Do you follow vet recommendations

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Inkycat
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Do you follow vet recommendations

Post by Inkycat »

For worming, fleas, vaccinations etc.? My parents cat was never vaccinated apart from when he was a kitten and he only gets treated for fleas or worms if he has them. A few people I know do a similar thing
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Mollycat
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Re: Do you follow vet recommendations

Post by Mollycat »

I don't. The last time I did was for my cat who died in 2003 aged 16 of renal failure - she had a potent flea collar, was vaccinated yearly and also had the leukemia vaccine, but she was never wormed.

After that we had 3 indoor/outdoor cats who were flea treated on a need basis around every 2 years - one died a very old lady, one died of a mouth tumour aged 14 and the other is still going strong at 21 years old and has never seen a vet in 12 years. My two now are indoor, got flea treated once 6 years ago and never wormed or vaccinated.

They should be checked once a year or more as they get older though, there are issues that we can't spot no matter how vigilant we are, like my Henry's mouth tumour - not that we could have done anything even if it had been spotted sooner, and one of mine had hyperthyrodism diagnosed in a routine blood test when I had to take her in for a digestive issue.

Do research this though. On the one hand routine regular pest control and check-ups can prevent many problems or catch them early. On the other hand overvaccination is one of 3 possible factors being researched as a link to increased diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. Some vets, it seems mostly hospital and research vets rather than the practice vets we would see regularly, are beginning to think that vaccination might be enough for the first 5 years then stop, or every other year, but anyway less than current recommendations. But if your cat has to go to a cattery they usually insist on proof of yearly vaccination.
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fjm
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Re: Do you follow vet recommendations

Post by fjm »

I vaccinated the cats regularly when they were young, and treated for fleas etc routinely when we were backwards and forwards to my parents' house. Once I no longer needed to board the cats I have let vaccinations lapse, partly because I think they have lifelong immunity by now, and partly because we are in a low risk area, with no strays to act as a pool of infection. The dogs are vaccinated according to the recognised protocol of core vaccines every three years, and lepto annually (my vet has seen cases, and recommends it). Flea and tick treatment I do as needed - usually for several months every few years. I do think annual checkups are a good idea, especially as animals get older, although as I decided some time ago that it was more than worth the £30 consultation fee not to lie awake worrying all night mine probably go rather more often than that! I would always follow vet advice for vaccinating young animals - ensuring immunity in the first 12 months is key to survival, and the sequence of vaccinations is designed to ensure it develops even if the first vaccinations fail due to residual maternal immunity.
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Ruth B
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Re: Do you follow vet recommendations

Post by Ruth B »

I worm and de flea mine every few months using Stronghold which covers them for quite a few, although not all, parasites. They should be done once a month, but we have never felt the need to, if we notice them scratching more than normal then they get done, and occasionally in between as well if it has been more than two or three months.

Vaccinations are done every 12 - 14 months depending on when we can get them to the vets easily. They never go in a cattery so the need for them to be kept right up to date isn't there and my parents were told by their vet (whom they knew very well) that the vaccines really are good for 18 months at least so not to panic if it went a few weeks over the 12 months.

One reason mine are done is that when i was working in a factory office, the cleaner there also liked cats and fostered for a local charity, we chatted a lot. She had 5 cats of her own and 3 she had in a pen in the garden for the charity (if my memory is right it might have been the other way around). Her own cats were vaccinated, the foster ones weren't. One got infected with Feline Enteritis which then got passed around the rest. He own cats were ill, but recovered, all the charity ones died from it even though they were treated. She was heartbroken, particularly knowing they could have been saved if the charity had bothered to vaccinate them. It happened over 15 years ago and I never met any of the cats, but seeing how upset that lady was just reinforced the feeling that I could not forgive myself if one of mine died to a disease that I could have vaccinated them against.
booktigger
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Re: Do you follow vet recommendations

Post by booktigger »

I don't flea and worm as often as I used to, mainly because the only one of my three that goes out has kidney issues, so my vet is happy for her to be done less to reduce the strain on her kidneys. She is vaccinated, although we have now stopped FeLV. I do think some degree is essential, especially after 14.5 years in rescue and dealing with some very poorly cats/kittens which could have been avoided.
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lilynmitz
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Re: Do you follow vet recommendations

Post by lilynmitz »

I do vaccinate every year, although current research on whether that's necessary for the full life of the cat is interesting. I shall watch to see how that develops.

But I almost never worm, as my two aren't hunters and can't get out of the garden, and flea treat only when necessary. Elsie is vulnerable to ear mites, and being long haired is constantly grooming, but as my OH says, "Everyone needs to have a hobby."
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