Vaccination questions

[JBalways2000]

hi everyone! ive not been on here in some time, but i dont come on the internet very often anymore so you will have to forgive me. however this is the first place i thought of when i had a cat question ;)

well as some of you may remember my kittens have had belly problems since i got them. well they had their first injection not long after they came to me back in july but i was advised by my vet to wait until their bellies settled to bring them for their second jab. so i did as he said and the last few months every time ive gone to bring them their bellies have flared up:roll:

well their bellies have been good now for about a month so i decided to risk it and bring them up. when i got them home i checked the vaccination form and was worried theyd been given the same injection they had a few months back. i rang the vets and was told that this is what happened-they were given a small dose of it for their first jab and then the rest as their second jab-is this correct? i just wanted someone experienced to confirm it for me because it was a vet nurse that told me that and she even admitted she didnt know 100% :roll:

im also wondering that if that is correct, does that mean that booster jabs are just one injection a year rather then two? AJ and Raven are due their boosters any day and i was expecting to have to bring them twice so if anyone can clear that up for me id appreciate it :D

i shall have to post some piccies to make up for not posting for so long ;)

[Amber]

The first dose of vaccinations consists of two injections a few weeks apart to provide full immunisation against the necessary diseases.

Annual boosters thereafter consist of one injection per year.

Hope this helps

xxx

[Jac]

When my Caspurr got ill he had had his first vaccination. By the time he was well enough to get his second vaccination his first had to be re done again.

Hope that helps and the booster is once a year. One jab.

[JBalways2000]

ooh thankyou both-im glad it will only be one jab for them all from now on because hauling 4 carriers on to a train for 45 minutes there and back isnt much fun-the less times i do that the better :lol: especially when i have four bunnies going twice a year too :shock:

so is it also right what the vet nurse said-that when they are kittens they are given the two injections a few weeks apart normally but both injections are the same?

[cybeeb]

Be careful with unneccessary vaccinations as we lost our baby two months ago to vaccination sarcoma. This is cancer the cats get at injection sites from vaccinations. The first year vaccinations are very important. Our cats never go out, we never allow anyone to bring their pet over and we don't bring strange animals into the house until they have been to the vet and tested. After the first year we do not vaccinate and we have never had a problem with this and our cats have lived to be 18. I will never forget our baby, Itsy, who died young from getting his booster.

[Amber]

Although a tragic experience, vaccine reactions are very rare compared to the amount of cats we see at the surgery with cat flu and feline leukaemia.

Very sorry to hear about your baby though xxxx

[cybeeb]

In my heart I know vaccines are important but mine is still broken from losing my baby. Itsy was one day old when I got him and I raised him with a baby bottle and did everything for him that his mom would have. He was only 11 years old and taken way too soon.
All of our cats are tested for leukemia before they ever come to the house and then they are vaccinated.

[Grete]

I have to say that the risk of developing the illnesses outweigh the chance of a rare reaction :( I've lost a kitty to feline Leukaemia and it was horrible to watch and there is no way I would risk it happening again.

I agree tho if they are purely indoor cats, the chance of catching them is slim but I know friends who have indoor only cats still vaccinate. Mainly because they do go outside occasionally, if only to the vets where there are sick cats with those illnesses and you just don't know.

My heart goes out to you tho having lost a baby to cancer :(

[JBalways2000]

thanks again everyone and i am very sorry for your loss cybeeb-i have only been keeping cats for just over a year and would be devestated to lose any of them so can only imagine how it must feel after so many years with one :(

All my cats are strictly indoors and i did wonder about getting the boosters done but the thing is that we are planning to try and get away on holiday next year and catteries only take vaccinated cats(which makes sense) would be much better if we knew someone who could look after them but no such luck im afraid!

[cybeeb]

Our cats are strictly indoors. They are never allowed outside. Not even for one second. We live in a subdivision and have traffic, loose dogs and other cats running loose in the neighborhood.
We NEVER bring a cat in that has not been completely tested and vaccinated.
We don't allow people to bring their pets over. When we do have to take a cat to the vet, they are in a crate and kept away from other animals there. We don't allow other people at the vet to pet our babies and we disinfect our crate when we go home.
We have 25 cats and only vaccinate the first year and have never lost a cat to leukemia or flu.
The one I lost to vaccination sarcoma was like a child of mine and I miss him every day. He has only been gone 2 months but the house is empty without him.
Our cats never get boarded but then again (haha) with this many we can't afford to go on vacation. But the love is worth it.
I know the risk of vaccination sarcoma is low but the cancer Itsy went through, I will never forget.

[Kay]

It is a very difficult topic. All my cats are indoor cats. I vaccinate all my kittens. Any cats that I show are vaccinated yearly, as you can't show an unvaccinated cat in the UK. My breeding girls are also vaccinated yearly to protect their kittens. All my retired breeding and show cats are vaccinated every 3-4 years. The sarcoma's are related to the Leukaemia vaccination and I do not do that on any of my cats or kittens as they are kept indoors and sold as indoor pets only.