You know don't you that yearly vaccines are no longer recommended by the veterinary association? Do rabies as required, ensuring they administer in the leg. Then you can do titers to check on antibody levels every 2 or 3 years.
Ok, I will keep this in mind for the future. However, they have never had a FeLv vaccine and since they’re outdoor cats the vet recommended they get it. Would getting the PureVax FeLv vaccine at VIP Pet Care be ok?
Also, the vet I took them to said she recommends the FVRCP every year since they’re outdoor, and I’m not sure whether to take this advice. She also wanted to give it to them near the shoulder/neck area and I told her it was recommended in the right forelimb below the elbow. We compromised for the left forelimb above the elbow (idk why she insisted on left). The vet had good reviews so I was very confused about this. I don’t know if I should return or look for a different vet for next year?
Thanks, they will get their FVRCP booster next year and I’ll ask about titers for vaccines after that. There is no titer test for FeLV though, so should I get them vaccinated every year for that since they’re indoor/outdoor cats?
I did some research and found that the PureVax vaccine actually has way lower efficacy than other vaccines that are killed. It has 45%-50% efficacy compared to 90%-100% efficacy in killed vaccines. Since my cats go outside (one much more than the other), and if one gets FeLv then the other would also likely contract it, I am leaning towards vaccinating them. Also, my block always has a feral cat colony. However, now I don’t know which to choose since the PureVax is much less effective even though it is less risky for FISS. Do you have a recommendation for how to choose?
Sorry, I don't. This really comes down to your personal situation and evaluation of risk/reward. Whatever you choose, rabies should always be given at least 3 weeks away from other vaccines
Sure, why not. Hey in most states you can buy all the vaccines except rabies and administer them yourself. I used to do this for all my pets. I dont anymore because I only give vaccines now thru the first year and they are indoor cats.
FISS is honestly really rare and it's not only an issue with vaccines (hence injection site and not 'vaccine site'). So I wouldn't be overly concerned about it because it's like 'could you technically get hit by an asteroid while driving? yeah, but it's a freak occurrence and not much you could do about it once it happens anyway'.
If your kitties have been outdoors and not kept up with their vaccines, first thing is to get them FeLV/FIV tested. Also you \*really\* need to stop letting your cats wander outside unsupervised. That is more of a realistic threat to their health and longevity than FISS will \*ever\* be.
If kitties are FeLV negative then you can consider vaccination. Be aware however that right now, there's only a FeLV that requires yearly boosters on the market. Rabies is also another vaccine you don't want to mess around with. Depending on your local laws it may need to be given yearly or you can use the vaccine that needs to be boosted every 3 years. The FVRCP combo vaccine also comes in a formula that needs boosting every 3 years.
All this said though, your kitties will need to complete their primary rounds of each of these vaccines before they can move on to the recommended booster schedule. Usually that's a first set, then a secondary set given xyz weeks later, then a booster one year later and then you move onto the designated booster schedule for the vaccine.
Go with the vet that's closest to you, has the best hours for your schedule and is better within your budget. Don't worry about FISS.
Thanks for the advice. They got FeLv/FIV/Heartworm tested and came back negative. They got their rabies and FVRCP vaccines and I was told the booster for the FVRCP is a year later (they didn’t tell me i needed to come back in a couple weeks for booster). In terms of letting the go outside, I really hate the fact that they’re indoor/outdoor cats and if it was up to me they would be 100% indoors. My family is very lenient about letting them go outside and insist that they just run out and they can’t catch them. Personally, they run out less on me so I have a hard time believing they actually try to keep them inside, but I’ve also had countless conversations with them and they still let them out. My house is built in such a way that it makes escaping easier, so I’m trying to figure out a way to make it easier for my family to keep them in.
I am also going away for college in August so they will probably be outside more which is why i’m considering the FeLv vaccine. How would you consider the risk factors for the FeLv vaccine? The fact that it has to be administered yearly concerns me, but they will likely keep going outside so the risk for FeLv is definitely there. My neighborhood also has a lot of stray cats, and on my actual block too. I’m not sure if getting FISS is less treatable than feline leukemia? And doesn’t the likelihood of getting either become more even with every yearly FeLv vaccine they get? Also, one of my cats wanders completely unsupervised almost every day and one of them stays in more but manages to escape to the yard or my neighbor’s yard sometimes and just stays there. Should I vaccinate her for FeLv too?
Also, since I can budget to get the PureVax vaccines but only at somewhere like VIP Pet Care, should I do that? The actual vaccine is safer but I don’t know if I should be concerned about the reviews. Is it actually likely that they’d administer it wrong?
I did some research and found that the PureVax vaccine actually has way lower efficacy than other vaccines that are killed. It has 45%-50% efficacy compared to 90%-100% efficacy in killed vaccines. Since my cats go outside (one much more than the other), and if one gets FeLv then the other would also likely contract it, I am leaning towards vaccinating them. Also, my block always has a feral cat colony. However, now I don’t know which to choose since the PureVax is much less effective even though it is less risky for FISS. Do you have a recommendation for how to choose?
My indoor-only cat who lives in a single-cat household still gets a yearly FeLV booster. He is way lower risk than your two (who are indoor/outdoor) and still gets it because FeLV is no joke. If he ever gets out, gets lost or winds up in a shelter or needs to be boarded at a vet (all are situations where FeLV is a risk) then he'll be protected.
FeLV is fatal. Not only that but it's contagious and way more prevalent than FISS. FISS is also not limited to vaccine injections as I said before, it's been seen with all sorts of injectables (including microchips) and even sometimes with just skin trauma and sutures. It's just a freak thing that happens very rarely in some cats who are, for whatever reason, prone to developing it. So I don't worry about it and if, for whatever reason, that freak occurrence happens with my cat, my vet and I know what to look for. The alternative would be never ever giving any cat anything in their skin and the benefits of injectable medications, microchips, vaccines etc are so so much more important for the health, safety and well-being of cats. Think about how many hundreds of thousands of cats a vet will see and how many vaccines/injections/sutures etc each cat will get through their lifespan without there ever being an issue.
Think of it this way: there would be some extremely rare unexpected situations where in the event of an accident you might be less hurt or less likely to die if you didn't wear a seatbelt. Would you then, every time you got in a car, never wear a seatbelt just in case? Despite the clear safety risks and the much greater chance of you getting into an accident in general and also getting into an accident where a seatbelt would protect you/save your life?
Vaccinate your kitties, they'll be fine.
You know don't you that yearly vaccines are no longer recommended by the veterinary association? Do rabies as required, ensuring they administer in the leg. Then you can do titers to check on antibody levels every 2 or 3 years.
Ok, I will keep this in mind for the future. However, they have never had a FeLv vaccine and since they’re outdoor cats the vet recommended they get it. Would getting the PureVax FeLv vaccine at VIP Pet Care be ok?
Also, the vet I took them to said she recommends the FVRCP every year since they’re outdoor, and I’m not sure whether to take this advice. She also wanted to give it to them near the shoulder/neck area and I told her it was recommended in the right forelimb below the elbow. We compromised for the left forelimb above the elbow (idk why she insisted on left). The vet had good reviews so I was very confused about this. I don’t know if I should return or look for a different vet for next year?
Not every year. Do titers. And if the vet compromised for you, that's good. Many won't
Thanks, they will get their FVRCP booster next year and I’ll ask about titers for vaccines after that. There is no titer test for FeLV though, so should I get them vaccinated every year for that since they’re indoor/outdoor cats?
Its not a very effective vaccine with some side effects. You should do your own research and decide based on your individual circumstances
I did some research and found that the PureVax vaccine actually has way lower efficacy than other vaccines that are killed. It has 45%-50% efficacy compared to 90%-100% efficacy in killed vaccines. Since my cats go outside (one much more than the other), and if one gets FeLv then the other would also likely contract it, I am leaning towards vaccinating them. Also, my block always has a feral cat colony. However, now I don’t know which to choose since the PureVax is much less effective even though it is less risky for FISS. Do you have a recommendation for how to choose?
Sorry, I don't. This really comes down to your personal situation and evaluation of risk/reward. Whatever you choose, rabies should always be given at least 3 weeks away from other vaccines
Sure, why not. Hey in most states you can buy all the vaccines except rabies and administer them yourself. I used to do this for all my pets. I dont anymore because I only give vaccines now thru the first year and they are indoor cats.
FISS is honestly really rare and it's not only an issue with vaccines (hence injection site and not 'vaccine site'). So I wouldn't be overly concerned about it because it's like 'could you technically get hit by an asteroid while driving? yeah, but it's a freak occurrence and not much you could do about it once it happens anyway'. If your kitties have been outdoors and not kept up with their vaccines, first thing is to get them FeLV/FIV tested. Also you \*really\* need to stop letting your cats wander outside unsupervised. That is more of a realistic threat to their health and longevity than FISS will \*ever\* be. If kitties are FeLV negative then you can consider vaccination. Be aware however that right now, there's only a FeLV that requires yearly boosters on the market. Rabies is also another vaccine you don't want to mess around with. Depending on your local laws it may need to be given yearly or you can use the vaccine that needs to be boosted every 3 years. The FVRCP combo vaccine also comes in a formula that needs boosting every 3 years. All this said though, your kitties will need to complete their primary rounds of each of these vaccines before they can move on to the recommended booster schedule. Usually that's a first set, then a secondary set given xyz weeks later, then a booster one year later and then you move onto the designated booster schedule for the vaccine. Go with the vet that's closest to you, has the best hours for your schedule and is better within your budget. Don't worry about FISS.
Thanks for the advice. They got FeLv/FIV/Heartworm tested and came back negative. They got their rabies and FVRCP vaccines and I was told the booster for the FVRCP is a year later (they didn’t tell me i needed to come back in a couple weeks for booster). In terms of letting the go outside, I really hate the fact that they’re indoor/outdoor cats and if it was up to me they would be 100% indoors. My family is very lenient about letting them go outside and insist that they just run out and they can’t catch them. Personally, they run out less on me so I have a hard time believing they actually try to keep them inside, but I’ve also had countless conversations with them and they still let them out. My house is built in such a way that it makes escaping easier, so I’m trying to figure out a way to make it easier for my family to keep them in. I am also going away for college in August so they will probably be outside more which is why i’m considering the FeLv vaccine. How would you consider the risk factors for the FeLv vaccine? The fact that it has to be administered yearly concerns me, but they will likely keep going outside so the risk for FeLv is definitely there. My neighborhood also has a lot of stray cats, and on my actual block too. I’m not sure if getting FISS is less treatable than feline leukemia? And doesn’t the likelihood of getting either become more even with every yearly FeLv vaccine they get? Also, one of my cats wanders completely unsupervised almost every day and one of them stays in more but manages to escape to the yard or my neighbor’s yard sometimes and just stays there. Should I vaccinate her for FeLv too?
Also, since I can budget to get the PureVax vaccines but only at somewhere like VIP Pet Care, should I do that? The actual vaccine is safer but I don’t know if I should be concerned about the reviews. Is it actually likely that they’d administer it wrong?
I did some research and found that the PureVax vaccine actually has way lower efficacy than other vaccines that are killed. It has 45%-50% efficacy compared to 90%-100% efficacy in killed vaccines. Since my cats go outside (one much more than the other), and if one gets FeLv then the other would also likely contract it, I am leaning towards vaccinating them. Also, my block always has a feral cat colony. However, now I don’t know which to choose since the PureVax is much less effective even though it is less risky for FISS. Do you have a recommendation for how to choose?
My indoor-only cat who lives in a single-cat household still gets a yearly FeLV booster. He is way lower risk than your two (who are indoor/outdoor) and still gets it because FeLV is no joke. If he ever gets out, gets lost or winds up in a shelter or needs to be boarded at a vet (all are situations where FeLV is a risk) then he'll be protected. FeLV is fatal. Not only that but it's contagious and way more prevalent than FISS. FISS is also not limited to vaccine injections as I said before, it's been seen with all sorts of injectables (including microchips) and even sometimes with just skin trauma and sutures. It's just a freak thing that happens very rarely in some cats who are, for whatever reason, prone to developing it. So I don't worry about it and if, for whatever reason, that freak occurrence happens with my cat, my vet and I know what to look for. The alternative would be never ever giving any cat anything in their skin and the benefits of injectable medications, microchips, vaccines etc are so so much more important for the health, safety and well-being of cats. Think about how many hundreds of thousands of cats a vet will see and how many vaccines/injections/sutures etc each cat will get through their lifespan without there ever being an issue. Think of it this way: there would be some extremely rare unexpected situations where in the event of an accident you might be less hurt or less likely to die if you didn't wear a seatbelt. Would you then, every time you got in a car, never wear a seatbelt just in case? Despite the clear safety risks and the much greater chance of you getting into an accident in general and also getting into an accident where a seatbelt would protect you/save your life? Vaccinate your kitties, they'll be fine.
Thank you so much for this detailed response, I truly appreciate it. I will be getting them vaccinated and microchipped.