Same, after the initial vaccine I never give my cat any yearly vaccines.

Most Vets are very good at playing off people's emotions for their pet for profits.

The only time I ever gave my cats their rabies vaccine were when I had to bring them to the vet for some other reason. And then, the rabies was because it was required by law, she wasn't allowed to leave the vet's office without the rabies shot.

I added the distemper this year, because apparently it's more common in indoor cats in Florida than it is in Connecticut. And my current cat already has some weird upper respiratory issue (we're pretty sure it's environmental allergies), and distemper could cause a very quick, very unpleasant, and very lethal downward spiral for her if she caught it.

If her respiratory system was 100% perfect, I wouldn't have given her the distemper shot either. Just the rabies, and only because it's required by law.

Speaking of rabies shots, this happened just last night…wife and I were watching the 6pm news having a glass of wine when all of a sudden a bat (okay, I’m a guy and we tent to exaggerate) a giant bat with an 8” wing-span flew through the kitchen and into the living room, dive bombing my head! I screamed like a girl, “Ahhhhhh!” as my wife said, grab the cat and open the front door!

After another circle around the interior of our home, the thing headed for the stairs, that was her fatal mistake because our cat, Ginger-the-rescue cat, was watching…she went up the stairs, took flight and caught the damn thing in her clutches! She brought it to the living room where it escaped under our end table. After securing the cat in the bathroom, I grabbed a towel and tossed it over the vermin. Sliding a magazine under the towel and with my wife opening the front door, I tossed it outside. It hit the pavers, hopped around a bit and then took flight. With our adrenaline flowing, we released the cat and gave her some treats for her bravery…..on Friday we are taking her to the vet just to make sure her shots are up to date.

Clinton – Freeport, ME

Read post #21 to learn why she recommended monthly Revolution.

Joe

Rabies vaccines are the law in Florida just like speeding is the law in Florida. The vet has no authority to hold your cat hostage as you could've wanted to go to a different bet for the vaccine.

The lady who runs Sumter Co. animal shelter told me you don't really have to give the rabies vaccine but if your cat gets out and gets rabies they will euthanize it.

Cats do have an immune system and it has been documented that sometimes these vaccines compromise their immune systems.

Although I am thinking about the chewable flea and tick only because I play a lot of golf and walk through a lot of grass and would hate to bring a flea or tick home with me.

This plus rabies being 100% fatal seems like a good reason to consider staying current on rabies vaccination.

First of all, I live in Lake County, so what someone says is the law in Sumter County has no bearing on my situation at all. Second, what some lady who runs an animal shelter, who is neither a lawyer, an employee of the Department of Health, nor a veterinarian, has no bearing on my situation at all. Third, we all pick and choose which laws we'll obey and which laws we'll risk breaking.

I wasn't willing to have a debate with a veterinarian on the merits of vaccinating my cat. They said without proof of recent vaccination, they'd be required to vaccinate her. I could've brought her to a different vet instead. But why would I want to waste hours and hours of phone calls and waiting for people to answer voice mails, when I could just obey the law and get it done?

You can't just make an appointment with a vet who tells you in advance that your cat MUST be vaccinated, and then tell the vet you refuse to let her give your cat the shot after showing up at their office. The vet will just tell you - "we won't treat your cat then, see ya" and show you the door. And your cat will still need to get all its teeth pulled, and will still be in pain.

You are completely right. Most veterinarians won't knowingly treat an animal that is not current on rabies. This is because if an unvaccinated animal bites a human then it needs to be quarantined for 10 days in a state approved quarantine facility.

So here is the scenario....a person doesn't want to vaccinate and the veterinarian, trying to be accommodating, agrees to see the pet. The animal is frightened because it never leave the house, freaks out, and bites one of the clinic staff. Now the veterinarian must, by law, report the bite. The county gets involved and, again by law, quarantines the cat for 10 days. The county charges the owner the cost of the quarantine. And they vaccinate the cat at the end of the quarantine.

Does the owner say "gee doc, thanks for trying, I understand completely, this was my decision, I appreciate you trying to help me" ? Or do they throw a complete hissy fit, yell at the doctor and staff and put up a bunch of crap on social media? I can tell you from personal experience, it's the latter.

So that is the long explanation why your doctor requires rabies vaccination. I hope the background info helps :)

Joe

"The lady who runs Sumter Co. animal shelter told me you don't really have to give the rabies vaccine but if your cat gets out and gets rabies they will euthanize it."

Had to repost this. Just cracks me up.

It's a long read but very informative and the vet herself does not give her cats rabies vaccines and especially not every year.

Vaccines for Cats: We Need to Stop Overvaccinating

You don’t have to euthanize an animal with rabies as it is 100% fatal. It is the humane option though.

Joe

Correct.

The thing is my cat was living on the street for 3 years and never got rabies. The chances of her getting rabies now while an exclusively indoor cat is close to zero.

If you read the article there is a risk-reward involved in these rabies vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that roughly 250 cats in the United States are infected with rabies each year.
Rabies in Cats | PetMD

There are an estimated 48.5 million households with cats in the United States.
How Many Pet Cats Are There? (US & Worldwide Statistics 2023) | Pet Keen

Furthermore, according to PETA, there are roughly 73 million feral or unowned cats in America.
61 Fun Cat Statistics That Are the Cat’s Meow! (2023 UPDATE) | Petpedia

That's 121.5 million cats in America yet the CDC reported roughly 250 got rabies last year.

That would be a 0.001932 percent chance of a cat getting rabies and the number is even lower for indoor cats.

Statistically, you have a better chance of getting hit with lighting.

It's also suspicious the majority of vets won't carry the 3-year rabies vaccine which would lead to fewer annual vet visits.

I think it's a scam designed to make money and gov't lobbyists are complicit in it.

That is a strikingly low percentage but have you considered that rabies is well controlled *because* of vaccination? The virus is in the wildlife population so it cannot be eradicated. Worldwide almost 60,000 people die of rabies. In the US, only a few (like less than 5!).

This is because of rabies laws. If we stop vaccinating then we can expect an increase in humans dying from rabies. 100% fatal and not an easy death.

Now if you are saying "let's only booster the rabies vaccine when we need to", I completely agree. The only problem with that is that it is more expensive to determine if an animal needs a rabies booster....you can get a rabies shot for as low as 5$ here in Florida. But it makes perfect sense to only vaccinate when needed.

But if you are saying rabies vaccination is a scam and completely unnecessary....almost 60,000 people every year beg to differ.

Joe

I was talking about the yearly boosters for indoor cats that have had their rabies vaccine.

If you see fleas, treat. If not don't. Over the years I have treated cats and dogs once a year IF I see fleas. The chemicals are not as safe as "they" say.