Immunizations

[feedtheflame]

do cats normally get rabies shots? I have no clue if kratos got one, i forgot what dr said but it was one combination shot of some sort when he was 3months. Do they get some kind of license tag for rabies shots too like dogs?

I plan on taking my cat out lots of places, so if he doesnt have it, i wonder how important it is if he's around dogs

 

[Pam Flachs]

Rabies vaccines for cats depends on your location. Some states require yearly boosters, others, like mine, require one initial vaccine at around 4 months of age followed up in a year by another, then every three years after. Ask your vet or research what your state or city or county requires.

I've received "dog" tags with some of my cats and not others, but all have a certificate stating they have received the vaccine and are current with state requirements. Four months of age is common for the first rabies vaccine for cats, and your Kratos probably did not get one at 3 months old since it is a separate vaccine, and not in a combo.

If you are planning on taking him out and about, I'd definitely get him vaccinated for rabies. Dogs are not your worry here, as they will most likely be vaccinated themselves. The worry, at least in my state, is if your cat should bite or nip someone, and they are not vaccinated, they are put in quarantine at the local shelter for a period of 6 months to two years.....

 

[John Popp]

The oddity of having a bat potentially flying around in your home was what sent me packing to the vet.

Always intended to get our boy a rabies shot but wanted to wait until he was a year old. Saw that bat story and I was on the phone setting up an appointment.

State law where I am requires rabies vaccination although the vet didn't push us on it. Just was concerned about how many vaccinations at once our boy was getting.

 

[feedtheflame]

ohhh okay. i dont know if theres any requirements for that shot as far as cats go, but i see the point if he bit or scratched somone. taking a cat out always brings attention and inevitably people trying to play with and pet him. I guess I'll look up the laws here

 

[Lesley]

We have all our indoor cats vaccinated for rabies. Once every 3 yrs.... Just in case. Our area has a lot of raccoons, bats, etc.

 

[Per Lausund]

Rabies vaccines make perfect sense!

 

[finnaganagain]

I think its important to recognize that giving a kitten time to develop its own immune system before overloading it with viruses and adjuvants is valuable. Of course if all you are going to do is stress about your cat until you vaccinate then by all means...Im an herbalist from santa cruz so its obvious what side of this coin i fall on

 

[Per Lausund]

I think its important to recognize that giving a kitten time to develop its own immune system before overloading it with viruses and adjuvants is valuable. Of course if all you are going to do is stress about your cat until you vaccinate then by all means...Im an herbalist from santa cruz so its obvious what side of this coin i fall on

Absolutely, the kitten needs to rid itself of transferred antibodies from mum, which hinder own antibody production, and get used to where it is and what's dangerous, ie produce necessary antibodies to survive and grow. The few diseases we vaccinate against are the very dangerous ones where we are literally talking trial and error (=death). Just like small kids, no-one in their right mind will want to expose their young ones unnecessarily to debilitating diseases like measles, mumps, tuberculosis, polio and worse. And there is the public health issue of rabies, where vaccination gives you reasonable peace of mind wrt possible exposure. All this before little kitty goes out to face the dangerous world, and is producing antibodies against some thousand different things in the intestinal tract, respiratory system, skin etc.
No wonder they sleep a lot!

 

[JaniceNatalie]

I contacted two vets in my area regarding vaccines, and I was told that for my F5 Savannah, they are instructed to proceed (treat, vaccinate etc.) as if they were dealing with a domestic shorthair. I'm going to be getting an F4 later this week. Im taking my F5 in Monday for my first vet appt. I've still not received the vet info from the breeder. Very disappointed, took my money, sent me cat, and nothing else but promises to send now for two weeks. Anyhow, please help. I'm getting conflicting information everywhere I go. So, for F4/F5, does it really matter regarding vaccines or anesthesia? Are the "no no"'s for the F1/F2 only, or also for F4/F5?

Please consider emailing me directly as I'm very new to chat rooms and am not sure I could find my way back to this later...

 

[admin]

I contacted two vets in my area regarding vaccines, and I was told that for my F5 Savannah, they are instructed to proceed (treat, vaccinate etc.) as if they were dealing with a domestic shorthair. I'm going to be getting an F4 later this week. Im taking my F5 in Monday for my first vet appt. I've still not received the vet info from the breeder. Very disappointed, took my money, sent me cat, and nothing else but promises to send now for two weeks. Anyhow, please help. I'm getting conflicting information everywhere I go. So, for F4/F5, does it really matter regarding vaccines or anesthesia? Are the "no no"'s for the F1/F2 only, or also for F4/F5?

Please consider emailing me directly as I'm very new to chat rooms and am not sure I could find my way back to this later...

All you have to do is click on Watch Thread at the top of this thread and you will be notified when someone answers...there is a user guide to download to familiarize yourself more with the forum...

Your vets are correct, so I would not worry about anything...the only thing is that the FIP vaccine is useless and so is the FeLV unless your cats are outdoors...