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I've had my cat, George, since he was about 6 weeks old. At about 3 months old I brought him to the vet for his first and then second round of shots, including rabies.
He is strictly an inside cat, but he does have an outside enclosure on the deck.
I'd prefer not to give him any unnecessary vaccinations at this point. He's healthy (except for one day 2 weeks ago when he was "under the weather" for a day.
Anyway, is it necessary and do you bring your cat to the vet every year? Thanks for your help and opinions.
Well, rabies needs to be re-done I think every 2 years. I would definitely do that.
My own vet, a great guy, does not push to get my cats in more often than every 2 years for vaccinations. Sends me a post card when they are due. I have 5 cats and so they all come due different times for different vaccinations.
All that said, I am perfectly OK with getting whatever vaccinations my vet recommends.
On the other hand to see the doc at least once a year just to put an expert eye on the cat, and to be prompted with any questions, is probably cheap enough and easy enough to do.
I don't get a bunch of shots at once whether for my dogs or cats. Funny, when a vet wants to give them at once they believe that's okay. But when I want them separate, then they say well, then they have to be # weeks apart. I must be missing something on that.
I also don't get the long term rabies. I get a year at a time.
Here is a WebMD article about feline vaccines. My vet usually gives 2 or 3 shots, and then a FIV vaccine dripped onto the nose, all at once. I have not had any problems with this approach.
Yes to annual visits, no to annual vaccines. After the core vaccines George should only need a purevax rabies vaccine once every three years, if it's a law where you live. No other vaccines. Otherwise I'd just have a titer run every few years for rabies if it isn't required by law.
But the vet check ups are important for a number of reasons. To establish a relationship with your vet. Your vet and you should work as a team in George's healthcare, you need to know each other.
And George needs to know the vet and the vet needs to know George, including what what is normal for George.
In the event he is ill it won't be so strange to you or George or the vet.
Vets know what to look for, so may catch something you didn't notice.
Including: dental health, ear health, eye health, any odd lumps anywhere, and anything odd feeling internally (the vet palpates the underside of the cat to check things as well. The vet can feel the bladder, any stool in the colon, the liver, and the kidneys this way)
I've had my cat, George, since he was about 6 weeks old. At about 3 months old I brought him to the vet for his first and then second round of shots, including rabies.
He is strictly an inside cat, but he does have an outside enclosure on the deck.
I'd prefer not to give him any unnecessary vaccinations at this point. He's healthy (except for one day 2 weeks ago when he was "under the weather" for a day.
Anyway, is it necessary and do you bring your cat to the vet every year? Thanks for your help and opinions.
(ps- attached is the obligatory George picture)
Aww, George is a cutie! If you have a good vet that you trust, and your cat doesn’t get ridiculously stressed out about vet visits, then I don’t think it hurts to go every year. Getting an annual check up for George doesn’t mean that you have to keep getting shots for him that you don’t think are necessary.
I take my three in every year-at the same time. That way I get a discount for multiple cats and I don't have to pay for each office visit.
The vet tells me when a shot is needed-3 year rabies, distemper or whatever. Sometimes there are no shots. But, the vet looks them over, weights them, checks their heart, makes sure that there isn't something that may be starting.
I have wonderful vets (yes, more than one). It doesn't really matter which one we see because they know my cats, know their history. When we were away, my catsitter brought my Electra to the vet for fluids twice a week. They knew knew why he was there, and never gave him a hassle. He would drop her off in the morning and pick her up at noon and she was ready.
Yes to annual visits, no to annual vaccines. After the core vaccines George should only need a purevax rabies vaccine once every three years, if it's a law where you live. No other vaccines. Otherwise I'd just have a titer run every few years for rabies if it isn't required by law.
But the vet check ups are important for a number of reasons. To establish a relationship with your vet. Your vet and you should work as a team in George's healthcare, you need to know each other.
And George needs to know the vet and the vet needs to know George, including what what is normal for George.
In the event he is ill it won't be so strange to you or George or the vet.
Vets know what to look for, so may catch something you didn't notice.
Including: dental health, ear health, eye health, any odd lumps anywhere, and anything odd feeling internally (the vet palpates the underside of the cat to check things as well. The vet can feel the bladder, any stool in the colon, the liver, and the kidneys this way)
The vet will listen to his heart and lungs also.
All this is important.
I agree with Catsmom here. I'm not one to vaccinate every year, but I do feel it's a good idea to have a general wellness exam once a year, even in their younger years. The cost isn't much compared to the piece-of-mind you get.
And thanks for the required picture of George (). He looks quite comfy.
When my cat was younger and had no problems, I skipped the appointment. Now that she's older and having some issues, we go as often as we have to. It is a law here to get the rabies vax every 3 yrs and while I'm not crazy about it, there have been outdoor cats here picked up with rabies.
Not to disrespect Catsmom, but I'm the one who found the two lumps on Gypsy AFTER our vet visit. I do agree it's good to have a vet that knows your cat. It can save their life.
I had my cat's teeth cleaned a year ago for the first time in, like, 6 or 7 years. The vet told me she needed to remove (I think) 2 teeth (or was it 3?) and 2 (or 3?) had already fallen out on their own. She told me the cat was probably in some pain due to the tooth problems. I suspect if I had had her teeth cleaned more often, she wouldn't have had those problems.
So I resolved to get her teeth cleaned every year. I took her again a few weeks ago, and the vet said there was some fairly bad tartar and stuff but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a good teeth cleaning.
After I took her home she seemed extra chipper for a couple days. Probably a good teeth cleaning felt good.
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). He looks quite comfy. 
