I just got my cats their yearly shots this weekend & then I realized how when I was living in a different state there used to be a 3-yr vaccine.
Does anybody know if this varies by state, county, etc. It costs lots of money to do them yearly. My cats are indoor cats-how necessary is it anyway?

Three year rabies? In areas with high incidences of rabies (Texas, for one) you have to do it every year and in areas that have low incidences (CA, for one) you can do it every three years. (I use those as an example b/c I lived in TX and now live in CA)

I don't vaccinate my dogs yearly. IMO, it's over-vaccination. I know people who don't vaccinate their cats yearly (if they're indoor only, which they should be!). The only one I do regularly is the rabies b/c I have to. :P

I'm not sure if cats have to be licensed... so you may not even have to do rabies.

But, find a holistic vet and talk to him/her about it. He/She will probably tell you you're over-vaccinating.

Some vets are now recomending normal vaccines to be given every three years rather than once a year, although I don't even do that.

www.ahvma.com <<you can find a holistic vet there!

Wow, cute picture of your dog.
Thx so much for the inside info!!

It's three years where I live, and I do believe if they are indoor cats they don't have to be vaccinated. Not 100% sure, though. :)

I am a veterinarian, and I can tell you that the laws concerning rabies vaccination vary by state. Most states require rabies vaccination for BOTH dogs and cats, but there are still a few states that do not require it for cats.

As for the duration, some states require yearly vaccination and some will accept the 3 year vaccine. One reason that the duration may have changed is that many vets are switching to a Rabies vaccine by a company named Merial that makes the vaccine without any additives called adjuvants. These adjuvants allow the vaccine to last longer in the animal, but are also associated with increased chance of developing tumors at the injection-site. Therefore, the new vaccine is safer, but must be administered more frequently.

I hope that answers your question. I do not recommend skipping rabies vaccination for "indoor cats", as there have been many cases of cats getting bitten by rodents or bats that get into people's homes. Rabies is a deadly disease, and you don't want to leave your cat and yourself exposed to that danger.

Counties set the laws for rabies vaccination. The majority do require cats, dogs and ferrets to be currently vaccinated for rabies. There are different types of vaccines that give different lengths of protection, you need to get a vaccine that is approved to be used every three years. If your pet is not currently vaccinated and bites or scratches someone (other than immediate family), you will be required to impound your pet in a boarding facility that is monitered by a licensed veterinarian. If your pet is vaccinated, you can do the impoundment at home and just bring them in for the exams. This is the law for northern Illinois Counties Cook (contains Chicago) and Will. They do recognize three year rabies, but Champaign County (middle of state where vet school is) does not.
Your best to contact the local animal control people to find out the law for your county. A vets office is more likely to recommend their protocol, which will include more vaccines and possibly yearly ones at that.

I hope that answers your question. I do not recommend skipping rabies vaccination for "indoor cats", as there have been many cases of cats getting bitten by rodents or bats that get into people's homes. Rabies is a deadly disease, and you don't want to leave your cat and yourself exposed to that danger.

Good point!

As far as your cats' levels of immunity with the non-rabies vaccinations, you can have your vet run blood titres to see how much immunity they actually carry. This blood test lets you see of those shots are even necessary for your cats. I have heard of cancers developing at the injection sites so in order to avoid over-vaccination have your cats tested to see if those shots are even needed. As far as cost is is concerned, I don't know how much they run, but the cost may not be an issue for you if it can put your mind at ease about over-vaccinating. Hope this helps.

Rabies requirements are dependent upon local jurisdictions. I live in Texas.
Some counties have one year requirements while others have 3 year req. I live in a county with 3 year requirements.

Does anyone here self-vaccinate their dogs at home? In Indiana rabies vaccines have to be given by the vet, but everything else is legal for home use, no prescription required. So, I'm considering getting the regular vaccines and Bordatella by mail-order. I was a little surprised when I saw my vet charged me over $40 for a bordetella shot on top of the $50 charge for the regular vaccines, when I know they only cost a couple of dollars. So I'm just wondering how many people here do their own vaccinations, and what type do you usually do and why? I've been doing a bit of reading on the topic, but will still probably consult with my vet because I don't know how prevelant leptospirosis or coronavirus are in my area so I want to make sure I weigh in those risks. I still have several months before any of my pets are due for vaccines, so I'm in no rush.

Wow doing vaccinations at home, that's awesome. I would never stop giving my cats vaccines all together but my one cat already has kidney problems & I give her fluids every other day. It just seems the FIV, FELV, Rabies, Booster, etc seems to be overkill every year.

I am not a vet but I do give my pets their vaccines myself (except rabies). You do have to ensure that the shots stay cold (refrigerated) or they will be ineffective. you also have to be sure that the store you get them from keeps them/ships them refrigerated. Temperature abuse at any point from manufacturer to customer will render the shots useless. You may get the shots at the right temp from your supplier but if they sat out and were allowed to warm up when your supplier received them (ie.they didn't put them up right away), then you've wasted your $ and your pets are not protected.
2nd, you have to look out for signs of allergic reaction (esp. if this pet has never been vaccinated before) when you administer the shots . The risks of a reaction are small but it does happen. I volunteer at a spay/neuter clinic and the most common signs I've seen are itchy and swollen face but the reactions can vary due to the animal's body. You will generally see a reaction (of there is one) within about 15 minutes of giving the shot. If your pets have never had a problem before then I wouldn't anticipate there to be one in the future.
Hope this helps!

I get my vaccines at a local feed store. I have looked around at different stores and the people at this location handle the vaccines properly.

Wow doing vaccinations at home, that's awesome. I would never stop giving my cats vaccines all together but my one cat already has kidney problems & I give her fluids every other day. It just seems the FIV, FELV, Rabies, Booster, etc seems to be overkill every year.

If you don't like to vaccinate them every year, have their blood titres done to see if your cats already have enough immunity. I know a woman who is into holistic medicine and doesn't like to vaccinate her dogs unnecessarily so she gets them tested every year to check their immunity. She hasn't had to vaccinate her dogs against parvo/distemper for 7 years!

Rabies is generally required by law to be "up to date". For cats, there is a 1 yr rabies vaccine called "PureVax" that does not pose the risk of Fibrosarcoma, which is a vaccine induced cancer in cats. The 3 yr vaccine has the preservative which could cause a Fibrosarcoma. When I moved, the vets here didn't have the 1 yr, so I had them give the 3 yr in the tail so in case my cat developed a fibrosarcoma... one could just amputate his tail and he'd be cured.
Back when I worked in the vet, we had indoor cats who caught bats and squirrels and things that had gotten into the house. The state gets to decide what to do with your cat - quarentine it at home, at a facility at your expense, euthanize and test its brain. You also get fined at least $1000 for having an unvaccinated animal. (This is in NY)
My indoor cats get an FVRCP (feline distemper) every few years, but not annually after the 1 yr boosters. They DO NOT get Felv vaccines because they are completely unnecessary for indoor cats if you aren't bringing in random cats, and they can also cause fibrosarcomas. They don't get FIV vaccines either, they're indoors and they don't need them. In addition, FELV/FIV snap tests (the kind most shelters use) cannot differentiate between the vaccine and the illness so if an FIV vax'd cat ended up in a shelter and was tested, it would likely be euthanized for testing + for FIV.

rabid_child, you make a very interesting point about vaccinating in the tail. I had never thought of doing that!

You're right about the FIV vaccine not being able to differentiate between vaccinated cats and actual infected cats. That's a sad fact that cats are euthanized in shelters b/c they test positive even though it could be that they have actually been vaccinated. In our spay/neuter clinic we counsel cat owners who choose to vaccinate against FIV to also microchip them in order to be able to privide a rescue organization immediate closure to the "is he/isn't he positive" dilemma (not to mention the fact that the cat returns home to the owner).

We have a cat that came up as a stray. He tested pos for FIV so we treat him as if he is actually sick with it. By that I mean we take NO chances with his health. Any little cough/sneeze and he goes straight for a vet consultation. No questions asked.

This is all very useful information I guess I should have looked into before going to the vet.