Vaccine side effects?

[Joanne_]

My cat Ted was given a vaccine 3 weeks ago think it was for flu and other things. Then today he went back for a booster. The first time around he was totally fine. Today he is so quiet, sleeping a lot and refused his favourite biscuits which NEVER happens he is totally food obsessed. Should I worry? I know if he is still the same in the morning I will call the vets.

[Walesgang]

My cat Luna who went to RB 3 years ago used to react to the vaccine. She would be a bit quiet.

The first jabs she had, she reacted badly, getting a temperature etc.

If Ted is still off colour in the morning I would give the vet a ring.

[Crewella]

A couple of mine react like that to their boosters. If it lasts longer than a day or so, ring the vet, Hope he's OK. xx

[Joanne_]

Thanks guys. He is still very quiet. Hoping in the morning he will be better. Vaccine side effects always make me panic and hesitant to give vaccines to them.

[Camdengirl]

One of mine tends to be out of sorts after the vaccine, but please don't give up getting Ted vaccinated. Cat flu can be really nasty - I used to have a cat who lost his sight and one eye because he'd had calicivirus flu (before I adopted him), and others on here have had cats with serious health problems from both calici and herpesvirus flu. Cat flu isn't just like a cold, it's nasty and can kill.

[Joanne_]

Little update: He is brighter today but still not 100% Will ring vets Monday if he is not 100%.

[sarie]

Hey, I hope Ted is back to himself now My kitten Bailey had his first shots on Saturday and he was very out of sorts too. He slept solid nearly all day and had a high temperature. His third eyelid was over his eyes nearly all afternoon and he was quite unresponsive, just sleeping really heavily constantly.
He seemed better after about 12 hours but then slept very heavily again on Sunday but he seems back to normal this morning.

The vaccines do a bit of a number on them so I think it's fairly normal for them to feel out of sorts afterwards and go off their food and sleep a lot. As long as they start to improve after a day or so with no other worrying side effects then I think it's all OK.. although admittedly I was very worried too.

As Camdengirl says, don't give up on the vaccs... although do read another thread I started recently http://www.catchat.org/felineforum/view ... =13&t=1971" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; as there's some good information on there regarding long term vaccination protocol.

I intend to get Bailey his second round of shots in 3 week's time and his 1st year booster next year but after that I'll be switching to 3 yearly boosters.

How's Ted doing this morning?

[Joanne_]

thanks for replying. Ted is back to his mischievous self so he is definitely better:) thanks for asking.

[Crewella]

Glad he's better.

[Jan]

Thanks for starting this thread Joanne ...

Glad I've just spotted it as its reassured me that the symptoms Blackie was showing after his annual booster were fairly normal.

I thought boosters had to be given yearly but have read that some people have it done on a 3 yearly basis. Now I'm confused ....

[sarie]

Aw that's great Joanne, I'm glad he's back to his normal self

Jan - as far as annual boosters go - it's a personal choice really. UK Vets recommend annual boosters as that's always been the way they've done things and for any cats who use catteries routinely, they will also insist on annual boosters. Insurance companies will not cover illnesses that could be vaccinated against if the cat isn't vaccinated and then gets that disease (for example cat flu) and in some cases if your cat isn't vaccinated annually then your insurance policy is invalid so it's worth checking. I'm with Petplan and my cover is valid but if I don't vaccinate annually then my cats aren't insured against vaccine related illness - which I'm happy with.

Research into the vaccinations has shown that annual boosters are not required as vaccinations have been shown to provide immunity for at least 3 years and often provide lifetime immunity so the mindset of annual vaccination is changing. However, many vaccine manufacturers haven't acquired a license for triennial vaccination (3-yearly) so they still recommend annual vaccination on the bottle and this is why many UK vets have chosen not to follow guidelines and instead follow the manufacturer instructions. When I looked into it myself, many of the manufacturers did studies into their drugs and in every vaccine I examined I found that, despite having "annual booster required" written on the bottle, their own studies showed that their drugs still provided immunity after a minimum of 3-5 years and in some cases for life.

In the US and many other countries it's no longer common practice to vaccinate annually, the UK is behind in this thinking. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association brought out guidelines that recommend boosters no more than every 3 years due to the risks associated with over vaccination but the British Veterinary Association have chosen no to follow those guidelines for now and as such are still recommending annual boosters.

So as I said above, it's a personal choice. Vets over here are quite happy to get on board with less regular boosters but their line will be that they recommend annual vaccination. I discussed it with mine after doing a great deal of my own research and they were happy to move onto a 3 yearly protocol.
It's something you need to research for yourself really to make your own mind up about what you feel is best for your cats - it also depends on personal circumstances too. As I said above, if you use catteries regularly then your cats will require annual boosters no matter what you think of them!

There's lots of good information online from manufacturers, vets and advisory groups so if it's something that you want to find out more about then there's a wealth of information available

Best of luck, sorry to hijack, just wanted to help with the confusion

[Jan]

sarie ... thank you so much for your detailed response - it was extremely helpful for me to understand about the vaccination booster debate.

While we don't use catteries regularly, there will be odd occasions during any given year when we will have to, so perhaps it looks like an annual booster for Blackie.

Another reason I queried the booster period is that Blackie didn't seem himself for almost a week afterwards .. not just slight lack of appetite and seeming lethargic, but in little ways that probably only I would notice (of course, I could have been imagining it all ). Thankfully, he is 'back to himself' now.

My thanks again.

Jan

[Kay]

I have a problem with vaccination, as Tiffany had a nasty reaction two years in a row with a booster - lost a big patch of fur overnight, and developed a nasty sore - so my vet said no more for her

but I live alone and cannot rule out needing a cattery in a hurry, so it is a worry - some catteries do have an isolation pen though, so that could be one answer - the other of course is a pet sitting service, but I might not get one in an emergency

as FAB no longer go with annual boosters, I don't know why so many catteries still insist on them

[sarie]

I'm glad the information helped

Kay - I found a local lady who has been cat sitting for 30 years and has a great reputation. She and I have worked out an arrangement and I can pretty much call on her any time at short notice and she can fit me in for visits so the arrangement works really well in emergencies. If you're lucky then you might be able to find someone similar available in your area? I started looking long before I needed a sitter so that I could take the time to find someone who could work with my setup without being under pressure to find someone urgently.

Also, if you do end up really backed into a corner regarding catteries and you have to vaccinate then my research led me to "Purevax". This is an adjuvant and thimerosal (mercury) free vaccine and it's the one the Cats Protection use now as standard. You can request the Purevax RCP booster which contains just the core vaccines required to qualify as an "annual booster" for your cattery.
I found it very hard to find a vet who used it but eventually did find a vet who had it in stock and insisted on that for my new kitten. The FeLV vaccine is recommended for young kittens like my Bailey (but not for annual vaccination in adult cats) and it's one of the worst for causing a reaction as 99% of FeLV vaccines contain an adjuvant but the Purevax vaccination does not - it's the only one on the market that is adjuvant free.
For those of you who don't know what an adjuvant is - it's an ingredient (usually aluminium) included in vaccines to deliberately cause a reaction at the site of injection in order to boost the immune response and create longer lasting protection. However, adjuvants are widely responsible for vaccine site sarcomas (cancer at the injection site) and are the reason why many cats get a nasty hot swelling at the site of injection and suffer with pain where they were injected. I won't use ANY vaccines that include adjuvants. Ask your vet if the vaccines they're using are adjuvant free. Many core vaccines are adjuvant free but you'll find all FeLV vaccines contain an adjuvant, with the expception of Purevax.

Finally, if your cat has severe reactions to vaccinations then it is possible to get your vet to write a note explaining why they don't recommend your cat is vaccinated and often a cattery will accept this - it's worth enquiring with any catteries to find out if they'll accept a veterinary exemption.

It's incredibly frustrating that catteries and insurance companies are still pushing annual boosters - it's why mine no longer board in catteries. That said, I'm glad I use a pet sitter now as they're much happier in their own home

[Crewella]

Sarie, I've been following the various arguments on vaccines for a few years, but you've helped clarify so much with your posts and given me lots of new info. Many, many thanks. xx

[sarie]

I'm really happy my posts have helped Helen I'm trying to give impartial information as best as I can as I don't want to tell people what they should and shouldn't do with their own furry family members, but I'm glad to be able to clarify any confusion around the subject where I can as it's a bit of a minefield

[bobbys girl]

Sarie - Thank you for that info. It is very interesting. Thanks also for explaining about adjuvants, I wondered what they were.

I've said before that I have always thought it very important to get our cats vaccinated as kittens. But have been a bit hit and miss over the years with their boosters. After reading these posts, I don't feel so guilty!

[Kay]

do you think it is the adjuvant which causes the reaction in Tiffany? the large sore she developed looked just like a wound, but of course she couldn't access it to have done it herself - the vet switched vaccines after the first episode but the second reaction was worse, so that is why boosters were stopped - the strange thing is she never had any problem for her first 8 years

I did wonder if she could be reacting to the needle rather than the vaccine itself - I'm really nervous about having any more boosters for her, and they can't be switched to her leg because she would worry at any sore spot which was accessible - on the other hand relying on the one and only pet sitter within reach is a worry to me - I am very rural here and have few options

nicer neighbours would be ideal but that doesn't look like happening - my current neighbour actually put an illegal fox snare at the bottom of my garden, which trapped Tosker - luckily I heard him crying and another neighbour cut him out without injury, but shan't be asking him to look after my cats - he didn't even apologise or ask if the cat was OK

[sarie]

Wow Kay, your neighbour sounds awful, I'm glad Tosker was OK.. I'd have kicked your neighbour in the privates

Unfortunately I've no idea if the adjuvant is what has caused the reactions Tiffany has experienced.. it's possible I guess but I'm not a vet so I don't know :/ It also depends if the vaccines used had adjuvants in as not all do so obviously if they were adjuvant free then that would rule out an adjuvant reaction. Do you know if she was just having core vaccines or having FeLV too?

I don't blame you for being nervous about her having further boosters and I don't envy your predicament. I'd certainly speak to your cattery about whether or not you can get an exemption from your vet due to her reacting the way that she does to vaccinations. It sounds like the risks of boosters outweigh the risks of disease in her case and after so many years of boosters evidence would suggest that she's probably immune for life by now anyway, even if the catteries won't recognise that.

Sue, I totally agree 100% that it's vital that we get our cats vaccinated as kittens - I wouldn't ever want anyone to think that there's any debate about that as it's incredibly dangerous for kittens to go unvaccinated. It's also recommended that they also have the 1st year annual booster too as some kittens don't properly develop immunity from their initial course of vaccinations due to antibodies from their mother disrupting the response to the vaccine. After that though, I personally wouldn't feel too guilty about missing boosters

[bobbys girl]

my current neighbour actually put an illegal fox snare at the bottom of my garden, which trapped Tosker - luckily I heard him crying and another neighbour cut him out without injury, but shan't be asking him to look after my cats - he didn't even apologise or ask if the cat was OK

Good grief Kay, what a monster! Did he give any reason for putting a trap in YOUR garden??? I hope your other neighbour destroyed it when he cut Tosker free. If your police force is as non-existent as ours, there is probably no point reporting him?

[Kay]

I didn't report him for the sake of his OH and kids, but I have told him how disgusted I was with him, and will never have anything to do with him again

[Jan]

sarie - thank you again the further info in your post above. Its a bit late now for me to start asking the vet the right questions this year but I'm going to cut + paste your comments for future reference in time for next year.

Looking at Blackie's vaccination card, I see that up until 2012 the vet used Purevax RCP + FeLV but switched to Nobivac Ducat + Nobivac FeLV from 2013. Blackie is almost 12 years of age now so from what you say it seems that as a senior cat he doesn't need the FeLV. At least I'll be a bit more clued up in a year's time. Though Blackie is 12, we've only had him for 18 months and never owned a cat before so I don't know the ins + outs of cat vaccination - only that my mother always kept them up as long as she was able.

Fortunately, we have found a cattery in NSomerset where the lady who runs it became extremely fond of Blackie last year when he spent 3 months there during the time my mother (original owner) was taken ill and eventually had to go into a care home. She was very pleased to have him back for 9 days last month and I had 100% confidence that she would look after him as per the instructions I typed out for her (he has particular needs due to having suffered a couple of bouts of cystitis earlier this year). I stressed out having to leave him there, fearful that he might have another bout of cystitis - but he sailed through it all (though very happy to see my OH and me again).

Kay ... how awful for Tosker and you ..... We have a lot of foxes where we live and though they are a nuisance at times, I would never do anything to harm them, let alone set an illegal trap.

[Crewella]

Good grief Kay, that IS awful ...... poor Tosker.

Not only is it cruel to kill foxes (let alone illegally trapping them), it's unnecessary and not even effective. As soon as you kill one fox, another will move in and take over its territory - you need proper deterrents as advised by people like The Fox Project. Makes me very cross to hear of stuff like that.