# kittens had allergic reaction to shots!



## nancyLA (Feb 13, 2005)

My kittens had their second round of shots, which included the feline leukemia shot,. (which they tested negative for, and they are indoor cats only) They had an allergic reaction to the vaccinations, it was just awful. the vet gave them a shot of Benadryl and they were ok in a day or so. However, I am now skittish about giving them their third round of vaccinations.  
the vet said they would be ok if he gave them a Benadryl shot 15 minutes before the vacicnation, but now I am wondering if I need to bother with anymore vaccinations. It tore me up to se them so sick like that!


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## lolakitty23 (Aug 17, 2004)

I'm so sorry your kitten had this kind of reaction! When we were getting our cats' vaccinations, Dr. Jean (the vet contributer on this forum) said that the usual round of shots for an outdoor cat is sometimes too much for most cats. She said that if your cat is indoor ONLY, that there are only 3 shots they should have instead of the normal 6 (or however many there are). Maybe your furbaby had too many shots at one time?

Here's a link to the post that Dr. Jean responded to about the vaccinations:
http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8490&highlight=

In any case, perhaps someone else will have more advice for you. Good luck to your little ones!


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## fbodgrl (May 10, 2004)

That's too bad. I used to vaccinate my first cat with her yearly boosters. I took her in one time and she had a bad reaction. She was throwing up and had diarreha at the same time. I was terrified. I took her right back to the vet. Of course by then it had slowed down. They gave her some saline to hydrate her and sent me home. She slept for the whole next day. Since then I only get the bare minimum shots for the kittens and no boosters. All 4 of my cats are indoor only.


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## nancyLA (Feb 13, 2005)

I am a very responsible pet owner, but now I am having doubts about all the vaccinations we give our pets, dogs included. I don't really know if all of it is necessary!! I think I am going to stop with the vaccinations, two rounds is enough! I can't bear to see them sick and listless like that again.


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## spittles (Oct 24, 2003)

If your kittens are indoors, they don't need a Feline Leuk(FeLV) shot. They have almost 0% chance of coming in contact with FeLV. The FeLV is also one of the shots that has a high risk of cancer at the site of injection. 

Take Care,
Abhay


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## Adrienne (Jan 15, 2005)

spittles said:


> If your kittens are indoors, they don't need a Feline Leuk(FeLV) shot. They have almost 0% chance of coming in contact with FeLV. The FeLV is also one of the shots that has a high risk of cancer at the site of injection.
> 
> Take Care,
> Abhay


This is what the vet told my aunt and her cat ending up getting it. He was only an inside cat, so they think that he may have gotten it from the vet's office.


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## nancyLA (Feb 13, 2005)

I told the vet these cats were going to be indoor only, yet he insisted I give them the vaccination anyway. He probably just wanted the money. :evil: No more!


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## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

Kittens should get all three rounds of shots in order to be immune. I'm not sure what the % effectiveness on 2 shots is. I definately would skip the FeLV vaccine since they will be indoors, but I really feel the kittens need the 3rd FCVRP.


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## Adrienne (Jan 15, 2005)

nancyLA said:


> I told the vet these cats were going to be indoor only, yet he insisted I give them the vaccination anyway. He probably just wanted the money. :evil: No more!


Yes, it could be a money thing, but it could also be legal. Everyone is suing everyone for everything and maybe the vet is just trying to cover his bum. If your cat or someone else cat does not get the typical shots that every other cat does then you could go back later and sue him. I am not saying you will, but people do. 

The vet that I take my animals to is really great about not pumping your animals up w/ medications that are not necessary. They are not big on de-clawing and it never something that he mentions to clients and if they do bring it up he offers them many other suggestions. My vet recommended Soft Claws for my cat. My cat had an allergic reaction the vet and the vet came to my house and gave us all the meds for free because he was the one that suggested. Not all vets are concerned with money.

A client a few years ago sued my vet because my vet did not give her cat all the typical shots given to kittens and cat. Her cat got sick and died. It was not his fault. They also lied about the cat being just an indoor cat. The lady didn’t want to pay for all the shots needed for an outdoor cat, so she said he woud just stay in doors. She did not win the suit, but she could have. 

I am not suggesting that you will do any of this, but people do and vets or not mind readers.


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## NewRagdoll (Feb 2, 2005)

Another tip when it comes to dog or cat vaccinations. I always recommend getting them early in the day. Why? So, if there is a problem, your vet is still open. Reactions are not uncommon. I have a co-worker who's dog recently reacted to his rabies vaccination. Unfortunately, he had to take the dog to the Emergency Animal Hospital because he had the vaccine at the end of the day. The dog was fine after benedryl.


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## irishemt17 (Sep 8, 2004)

my cat always gets a shot of benedryl 15 mins before his shots.....it leaves him groggy for a few hours, but that's SO much better than him reacting to his shots! He reacted after his leukemia shots too. My dog also used to have to get benedryl before her shots too.


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