charging $20
for? Around here he has to becasue with that vaccine comes a mountain
of paperwork that the state requires be filed by the vet.
>Around here, the distemper complex FVRCP, is every 3 years (although my vet
>recommends every two) and rabies can be every 3 years - which is a much more
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>>
>> Donna K.