I have adopted a stray female that I had been feeding for quit a while.?

Question

I have had her spayed (she had a litter of kittens, and was pregnant when I had her spayed) I also had her rabies shot, and she tested neg. for feline leukemia, and neg. for worms. The vet where she was spayed said she was about 2 yrs old. I think she is not that old. I have not had her to my vet as of yet. I hear so much controversy about giving the shots lately, and don't know what to do. She will be staying inside, and will only be going on our enclosed back porch.Does she need the other immunizations?

Answer 1

Hi

Thanks for rescuing.  If you are not going to get another cat and your cat won't be exposed to another cat or other animals then all the shots are unnnecessary. If you might get another cat then you shgould get all the shots.

As far as the controversary goes it is about boosters and after the first set of shots I do not believe boosters are necessary, help and can hurt

There is no proof that boosters extend the life of the vaccine and may actually shorten the duration. They can also kill or cause major helth problems. I recommend the first set of vaccines for kittens and that is it.

I find these stats unreal

http://www.vaclib.org/legal/PetsDying.ht...

and another

http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Farm/...

Answer 2

Your vet will probably confirm that she doesn't need other shots as long as there is "NO" contact with outside cats. If the cost is low for the Feline Distemper shot it is a good choice. That is a fatal disease and usually one shot is good for several years of protection.

From all cats everywhere I thank you for being such a conscientious pet owner!

Answer 3

I believe that as long as they have had 2 years of vaccinations they may not need them any more. But in some states the Rabies vaccine is mandatory by law. If your cat bites someone they can legally kill your cat and send it to be tested for rabies. (most of them apply a 6 month quarantine period) The other issue is actual immunity time. I got a rabies vaccine for work 5 years ago, every 2 years they take a blood sample to check how good my immunity is. It's been fine the last 2 times I've had it checked. A lady I work with hasn't needed a booster for the 20 years she's been in the business. I would only have her vaccinated with Rabies and FVRCP (distemper). Definitely do not do the leukemia as long as she always remains indoor.

Answer 4

immunizations

Answer 5

I have two inside cats.  It is inevitable that at some point they may dart outside or "escape" for an outside excursion.  For me it does not happen very often but it seems about once a year one gets a little froggy and shoots out the door.  I get the shots because you just never know what the future holds.

Answer 6

I am a veterinary nurse. . . . . the risk of your cat dying from one of those diseases (and the deaths are not pretty btw) is far far greater than the chance of any adverse reaction from a vaccine.   A lot of people attribute "reactions" to vaccines that they just can't scientifically cause.  Because the other conditions occur at the time the animal got a vaccine, people blame the vaccine - when one had nothing to do with the other.

That being said,  it was good you got a rabies vaccine and I hope a distemper shot (sometimes called a "feline combo" ).   If you can truly ensure she is inside always, you can skip vaccines.  

If you think she just MAY escape for even an hour - she can pick up something from another cat or another animal.  If she eats a mouse she can get a parasite (worms).  

Vaccines get safer every year.  Vets and vet nurses take precautions to avoid potential problems when vaccinating a cat (like watch specifically where they poke).  Ask your vet if they have some literature like a brochure about cat vaccine risk - most do.   Don't depend upon the internet - there is some wild garbage out there about vaccinating and it does a disservice to pet owners by scaring them unnecessarily.  Like I said - your cat has hundreds of times a greater chance of dying from contracting one of those diseases.