Interesting news item

teresa · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:10 pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3588457.stm

Now even though vaccination fees are pretty high, I wonder how many pet owners would actually risk not renewing their animals' jabs annually....I don't think I could contemplate not protecting my boys unless I had a pretty cast iron guarantee that a vaccination lasted longer than a year, even though they don't go outdoors!

Worrying about the reference to cancer in cats though....

What do the more experienced owners/breeders think of this report?

Teresa

Gone · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:26 pm

Interesting.....

For those of us who take out pet insurance, it's a necessity as one of the conditions of insurance usually is that vaccines are kept up to date. I'm sure they'd love nothing more than to have an excuse not to pay out....

Tally-Isham · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:52 pm

We have never regularly 'boosted' our indoor cats on the advice of our vet. Plus, I have been privvy to a few veterinary conferences and vets have openly admitted that boosters are 2 thirds of their income :wink:

It's a tricky one, but obviously our kittens are fully vaccinated. Outdoor cats are a totally different issue obviously, but indoor cats away from the contact of other cats should be safe imo. I've never had an indoor cat live less than 19 years,but I always keep an open mind too :wink:

queenb · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:56 pm

its a money making thing as usual..
I have been told loads of times over numerous years that the vaccines last for at least two years.. so have subsiquently got my animals vaccinated every 2-3 years with no ill effect..
My moggies only ever had the kitten jabs, then nothing ever again...
they all lived very long & happy lives...
when I was young, hardly anyone got theyre cats & dogs vaccined after the origional puppy/kitten jabs... Nor was there pet insurance..

Today I think people are scaremungered into buying all these products & services thinking they are 'doing the right thing'...
I will be showing my cats in the future so they HAVE to have regular vaccines.... even if it is bad for them.... :cry:

Damned if you do & damned if you don't...

Gone · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:02 pm

How about cats that have access to an outside run, but are not free roaming? Should they be vaccinated the same as an outdoor cat? Since it's possible they could come in contact with other cats - for instance, I've seen a big ginger moggy sat on top of the wire mesh of our run before :shock:

Tally-Isham · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:14 pm

Years ago I bought a pedigree cat from a so-called 'breeder' He had the typical cat flu symptoms and went on various courses of anti-biotics etc.. It took a few months until he was finally back to normal health. However, after his first booster, the flu symptoms returned, so back to square one.... After his second booster the flu symptoms returned again. Back to square one...

I contacted the Royal veterinary collage, and spoke to a very highly regarded vet who told me to STOP giving the cat boosters as they were weakening his immune system. Over ten years later and no boosters since, not even so much as a sniffle from him still....After all, us humans don't have regular boosters do we?

ginnym · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:15 pm

I've never had any of my moggies vaccinated after their first set of jabs as kittens. They've all been outdoor cats and all have lived to a ripe old age. I get the feeling that diseases are more common nowadays - or maybe that's just that the vaccination suppliers have convinced me that's the case!

I've yet to decide what to do with my three Bengal kitties who, as of last week, also have unlimited outdoor access. Obviously they're protected at the moment from their kitten jabs but I'll have to decide in 6 months' time whether to renew them. At the moment my instinct is yes but I might go for 2 years rather every year.

Tally-Isham · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:16 pm

bundles of bengals · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:27 pm

very interesting indeed.

i never used to have the boosters for my moggies, but have been doing so since i've had the bengals. if you go over 18 months i think it is, our vets charge you for the full set of vaccines again, rather than just the booster.

it is hard to know what to do for the best, i think i will carry on with the yearlies unless more conclusive evidence comes about, just to be on the safe side.

i have flu jabs myself, so it's only right i should protect my "kids" too

AnnC · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:52 pm

I didn't read the link ut I can guess what's it talking about :roll:

.

Vaccination definitly doesn't need to be every year, but it's the labs' recommandations (yes, and not the vets' !).
I guess every other year should be ok for at least some of the vaccines (some need to be done every year, can't remember which).

Next year I'll do the booster shot but for the following years I'll think about it (and nobody will force be to do the entire protocole again :lol:

).

bundles of bengals · **Posted:** Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:16 pm

one of the things i love about this forum is that you get input from all different aspects of the bengal community. it's good to hear from the veterinary point of view, from annc who is in the profession.

it does make you wonder if it's the manufacturers just trying to squeeze more money out of us, at the risk of overdosing our precious felines :roll:

Interesting news item

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