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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To consider not vaccinating my cat

67 replies

MyCatProbablyHatesYou · 13/09/2019 09:52

I think I probably am BU but my cat HATES the vets. Last time I took him for his first booster (he's just turned two and is due his second) he went absolutely mental.

He attacked both me and the vet to the point where we were both actually bleeding in quite a few places and I thought we'd never get him back in the carrier and he'd have to live there.

When we got home he was distressed for a number of days afterwards.

He's such a lovely cat at home but just hates being taken in the carrier/car/into the waiting room etc...

I'm wondering if anyone else has this problem and whether you kept it up and how? I know he is going to flip the minute I get the carrier out again, I've no idea how I'm going to even get him in it.

Our other cat is absolutely fine, she will happily go in the carrier and doesn't really bother when she's at the vets either other than the odd meow but this one is an absolute monster!

OP posts:

gubbsywubbsy · 13/09/2019 09:56

You can get vets to come to your house .. mobile vets if you like ..
also my boys are half Bengal and are gorgeous at home but turn into mini tigers at the vets 😬😬
Get a carrier which is too loafing as it's much easier to get them in.
Otherwise we didn't vaccinate our cats when I was a child but didn't live near any other cats so I guess that's a factor.

thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter · 13/09/2019 09:59

Would you vets do a home visit?

I feel your pain, last time I had to take one cat to the vets I'd got the carrier ready and went off to get a blanket, only to find when I tried to stuff the blanket in it wasn't going in - yep other cat was happily sat in there and was most miffed when I turfed her out

msbevvy · 13/09/2019 10:00

If you ever need to put him in a cattery when you go away you will need to show that he has been vaccinated.

thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter · 13/09/2019 10:00

Sorry cross posted with you Grubbsy

Lagatha · 13/09/2019 10:02

My vet comes to the house

YeOldeTrout · 13/09/2019 10:03

Most people don't vaccinate.
Most cats are fine even though not vaccinated.
I jab 2 of mine (active out everywhere) but not Cat3 (goes out little, stays close).

My unjabbed cat went to vet for something else. He puked copiously all over the carrier on 1 mile journey home. Not that I knew he'd puke, but still made me feel better about my choices.

Gardening gloves if you do need to take scratchy cat to vet again?

Nai77 · 13/09/2019 10:04

My 2 cats absolutely hate going to the vet. I think it’s the cat carrier they hate and they get extremely stressed before you’ve even got them in the car!
There a things that could make it a bit easier and not so stressful for the cat or yourself. Feliway, the people who make the cat pheromone plug in to calm anxious and distressed cats also make a spray. Put a blanket, t shirt or something similar in the cat carrier and spray the corners with the Feliway spray. It does help greatly. Or there are these cat bag things you can but that are claw proof and waterproof so you can strap cats and small dogs into the back of a car using a seat belt. That could help also as your kitty won’t feel so restricted. But most importantly you must keep up the yearly jabs as a responsible cat owner. Or as the vet for the lifetime jab. It’s about £100 but is meant to cover them for a much longer period. Or if all else fails, but a suit of armour 😁. Keep up the jabs for the cats health please. Good luck

TwatCat · 13/09/2019 10:05

Following,
I'm in the same situation, both my cats are due their yearly jabs. Vets won't come out to us where we live. I've tried the cat spray to calm them down, it didn't work. They both shit in their carriers and got covered in it and needed to be washed because of the amount of it. I got bitten badly by the one. And I'm also considering not vaccinating them because of the utter distress it causes them. Mine are house cats so they don't ever see any other cats, and neighbour looks after them when we go away so they don't need jabs for cattery etc.

caroloro · 13/09/2019 10:06

My cat is like this. For a while I would wrap him tightly in a blanket and take him to the vets in my arms. He was scared and is very affectionate, so he just cuddled in. This worked until rhe vet told me they weren't happy with this as he could escape or be attacked by another pet easily. So I stopped. That was probably when he was around 8, he is now 16. He had never been a cat who goes out, although he always has a cat flap.

PookieDo · 13/09/2019 10:09

My cat is like this. She hasn’t had her booster for a while as she is very feisty and I am a bit scared of her!

She is a house cat, who will sit on the back lawn sometimes

But last night a cat came into our garden and attacked her I was walking her dog and we heard her being attacked, ran home and the dog saved her by trying to eat the offending cat (who ran up the fence). Attack cat pissed all over my cat and she has paw injuries I now need to get her seen to and I wish I had had her vaccinated now

Honeyroar · 13/09/2019 10:12

Could you get a dog cage, which is a lot bigger, and put him in there? You could put his bed in it for a few weeks before so it doesn't feel new/strange.

Frazzledbutcalm · 13/09/2019 10:17

We have a mobile vet in our area .... they travel quite a radius .... check to see if there’s one close to you. If not, ask your vet for a home visit - might cost a bit more but will be well worth it.

YeOldeTrout · 13/09/2019 10:19

How much do you guys pay for vet home visit?
Our vet does annual jab + check up for... I think it's £42 each cat, nowadays. In their office. It was £26/cat but I think has gone up in 5 yrs.

Original poster

MyCatProbablyHatesYou · 13/09/2019 10:21

Thanks all. He's a bit feral in the sense that he is rarely in the house so it probably is best to get him vaccinated some how. He doesn't like being indoors and loves being outside but will occasionally grace us with his presence for a cuddle and food!

I did have a quick look at a home visit vet but can't see one that comes to us. I'll have a proper look tonight though.

I'd dread to think what he'd do if I tried to wrap him in a blanket I'd probably lose my eye. He doesn't like being touched in certain places like his stomach etc and will even go for us at home if we do. If you avoid those areas though he's really friendly just doesn't like being taken away from home.

We don't use catteries, when we've been away we've have a lady come to the house to feed and let out.

OP posts:

Kolo · 13/09/2019 10:21

@YeOldeTrout
Most people don't vaccinate.

Do you have a reference for that? Or is it your anecdotal opinion? I’d assume most pet owners are responsible and do get their cats vaccinated. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t.

See if the vets do home visits. You have to pay more, obviously, but it would avoid the cat basket stress.

PastTippingPoint · 13/09/2019 10:22

My DH cat is 11, I've been with DH for 7 years and never in that time has he taken the cat to the vets. I have nagged him previously but he says she's car sick and it stresses her out. She's fit and well, and mostly happy (when our toddler isn't at home!). We have friends who come and feed her when we're away so never used a cattery.

Clementara21 · 13/09/2019 10:22

Most people don't vaccinate

Really?

As troublesome as it is, I don't think it hurts to get him used to going to the vet now and again - and for you and the vet to work out some strategies of coping with his behaviour.

What if he got a chronic condition and needed to visit regularly? Or had an accident and had to visit every other day to have dressings changed?

You're his mum, and just like you wouldn't give in to a two-year-old human child over brushing their teeth – non-negotiable because Mummy knows best – Why give into a feline one? Mummy knows best about this too.

Kolo · 13/09/2019 10:27

@MyCatProbablyHatesYou I have a couple of young cats similar to yours in that they were feral and now live with me, when they want food or a little fuss. All of my previous cats have been streetwise rescues, but these are my first feral born ones. I’ve never known cats to get in such scrapes as these ones! I feel like the vets is my second home now after fighting injuries, injuries from wild animals, ticks etc. They are gorgeous and friendly and daft, but they constantly put themselves at risk of infection so I have to make sure they’re vaccinated.

Allthebears · 13/09/2019 10:46

I lost one of my cats last Christmas after the yearly booster.

She was vaccinated at 5 pm and given the usual health check - all fine.
Got home and she vomited. This got worse until at 2am we took her to the Emergency vet who kept her in for observation. By 6am she was dead. Vets were baffled - no raised temp, all other vitals had seemed normal.
We asked for a post mortem, which didn't really reveal anything concrete other than a possible toxin. The vets reported the batch number of the vacc in case of other reports of issues. Interestingly, our other cat had a different batch and was fine.

They are indoor cats and we're always careful with possible poisons - no house plants, fresh flowers, cleaning stuff put away etc. In my mind it was definitely a reaction to the booster jab. We were absolutely devastated to lose her.

Our other cat will not be having any more vaccinations. I don't care if that makes me an 'irresponsible pet owner'. We get house sitters if we go away so no need for a cattery.

TenThousandSpoons · 13/09/2019 10:53

My cats are 13 now and I’ve always got them vaccinated but the vet has not sent the reminder for the last couple of years...is it normal to keep vaccinating older cats?

DementorsKiss · 13/09/2019 10:58

I've never come across anyone that doesn't vaccinate - even my sister does it & her's are indoor cats

Honeyroar · 13/09/2019 10:59

Our vets charge £50 for a visit for the horses, I expect they'd be the same for the small animals. We usually get the small animals routine stuff done while the vet is here for the horses.

Up until this year we had another small animal vet who lived in the next village and used to call for free on his way home (we'd give him a bottle of wine). He retired and I miss him!

We don't have injections for our cats other than the first couple of years. Our old vet was fine with that. We take the horses and dogs out to other areas.where they have contact with other horses/dogs, so inject them. We inject the rabbits because there are lots of wild rabbits around. But we live rurally and there aren't other cats around, so don't bother with the cats. We haven't had any problems in 50 years of cats..

1300cakes · 13/09/2019 11:14

Firstly, why are people vaccinating indoor cats? That makes no sense. Unless you need to have them stay at a cattery it isn't necessary.

I dont think you are BU OP. Being an outdoor cat has its risks, being hit by a car, getting in a fight with other animals. Possible disease exposure is another. But life has its risks and we have to make compromises based on what our pets can tolerate. After all, according to the vet, we should all be brushing our cats teeth daily for their optimum health. And who here does that!

Also I'm not against vets but I think it's a lie that cats and dogs need yearly vaccinations. From what I've read, the vaccine lasts three years at least.

RainbowAlicorn · 13/09/2019 11:19

I didn't get my cat vaccinated this year, but my cat is an indoor cat and never goes outside, he gets so stressed and worked up in the car that he drools everywhere and throws up, so I decided to save him the stress of it all. That doesn't make me an irresponsible owner.

Cryalot2 · 13/09/2019 11:19

I would ask the vets advice on how best to bring the cat in. What happens if it gets ill?
My adorable little dog ( almost 3) hates me the vets, she has a car seat and cries all the way there, even if we go a different place near it. She doesn't attack but cries and has to be carried in as refuses to go and tries to escape. She is vaccinated against everything.
Due to go to the groomer who works at vets this week. I am dreading it already.
Last time I took a treat and on handover the veterinary nurse gave it to her and we gave another treat when over.
I think most vets are used to dealing with worse regular and should be able to advise on making things as stress free as possible.
Good wishes

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