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Polecat
12-18-2013, 09:45 AM
I am wondering if there is a consensus to be had among the cat wranglers on this board with respect to vaccinating and how often. I find myself in a somewhat paranoid state of not being able to trust the vets we have been seeing. Seems it dose not matter what the purpose of a visit is for and we always leave several hundred dollars gone and no concrete diagnosis.

roadmaster
12-19-2013, 10:37 PM
I get mine vaccinated. Won't take in an animal I don't plan on taking care of but you can request the shots yourself and give it to them around here at a farm and animal store. Vets love to rack up the visits but when you need them it's great. One of my dogs cut themselves three months ago on a nail and had to rush her there. Over 300 dollars but I took the dog in.

Dr. Who
12-19-2013, 11:22 PM
I am wondering if there is a consensus to be had among the cat wranglers on this board with respect to vaccinating and how often. I find myself in a somewhat paranoid state of not being able to trust the vets we have been seeing. Seems it dose not matter what the purpose of a visit is for and we always leave several hundred dollars gone and no concrete diagnosis.

Depends whether your cats are indoor or outdoor. Indoor cats don't need the vaccinations and there is some information out there that the vaccinations cause problems.

Max Rockatansky
12-20-2013, 06:49 AM
I've rescued one cat and, after a few years, giving it to the ex, accepted another "free" cat but each cost me about $300 in initial tests and shots. Now it only costs me about $100 a year.

If you care about your cat, paying $10-$30 per month isn't much. I'm sure most people pay more than that for cable, Internet service, gas per week, etc.

Polecat
12-20-2013, 07:01 AM
Depends whether your cats are indoor or outdoor. Indoor cats don't need the vaccinations and there is some information out there that the vaccinations cause problems.

Yeah the conflicting information is what has me stumped. Our cats are indoor but have all come in from the street. The cost of a visit to the vet around here has become an average of $200. If there is an issue it can get over $1000 real quick. We are struggling to keep up with the cost. I feel like we're getting hustled by a used car salesman when I ask veterinarians straight forward questions. I understand they want to make a living but they don't seem to hear me when I say we are taking care of 18 cats and need to manage the expenses.

Polecat
12-20-2013, 07:08 AM
I've rescued one cat and, after a few years, giving it to the ex, accepted another "free" cat but each cost me about $300 in initial tests and shots. Now it only costs me about $100 a year.

If you care about your cat, paying $10-$30 per month isn't much. I'm sure most people pay more than that for cable, Internet service, gas per week, etc.

That's kind of the problem. We DO care about these cats. Everyone of them was taken in because it was homeless and emaciated or injured. We are committed to taking the best care we can of each and every single cat. The concern I have is that some of these routine vet visits seem about as useful as getting psychic reading.

Max Rockatansky
12-20-2013, 11:48 AM
That's kind of the problem. We DO care about these cats. Everyone of them was taken in because it was homeless and emaciated or injured. We are committed to taking the best care we can of each and every single cat. The concern I have is that some of these routine vet visits seem about as useful as getting psychic reading.

I suggest reading up on Feline oriented websites and stick with the basics. An initial check of feline leukemia is expensive, but I don't think they'll give the vaccination without it. Once done, they'll renew the vaccination.

Obviously rabies is important too, especially if they go outside, but even inside mice or rats can have it.

It'd be great to save all the puppies and kittens in the world, but that is impossible. Better to spend money on neutering animals than simply finding homes for them. That fact is, a lot will have to be put down.

I live in the country and there is always a few stray dogs to be seen because city people like the idea of a puppy, but tire of it as an adult and take it out to the country to dump like trash. When I first moved out here, I picked up a few strays, but there were problems and it caused problems with my own dog. Better to just push for better laws regarding pets and pet owners.

Dr. Who
12-20-2013, 01:59 PM
Yeah the conflicting information is what has me stumped. Our cats are indoor but have all come in from the street. The cost of a visit to the vet around here has become an average of $200. If there is an issue it can get over $1000 real quick. We are struggling to keep up with the cost. I feel like we're getting hustled by a used car salesman when I ask veterinarians straight forward questions. I understand they want to make a living but they don't seem to hear me when I say we are taking care of 18 cats and need to manage the expenses.
If your cats are indoor animals and are currently clear of any diseases, then, vaccination against feline panleukopenia, feline herpesvirus-1, feline calicivirus will be sufficient to provide adequate protection. Not much chance of a rabies outbreak in your home. Most of the vaccinations are for communicable diseases. If they aren't exposed they won't contract them.

The most important thing in the health of your cats is proper nutrition and most commercial cat foods do not provide adequate nutrition. They are too low in protein and contain grain. The combination invariably leads to diabetes later on once the cat reaches 10 or so years old. Unlike dogs, cats are pure carnivores. They don't require anything but the elements they might find in a mouse or a bird in their diet, so consider that when you are looking at the ingredients on the bag of cat food. The added vitamins are fine, but a huge percentage of that feed comes from vegetable matter, which the cat only converts to sugars and fat, assuming it can even digest it at all.