Help me please!

[Frances]

My vet is also keen on not over-vaccinating.  This year we agreed to increase the timing of the FeLV element for Christopher and James from annually to every three years – they have complete vaccination records for five and three years respectively, Christopher from a kitten and James from when he was rescued.

Eleanor’s vaccination history was unknown so she has started from scratch this year including FeLV, which she will also get next year and then go on a three-year FeLV cycle.  We had a scare after her first injection as I could feel a lump; thankfully this turned out to be her chip (she was still quite skinny at the time).

My research was mainly based on the WSAVA Guidelines for the Vaccination of  Dogs and Cats, who state their fundamental concepts as: “We should aim to vaccinate every animal with core vaccines, and to vaccinate each individual less frequently by only giving non-core vaccines that are necessary for that animal.”

Like sheilarose, I’d switch to three-yearly boosters for both the tri-cat (MLV/FHV-1/FCV) and FeLV if it wasn’t for the current requirements of insurance industry and catteries.

[Liz]

As a very multi household of ferals, domestics and 7 pedigrees and all injected and snipped and chipped apart form my foster Bengals think it needs more foundation, I inject everything annually and have ages ranging from 19 to 8 weeks and worm and give Program injections twice a year

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Ducha lived till 19 and Napoleon nearly 18 and stopped jabs about 2 years before Napoleon went to the Bridge.

I wouldnt stop the jabs again I think unless a cat was too ill for them and all  mine go out in the garden but its at the vets is a mote likely place for mine to catch somerthing as they dont mix with other cats.............there arent any around here

[sheilarose]

There's a huge difference between the UK and USA on cat vaccs, most USA cats are boosted 3 yearly, not annually, as it has been found there that the immunity is good for three years and the risk of skin cancers at the injection site has been more widely researched there.

My vet has some faith in the research that has been done by the Americans to support this, but he continues to advise annual boosters simply because that's the way its done over here. However, when one of mine developed a lesion at the injection site we decided to discontinue his injections at 12 years old. Thankfully this lesion was not cancerous, just a plaque, but it alerted me to the existence of such cancers.

You may wish to research this further.

My older (13 years+) cats don't get boosters, I have talked this through with my vet and he agrees that after a lifetime of annual boosters they would have compounded sufficient immunity to "see them out" without adding to the risk of developing these injection site tumours, but they still go for their annual MOT, so the bit about cats getting stressed at the vet is irrelevant to me in this instance.

However, for insurance purposes (and the occasional cattery stay for the younger ones) I have no choice but to have the others boosted annually.

I think your survey needs to have some of these issues included in the agree/disagree section, and also be tailored to an individual cat as Rosella said ... I have 9 cats and the answers would be different for each one depending upon their needs.

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

That's interesting Gill, thanks.

Chivvy and Punky stopped having their jabs many years before they died. They were hardly going out by then and Chivvy used to get soooo stressed by a visit to the vets, so I let them drop with no obvious problem (Chivvy lived to be 19 and Punky 20). However, I do know that could just have been good luck!

I would certainly want to keep jabs going as long as any cat in the house was spending much time outdoors but, as I said, not necessarily at yearly intervals.

[Rosella moggy]

Also our Bobby was fully vaccinated and still contracted cat flu so it's never 100% protection.

Have to say I agree with Gill about the survey Hannah.  I think it is far too basic to be of much use to anyone 

I completed it for one of our 7 cats.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Just to say Slugsta that Napoleon caught cat flu at vets after jabs had stopped and then he came home and gave it to Ducha whose jabs had been stopped too.

Misa and Sasa who were still be jabbed didnt catch it!

I cant remember how long ther had no jabs but probably 2 years!

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

I agree with MD, above. I know that humans don't need to have anything like as many boosters as they used to give. Immune memory means that the body will recognise an insult, even years later, and rapidly produce antibodies.

The problem is that it is not in the pharmaceutical companies' interest to fund research which reduced their income, so no-one does any work to see whether cats' immune systems work in a similar way to humans.

I need to be able to put Alfie and Cleo into a cattery, so I have to keep their vaccs up to date but I would certainly not give them every year otherwise (even the vets agree that they only need to be given every 18 months).

[Mymblesdaughter]

I think you need to ask about specific jabs my cats don't have all of them.

They do have their boosters every year but I'm not particularly happy with the situation and think they should be less often. I've heard that they don't need to have boosters every year but as most vets insist on this you have no choice if you want to get your cats immunised. 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Ig nore my reply, its useless!

Was trying to complete for late birmans but wrong questions asked and so much missing, sorry

I stopped vaccs cos one was too ill to have any more

Really think this survey needs to be rethought out 

[hannah12]

Thank you! 

[Tiggy's Mum]

  to Purrs Hannah

I've completed the survey 

just to make it clear for others... it's not a survey only for people who don't continue with the vaccinations, I think that's just what the survey aims to find out ie why those that don't continue choose not to do so.

[hannah12]

Hi everyone 

I am a final year veterinary nurse student and for my dissertation I am looking into the reasons why cat owners do not continue with vaccinations. For data collection I am using a survey which takes 2 minutes to complete so if you have the time could you please answer my survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZCK7QTD

Thank you