Does indoor cat really need rabies, booster and other shots?

[gibor]

We just got kitten from the sheltet that has all shots up to date, dewormed etc. Our kitten will be leaving strictly indoor. Does indoor cat really need rabies, booster and other shots? imho , this is more vets propoganda to charge money....
what do you think? Are you doing shots to indoor cats?

[Barkingdog]

If I had an inside cat I would have it get shots just to be on the safe side. You never know when a cat might escape outside. This is my opinion . I did have inside cats and they got shots. Some pet store like Petco give shots and they cost less that a vet.

[Loki Love]

We've never bothered, but our cats are also not prone to escaping outdoors either.. and if they do, they don't venture past the patio. It's all about determining the risk factors I think.

[gibor]

The point is that in order to escape, our kitten will need to break window and jump from 3rd floor. Also I read some article telling that those shots can cause different diseases include cancer...and this is much more posible than indoor cat will get illnesses on it's own

[tiggy2]

I have indoor outdoor cats.

When they were just indoor cats (neighborhood not appropriate to letting them outside) I did not vaccinate them. As soon as it became apparent that they could go outside again, (new area) I got all shots up to date before letting them out.

All of them as kittens were given the proper shots. I did not find any negative effect on not giving them shots when they were indoor only.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by gibor

The point is that in order to escape, our kitten will need to break window and jump from 3rd floor. Also I read some article telling that those shots can cause different diseases include cancer...and this is much more posible than indoor cat will get illnesses on it's own

LOL! I am trying to picture your kitty doing that. I did not know you lives on the 3rd floor . I guess if live that high up you could get away with not having your kitty get shots. I just would not bring in any homeless cat as it could be a carrier of something.

[gibor]

Originally Posted by tiggy2

I did not find any negative effect on not giving them shots when they were indoor only.

I read article http://www.holisticat.com/vaccinations.html and think that author makes good points that vacination can be harmful.
Also, we have some mixed kitten that survived thrown outside in cold March and survived, so I beleive it should have a strong immune system

[lindapalm]

You might find that your vet either gives you a hard time, or refuses to treat your kitten when he needs attention. My cats don't get shots anymore, now that their getting older, and my vets always bug me about it. One has refused to clean my cats teeth, and the other one made me sign a waiver. My cats never go outside.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by lindapalm

You might find that your vet either gives you a hard time, or refuses to treat your kitten when he needs attention. My cats don't get shots anymore, now that their getting older, and my vets always bug me about it. One has refused to clean my cats teeth, and the other one made me sign a waiver. My cats never go outside.

That is true , I heard of vets refusing to treat dogs and cats that do not have shots. And I can't blame the vet.

[Jull]

Originally Posted by lindapalm

You might find that your vet either gives you a hard time, or refuses to treat your kitten when he needs attention. My cats don't get shots anymore, now that their getting older, and my vets always bug me about it. One has refused to clean my cats teeth, and the other one made me sign a waiver. My cats never go outside.

I'm so blessed to have a wonderful vet that respects my decisions, and that takes the time to evaluate my pet and lifestyle to determine what if any vaccines would be necessary.. in my case my dog has had reactions to vaccines, so none for him.
---------

You can also do titer tests - funny, most vets do titer tests on themselves, so they don't over-vaccinate, but when you ask to have them done for your pet they also give you a hard time Not sure what part of Canada you are in, but maybe you can find a clinic that does titer tests instead of just vaccinating all the time.

[gibor]

Originally Posted by Jull

I'm so blessed to have a wonderful vet that respects my decisions,

Yes, to find good vet is not easy... as an example I just got 2 quotes from Mississauga animal hospital for kitten spaying. One asks for $151 + tax, another one for $391 + tax.

[Jull]

Originally Posted by gibor

Yes, to find good vet is not easy... as an example I just got 2 quotes from Mississauga animal hospital for kitten spaying. One asks for $151 + tax, another one for $391 + tax.

hmmm that is a big difference in price, I know for each of my dogs it was $300 or so... did they tell you exactly what each quote included? for example, a blood work, the anesthesia, pain medication, etc... I personally would look more at the place/clinic than the cost, but that is just me lol if I don't like the place I don't go; but it also depends on your budget, and if you know people that have gone to those clinics, ask them about their experience. But wait, you one both quotes from one place?

I like to think there is not bad Vets, there are just some that are misinformed, and others that are less open minded, and then the ones that you really connect with.

[gibor]

Originally Posted by Jull

hmmm that is a big difference in price, I know for each of my dogs it was $300 or so... did they tell you exactly what each quote included? for example, a blood work, the anesthesia, pain medication, etc.

The cheaper one "At 5-6 months she can be spayed: $151+tax; IV, microchip and bloodwork additional options.
Pain medication for 2 days, and cone collar, are included in the price."

Expensive one : "If vaccines are up to date pre-surgical is 53.90 + tax and the spay is 337.25 + tax if done between 5-6 months of age. Included in that fee is anesthetic, surgery, IV fluids during surgery and pain medication. Recheck is required in a week which is also included in that cost. Additional
fee would be if a collar is needed for licking, usually $ 15 for that."

I've heard good reviews about the cheaper one.... but he's pretty far from my home.
So, just wanted to check vets closer to home and got 2nd (more expensive quote)

[sugarcatmom]

Regarding vaccinations, here is another great article on the subject: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com...immunity-vets/

“The recommendation for annual re-vaccination is a practice that was officially started in 1978.” says Dr. Schultz. “This recommendation was made without any scientific validation of the need to booster immunity so frequently. In fact the presence of good humoral antibody levels blocks the anamnestic response to vaccine boosters just as maternal antibody blocks the response in some young animals.”

He adds: “The patient receives no benefit and may be placed at serious risk when an unnecessary vaccine is given. Few or no scientific studies have demonstrated a need for cats or dogs to be revaccinated. Annual vaccination for diseases caused by CDV, CPV2, FPLP and FeLV has not been shown to provide a level of immunity any different from the immunity in an animal vaccinated and immunized at an early age and challenged years later. We have found that annual revaccination with the vaccines that provide long-term immunity provides no demonstrable benefit.”

[gibor]

Just checked regarding rabies... Myself and my mom live in 2 close-by towns that border each other. In one town rabies optional (for both cats and dogs) and in other mandatory (fine up to $90 - that is actually cheaper than rabies shot ... So stupid

[marko]

My bald cats are strictly indoor cats....and therefore the risk is near zero so they do not get vaccinated.

Any vet that gave me a hard time about this would not be my vet for long.