Avoiding the RAbies Vaccine for my indoor Cat

[CathyA]

I have a kitten that i want to have spayed , bu every vet here in Florida wants to vaccinate her with Rabies . Since she is an indoor cat and we live in an area that there is little to NO chance of Rabies .I would like to avoid this . Any suggestions ? I did find one holistic vet in town , but she wants $900 to Spay her ... ( She is in her 3rd heat and sounds miserable ! )
She is a little cat and I think RAbies would hurt her and shorten her life .

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Cathy!

Welcome to HA! and thanks for making your first post about your kitty.

Yes, spaying and vaccine decisions are really, really important. And what we feel intuitively (like wanting to let all animals exist in their natural state of being so they can be their best selves) often is different than the conventional wisdom.

every vet here in Florida wants to vaccinate her with Rabies

Rabies vaccination is a great example. Because of the remote possibility of a bat or other "wild" animal getting into your house, rabies vaccination is required by law for all animals in every state in the continental US.

I think RAbies would hurt her and shorten her life .

Great point. It is a question of your cat's state of susceptibility (which is the opposite of resilience) whether the rabies, or any other vaccine, drug, germ, toxin, or other stressor shortens her life. Or whether she gets sick. And how her body deals with it.

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The short answer is that the rabies vaccine is unavoidable if you are going to go to the vet (or kennel, groomer, etc.). However, there are very effective strategies for avoiding harm from them.

Chief among them is ensuring that she is in a state of resilience and has a balanced inner terrain before vaccinating. And separating the vaccine from the spay by a few weeks. And by using Vaccine Detox for 2 weeks before and after vaccination.

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Holistic care revolves in part around the balance between the physical body and the energetic. We believe that using everything at our disposal to help both ends of this spectrum is the key to total wellness. This solution helps the animal's energy system detoxify and re-balance itself after...

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The long answer is in the ~100-page vaccine ebook, which is free in your HA! member resource area.

Click on the vaccination resources in your member area, and you'll find it, along with many more resources, there.

@aruna, I'd appreciate it if you could direct Cathy to the ebook.

Now's also a great time to start reading and using the strategies in the HA! 101 course.

 

[aruna]

@CathyA you can find the mentioned ebook here Non member login - Holistic Actions!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks Aruna!

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

I have seen three indoor cats exposed to potentially rabid bats--all happened during the day, and hence the bats were likely to be sick. One came down a chimney, one got into the attic, and one was caught on a 14th floor balcony downtown. The Purevax rabies vaccine contains no adjuvants and is the safest--if rabies must be given. Cats should never receive any killed vaccines.

Because the incidence of rabies in Colorado is quite high, I always vaccinated my cats with the first two and then never again. This provides good immunity as well as legal protection, so that if they bit someone (even accidentally) they can simply be boostered, whereas a totally unvaccinated cat could be taken and euthanized by the state.

As Dr. Jeff says, we can compensate for any adverse effects of vaccination, if they occur. It's just a matter of which risks you are willing to assume.

 

[CathyA]

I have seen three indoor cats exposed to potentially rabid bats--all happened during the day, and hence the bats were likely to be sick. One came down a chimney, one got into the attic, and one was caught on a 14th floor balcony downtown. The Purevax rabies vaccine contains no adjuvants and is the safest--if rabies must be given. Cats should never receive any killed vaccines.

Because the incidence of rabies in Colorado is quite high, I always vaccinated my cats with the first two and then never again. This provides good immunity as well as legal protection, so that if they bit someone (even accidentally) they can simply be boostered, whereas a totally unvaccinated cat could be taken and euthanized by the state.

As Dr. Jeff says, we can compensate for any adverse effects of vaccination, if they occur. It's just a matter of which risks you are willing to assume.

I can see why in certain areas this would be an issue , but not in ST augustine Florida .. NO chimney . Dont live in a wooded area . What are killed vaccines ? My Cat is tiny ( the runt of her litter ) Is it hard to find a vet to administer Purevax rabies? I feel this is all about money NOT safety for the animals .

 

[NancyK]

I can see why in certain areas this would be an issue , but not in ST augustine Florida .. NO chimney . Dont live in a wooded area . What are killed vaccines ? My Cat is tiny ( the runt of her litter ) Is it hard to find a vet to administer Purevax rabies? I feel this is all about money NOT safety for the animals .

I have two small dogs, aged 16 and almost 17. They both got a rabies shot at age 1. One of my dogs suffered from seizures afterwards and the other one developed a huge lump at the injection site as big as my fist that lasted for months and he was left with two giant lipomas which he has to this day. I decided that my dogs would never receive another rabies vaccine and they haven't. I have found that there are understanding vets that consider the lifestyle of the animal. I think the reason they give the rabies shot now in the leg is so that it can be amputated if a sarcoma develops at the injection site. I know two cats this happened to. I don't think it is always possible to make up for the damage that vaccines can cause.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

You could try calling Merial to find a local vet who uses Purevax; I have done so but not in many years. Otherwise you'd just have to call around. Any feline-only vet should have it.

All other rabies vaccines are killed, as are FeLV vaccines except Purevax. Most other vaccines are modified live.

There are no non-killed rabies vaccines for dogs, as they are not prone to sarcoma formation like cats are. The Purevax is non-adjuvanted and not apt to trigger sarcoma growth (although any trauma can in a susceptible cat). Seizures are unfortunately a common rabies miasm symptom. Fortunately in Denver we were able to work with the City & County to enact a health exemption to the mandatory 3-year vaccine requirement.

For anyone who is interested, here is the latest US rabies surveillance data. Rabies in the United States: Protecting Public Health
This shows what the biggest risks are around the country. Bats carry rabies in all states (except Hawaii). In Florida, raccoons are the biggest threat. This is true for the whole eastern seaboard, thanks to pea-brained hunters who trapped a bunch of raccoons in the south--including some who were apparently incubating rabies--and released them up north so they could have more fun things to shoot and kill.

Raccoons are everywhere, one summer our local fellas would fight up in the tree tops at 1 am EVERY NIGHT, right in the middle of Denver. I had to go out with the hose and soak them until they got embarrassed enough to leave (which took some doing!). They were relentless, and LOUD, lol!

For peace of mind, one can always contact the local animal control to see if they have ever seen rabies in any particular area.