Vaccinations?

On Feb 8, 10:56*am, "Matthew"
wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in message

...

It's time for me to take Persia for her annual checkup. *I just know the
vet will want to give her booster shots. *That's all well and good, but is
it really necessary? *She's an indoor cat. *(She doesn't even really care
to sit in the Kitty Walk enclosure on the patio much anymore.) *How on
earth would she get rabies? *(I do think there's a law in SC that a rabies
certificate must be filed with some government agency.)

How do you folks feel about annual vaccinations? *Are they necessary? *I'd
welcome a civilized discussion. *Obviously there will be differing
opinions but there aren't any right or wrong answers.

Jill

I thought the rabies was every 3 years

Rusty (RB) got rabies every 3 years. He was also an indoor only cat.
I think there is a city bylaws here requiring rabies shot for dogs
and cats.

On 2/8/2012 10:56 AM, Matthew wrote:
wrote in message
...
It's time for me to take Persia for her annual checkup. I just know the
vet will want to give her booster shots. That's all well and good, but is
it really necessary? She's an indoor cat. (She doesn't even really care
to sit in the Kitty Walk enclosure on the patio much anymore.) How on
earth would she get rabies? (I do think there's a law in SC that a rabies
certificate must be filed with some government agency.)

How do you folks feel about annual vaccinations? Are they necessary? I'd
welcome a civilized discussion. Obviously there will be differing
opinions but there aren't any right or wrong answers.

Jill
From Cornell Vet School's website:
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/vaccbr.html

Christina Websell wrote:

I cannot see any reason where a cat that never goes out would need any. We
don't need rabies shots here and Boyfie has his jabs for whatever is a
dangerous disease for a UK cat as he is allowed out.
If your cat is entirely inside forever I cannot see why they would need any
vaccinations at all, unless a bad cat disease comes in via your
air-conditioning!

Same reason an indoor-only cat should be microchipped, I guess. Even
if you never intend for a cat to get out, things happen. It's true that
there's a far greater chance of an escaped indoor cat to get lost than
to catch rabies, so the microchip is more important. But if you want to
be really sure, I suppose vaccinations are a good idea. Of course, I say
this even though I haven't gotten Roxy vaccinated for years. She's a
special case, though, because of her herpes. I don't want to stress her
immune system any more than absolutely necessary.

On the other hand, I'm late getting Licky's vaccinations. Rabies is
pretty rare where I live, but not impossible. There are also other
diseases that *are* common.

--
Joyce

Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good
many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.
-- Joseph Wood Krutch

my vet finally got to talk to one of the main researchers on this topic last
year, she has moved to shots every three years now, Lee
"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
It's time for me to take Persia for her annual checkup. I just know the
vet will want to give her booster shots. That's all well and good, but is
it really necessary? She's an indoor cat. (She doesn't even really care
to sit in the Kitty Walk enclosure on the patio much anymore.) How on
earth would she get rabies? (I do think there's a law in SC that a rabies
certificate must be filed with some government agency.)

How do you folks feel about annual vaccinations? Are they necessary? I'd
welcome a civilized discussion. Obviously there will be differing
opinions but there aren't any right or wrong answers.

Jill

On Feb 8, 10:14*am, "jmcquown" wrote:
It's time for me to take Persia for her annual checkup. *I just know the vet
will want to give her booster shots. *That's all well and good, but is it
really necessary? *She's an indoor cat. *(She doesn't even really care to
sit in the Kitty Walk enclosure on the patio much anymore.) *How on earth
would she get rabies? *(I do think there's a law in SC that a rabies
certificate must be filed with some government agency.)

How do you folks feel about annual vaccinations? *Are they necessary? *I'd
welcome a civilized discussion. *Obviously there will be differing opinions
but there aren't any right or wrong answers.

Jill

I also had a cat die of sarcoma at the injection site - so I don't
give vacinations anymore. However, if I would go to a new vet, they
would most likely insist, since it is the law in Ohio. We recently
moved and now we drive over an hour to go to the old vet to avoid
having to get vacinations for an indoor only cat....................

On 2/8/2012 10:14 AM, jmcquown wrote:
It's time for me to take Persia for her annual checkup. I just know the
vet will want to give her booster shots. That's all well and good, but
is it really necessary? She's an indoor cat. (She doesn't even really
care to sit in the Kitty Walk enclosure on the patio much anymore.) How
on earth would she get rabies? (I do think there's a law in SC that a
rabies certificate must be filed with some government agency.)

How do you folks feel about annual vaccinations? Are they necessary? I'd
welcome a civilized discussion. Obviously there will be differing
opinions but there aren't any right or wrong answers.

Jill

In Connecticut rabies vaccination is required by law.I could decline
certain shots because my cats are indoor only.

Ann

On Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:19:46 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:


"Matthew" wrote in message
ing.com...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
It's time for me to take Persia for her annual checkup. I just know the
vet will want to give her booster shots. That's all well and good, but
is it really necessary? She's an indoor cat. (She doesn't even really
care to sit in the Kitty Walk enclosure on the patio much anymore.) How
on earth would she get rabies? (I do think there's a law in SC that a
rabies certificate must be filed with some government agency.)

How do you folks feel about annual vaccinations? Are they necessary?
I'd welcome a civilized discussion. Obviously there will be differing
opinions but there aren't any right or wrong answers.

Jill

I thought the rabies was every 3 years

I think the regulations vary by state. But I don't see a reason to
vaccinate Persia against rabies (or anything else) when she never comes into
contact with other animals. Why are vets so eager to give indoor-only cats
booster shots every every time they have a check up? This is what I'm
questioning.

Jill

Any cat can get outside, and lots of stuff gets tracked in on my feet.
I walk in the yards where lots of other animals pass by, and then come
in. The cats are sniffing at my feet. I don't know if rabies can get
passed that way but there doesn't seem to be a downside. Plus, when I
get scratched by them (got one this morning playing a bit too rougly
with Scooter) I know that I'm not getting rabies.

"dgk" wrote in message ...

On Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:19:46 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:


"Matthew" wrote in message
ing.com...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
It's time for me to take Persia for her annual checkup. I just know the
vet will want to give her booster shots. That's all well and good, but
is it really necessary? She's an indoor cat. (She doesn't even really
care to sit in the Kitty Walk enclosure on the patio much anymore.) How
on earth would she get rabies? (I do think there's a law in SC that a
rabies certificate must be filed with some government agency.)

How do you folks feel about annual vaccinations? Are they necessary?
I'd welcome a civilized discussion. Obviously there will be differing
opinions but there aren't any right or wrong answers.

Jill

I thought the rabies was every 3 years

I think the regulations vary by state. But I don't see a reason to
vaccinate Persia against rabies (or anything else) when she never comes
into
contact with other animals. Why are vets so eager to give indoor-only cats
booster shots every every time they have a check up? This is what I'm
questioning.

Jill

Any cat can get outside, and lots of stuff gets tracked in on my feet.
I walk in the yards where lots of other animals pass by, and then come
in. The cats are sniffing at my feet. I don't know if rabies can get
passed that way but there doesn't seem to be a downside. Plus, when I
get scratched by them (got one this morning playing a bit too rougly
with Scooter) I know that I'm not getting rabies.



Rabies cannot be transmitted by tracking it in on your feet. It is most
commonly spread through the bite of an infected animal, although infection
is possible if the saliva of an infected animal were to come into contact
with a scratch or open wound. A cat that is indoor-only is unlikely to come
into contact with a rabid animal. However, it is always possible that a cat
could get outdoors or that a rabid animal (especially bats) could get
indoors. When I was visiting my parents in Ohio years ago, I woke up one
night to find my cat (Amber RB) running rapidly in circles around the room.
When I turned on the light, I discovered that a bat had gotten into the
house and was swooping around the room. No rabies, fortunately!

Rabies vaccine is available in 1-year or 3-year forms. Protection probably
lasts far longer than that, but the titer test to show protection is
expensive. There are variations in both state and local laws concerning how
often domestic animals must be vaccinated. Most vets will not force a
person to have their pets vaccinated (especially if sick or elderly),
although some will refuse to board them or provide surgical care unless the
cat is vaccinated. That is considered a protection for staff and other
animals and may also be a requirement so they can show they are incompliance
with laws. Tragically (as Sherry described), there have been cases of
vax-related sarcoma. That is much less frequent today than in the past, but
it still occurs. That is also one of the reasons why protocol calls for
certain injections to be given in the same areas by all vets so adverse
effects can be traced to specific vaccines.

MaryL

On Feb 9, 5:20*am, Sharon wrote:
On Feb 8, 10:14*am, "jmcquown" wrote:

It's time for me to take Persia for her annual checkup. *I just know the vet
will want to give her booster shots. *That's all well and good, but is it
really necessary? *She's an indoor cat. *(She doesn't even really care to
sit in the Kitty Walk enclosure on the patio much anymore.) *How on earth
would she get rabies? *(I do think there's a law in SC that a rabies
certificate must be filed with some government agency.)

How do you folks feel about annual vaccinations? *Are they necessary? *I'd
welcome a civilized discussion. *Obviously there will be differing opinions
but there aren't any right or wrong answers.

Jill

I also had a cat die of sarcoma at the injection site - so I don't
give vacinations anymore. *However, if I would go to a new vet, they
would most likely insist, since it is the law in Ohio. *We recently
moved and now we drive over an hour to go to the old vet to avoid
having to get vacinations for an indoor only cat....................

Sharon, the paranoid side of me sometimes thinks vax-related sarcoma
*and*
vax-related deaths are much more common than we think. I'm so sorry
about
your kitty.

Sherry

the research on the sarcoma was interesting, it seems according to this
researcher, it has a very large genitic component, and some of his research
was plotting where cats had it, in the twenty years of her practice here in
the midwest she has seen only two cases, but when you look at the map it
seems that in colorado there is a serious cluster of it, Lee
"Sharon" wrote in message
...
On Feb 8, 10:14 am, "jmcquown" wrote:
It's time for me to take Persia for her annual checkup. I just know the
vet
will want to give her booster shots. That's all well and good, but is it
really necessary? She's an indoor cat. (She doesn't even really care to
sit in the Kitty Walk enclosure on the patio much anymore.) How on earth
would she get rabies? (I do think there's a law in SC that a rabies
certificate must be filed with some government agency.)

How do you folks feel about annual vaccinations? Are they necessary? I'd
welcome a civilized discussion. Obviously there will be differing opinions
but there aren't any right or wrong answers.

Jill

I also had a cat die of sarcoma at the injection site - so I don't
give vacinations anymore. However, if I would go to a new vet, they
would most likely insist, since it is the law in Ohio. We recently
moved and now we drive over an hour to go to the old vet to avoid
having to get vacinations for an indoor only cat....................