2006 Feline Vaccine Advisory Panel Report (AAFP):
http://www.aafponline.org/resources/guidel... ...
About rabies vaccination:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/405_... I have personally read two published reports of rabies (and DEATH of course) in two cats that literally never set foot outdoors their whole lives. Those pesky bats, both times.
AVMA policy on vaccinations:
http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/vaccinat... ...
http://www.avma.org/issues/vaccination/def... 2006 press release on vaccinations:
http://www.avma.org/press/releases/061218_... Website with the different vaccines available.
http://vetmedicine.about.com/gi/dynamic/of... ...
My vaccination protocol:
Kittens - 8 weeks - FVRCP (panleuk and respiratory viruses)
12 weeks - FVRCP, FeLV (feline leukemia)
16 weeks - FVRCP, FeLV, Rabies
Adults - annually whether in/out or "indoors only" - FVRCP, FeLV, Rabies
I use all adjuvant-free vaccines. Both the FeLV and Rabies vaccines are live canarypox-vectored genetically modified vaccines. The FeLV vaccine is administered with a needle-free injection system. I only use 1-year rabies vaccine (the 3-year contains adjuvant and is not considered wise in cats).
I have personally seen great illness and death result from failure to vaccinate. I have only seen two serious complications of vaccinations in 26 years: two cases of vaccine-associated fibrosarcoma - one is doing fine 8 or 9 years later (without any amputations, BTW, and the other is doing very well almost a year later but only time will tell. VaxSA is why we use vaccines without adjuvant - it is felt to be a major risk factor in its development. I have seen countless cats die of FeLV, and have even seen a case of rabies in a cat.
We keep deadly diseases at bay by maintaining good "herd immunity" among our pet cat populations.
There are several vaccines for cats that I specifically DO NOT RECOMMEND:
FIP - not proven safe enough or effective enough to warrant use - best prevented through good hygiene, early treatment of medical issues, and avoiding overcrowding and other sources of stress
FIV - causes cats to test positive on blood test (permanently) - best prevented by neutering everybody and keeping indoors to limit risk of fighting with stray tomcats (a common source of infection)
Ringworm - of no value in preventing infection and of questionable value in treating it - ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin and fungal treatments already exist
Bordetella - of questionable effectiveness - This is a becterial disease and can be treated with antibiotics
There is a Giardia vaccine (or was) but I think it was just for dogs; IIRC some vets advocated it in cats (???) - Giardia is a protozoan infection and easily treated with medicaitons
Anybody with questions can PM me so as to avoid interference from disruptors.
