Do you vaccinate your cats?

[cptrayes]

no I'm afraid not-I think you're missing my point-that well fed does not necessarily mean well cared for. Many 'outdoor' cats are fairly healthy, but without vaccines, if you have a colony (regardless of how well fed they are) disease will run rampant due to the nature of the virus'. If you see outdoor cats that aren't vaccinated with their chronic problems you would understand. Neutering will help but vaccinating is the answer.

Susie I think you are missing our point that many of us with isolated (indoor or country) cats have had no problem for decades.

I've had cats here for 22 years, three most of the time. In that time I have had the sum total of the following issues:

- cystitis in a male kitten.
- rotten tooth in a fifteen year old
- after effects of flu in a cat which had flu before I owned it


Aside from those my cats have seen a vet to be neutered and then to be put down. One died on the road, one had a stroke at twelve, the flu weakened cat lived to thirteen and the others made at least sixteen years, healthy to the end until kidney failure or hyperactive thyroid took them out by making them thin.

And no, I didn't have the kidney failure or thyroid treated because none of my free range cats would thank me for prolonging their lives by regular trips to a vet.

 

[dogatemysalad]

I don't understand. My outdoor cats have never had chronic problems. If a cat has a glossy coat, bright alert eyes, good appetite and is fit and athletic, which disease would they have ?

 

[SusieT]

You may have had healthy cats, by not vaccinating your cat will not automatically get the disease (it is not a case of all vaccinated are healthy and all unvaccinated are not-but please don't portray an unvaccinated cat to be at no more risk of disease than a vaccinated cat which is what you are trying to so), but for the sake of 20quid a year, why not vaccinate... I would guess your country cats are less isolated than you think. All it takes is one diseased cat to turn up/be abandoned. That's the point I am making. You have been lucky, and that is not an argument to ignore the possibility of not being so lucky.

 

[cptrayes]

but for the sake of 20quid a year, why not vaccinate...

Because my cats are more at risk in a veterinary surgery waiting room than they are anywhere else.

 

[HashRouge]

Yes, always. The cat we had when I was born had always been vaccinated and we carried it on with the two that we have now (one is 13, the other 7). We do live in a village with lots of cats though, so it's definitely best for us to be on the safe side. That said, I would always get any cat I owned vaccinated as I owned a cat with feline leukemia when I lived in Spain and I just wouldn't feel comfortable not taking all the precautions that I could. This was a street cat from a city, so obviously far more likely to come into contact with diseases, but I'd still rather be on the safe side! My Spanish cat was very lucky, and now lives at amazing sanctuary in Madrid where they specialize in cats with FeLV and FIV - in a way I feel like I owe it to that charity to make sure my cats are vaccinated, if that makes sense.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

My two had their jabs as kittens but nothing since, they will be fourteen next month. One of them has been to the vet once in that time as he had an infected tail from a bite from his brother!! They obviously saw the vet when they were neutered. Also had two labradors that only had jabs as pups and both were very healthy until they died at about the age of thirteen or fourteen. I do have my two springers injected annually now but only because they come on holiday with us and meet lots of other dogs. The labradors only ever met the farm dogs up the road.

 

[swm1hb]

Hi,

I have had cats for most of my life (i'm 51 now) and have always vaccinated. Two years ago we took on two rescue cats, they had had all their jabs and we have kept them up to date. A few months ago one of the pair had some slight nodules under the skin around the shoulder blades. We took him to the vet and this was diagnosed as vaccination site sarcoma. An operation was offered, but the treatment is harsh and the prognosis not so good. We have decided to let him enjoy his life whilst he can and then PTS when needed. After this I think we will allow his brothers annual jabs to lapse. I think that when we have kittens again we willhave the initial janb done, but I don't think we will race to do it every year.

 

[SusieT]

swm1hb-you could just get the trio of jabs rather than the 4th one, as the trio has no association with cancer. Also-re: dogs, one of their jabs (the yearly one) is leptospirosis-which rats carry in their pee so not affected by meeting other dogs or not. Causes organ failure. Not pretty.

 

[SusieT]

' Because my cats are more at risk in a veterinary surgery waiting room than they are anywhere else. ' rubbish. You can get home visit if that worries you (but obviously costs more..) . If your cat is in its carrier, and does not interact with other cats it is at an extremely low risk or catching anything, more risk of getting the diseases the should be vaccinated against.

 

[swm1hb]

Hi,

Thanks for the information, we will definitely bear it in mind. I have always had kittens in the past. We got the current boys at age 6 on the rebound from the death of a much loved 20 year old lilac point Siamese. The new boys (Ike and Otis named by previous musical owner) are pedigree Devon Rex. TBH, I had never heard of this cancer until we had the diagnosis. As you can imagine there was much soul searching about what to do. I am not sure that we should give treatments to animals just because someone has worked out how to. We decided to give Otis the best life that he can have until the cancer make tht impossible then we will have him PTS. I hope that if I get in to a similar situation my OH can make the same decision

 

[Moomin1]

Susie I think you are missing our point that many of us with isolated (indoor or country) cats have had no problem for decades.

I've had cats here for 22 years, three most of the time. In that time I have had the sum total of the following issues:

- cystitis in a male kitten.
- rotten tooth in a fifteen year old
- after effects of flu in a cat which had flu before I owned it


Aside from those my cats have seen a vet to be neutered and then to be put down. One died on the road, one had a stroke at twelve, the flu weakened cat lived to thirteen and the others made at least sixteen years, healthy to the end until kidney failure or hyperactive thyroid took them out by making them thin.

And no, I didn't have the kidney failure or thyroid treated because none of my free range cats would thank me for prolonging their lives by regular trips to a vet.

You wouldn't have had to have taken them regularly to the vets to treat hyperthyroidism. It is treated by oral tablets which you get on repeat prescription. When on these meds, majority of cats reach a fairly healthy weight again, and live long lives thankfully.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

You wouldn't have had to have taken them regularly to the vets to treat hyperthyroidism. It is treated by oral tablets which you get on repeat prescription. When on these meds, majority of cats reach a fairly healthy weight again, and live long lives thankfully.

Sorry to go off on a tangent here but just wondering if you could answer something for me, my MIL cat is very thin but eating well but seems frequently distressed, she is at least 16 years old but could be older. MIL has had blood tests done but nothing showing. If she had hyperthyroidism I assume that would have shown up in bloods? Again sorry to hijack.

 

[Moomin1]

Sorry to go off on a tangent here but just wondering if you could answer something for me, my MIL cat is very thin but eating well but seems frequently distressed, she is at least 16 years old but could be older. MIL has had blood tests done but nothing showing. If she had hyperthyroidism I assume that would have shown up in bloods? Again sorry to hijack.

Depends what type of test she had done, there are different blood profiling tests for different illnesses etc, so best to ask the vet who did the tests. I would imagine though that if she was blood tested because she was thin, then the vet would have automatically tested for hyperthyroidism. Have her teeth been checked thoroughly? There could be a possibility of a rotten tooth causing her the distress and also perhaps lack of being able to chew properly could be hindering her digestion?

One common symptom of hyperthyroidism is drinking excessively so that's something to look out for.

It may also simply be just down to extreme old age, if she could be older. I have come across 22 year old cats which are extremely emaciated, fed very well, but negative for hyperthyroidism or any other illness.

ETA, with regards teeth - sounds horrid, but you will be able to smell the rotting if you get close enough to the cat's mouth - it's a putrid smell. :-(

 

[Crugeran Celt]

Thankyou, her teeth are not in great shape but vet has suggested this is due to her age, to be honest MIL is less worried about her thinness than her seeming to be distressed, she mews constantly and is very rarely quiet whilst awake although she does sleep a lot. She inherited the cat and has only a vague idea of it's age but knowing how long the original owner had her, she has to be sixteen plus. She is the most pampered cat I know and wants for nothing but still seems a very sad soul. My poor MIL who is in her 70's worries so much about her. I will ask her to ask the vet if the bloods were checked for hyperthyroidism.

 

[CLM]

Crugeran Celt- has the vet suggested that the cat may have dementia?

Regarding the vaccinations, mine have had the initial kitten doses, but I don't really want to give the annual boosters. The problem is, my vets will not prescribe the flea treatments that work unless they have seen the cat within the year. So I have to take them anyway, needlessly, and this will stress them out completely. There has to be a better way!

 

[suestowford]

I think my elderly cat has dementia. She often yowls and it sounds awful yet she doesn't look unhappy when she does it.

 

[Janah]

Interesting post. I have just made the decision not to vaccinate my cats again. They have had their kitten jabs and the first annual booster. I have also from last year not vaccinated my dogs. They are aged 6 & 8 years old. We live outside of a village and the cat population is small. More dogs about, but in the USA they don't vaccinate nearly as often as we do. I don't think we need to vaccinate as often as vets would have us believe.

 

[SusieT]

Janah-I assume you will titre test instead with dogs in particular to ensure they are protected or just hope no parvo comes into the local dog population? And no local rats have leptospirosis.

 

[cptrayes]

Crugeran Celt- has the vet suggested that the cat may have dementia?

Regarding the vaccinations, mine have had the initial kitten doses, but I don't really want to give the annual boosters. The problem is, my vets will not prescribe the flea treatments that work unless they have seen the cat within the year. So I have to take them anyway, needlessly, and this will stress them out completely. There has to be a better way!

Google a bit, you can get Stronghold without prescription even though they aren't supposed to.

 

[AmyMay]

Google a bit, you can get Stronghold without prescription even though they aren't supposed to.

I've never had a prescription for stronghold. I just pick a packet up from the vets when im passing.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

Crugeran Celt- has the vet suggested that the cat may have dementia?

My MIL thought this herself as when she had the cat originally she was 'normal'. She has never been the most affectionate cat but has definitely deteriorated. She pulls her hair out sometimes to such an extent that she has sore bald patches on her back. MIL did mention dementia to the vet and he agreed it could well be the case. The funny thing with her is that she loves my 15 year old son and she will jump onto his lap as soon as he sits down and settle straight away, stops mewing and just lays in his lap, she will also play with him leaping on his hands if he moves them along the floor. It's as if she forgets whatever is troubling her for a short time. Very strange creature.

 

[ribbons]

For me its, Dogs and cats. Initial course of jabs then the booster at 1 year. That's it.
Nothing to do with cost or trip to vets. I believe them to be unnecessary and potentially cause more problems than they prevent.
I know there are loads of you who disagree and I won't be arguing my point. We all must do what we think is best for our own animals.
I am however, part of a growing number of people who are now questioning the need for all these injections V problems caused by them.

Humans do not have annual boosters for anything, and after wondering for a long time why my horse needs tet jabs every two years while I only needed them every ten. I have recently discovered that as I've had at least five in my life (including childhood course) I am now covered for tetanus for life. Yet my horses need them for ever.
Is there any relevance that human vaccinations are given via NHS (cost free) and animal vacs are an earning routine.
As an old crone, I remember vets who treated animals only in a necessary manner.
Sadly, today a vetinerary surgery is first and foremost a business.
Having seen the dragged out unnecessary and ultimately useless treatment of insured horses and dogs I no longer insure any of mine. The first question most vets ask is, do you have veterinary insurance.

Before any of you leap on me with links to this and that evidence, I'm not lazy, mean or irresponsible, neither am I stupid. I've probably read any studies you can put my way and plenty that you haven't.
I will do things my way, and everyone one else must do things as they see fit.
Emotional scare mongering has many many many owners doing the unnecessary for their beloved pets in order to generate money for some professional or other.
I don't have a major problem with that, IF its just unnecessary.
It's when it actually becomes detrimental to the animals health I get cross. I'm not talking specifically vacs here, but a multitude of treatments that leave animals with an awful quality of life but, hey, they're alive, and that's the important thing. Maybe to the vet and the owner it is, but I doubt the animal feels the same.

Slightly wandered away from Specific topic sorry, but I think that the general veterinary recommendations we receive are very often flawed, with the emphasis on generated business.

 

[ester]

You wouldn't have had to have taken them regularly to the vets to treat hyperthyroidism. It is treated by oral tablets which you get on repeat prescription. When on these meds, majority of cats reach a fairly healthy weight again, and live long lives thankfully.

My cat's heart condition is treated with oral tablets on repeat prescription- he still has to go to the vets every few months as the vet will not do non-ending repeats without a basic check.

I've never had a prescription for stronghold. I just pick a packet up from the vets when im passing.

If you're collecting from the vets they are producing a script (it is POM) and then dispensing to you. Some vets are more iffy about doing this if not seen the pet than others.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

For me its, Dogs and cats. Initial course of jabs then the booster at 1 year. That's it.
Nothing to do with cost or trip to vets. I believe them to be unnecessary and potentially cause more problems than they prevent.
I know there are loads of you who disagree and I won't be arguing my point. We all must do what we think is best for our own animals.
I am however, part of a growing number of people who are now questioning the need for all these injections V problems caused by them.

Humans do not have annual boosters for anything, and after wondering for a long time why my horse needs tet jabs every two years while I only needed them every ten. I have recently discovered that as I've had at least five in my life (including childhood course) I am now covered for tetanus for life. Yet my horses need them for ever.
Is there any relevance that human vaccinations are given via NHS (cost free) and animal vacs are an earning routine.
As an old crone, I remember vets who treated animals only in a necessary manner.
Sadly, today a vetinerary surgery is first and foremost a business.
Having seen the dragged out unnecessary and ultimately useless treatment of insured horses and dogs I no longer insure any of mine. The first question most vets ask is, do you have veterinary insurance.

Before any of you leap on me with links to this and that evidence, I'm not lazy, mean or irresponsible, neither am I stupid. I've probably read any studies you can put my way and plenty that you haven't.
I will do things my way, and everyone one else must do things as they see fit.
Emotional scare mongering has many many many owners doing the unnecessary for their beloved pets in order to generate money for some professional or other.
I don't have a major problem with that, IF its just unnecessary.
It's when it actually becomes detrimental to the animals health I get cross. I'm not talking specifically vacs here, but a multitude of treatments that leave animals with an awful quality of life but, hey, they're alive, and that's the important thing. Maybe to the vet and the owner it is, but I doubt the animal feels the same.

Slightly wandered away from Specific topic sorry, but I think that the general veterinary recommendations we receive are very often flawed, with the emphasis on generated business.

I agree with you here.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Crugeran Celt- has the vet suggested that the cat may have dementia?

My MIL thought this herself as when she had the cat originally she was 'normal'. She has never been the most affectionate cat but has definitely deteriorated. She pulls her hair out sometimes to such an extent that she has sore bald patches on her back. MIL did mention dementia to the vet and he agreed it could well be the case. The funny thing with her is that she loves my 15 year old son and she will jump onto his lap as soon as he sits down and settle straight away, stops mewing and just lays in his lap, she will also play with him leaping on his hands if he moves them along the floor. It's as if she forgets whatever is troubling her for a short time. Very strange creature.

My oldie behaved like that when she had dementia. She'd howl and although she'd always been an outdoor, independent cat, she would settle on my lap, feel reassured and stop being distressed. I had nothing but admiration for her in her final years with the non-pitying way she coped with her confusion and disorientation. She became a very sweet, cuddly little cat who seemed to appreciate every thing we did to make life less stressful.

 

[pines of rome]

I totally agree with Ribbons, as I also get very annoyed when I am straight away asked if the animal is insured? It does seem to me that if this is the case , vets will suggest all sorts of treatment, usually very expensive and I do not feel this always benefits the animal,especially when they are very old!

 

[Leo Walker]

I'm the same as ribbons. Puppy/kitten course, first booster then thats it

 

[Honey08]

Just to conclude my bit of this debate.. The vet came to vaccinate the dogs yesterday and although I was away on a trip, hubby asked about the cats. He said the same as Amymay, that you're better vaccinating for the first two or three years and they should be fine after that. He said that dogs need to be vaccinated every year as they pick more things up easier. This is a vet that I highly admire, perhaps the best one I've ever met (wish he did horses too, but he doesn't), so I will be following his advice and keeping the vacs up for another year or so.

 

[cptrayes]

My cat's heart condition is treated with oral tablets on repeat prescription- he still has to go to the vets every few months as the vet will not do non-ending repeats without a basic check.



If you're collecting from the vets they are producing a script (it is POM) and then dispensing to you. Some vets are more iffy about doing this if not seen the pet than others.

Exactly Ester, my vet won't prescribe unless the cat has recently been seen.

It's also the case that the vet would sell me three pipettes for three cats. I can buy one medium dog pipette and treat all three cats from it for well under half the price.

Safety margin on Stronghold is 100 times overdose for a cat and the chemical is identical for cats and dogs.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

its personal choice whether you do vaccinate or not.


Charity cats are always done unless they are elderly and will be living their days out in a foster house.

For my personal cats I do NOT want to take the risk and not vacinate.

Yes they could go all their live with no illness but then there is a risk of FELV or FIV , Leukemia or Enteritis.

For the sake of a few £ per year like the horses, they are vaccinated.


IMO feel (for my animals) why vaccinate the horses but not the cats