Let’s start with some plain and simple facts.  

Out of all the components in your cat’s ‘supposed’  yearly booster shot, the one disease you might ever have to worry about is Feline Distemper.    Importantly, it’s really not much of a ‘worry’ at all.

The thing that’s important to know is that only kittens get Feline Distemper. Adult cats have virtually no incidence of this disease.  Dr. Ronald Schultz, a prominent veterinary immunologist, feels that after a year, a cat’s immune system has matured, and there is no risk for Feline Distemper (also called Feline Panleukopenia Virus and this is what it is listed as what is in the ‘booster shot’) 

Another fact that sits in plain view is that one vaccination for this disease, after the age of 18 weeks, is good for the life of the cat. That data is- again- from Dr. Ronald Schultz, one of the most recognized veterinary immunologists in the field.  

So if your cat … and this is very likely….has had a vaccine or two for Feline Distemper or is not a kitten, why keep getting the vaccine? He or she is immune for life.

There’s not even a need to consider whether or not your cat is an indoor cat or if he or she has an exposure risk.  The vaccine is effective and long lasting, so why keep going in, year and year out, for this unnecessary vaccination? 

Of course, if your cat is mature, there is no risk at all, even if the cat was never ever vaccinated with a ‘booster’ shot.

Viral vaccines last for life. When did you get your polio vaccine? How old were you? Are you worried that you need another ‘shot’? How about your 97 year old grandmother? Why aren’t all of you getting your routine polio vaccine? The reason is because viral vaccines last for life.

But that’s not the whole story.  There’s more.  Because if vaccines didn’t have adverse affects on our cats health I wouldn’t even bring this topic up.  So what if cats get too many vaccines, if it doesn’t hurt them and it makes your veterinarian happy… where’s the harm?

That said, vaccines are not harmless. They are considered a medical procedure, with risks and benefits. Are vaccines safe?   And the answer is an emphatic NO. Vaccines do not only cause immediate reactions like swelling at the site of vaccination or lethargy and fever. Vaccines do cause real life threatening health problems later on. VAS is an abbreviation for Vaccine Induced Sarcoma.  One of the VAS tumors is the fibrosarcoma tumor, which is all too common in cats right at the site of the vaccination.

Note that this virus -that causes fibrosarcoma – is in the Rabies vaccine!

Importantly, the virus for some feline vaccines is grown in a culture of feline kidney cells. 

Colorado State University did some research which showed that the majority of kittens develop autoantibodies to their own kidney tissue after being vaccinated for Feline Distemper. Then each additional booster vaccination creates more antibodies  to a cat’s own kidneys.   Your cat’s immune system will then attack  the kidneys, causing a low grade inflammation, and as the years pass it all adds up with kidney failure as the result. 

It’s estimated that 80%-90% of cats will go into kidney failure. 

The rub is that the vaccine isn’t even needed. 

Vaccinate responsibly.  Adult cats do not need this vaccine at all.  You can learn more about vaccines in my new book The Allergic Pet.  It’s written for both dogs and cats.