Yearly Cat Booster Jabs - do you?

harryharp

Notsosharp wrote: »

Yes I realise that, but the risk of them dying in an accident could be minimised too by not letting them out. I can't keep my cats in, I personally feel keeping them cooped up inside all day is cruel unless of course they like it and choose to do it.

Could we just say that I have my opinion and you have yours and leave it at that?!

OK, we can't do everything, but I think the point is that we should do everything that's reasonably within our power to prevent our pets becoming hurt or ill in any way. Responsible pet ownership should include vaccinations that prevent fatal illnesses, and it is equally irresponsible for people to even think about getting a cat if, for instance, they live near busy roads. Unfortunately there are too many people with woolly thinking who may have warm and fuzzy feelings towards their pets but fail to take proper practical care of them.

And notsosharp, you can't expect people to just 'leave it at that', just because you don't want to talk about it anymore. If people want to carry on debating the issue they are perfectly entitled to do so if they wish. Personally it is something I feel strongly about and I make no apologies if my opinions are unpalatable to some.

MrsE_2

Notsosharp wrote: »

Yes I realise that, but the risk of them dying in an accident could be minimised too by not letting them out. I can't keep my cats in, I personally feel keeping them cooped up inside all day is cruel unless of course they like it and choose to do it.

Could we just say that I have my opinion and you have yours and leave it at that?!

Some people may consider it cruel to keep a cat indoors, some may not.

But a jab thats over in 5 seconds is not cruel.

With regard to the "leave it at that", do you mean, "can I shut up because you don't agree with my opinion"?

This is a discussion forum you know;)

Notsosharp

Mrs E, I am not asking anyone's permission to shut up, if I no longer want to post on the subject I won't.

All I was trying to say is that I have given my opinion on having cats vaccinated and I am tired of trying to find different ways of saying basically the same things, if you want to carry on then feel free.

Unfortunately there are too many people with woolly thinking who may have warm and fuzzy feelings towards their pets but fail to take proper practical care of them.

Thank you Harry, I am well aware of the responsibility that comes with pet ownership, thats why I am doing cleaning jobs to keep them and I come home after doing said cleaning jobs absolutly shattered and still see to my animals. Thats also why I run around the neighbourhood in my PJ's like some mad cat lady to get my cats in for the night. :eek:

Like I said there are worse things I could be doing, like not seeing to them at all and expecting other people to do it for me like one of my neighbours does. He just goes away on holiday, leaves his cat and expects other people to feed it without leaving food or anything else. I am not an irresponsible cat/pet owner and unlike some other people here I am under no illusion that my cats return the love I give them, I know if someone else started feeding them fresh salmon I wouldn't see them for dust!;)

They are insured, neutered, chipped AND have collars on with their name and my phone number. They are happy, healthy and well loved so I do not feel I am an irresponsible pet owner, just a very hard up one. Hopefully that will change once I get my degree but at the moment there is not a lot I can do.

MrsE_2

Notsosharp wrote: »

They are insured, neutered, chipped AND have collars on with their name and my phone number. They are happy, healthy and well loved so I do not feel I am an irresponsible pet owner, just a very hard up one. Hopefully that will change once I get my degree but at the moment there is not a lot I can do.

I'm not suggesting you HAVE to get them jabbed.

You say you can't afford it, so thats that.

BUT I don't think you can say its unnecessary because they are more likely to get run over by a car.

I'm not disputing what you can or can't afford to do for your pets. What I dispute is your implication that theres no need, because medical facts say it IS beneficial.

harryharp

Notsosharp wrote: »

They are happy, healthy and well loved so I do not feel I am an irresponsible pet owner, just a very hard up one. Hopefully that will change once I get my degree but at the moment there is not a lot I can do.

OK, notsosharp, good luck with your degree and everything. It's just that in one of your earlier posts you said that you're not sure you would vaccinate your pets even you could afford it? So I'm not convinced that anything would actually change when you've got your degree and are not so hard-up.

Nomad25

Ministry regs insist on annual flu and ent boosters [cat] for boarding environment. Same type of thing for dogs.

If asked to provide evidence of Leuk for boarding, I'd be suspicious - cats shouldn't come into contact [more min regs] with each other during boarding - that's how leuk is passed. Don't know about insurance stipulations - some companies insist, mine doesn't.

Vaccine companies will stand over most vaccines for 15 months approx.

Great debate over need to vaccinate annually for Leuk at moment.

Personally if they are outdoors - they get done for everything, until they get to a certain age as Snowman says, then it becomes less risky of contracting Leukaemia and I stop that one.

Some cats have to be kept indoors and leuk is IMHO unnecessary. It can be very aggressive on the system.

:T Great prices for boosters, some of you guys are getting! I wish!

For the record I would rather get my pet meds from the vet because IF hes ill, I want them there & then & not posted

Agreed if the need is immediate, but so many pets are now on long term/ongoing medication that is much cheaper if you can get organised and order regularly from on-line vet suppliers. You can get prescriptions for on-line repeat meds from your vet [they can charge you from October].

Have been through this on-line meds debate before with Snowman and Wuno.:rolleyes:

BizzyBek

MrsE wrote: »

What I dispute is your implication that theres no need, because medical facts say it IS beneficial.

Therein lies the arguement. Yes vaccination works but there are also side effects and in depth studies that even the professionals can't agree on with regard to the lapse between boosters, whether the immunity build up renders boosters useless after a certain age, vaccine induced illness and concern at the increase risk of cancer at the vaccination site.

As vaccines have gotten more intense and our foster cats get the 4 in 1 jab I am finding more cats having bad reactions to them - I've even had foster cats that have had to be taken back to the vets after the first jab and unable to have the second jab due to the severity of their reaction. But I stress these are a small percentage but as with any medical immunisation, human or animal, it can make some people very wary once they hear the story and we all know the internet is a great scare mongering tool!

Myself, I follow the more American route of not adminstering boosters after 4-7 years old. That's my decision which I came to after many years of discussion with vets of all opinions etc and is a personal viewpoint not that of the cat charity I work with.

There is a lot of grey area and all anyone can do is gather the information and make their own decision.

Nomad25

I completely agree with you Bizzybeck, trouble is it's too scientific for us owners to really weigh up the pros and cons and being a born sceptic, I tend to think the veterinary profession [with some exceptions] have a vested interest in keeping us in the dark and to keep on jabbing - based on my experiences.

foxxymynx

no, my cats haven't had any of their jabs. I'm not irresponsible, the vet actually agreed that there was no need, since they don't go outside and that they were vaccinations, not immunisations, the diseases that they are given the jabs for they can still get, all be it less likely. All 3 of them are neutered and chipped.

shirlgirl2004

Another moron here. I've had 3 cats which have had the jabs as kittens and then no more. They all lived long happy lives. I know with dog vacs there was some research done which confirmed annual vacs weren't needed but obviously this may not follow through with cats.