How many shots do my cats need? Is the Vet ripping me off? Help!!!

Hi, four months ago someone tossed some kittens into my yard. Although I
already have two cats, I decided to keep these two kittens, as there is
no way I could ever drop them off at the pound.

At seven months of age I took them to have them spayed and neutered. The
doctor told me they must have their shots or he would not spay and
neuter them, so I agreed. I paid 360.00 for the spaying and neutering
and shots. Yesterday, I took the female cat back to him to have her
stitches removed. He asked me where the male cat was. I told him there
was no need to bring him. He said, "Yes, you should have brought him as
he needs more shots along with the female cat".....I said, "More shots?
I thought you gave them their shots when they were spayed and neutered 2
weeks ago." He said, "Yes I did, but they need more booster shots now,
and that will cost you $90.00 more dollars.

Can anyone tell me if indeed they do need more "Booster Shots" ??? I
feel like I might be getting ripped off. I'm not made of money and that
$360.00 bill was quite a hit on my pocketbook. Any advise would be
appreciated. Here is a scan of the work that was done and what shots
they were given 2 weeks ago.

http://tinyurl.com/awxmn

B Kat wrote:
Hi, four months ago someone tossed some kittens into my yard. Although I
already have two cats, I decided to keep these two kittens, as there is
no way I could ever drop them off at the pound.

At seven months of age I took them to have them spayed and neutered. The
doctor told me they must have their shots or he would not spay and
neuter them, so I agreed. I paid 360.00 for the spaying and neutering
and shots. Yesterday, I took the female cat back to him to have her
stitches removed. He asked me where the male cat was. I told him there
was no need to bring him. He said, "Yes, you should have brought him as
he needs more shots along with the female cat".....I said, "More shots?
I thought you gave them their shots when they were spayed and neutered 2
weeks ago." He said, "Yes I did, but they need more booster shots now,
and that will cost you $90.00 more dollars.

Can anyone tell me if indeed they do need more "Booster Shots" ??? I
feel like I might be getting ripped off. I'm not made of money and that
$360.00 bill was quite a hit on my pocketbook. Any advise would be
appreciated. Here is a scan of the work that was done and what shots
they were given 2 weeks ago.

http://tinyurl.com/awxmn

I didn't check the link, but yes, the cats usually need boosters. Your
vets prices seems reasonable form what I know of prices in other areas
of the US. You might check with your local pound or SPCA and see if
anyone does a "shot clinic" in your area. Many times vaccines can be
obtained for a nominal fee.

Good luck!

-L.

On 9 Feb 2006 23:30:53 -0800, "-L." wrote:

Hi, four months ago someone tossed some kittens into my yard. Although I
already have two cats, I decided to keep these two kittens, as there is
no way I could ever drop them off at the pound.

At seven months of age I took them to have them spayed and neutered. The
doctor told me they must have their shots or he would not spay and
neuter them, so I agreed. I paid 360.00 for the spaying and neutering
and shots. Yesterday, I took the female cat back to him to have her
stitches removed. He asked me where the male cat was. I told him there
was no need to bring him. He said, "Yes, you should have brought him as
he needs more shots along with the female cat".....I said, "More shots?
I thought you gave them their shots when they were spayed and neutered 2
weeks ago." He said, "Yes I did, but they need more booster shots now,
and that will cost you $90.00 more dollars.

Can anyone tell me if indeed they do need more "Booster Shots" ??? I
feel like I might be getting ripped off. I'm not made of money and that
$360.00 bill was quite a hit on my pocketbook. Any advise would be
appreciated. Here is a scan of the work that was done and what shots
they were given 2 weeks ago.

http://tinyurl.com/awxmn

I didn't check the link, but yes, the cats usually need boosters. Your
vets prices seems reasonable form what I know of prices in other areas
of the US. You might check with your local pound or SPCA and see if
anyone does a "shot clinic" in your area. Many times vaccines can be
obtained for a nominal fee.

When they are kittens they need booster shots. Once they get a year old I believe it is
they recommend shots yearly. I may be wrong to do it but I usely let mine go 2 years
between shots since they are strictly indoor. Summertime I deflea them on a regular basis
and at the first sign of illness they go to vets. I just do not feel that indoors cats
need shots on a regular basis.

On Thu, 9 Feb 2006 23:16:45 -0800, (B Kat) wrote:

Hi, four months ago someone tossed some kittens into my yard. Although I
already have two cats, I decided to keep these two kittens, as there is
no way I could ever drop them off at the pound.

At seven months of age I took them to have them spayed and neutered. The
doctor told me they must have their shots or he would not spay and
neuter them, so I agreed. I paid 360.00 for the spaying and neutering
and shots. Yesterday, I took the female cat back to him to have her
stitches removed. He asked me where the male cat was. I told him there
was no need to bring him. He said, "Yes, you should have brought him as
he needs more shots along with the female cat".....I said, "More shots?
I thought you gave them their shots when they were spayed and neutered 2
weeks ago." He said, "Yes I did, but they need more booster shots now,
and that will cost you $90.00 more dollars.

Can anyone tell me if indeed they do need more "Booster Shots" ??? I
feel like I might be getting ripped off. I'm not made of money and that
$360.00 bill was quite a hit on my pocketbook. Any advise would be
appreciated. Here is a scan of the work that was done and what shots
they were given 2 weeks ago.

http://tinyurl.com/awxmn


Kind of hard to see the scan.

If you are comfortable giving shots you can buy the various vacine from Dr. Smith and
Fosters at http://www.drsfostersmith.com/ . You can get a copy of their catalog also
which I think has a list of the different vacines and when they should have them.

"B Kat" wrote in message
...
Hi, four months ago someone tossed some kittens into my yard. Although I
already have two cats, I decided to keep these two kittens, as there is
no way I could ever drop them off at the pound.

At seven months of age I took them to have them spayed and neutered. The
doctor told me they must have their shots or he would not spay and
neuter them, so I agreed. I paid 360.00 for the spaying and neutering
and shots. Yesterday, I took the female cat back to him to have her
stitches removed. He asked me where the male cat was. I told him there
was no need to bring him. He said, "Yes, you should have brought him as
he needs more shots along with the female cat".....I said, "More shots?
I thought you gave them their shots when they were spayed and neutered 2
weeks ago." He said, "Yes I did, but they need more booster shots now,
and that will cost you $90.00 more dollars.

Can anyone tell me if indeed they do need more "Booster Shots" ??? I
feel like I might be getting ripped off. I'm not made of money and that
$360.00 bill was quite a hit on my pocketbook. Any advise would be
appreciated. Here is a scan of the work that was done and what shots
they were given 2 weeks ago.

http://tinyurl.com/awxmn


The answer depends on the type of vaccine given. Rabies only has to be
given once as a kitten and should be given at 12 weeks at the earliest. The
feline leukemia vaccine has to be boostered 3-4 weeks after the first
vaccine in order to achieve adequate immunity. The FVRCP vaccine may or may
not need to be boostered depending on how old the cat is when it recieves
the first vaccine and what type of vaccine given. If the vaccine was a
killed vaccine then it needs to be boostered. If the vaccine was a modified
live vaccine it only needs to be boostered if given before 14 weeks of age.

B Kat wrote:

Can anyone tell me if indeed they do need more "Booster Shots" ??? I
feel like I might be getting ripped off. I'm not made of money and that
$360.00 bill was quite a hit on my pocketbook. Any advise would be
appreciated. Here is a scan of the work that was done and what shots
they were given 2 weeks ago.

It is believed that kittens need a series of shots. Many vets are now
believing that once they've received those kitten shots, immunity can
last 7 years or up to a lifetime, per Dr. Ronald Schultz's studies.

"In our studies, puppies vaccinated annually with modified live CPV-2,
CDV and CAV vaccines received no added benefit from annual
revaccination throughout a period of 7 years when compared to dogs that
were vaccinated as puppies then challenged with virulent virus at 7
years of age. Both groups of dogs were protected from challenge
infection with CPV-2, CDV and/or CAV." (R.D. Schultz, "Considerations
in Designing Effective and Safe Vaccination Programs for Dogs," May
2000.)

"(W)e have found that annual revaccination, with the vaccines that
provide long term immunity, provides no demonstrable benefit and may
increase the risk for adverse reactions." (Schultz, "Duration of
Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know.")

I guess it really depends upon the risks/benefits your cats would
have, such as are they indoor only. Here's some links and articles you
might find of interest:

http://www.doglogic.com/purduevaccinestudy.htm

http://home.earthlink.net/~pawsreflect/vaccinosis.html

http://wholisticanimal.com/petvaccinations.html

"
The answer depends on the type of vaccine given. Rabies only has to be
given once as a kitten and should be given at 12 weeks at the earliest.
The feline leukemia vaccine has to be boostered 3-4 weeks after the first
vaccine in order to achieve adequate immunity. The FVRCP vaccine may or
may not need to be boostered depending on how old the cat is when it
recieves the first vaccine and what type of vaccine given. If the vaccine
was a killed vaccine then it needs to be boostered. If the vaccine was a
modified live vaccine it only needs to be boostered if given before 14
weeks of age.



I just looked at the scan and saw that feline leukemia vaccine was given.
It does not indicate whether the other vaccines are killed or modified live.
If your cats will be going outdoors or might escape then feline leukemia
vaccine is important and should be boostered. Booster vaccines should be
given at 3-4 weeks after the initial vaccine. There is some evidence that
boosters given prior to 3 weeks may be ineffective due to local interferons
generated from the original vaccine.

You are taking in a couple stray cats that you didn't ask for. That is very
nice of you. In the days when I had more cats than money and had strays
hanging around waiting to be invited in somewhere I found out about local
humane organizations that would issue you certificates for certain local
vets who would spay and give shots at nominal cost to these cats- dogs too.

My own vet gives a multicat discount, too, knowing that proper care of
several cats can cost a lot. Ask around locally.

Good luck!
Barb
Of course I don't look busy,
I did it right the first time.

Can anyone tell me if indeed they do need more "Booster Shots" ??? I
feel like I might be getting ripped off. I'm not made of money and that
$360.00 bill was quite a hit on my pocketbook. Any advise would be

In the future, if your cats are going to be indoor cats you won't need the
leukemia shot - they get that with intimate contact with other cats. My cats
just get FVRCP every 3 years as that is something that is easily caught, they
don't need contact with other animals. If you have contact with a cat that
has it you can bring it home on your clothes (people who volunteer at
shelters have to be careful of this by changing clothes and washing up before
handling their own cats when they get home), or it can be contracted at the
vet if your cat is there (if a cat with distemper came in and an employee
touched it and then touched your pet (which a good employee wouldn't do
anyway), it could get it. We don't have to give them the Rabies shot in
Canada, our choice. I choose not to as mine are indoor (I know, I know, a
bat *could* fly into the house but what are the odds). But even though I
only get one shot every 3 years I still take them to the vet annually for a
check-up which everyone should definitely do.

Kelcey

--
Message posted via CatKB.com
http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200602/1

B Kat wrote:

Can anyone tell me if indeed they do need more "Booster Shots" ??? I
feel like I might be getting ripped off. I'm not made of money and that
$360.00 bill was quite a hit on my pocketbook. Any advise would be
appreciated. Here is a scan of the work that was done and what shots
they were given 2 weeks ago.


I don't know about the prices. I haven't needed to have anybody spayed
or neutered in several years, or done kitten shots.

But kittens do need more than one set of shots. It looks like from your
papers that yo got several shots. It might be better to tell from the
receipt how many individual shots were, what the prices were, and then
call around to different vets and find out what they charge.

I was just at the vet yesterday with 2 of my adult cats. Jay Jay
received 2 shots. One was the standard FVRCP shot which is recommeneded
every year for adults. There are things they can get even if they don't
go outside. We can pet somebody else's sick cat and give it to them
without knowing it. He also got the rabies shot. They weren't going to
since he is indoor only, but I am taking him to a cat show next week.
So, he got a rabies shot that will last 3 years. Kira only received the
the FVRCP shot. They did not recommend the FELV shot since it takes a
good bite from an infected cat, and they will not have direct contact
with unknown cats. That would be something for outdoor cats and those
living with a FELV postive cat.

Those particular shots were for adults, and at a vet in the Seattle
area, and they were $9 each in addition to the checkup fees - $38 for
the first and $28 for the second. So, if you count the checkup and the
shots, it was $93.