Yearly Cat Booster Jabs - do you?

Notsosharp

I have owned cats since I was 10 (I am 29 now) and as far as I know they have never been vaccinated and all of them lived to a ripe old age, one even reached 23 (it was my mums cat!)....I have two cats at the mo and although they are both neutered they are not vaccinated, I just cannot afford it. I did save the money up but then something urgent came up that needed to be paid so the money was used for that. They are insured and the insurance co are aware they are not vaccinated and seem to be fine with it. One cat I had did die quite young I think but it was because he had asthma and nothing to do with not being vaccinated.

I have read somewhere else that some animal charities will make a contribution to the costs of vaccination and certainly when the time came I got vouchers from the CPL for neutering my two. Its something I will look into.

Its down to personal choice really and I do worry that mine are not vaccinated but like I said before I cannot afford it. And before anyone says "well you should not have them then" what do you suggest I do? Hand them over to complete strangers or an animal shelter already overburdened with unwanted pets? I don't think anyone should be condemed because they don't do it, it does not mean they love their animals any less.

frivolous_fay

simontheiceman wrote: »

Lets look at the evidence....
Feline Leukaemia - no real need to bother after about 4yrs of age - I stop giving to patients after this time but dont offer any option before then.

Could I please see some evidence / explanation? As a cat owner I'm genuinely interested.

simontheiceman

frivolous_fay wrote: »

Could I please see some evidence / explanation? As a cat owner I'm genuinely interested.

Good-one - caught slightly off guard as I am at home this week, and all my papers are in work - I attended a meeting on the "future of vaccination" earlier in 08 and this was one of the hot topics.

In essence there are a number of groups within the EU and the US who all advocate slightly different "core" vaccine regimes. there does appear to be some consistency over FelV as this is primarily a disease of younger cats. The peak age for diagnosis is 12-18months of age . This tends to be the risk category - young cats who are seeking new territory and are becoming exposed to Field strain felV whilst demarcating their own territory. This declines rapidly with age and genuinely new cases of Felv are rarely seen in older cats. This is the basis for the rationale but the actual evidence you cant have for a week or more, but you are welcome to it when I get back to work.

Sazzyukrafc

Can I ask those who do not do vacinations what you do with them when you go on holiday? I presume they must be looked after by a friend/relative?

Tbh, I have two young boys (cats!) and don't see their vacinations as being expensive. I know people's earnings vary, but you can spend that money on a few bits of clothes, so why not spend it on protecting your cats.

Pete268

I would be devastated if anything preventable happened to my 'feline princess' Tally.

No matter how skint I am, she goes once a year for her 'MOT' at the vets and whatever the vet recommends she gets, hence she is fully jabbed up, innoculated, insured and has had her bits 'done' etc etc.

I consider it a small price to pay for her welfare.

Peter

Sazzyukrafc

I agree Peter, you pay more than that to have your car MOT and tax, so why not pay for your cat? I wouldn't want to risk my boys' health just to save a bit of money.

lowis

don't the various animal charities help with the cost of neutering and vaccinations if you are low income or on benefits?

mind you, how people afford to feed and provide for their pets when they are on benefits i have no idea...feeding and providing for a cat is expensive enough, and i am employed! a lady down the road from me has a huge Mastif dog of some kind and she is on incapacity benefit...the dog must eat her out of house and home, he is the size of a baby cow!

Pippaalice

Notsosharp wrote: »

I have owned cats since I was 10 (I am 29 now) and as far as I know they have never been vaccinated and all of them lived to a ripe old age, one even reached 23 (it was my mums cat!)....I have two cats at the mo and although they are both neutered they are not vaccinated, I just cannot afford it. I did save the money up but then something urgent came up that needed to be paid so the money was used for that. They are insured and the insurance co are aware they are not vaccinated and seem to be fine with it. One cat I had did die quite young I think but it was because he had asthma and nothing to do with not being vaccinated.

I have read somewhere else that some animal charities will make a contribution to the costs of vaccination and certainly when the time came I got vouchers from the CPL for neutering my two. Its something I will look into.

Its down to personal choice really and I do worry that mine are not vaccinated but like I said before I cannot afford it. And before anyone says "well you should not have them then" what do you suggest I do? Hand them over to complete strangers or an animal shelter already overburdened with unwanted pets? I don't think anyone should be condemed because they don't do it, it does not mean they love their animals any less.

I think the point being missed here isn't that you CAN'T have a cat that is not vaccinated and have it live to a ripe old age, it is that you are putting your cat at risk by NOT having it done. Also I imagine lack of immunisation in general increases spreads of diseases so it is not just your pet you are putting at risk.

I do understand that some people cannot afford certain things but I personally would never forgive myself if my cats got ill because I had neglected their care.

Notsosharp

I'm sorry but I think you are wrong, cats CAN live to a ripe old age without being vacinated.

I have known cats that have lived til their twenties and they were not vaccinated, and then again some cats don't live long at all but its because they were hit by a car or just went missing. Two of my sisters cats have died aged around 2 or three but not because they weren't vaccinated, one was knocked down and the other just went missing.

I do feel guilty about not having mine done but I just can't afford it, I am not completly irresponsible both are neutered and both are insured.

trudij

I think you are misreading, notsosharp - pippaalice is saying that its not that unvaccinated cats dont live to a ripe old age - but by not having cats vaccinated people are risking their cats getting ill.

(my first cat was 26 when she died - and she wasnt vaccinated - the following three we had (all aver 10 years ago now!!) one lasted 6 months and got run over, the other two (none were vaccinated) lived till they were 16 and 17.

these days I would vaccinate if I had cats.

Next door neighbours always looked after our animals if we went away - and I give the dog to a friend to look after. Id never put mine in kennels.