Vaccinating indoor kitties?

[Maisie]

As I am sure most of you know I am new to the world of kitties.

I was wondering if its necessary to vaccinate an indoor cat?

 

[missy]

Hi Maisie,

Even if the cat doesn''t go outside you might consider vaccinating him/her because you might inadvertently expose your cat to illesses that the vaccines can prevent. For example, if you need to bring them to the vet because they are sick or to get neutered etc there will be other cats there who might expose yours to viruses. Also, if you ever need to board them if you go away same issue. Or if you have a friend who comes over who has cats again might be a problem if they are not vaccinated. And though this is not common it is still a possibility. And lastly, what if by accident they get out.

The vaccinations are for their protection and are perfectly safe.

Congratulations on the addition of your new family member!!
Enjoy all the extra love you are going to be getting now

 

[MonkeyPie]

You may be coming home one day with your arms full of groceries or something, and when you open the front door, kitty will dart between your feet and become outdoor kitty for a few hours. Vaccinating is always good idea!

 

[Little Monster]

Maisie,

I''m not sure if it''s the case everywhere, but I''ve been to several vets where even indoor cats are required to have at least rabies vaccinations. If nothing else, it''s for your cat''s protection from being infected by other animals at the clinic... but also for the staff''s safety... you may say your cat is 100% indoors, never came in contact with a slobbering, oh-so-friendly raccoon, but why should they believe you?

They don''t want to get sick either...

Best of luck!

 

[lulu]

I''d give them the initial vaccines, but the real controversy is about the boosters. I''ve really cut down on those.Too many given too often. There is a lot of info on the web about this and vets are changing their recommended schedules, but ultimately it''s up to you to decide.

 

[Haven]

We had all of the original vaccinations done on our kitties, but nothing since.

Some vets will require that you regularly vaccinate, I believe it depends on the area.

 

[Maisie]

Thanks for the advice. Some great points raised. I have had Gracie almost a year and she was vaccinated by the breeder who owned her. She lived outside in a cattery when she was breeding. I will have to do some research about booster shots.

Date: 3/14/2010 8:38:35 PM
Author: Little Monster
Maisie,

I''m not sure if it''s the case everywhere, but I''ve been to several vets where even indoor cats are required to have at least rabies vaccinations. If nothing else, it''s for your cat''s protection from being infected by other animals at the clinic... but also for the staff''s safety... you may say your cat is 100% indoors, never came in contact with a slobbering, oh-so-friendly raccoon, but why should they believe you?

They don''t want to get sick either...

Best of luck!

If I saw a racoon I would be shocked. I don''t think we have them here in England

 

[missy]

We have indoor kitties and we got all the original vaccinations and subsequent boosters (within the first year I believe) and none since.
My sister is my veterinarian and I trust her judgment completely when it comes to our pets. However, I would certainly discuss the pros and cons with your vet as your circumstances may differ.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 3/14/2010 8:45:30 PM
Author: lulu
I''d give them the initial vaccines, but the real controversy is about the boosters.

I have a friend who has worked with animals her whole life and she told me the same thing. My county requires proof of rabies shot but that''s it. Doesn''t matter if it is an indoor or outdoor cat. Our cats are indoors and had all the initial vacs like lulu''s but few boosters. They are NEVER outside.

 

[Little Monster]

If I saw a racoon I would be shocked. I don''t think we have them here in England

[/quote]

I didn''t know you were in the UK... or that you didn''t have racoons over there... guess he can''t bite your kitty from here

 

[missy]

Date: 3/14/2010 9:29:22 PM
Author: Little Monster


If I saw a racoon I would be shocked. I don't think we have them here in England

I didn't know you were in the UK... or that you didn't have racoons over there... guess he can't bite your kitty from here

[/quote]
awwwww, what a darling face

So cute! He seems to be waving to us

 

[iheartscience]

Mine are indoor cats but I still vaccinated them all. I''m not sure how many times I''ve gotten them the booster shots, though...I think only once in the last several years.

 

[yssie]

Ours are going in for their boosters at various times over the next three months.


We live in an apt, which means other people''s germs. None of the immediate neighbours have pets, but there are a couple floating around. Our boy likes exploring outside when we open the door or window... We have also been known to pick up strays and keep them in the closet for the night, take them to the vet the next day. We would absolutely not do this if our three weren''t up to date on all vaccines and boosters - too risky!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

My nearly 17 year old cat has moved around with me to 10+ homes/apartments and depending upon where we've lived she's either been exclusively indoor or indoor/outdoor. We live in the Pacific Northweast and she's encountered numerous neighborhood cats and feral cats, raccoons, possiums, and bob cats (!) and she's doing pretty good considering she's NEVER been vaccinated for anything!

I don't think it's necessary to vaccinate an indoor kitty. Be sure to feed your cat high-quality nutritious food to boost her immune system.

 

[doodle]

After having one of my mom''s cats get outside ONCE on Thanksgiving when some relatives were coming in, getting bitten by a feral cat in the neighborhood, and having to be put to sleep because he had contracted FIV and was dying a slow, miserable death, I will henceforth be vaccinating my pets for everything under the sun. Paranoid? Maybe. With cats, you just never know, though. They''re weird, sneaky little furballs!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Date: 3/14/2010 8:50:17 PM
Author: Maisie
Thanks for the advice. Some great points raised. I have had Gracie almost a year and she was vaccinated by the breeder who owned her. She lived outside in a cattery when she was breeding. I will have to do some research about booster shots.

Date: 3/14/2010 8:38:35 PM
Author: Little Monster
Maisie,

I''m not sure if it''s the case everywhere, but I''ve been to several vets where even indoor cats are required to have at least rabies vaccinations. If nothing else, it''s for your cat''s protection from being infected by other animals at the clinic... but also for the staff''s safety... you may say your cat is 100% indoors, never came in contact with a slobbering, oh-so-friendly raccoon, but why should they believe you?

They don''t want to get sick either...

Best of luck!

If I saw a racoon I would be shocked. I don''t think we have them here in England

We don''t have rabies either!

If you ever need to board the cat, you''ll need vaccination certificates. When I had indoor cats, they were vaccinated mostly for that reason, but also because they might just slip out and find an unsuitable playmate.

 

[bee*]

Manolo is an indoor kitty and I still get him vaccinated every year. I take him outside on his harness in the back garden so I don''t want him picking up anything. It''s worth getting him done as he will be going outside occasionally either to the vets surgery or if he''s being boarded. We don''t have to get rabies vaccine in Ireland or UK unless you''re planning on travelling abroad with kitty.

 

[Maisie]

That racoon is cute!! He does seem to be waving!!

My major problem with having Gracie vaccinated is that she is so nervous. It would be very traumatic to put her in the carry case and take her to the vets. I don''t know what would happen when the vet tries to get her out of the carrier. She might either totally refuse to come out, or dart out and run amok round the room.

 

[radiantquest]

I got both my babies their initial shots and I didnt know that they needed boosters until just recently. I called the local kennel that boards animals while their moms and dads are away to get them baths. We tried ourselves and that was a joke! They said that I have to bring their shot records and apparently they are supposed to get them every year. Needless to say I didnt have the $200+ to get all the shots so I didnt get them baths. I have a friend that is going to do it for me on the side. She works at a vets office and worked at the kennel in high school. That said, both of my babies are healthy and happy. And currently scheduled for baths unbeknownst to them.

 

[missy]

Date: 3/14/2010 10:35:41 PM
Author: MC
My nearly 17 year old cat has moved around with me to 10+ homes/apartments and depending upon where we''ve lived she''s either been exclusively indoor or indoor/outdoor. We live in the Pacific Northweast and she''s encountered numerous neighborhood cats and feral cats, raccoons, possiums, and bob cats (!) and she''s doing pretty good considering she''s NEVER been vaccinated for anything!

I don''t think it''s necessary to vaccinate an indoor kitty. Be sure to feed your cat high-quality nutritious food to boost her immune system.

MC,
That''s great that your kitty has remained healthy. I just wouldn''t extrapolate your experience to include all people who don''t vaccinate their cats. There are some awful stories out there. So just because your baby has remained safe (thankfully) doesn''t mean Maisie''s kitty will be as lucky. I do agree though with feeding your pets a high quality and nutritious diet.

 

[missy]

Date: 3/15/2010 7:33:59 AM
Author: Maisie
That racoon is cute!! He does seem to be waving!!


My major problem with having Gracie vaccinated is that she is so nervous. It would be very traumatic to put her in the carry case and take her to the vets. I don''t know what would happen when the vet tries to get her out of the carrier. She might either totally refuse to come out, or dart out and run amok round the room.

I totally empathise with this situation as one of our cats is a nervous wreck when we take him anywhere. Your vet should be able to handle this though as they are experienced with this sort of pet.
I wouldn''t take Gracie to have something non critical done such as grooming but for medical care it is probably worth the short term anxiety. Though it is stressful and not just on the poor kitty. I know I am a nervous wreck myself when we have to drag poor Fred anywhere. Not to mention all the cuts we obtain in the process of getting him in his carrier.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

How well do you know your vet, Maisie?
Mine lives in our village, so he called in to the house to avoid stress to a very nervous cat I had some years ago. He understood how stressful it can get -maybe talk to your vet if you decide to vaccinate?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 3/15/2010 11:18:23 AM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
How well do you know your vet, Maisie?
Mine lives in our village, so he called in to the house to avoid stress to a very nervous cat I had some years ago. He understood how stressful it can get -maybe talk to your vet if you decide to vaccinate?

Yep, that is what I was thinking. . .can you have your vet come to the house? Where I live, we''ve found people to come to our house for grooming our cat and I''m betting the same can be done for vaccinations.

 

[Maisie]

Its definitely worth asking the vet to come out. I can''t imagine taking Gracie there. She would claw me to bits if I tried to get her into a carrier. Plus I have made huge steps forward with regards to getting closer to her. It could all be undone if I take her out.

 

[annadragon]

I''m terribly sleep deprived so please excuse the lack of coherence.

Most vets will tell you to vaccinate no matter the indoor/outdoor status. However, the last time I took my kitties in the Vet recommended one vaccine overall because she said the disease was *highly* contagious. That in fact an infected cat being around your house could transmit it to your indoor cats without direct contact.

My brain will not produce which disease this is for me, but I want to say it was a type of respiratory virus. So I do that as minimum and of course the Mister Gummit Man sez we need rabies shots

My outside kitty gets his full complement.

And lots of vets have "Vet Vans" in order to make house calls for exactly the reason your kitty would need one. See if you can find a local one in your area.

Do you have pics of your baby?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Yes it is necessary. There are times when your kitties won''t be in the house (if they get out for some reason, or are at the vet/boarding facility for example). Better safe than sorry.

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 3/14/2010 8:48:48 PM
Author: Haven
We had all of the original vaccinations done on our kitties, but nothing since.

Some vets will require that you regularly vaccinate, I believe it depends on the area.

same here.

all my cats got the first year vaccinations. but nothing after that. they are indoor cats and our vet is ok with it.

mz

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Maisie, I would advise you to research whether there is a connection between vaccinating kittens and kitteh autism. As a fur mommies we want to make well informed decisions with regards to our babies.

ETA: It also might be a good idea to research whether there's a connection between vaccinations and sexual dysfunction in kittehs.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

A host of the disease issues (e.g. parvo virus, more common issue for dogs) come in on the soles of our shoes. So yes, even indoor-only pets need full vaccinations.

 

[zhuzhu]

I am against repeat vaccination of indoor cats.
After they received all their required kitten vaccines within the first 2 years, I will no longer give them any more vaccination.
I think the risk of vaccine-associated tumors outweighs the benefits of vaccination when I keep them strictly indoor at all time.

http://www.catvaccines.com/sarcomas.htm