Rabies and others | Vaccinations | Ragdoll Cat Forum

I am very sorry for your loss.  It is hard when the people we trust to care for our furry babies are not capable.   Sadly most vets, not all, are taught and sponsored but the big name drug and food companies.   

Nickysmom said:

I don't know what to do now. My 5 month old Seal Bi-color has an appt. to get neutered a few days before he turns 6 months old. Our vet mentioned that when he neutered him, he could give him his rabies shot at that time. Nicky is an indoor cat only. We have 2 other cats but they are indoors too. We have a doggie door for our dogs but open it only to let them go out to potty then they come right back in and we close the doggie door until next time. We have a fenced in front yard for the dogs so no other animals come around. Do you think it is necessary to give Nicky a rabies shot? I want to do what is best for him.  Thank-you! 

I just looked at this part of the forum and am probably too late with my suggestion.  Stressor's are very hard on cats, what I mean is vets visits, vaccinations, neuter/spay, etc.  Vet's should know better than to give a rabies along with a surgery, no matter what that surgery is.  I have all indoor cats and no longer vaccinate at all.  I know some people must do it due to state laws, but if you can my opinion would be to vaccinate as little as possible.  And if your cat has ANY bad reaction to a vaccination, get the vet to write that out so that you don't ever have to have that vaccination again.

My healthiest cats are the ones who never had any vaccinations in their life.  We don't travel or board our cats so I can understand why some people feel a need to do so. 

I believe the new rabies protocol is going to three years, instead of every year which never was necessary as many believe it actually is only needed once in a life time.  But then how would the vets make all that money.

calico said:

I just looked at this part of the forum and am probably too late with my suggestion.  Stressor's are very hard on cats, what I mean is vets visits, vaccinations, neuter/spay, etc.  Vet's should know better than to give a rabies along with a surgery, no matter what that surgery is.  I have all indoor cats and no longer vaccinate at all.  I know some people must do it due to state laws, but if you can my opinion would be to vaccinate as little as possible.  And if your cat has ANY bad reaction to a vaccination, get the vet to write that out so that you don't ever have to have that vaccination again.

My healthiest cats are the ones who never had any vaccinations in their life.  We don't travel or board our cats so I can understand why some people feel a need to do so. 

I believe the new rabies protocol is going to three years, instead of every year which never was necessary as many believe it actually is only needed once in a life time.  But then how would the vets make all that money.

As a way to help keep you all correctly informed, I am going to post information about vaccination for kitties that is VERY important. Our feline friends have HIGH re-activity to Killed-Virus rabies vaccines (these are the ones that will last for 3 years or more once your pet has received 2 of them). However, the feline rabies vaccination (which only lasts for 1 year) is a Modified-Live vaccination. This is the ONLY rabies vaccine that should ever be used in a cat. However, there are MANY veterinarians that still use Killed-Virus rabies vaccines even though they KNOW it is harmful to your pet. In order for a veterinarian to remain license they are required to do continuing education courses in order to keep up with the BEST possible health care options for your pets. However, not all veterinarians want to change their vaccine protocol or the health care plans just because they learned something newer and better in a CE course. The first rule in finding a veterinarian is to ask them what their vaccine and overall health care protocols are before ever having a first time visit with them. Also, an indoor only cat NEVER needs to be vaccinated against FELV. FELV is ONLY transmissible via direct contact with an infected cat. Another vaccine to avoid entirely, regardless of whether they are indoor only or indoor outdoor is the FIP and the FIV vaccines. FIP vaccines will actually CAUSE FIP and therefore KILL your cat. The FIV vaccine will cause your cat's immune system to THINK it has FIV and will therefore test positively for FIV if the vaccine is ever administered. The other important vaccine for cats is the FVRCP vaccine (in other words the upper respiratory virus vaccination – sometimes called the feline distemper/parvo vaccine which is actually NOT an acceptable name for this vaccine). This vaccine, once the initial kitten series is completed lasts for at least 3 years between each vaccination and can last upwards of 7 years depending on the cat. Some cats maintain immunity better than others which is why it is recommended that the vaccine be given every 3 years.