CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jul 29, 2011 9:25:44 GMT -5
I'm glad Kitty is ok. Some cats have reactions to vaccinations whether or why. Once you know that though, the vet can give you preventative measures to keep it from being so bad the next time. One of my kitties gets a mild painkiller/muscle relaxer type deal that keeps her from getting so sore she refuses to eat/drink (which she did before). Now 48 hrs after the shot and having hade 3 med doses over that time, she's normal.
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speechchick71
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Post by speechchick71 on Jul 31, 2011 10:00:52 GMT -5
My other cat was taken to the vet a total of 6x (11 years) the whole time I had him, and some of them were return visits (had to have stitches in his tail from getting slammed in a door....2nd visit was to have them out). The vet never pressed it and when I asked if I should be bringing him more often, she responded with, "you give him a 3 year rabies shot, he's fine if he stays indoors and doesn't have exposure to other pets that are outdoors". My current cat has been a little more often but only because of the tests needed to take him across the ocean. Many vets are shying away from vaccinations as the pets are having adverse reactions.
If you feel that you should bring yours in more often, I'm sure you'll find one happy to take your money. If you don't feel they need to go, I'm sure you'll find one who will agree with you.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jul 31, 2011 11:14:27 GMT -5
Once a year seems to be the norm and that is what we are sticking with.
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chicg
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Post by chicg on Jul 31, 2011 15:54:53 GMT -5
Something else to think about even if you make an informed decision not to vaccinate, it's not a bad idea to get pets in to see a vet regularly for a physical exam. Vets can pick up things that we can't such as dental issues, heart murmurs, internal issues, etc. and from a financial standpoint, sometimes early detection can save a lot of money in the long run for treatment.
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murphath
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Post by murphath on Jul 31, 2011 19:25:22 GMT -5
I agree with the poster about cats being good at hiding their issues. Had to take our cat in to a new vet as our former vet retired. This guy was very nice but thought our little Tigger was about 3 years old. Uh, no--the Tiggster is now 12! Been an indoor kitty her whole life and we've only begun yearly visits a few years ago. That's what our former vet told us to do--if there are no issues with an indoor cat, then no need for yearly visit until they are over 10. Ours has slowed down quite a bit, but still rules the house when it comes to her feeding time!
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 1, 2011 8:43:24 GMT -5
murph, your little Tigger could live a while yet. I adopted a cat shortly into my first appt. and was told she was around 7 years old. I moved back into my parents house and left her behind when I moved out because she so clearly loved Mom more than she liked me. She finally passed away last year. I/Mom had her for 16 years so if she was 7 when I got her, she was 23 years old! My Mom kept asking me how long cats usually live.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 1, 2011 11:50:35 GMT -5
Longer than you want them to it seems? I have one that is 11, the other I am unsure about her age-wise. DF has a 5 year old and a 1 year old. I hope his will be our last ones.
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Agatha
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Post by Agatha on Aug 1, 2011 17:42:22 GMT -5
My "girls", Chris and Suki, are 12 and 14 years old, still healthy and young at heart. My late cat, Silver, beat feline hepatic lipidemia and lived to the ripe old age of twenty. My old vet called her the "miracle cat". Once the "girls" are gone will I get another cat or cats? Not sure. I may take a page from a DF's book and adopt an older cat or pair of cats.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 3, 2011 9:03:51 GMT -5
We'll be pet free once my lab goes. She's 13 so we're not expecting to have her much longer. With the toddlers, it's not fair for the pets.
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ambellamy
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Post by ambellamy on Aug 8, 2011 22:31:39 GMT -5
I hope the little fur ball is okay..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2011 23:08:33 GMT -5
I had my cat for 17 years. She visitted the vet to be fixed and vaccinated, to have some urine crystals taken care of and at the end to confirm she suffered from old age. So that is 3 visits in that time. It wouldn't occur to me to be upset that a healthy animal has not been taken to the vet.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 9, 2011 9:56:18 GMT -5
They need shots, meds for heartworm, basic care. Just like people with their physicals. You may feel just fine but have high blood pressure that you aren't even aware of.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Aug 10, 2011 12:52:20 GMT -5
We'll be pet free once my lab goes. She's 13 so we're not expecting to have her much longer. With the toddlers, it's not fair for the pets. Amen! Zib--glad the kitty is okay. We've gotten away from yearly exams and don't vaccinate indoor cats. Heartworm is microscopically low for indoor cats in our area. I'm not arguing with people that take them in more regularly and for years we did too, but the big issues for us seem to cost the same.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 10, 2011 13:03:13 GMT -5
I guess there are mosquitoes here. Well, I don't guess, there ARE, and that is what the meds are for, just in the summer. In FL I did my 2 cats year round.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Aug 10, 2011 16:11:52 GMT -5
I guess there are mosquitoes here. Well, I don't guess, there ARE, and that is what the meds are for, just in the summer. In FL I did my 2 cats year round. I'd worry about it more in FL too. We have mosquitos, but for whatever reason heartworm is fairly rare even in dogs here.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Aug 11, 2011 15:04:12 GMT -5
My Rascal is about 18 or 19 now and has only been to the vet a few times. He's been an indoor kitty since I got him 17 years ago and except for slowing down and hyperthyroidism, he's been very healthy. We noticed a few weeks ago that he wasn't eating properly, lost weight and was acting differently, so we took him in for tests and they found the tyroid problem. They put him on medicine and he seems to be doing better now. I have to bring him back for blood work in 2 weeks so they can see if the medicine needs adjusting, but other than that he's been very good.
Our vet said he doesn't need to be on heartworm medicine since he's an indoor cat but I've heard from other people he should be. I'll have to check with the vet when I bring him in this time.
I don't know if we'll get another pet when he dies - we have been doing some traveling this past year and DH has been getting out of country jobs lately, so it all falls on me to take care of everything.
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cael
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Post by cael on Aug 11, 2011 15:30:40 GMT -5
One of my old kitties needed steroids for the last few years of his life because he had the cat version of IBS - steroids needed to keep his intestines from swelling and not absorbing nutrition. My parents got a cream rub for his ears because trying to give him pills was a nightmare, for him and my parents. The cream was great! This same kitty also needed benadryl along with his rabies shots when he got them - the first time he got the shot when he was a baby, he had a reaction, got all puffed up and had trouble breathing Zib, glad kitty looks OK so far!
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steff
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Post by steff on Aug 11, 2011 17:04:47 GMT -5
our youngest kitty is so mean that the vet put her on kitty prozac.... I never even knew there was such a thing until she was put on it. She was attacking the little doggie non-stop...to the point that if anything upset her, she would go find the little doggie and beat on him. Wake her up from a nap...beat the doggie no food in her bowl....beat the doggie the older cat didn't want to play...beat the doggie
she's much calmer and nicer with the prozac. She takes it about once a week now...at first she got it daily...I just have to keep an eye on her and be aware when the playing turns into her beating him up.
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MN-Investor
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Post by MN-Investor on Aug 11, 2011 18:59:52 GMT -5
Got his shots and he weighs 13 pounds which did not please the vet. Well, I guess you can't complain that the ex didn't feed the cat.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Aug 15, 2011 14:19:54 GMT -5
sroo - the vet gave us a liquid for my kitty. I just put it in his food and he's OK with it so I'll keep using that for now.
He doesn't like anyone touching his paws, ears, or anything else unless you're petting him and then it's only for a couple of moments. He was declawed as a baby (by a previous owner) and doesn't like being touched. I wish he would let me use the ear cream, but I don't think he will
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shelly527in
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Post by shelly527in on Aug 16, 2011 0:43:51 GMT -5
Cats (and dogs) need vaccinations just like kids do! Would you tell your doctor that you aren't going to vaccinate your child because you and the child were going to be hermits and never leave the house? Of course not! Cats and dogs CAN get outside at times. There's enough dangers out there without having to worry about what they could catch.
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qofcc
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Post by qofcc on Aug 16, 2011 8:49:08 GMT -5
Cats (and dogs) need vaccinations just like kids do! Would you tell your doctor that you aren't going to vaccinate your child because you and the child were going to be hermits and never leave the house? Of course not! Actually there are a lot of people who don't vaccinate their children or they postpone the vaccinations until they go to school or daycare. I'm not advocating it, just saying. Well pet physicals are a relatively new idea. We take all of our pets to get their shots when the county comes to the fire hall and does it for free (well, no payment due - I'm sure it's included in our taxes) and only take them to the vet when they're sick. My one kitty had to have surgery for crystals and she's on special food and has to have her butt shaved to prevent infections, so she goes to the vet often. Every other pet we've had has done just fine only going to get fixed, then free rabies shots from the county.
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bring in the new year
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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Post by bring in the new year on Aug 16, 2011 14:28:09 GMT -5
The only thing I would make sure the indoor cats were current on was rabies.
I agree with seeing the vet once a year, but remember that's because I see the other side, where people don't bring them until they're sick and the vet is limited in what she can do. Whereas, if she had seen them two or three years earlier, there were medications and diet changes that could have prevented long term damage.
Rabies. In my county and the surrounding counties, rabies are required. I know your cats don't go outdoors and therefore should not be exposed. Two problems.
1. Sometimes things get into your house like bats or raccoons or a visiting dog. If the cat kills it or gets in a fight with it and your cat IS NOT vaccinated? In this county, it's a three month quarantine in a cage in a room and the health department stops by regularly unscheduled to verify that you're complying.
2. Same is true if you have two cats and they get in a fight with each other. If you take a cat with a bite or "wound of unknown origin" to the vet to be treated, they are legally required to report it to the health department. And the quarantine comes down. You can argue until you're blue in the face but people have died locally from rabies and the health department is not going to take your word that your cats don't go outside.
Last, we haven't had the situation come up at work so I'm not positive about this. But I think if your cat bites a human being and it's not current on rabies, the health department can decided to have the cat euthanized so it can be tested. It probably doesn't come up except in cases of bad bites, but I think it's a risk.
As I said the county health department does not mess around with rabies.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Aug 16, 2011 17:24:31 GMT -5
My CousCous is 20 yrs old, and I've been slacking off on taking him to the vet. He panics and flails and howls and freaks out....I'm afraid his heart will give out. He's perfectly healthy, just has slowed down considerably, and can no longer reach his important bits when he's grooming. I have to take him in to get his thighs and butt shaved; he has huge hair mats and bites when I try to cut them out myself. He's a long haired cat and it's a nightmare. He does go outside, but stays close to the house; doesn't go after birds or squirrels any more...it's too much work.
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Post by bluecluessubtlety on Aug 16, 2011 17:56:40 GMT -5
Now I feel bad. Snoopus is 7. First 3 years he went for all well checks but not since then. I stopped taking him to be groomed (I bathe him at home now) and last 4 years he has spent our vacations with family members instead of pet hotel (he learned all kinds of bad habits there) so no proof of shots has been required for anything. He doesn't really come into contact with other animals except my other dog who lives with the ex. She hasn't been for a while either. Her groomer hasn't asked for her shot updates (I think she's on a don't ask don't tell because she suspects she doesn't get well checked and doesn't want it confirmed).
I guess I should take them both in. It's just the poodle is old (14) and I don't like stressing her. And Snoopy is healthy. Although I will take him this year because he's getting a little chunky (don't tell him) and when it cools off I want to start taking him to the dog park more.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 16, 2011 20:50:39 GMT -5
DF fed the cat and did his litter box.
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