Expert: Ali - 10/31/2010

Question
Hi,
My Cat, Miss Indie has not had a shot.... but for some reason she has been wanting to hang in my closet alot lately...? ~ I have had an over the top couple of months.... (  she bit me last week,I'm  now on antibiotics...tablets,#  Is she ok...?  Just felt she maybe sensing my life curve balls...??  She did bite me last Oct. as well... I Had I.V antibiotic -treatment & Tablets..)Turned out she had a abscessed by or in her anal gland??  Do Cats really need shots...  She is an indoor cat... # I do not remember as growing up our cats ever going to the Vets; and they were outdoor cats...?)
Thank you
Shelley

Answer
Shelley,

While many people forget that our pets were once wild animals, it's important to remember that they do still have some wild instincts - for instance, it's not unusual for cats to do their very best to hide any illness or injury they might have for as long as they possibly can which is actually due to their instinctive awareness that they'd be easy prey for predators if they showed that they were vulnerable. Miss Indie's sudden fascination with your closet and the bite she recently delivered could potentially indicate that she's not feeling well - she may not be sick or injured but it's much better to have her see the vet and find out there's nothing wrong than it is to put off seeing the vet only to discover that if she'd been brought in earlier the vet would have been able to spare her unnecessary pain, discomfort, anxiety and even fear. In the worst case scenario (which I don't think is what's happening here) putting off veterinary treatment could cost a cat their lives if they have certain illnesses or injuries so I generally keep a close eye on my furry kids and if their behaviour changes dramatically they see a vet immediately, if the behavioural changes happen more slowly then I try to get them in to see our family vet ASAP to ensure that there's no serious long term process happening within their bodies.

As for your question about vaccinations it's a great question to ask because in recent years there has been a great deal of confusion about which vaccines our pets need and how frequently they need them. Yes, I do believe that it's necessary to vaccinate cats, even low risk, indoor kitties like Miss Indie. That having been said I also think it's important to seriously consider the growing evidence that annual vaccines can do more harm than good. A number of studies have been conducted worldwide that show an alarming trend of serious complications that result from giving too many vaccines too frequently.

Based on the advice that our family veterinarian gave to us a number of years ago my recommendation is to vaccinate a low risk kitty (lives indoors, isn't exposed to new cats with uncertain health histories, strays or foster kitties) like yours once, properly - your vet can re-assess her need to be vaccinated at her annual check up. Having Miss Indie seen by a veterinarian at least once a year is as important to her long term health and wellbeing as our annual physical exam is for us, in fact it's even more important for cats because their bodies age much more rapidly than ours do and as a result serious changes can happen quickly and if certain issues aren't caught early they can result in fatal complications.

There is actually a Canadian website that provides information to pet parents and one of the first things they say about vaccines is that if your vet insists upon annual vaccines it's time to get a new vet because s/he isn't keeping current with the research about vaccine related complications, long term health issues posed by over-vaccination, etc. Miss Indie should receive her core vaccines along with a rabies vaccine at least once in her life, beyond that your vet can actually do a simple blood test to determine whether she's still protected by the initial series of vaccines (it's called testing her immune titers).

For some further information about vaccinating Miss Indie check out http://www.holisticat.com/vaccinations.html You can also minimize any negative effects of vaccines by administering a homeopathic remedy called Thuya, if you'd like to learn more about this remedy (or homeopathy in general) then I'd be happy to send more information your way. If you have any further cat related questions or concerns I'd be more than happy to help you and Miss Indie out to the best of my ability so please don't hesitate to contact me again anytime.