To wonder if cats (including outdoor ones) really need annual vaccinations every year?

[lookingforshoes]

Please note: I vaccinate my cat, and I am very happy to continue to vaccinate my cat. She is doted upon and I take far better care of her than I do myself tbh! So please don’t come after me.

That said, I am wondering, hypothetically, how necessary annual vaccinations really are for cats? Would they not build up a good level of immunity after the first few jabs and thereafter need a booster every few years?

I always do as my vet advises, but just thinking about it, it would be in the interests of veterinary pharmaceutical companies to recommend regular vaccination wouldn’t it, so long as it didn’t actually do any harm. But is there really any benefit?

@2025mustbebetter that’s exactly like my cat, she can also never go in a Cattery as she despises other cats.

Oh I didn’t even think of this. I’ve probably paid thousands in pointless insurance.

That’s why I said titre test…

Penelope gets done so she can go to the cattery. I’m far more lax on her flea and worm treatment though.

Mine are both vaccinated annually and insured. They would be even if they didn't go to the cattery.

Penelope! How lovely!

She sounds quite the little lady.

We vaccinate ours and I wish whoever had them before us did too. We adopted them when they were 1 and they both already had chronic calici virus which impacts their quality of life. If they’d been vaccinated, they’d have been less likely to get infected and, if they still did, it would have been less severe.

So far they’ve had all their teeth except fangs removed and numerous eye and respiratory infections as they’re more prone to them. The vet bills are eye watering - we probably spent £2.5k in the first year we had them!! They’re still pretty happy, and I wouldn’t change them for the world, but it’s awful seeing them in pain.

The recommend them, as that’s their income, there have been vets on record who have said they are not really necessary

I've just had a claim paid out on my pet insurance and they didn't ask for any proof of vaccination. They obviously checked the health records with the vets as they also asked for details of any vets we had used when we lived abroad.

I think it might be more that if a cat has a condition that could have been avoided by being vaccinated then they won't pay out on that. I'm not actually sure about that but seem to remember something along those lines in the insurance documentation.

Ok thanks. I'm not an expert on titre tests .

The vet will take a blood sample and test for antibodies to see if the animal has built up an immunity or requires another vaccination.

I've had my (indoor) cat since he was 8 weeks old, he's now 15. He had his initial vaccinations and annual boosters for the first 3 years. When I changed vets, they told me that annual vaccinations aren't necessary for indoor cats so I haven't had them done since.

I've had cats my whole life and never even heard of this being a thing (and my cat is outdoors)

I only vaccinate my cat as I need to board her in a cattery once or twice a year.

Me too! Had a moment of cat Mum panic there that I’d been a neglectful cat mum! He had his kitten vaccinations and I got him from a rescue when he was 4. He’d had one vaccination with them and was due one 3 weeks later but 2 weeks later we went in to lock down and it never happened.

He’s mistake definitely an outdoor cat but five years later he’s never been near a vet. He has a cat sitter if I go away but I’ve never thought about yearly vaccinations?

How can people have never heard of cat vaccinations? 🤷‍♀️

We vaccinate ours as you can’t get the flea treatment from the vets without it being up to date and when we tried itch pet and others we ended up with fleas in our home 😨. But I have often wondered if it’s a bit of a racket or not

I have two dogs and two cats. I insure the dogs and get them vaccinated, I flea treat the cats but don’t insure or vaccinate. The cats are 9 and 17 and have only been to the vet’s if they’ve been in a fight, otherwise they’ve been perfectly fine. The 17 year old is getting a bit deaf now but that’s it. The dogs are always needing vet trips and we put them in kennels so they do need vaccinating and we definitely need insurance. We’d be bankrupt if we did everything to all of them.

This is bizarre that your vet requires annual vaccinations to supply flea treatment. The two are totally separate issues. So that’s just exploitative and money grabbing.

Yeah our vets doesn’t do that. They’ve never batted an eyelid at my antivax policy for the cats and have provided flea treatment when asked, although I usually just get Advantage from pets at home.

With my old cat I didn’t bother after she was 10 because from what I read by then she should have built up immunity. I now have two 2year old cats and will prob do the same with them and keep up with annual jabs until they are about 10

Vet here, indoor cats only need vaccination for flu and enterprise, every 3 years. Feline leukaemia vaccine (for outdoor cats) is every year. I vaccinate my own cat, always have.
Vets definitely don't vaccinate for profit, vaccines are a loss leader

I’m dreadfully lax with flea and worm treatments. She hates having it and I hate doing it. She did get harvest mites last year though even though it was all up to date at that point.

Yep, if you have pet insurance you’ve probably invalidated it.

Sorry but that’s kind of on you for not actually reading what you signed up to.

I've been told by several vets whose opinions I trust that every 3 years is enough for cat vaccination and older cats probably longer. Unfortunately ours do go into catteries now and again so have to be on yearly vaccinations.

We didn't vaccinate some of our first cats past 5 years old and they lived to nearly 20 with no problems.