Luna & Sol, the Cats of the Month for May on CAT CHAT®, are “due” for their vaccinations. Their Dad Robert wanted to know what they really need?
Hi Tracie: The kitties are coming up on their one-year anniversary, and I just got the renewal from Hillsborough County, Florida requiring vaccinations as follows:
Section 3. Dog, Cat, and Ferret Rabies Vaccination Requirement; Medical Exemption
All DOGS, CATS, and FERRETS that are 4 months of age or older must be vaccinated for rabies in accordance with Section 828.30, Florida Statutes (1999), as may be amended. DOGS, CATS, and FERRETS shall be vaccinated annually for rabies. However, DOGS and CATS vaccinated by a VETERINARIAN using a USDA-approved triennial vaccine are considered currently vaccinated for the entire 3-year period and will not be required to have an annual re-vaccination for the purpose of obtaining a RABIES TAG except that DOGS and CATS vaccinated at less than one year of age, must be re-vaccinated with a booster one year after the initial vaccination (note: this is what I am concerned about).
So I am going into the Vet and I want to be prepared for the no-overvaccination discussion. Is there something from AMA or one concise document I can bring with me to share with him if he wants to overvaccinate? Is there any vaccination that is prudent at the one-year mark? My kitties had kennel cough when I got them and still sneeze and have watery eyes frequently — should they be vaccinated for that?
I asked the Official Vet of CAT CHAT®, Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, how to handle this situation and she wrote:
This gentleman should ask his vet to do a titer test instead of the rabies vaccinations less than 3 years apart. As a matter of fact, he can ask for a titer any time his cat’s vaccines are due. If the titer is above a certain level, the vet can write him an exemption which will be accepted by any authority that requires verification that the cat is protected.
Then I asked Dr. Elizabeth about the ongoing Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) the kitties have and whether they should not be treated for it. She agreed and said:
Yes, I always treat URIs because so often if you don’t treat, they become chronic. Especially herpes and calici. Yes, the conventional wisdom in the past has been that viral infections don’t respond to antibiotics so it was considered irresponsible at worst and wasteful of owner’s money at best to use antibiotics in cats with URI. Only problem is that they will do better faster if they get antibiotics. Period. So, more progressive cat vets DO treat URIs. I always tell someone like this gentleman that if his vet doesn’t want to treat, he should insist that the vet be willing to adopt the chronically infected cat if the disease doesn’t go away on its own (as the vet is clearly banking on). Of course, the owner in this scenario is bluffing, but the vet doesn’t know that and most will not want to have to face an owner of a chronic URI cat after they have refused to treat because of outdated ideas.
Tags: rabies, upper respiratory infection, uri