This is from Michele in Chicago, the mom of Samson and one of my favorite listeners. She’s been there from the beginning, calls in once a year just to say she loves the show. She never has had any problems with her fine cat Samson, who has been on wet food only from Day One of Cat Chat®. And Michele has converted others off kitty crack and was one of the first to want to help with the Paws Protection League that Dr. Jean Hofve and I never quite got off the ground. So I was really upset to get this email from her:
Hi Tracie, I’m a bit worried about Samson. I took him to the vet two weeks ago. He got his annual rabies shot and the feline distemper vaccine. He had been fine, but a couple of days ago (I think right after listening to Cat Chat® on Wednesday), he started eating less food. He takes a few bites and then he’s done. He’s also a bit lethargic which is not normal for Samson who is always jumping and pouncing around. He ate a little bit more today, but I’m still worried. I’m gonna monitor him this weekend and I have a call in to the vet. Could it be a reaction from the vaccine from two weeks ago?? And if so, should I stop getting him that vaccine every year and just get the rabies since it’s required by law? Any info you can give me would be great. I would feel so awful if something happened to him and it was all my fault. He’s my baby!! Thanks so much!
Michele
Chicago, IL
Oh dear. I wrote her back with a heavy heart:
Yes, it could easily be these unnecessary injections. But why are you vaccinating an indoor cat? You listen to Cat Chat® religiously and I have always said NO VACCINATIONS except for kittens and rabies as required by law every 3 years (and even then, if you live in an apartment, well — are there Rabies Police going to come into your apartment and check his tag? What rabid bat is going to fly through your window??)
Anyway, my suggestion would be that when you make that call to your vet, you might mention you’ll be leaving his/her care for a more educated vet since yearly vaccinations have been recommended AGAINST by the AVMA and the feline-only vets for quite a few years. The Cat Bible and Dr Hodgkins book Your Cat are very clear on this.
You’re such a smart woman and great listener; I don’t know how this vet managed to override your good sense. I have to tell you that the doctor did the wrong thing — is DOING the wrong thing to all his/her patients and either does not know the harm s/he’s doing or wouldn’t admit it. You need to switch to a feline-only vet – Chicago is a very hip town, I am sure there are several — and tell all your friends to do the same. The only way to wake up a vet like this is to leave AND TELL HIM/HER WHY. Let me know how Samson is doing in a couple of days. I’ll check in with Dr. H. to see whether 2 weeks is a probable amount of time to get this reaction, but I know she will share my disgust with your vet’s poor judgment and knowledge. Don’t panic. But don’t let him go 24 hours without food. Pamper him to get him to eat and make sure he’s using the litter box normally for him. I’ll be back to you if Dr Hodgkins has any comment to pass along.
Sure enough, here’s what the good doctor said:
Vaccine reactions, including autoimmune anemia, can start any time. Your answer was correct. Always amazes me how folks will ignore a number of signs of health problems because of convenience and or cost factors, yet faithfully present their pets for over-priced and unnecessary vaccines every year, no matter what. And vets will insist on vaccines even for sick cats! This may be an even bigger brain-washing job that the pet food myths.
SAMSON’S VACCINATION MISTAKE CONTINUED (UPDATE):
Michele wrote me back and said:
Tracie, I’m not that smart because the vaccination thing was the one thing I could never grasp since I have been listening to Cat Chat®. I figured, he’s never had a bad reaction before so I assumed it would be ok.
I will be looking for a cat only vet to use from now on. Why do these vets encourage unnecessary vaccinations?
I told Michele: Well don’t beat yourself up, done is done. But keep in mind that a bad reaction isn’t always visible. We don’t even know all the problems that can be caused by over-vaccination. But please from now on, when I tell you stuff on the air, don’t filter it out or discard it because you don’t think it applies to your cat. What you don’t understand, ask me on the air, write to me. The link on my website to the “cats only” vets will help you find one easily. At least they should know the potential harm of routine vaccinations and will help you and Samson stay safe. As to your question, damned if I know why some vets bluster on doing the wrong thing – it cannot just be for the office visit and injection fee, I refuse to be that cynical! But I do wish I could come up with a better answer as to why they continue the shots when all research shows the vaccines are unnecessary and maybe harmful – and when their own member organizations tell them not to. It’s criminal, that much I feel safe saying. If a human doctor continued to do procedures that the AMA said were not needed and potentially harmful, you wouldn’t have doctors doing them anyway. It’s a disturbing world we live in – so much information, research and technology – and so much of it misused.
Tracie
Tracie,
Keep on spreading the word. People only “hear” when they are ready for the information. Sometimes it has to be brought close to home by an event that could have been prevented.
No one should feel guilty when they follow the advice of their vets. Some vets don’t know any better and others see no need to change their marketing strategy.
I travel over 3 hours to take my dog to a holistic vet. My local vets don’t feel all of that extra education is necessary or “scientifically” proven to benefit our pets. We must learn to protect our pets from unnecessary vaccinations.
Amelia J
with YourPetsView
Thank you so much Amelia – it’s true that some vets don’t “know,” but it’s tough to forgive when their own governing organization the AVMA has made statements on the reversal of old advice to vaccinate yearly. You are such a trooper to go so far for a holistic vet, but your devotion is admirable. It does go to show that if traditional vets don’t wake up and smell the coffee that pet owners are going to look elsewhere for their care. You’re certainly right that the last thing anyone should feel is guilt over bad advice – I may have sounded harsh in telling Michele she should have believed me, but in the case of Michele, a listener I adore with a cat she adores, she knows how I mean it. In fact she wrote back later and said from now on she’s going to follow every little thing “her kitty’s best friend” says!
I took my cat to my vet to have some clumps of fur taken off her back. The vet noted that she hadn’t had any vaccines in several years. I reminded him that the cat was indoors only…and he convinced me against my better judgement to have her inoculated against rabies and distemper. 24 hours later, she wasn’t able to stand or walk around. She sat curled up in her basket for almost a week and finally began to walk after Rescue remedy and several other holistic treatments were administered. The vet said that it ‘couldn’t have been a reaction to the shots…’ I’m convinced that this perfectly healthy cat suffered a severe reaction and I’m upset that my vet wouldn’t even acknowledge this as a possible truth.
Hi Barbara,
I’m Michele, Samson’s mom from Chicago. I definitely think it was the vaccinations that caused your cat to act like that. That is my opinion. That is basically the same thing that happened to Samson. The only thing that helped was time and Vaccine Detox from Spirit Essence. I literally cried when I saw Samson pounce on something again after he had recovered. The vet will not tell you that it was something “they” did, and why would they; remember, the vaccinations are produced and manufactured by companies trying to sell their product. They don’t think about what’s best for the cats.
I am also starting to think that there may have been a direct correlation between the pain from the needle and Samson’s lethargic nature. He seemed to have trouble jumping when he was going through the problem and he’s a great jumper!
Anyway, we live and we learn, and I’m glad your guy is doing better. Take care.
Michele W.
Thanks Michele for confirming this! And thank goodness your beloved Samson did pull through from that bad vaccine reaction. I just posted a big new blog on why not to vaccinate adult cats and dogs – check it out!