Rabies is a highly contagious, exceptionally dangerous virus that is fatal to cats. Fortunately, it can be prevented by ensuring your cat receives the rabies vaccine. In this article, our Corpus Christi vets discuss why even indoor cats need this vaccine and the costs, scheduling, and side effects involved.
How Rabies Spreads
The most common carriers of the rabies virus in North America are bats, raccoons, foxes and skunks. The virus is spread through saliva and causes animals suffering from it to become increasingly aggressive. The most common way for cats to become infected with the rabies virus is being bitten by an infected animal.
Due to the severe risk that rabies poses to human health, most states in America mandate that pets diagnosed with rabies be euthanized. All mammals can catch rabies through an infected animal's bite, which is why it's extremely important to protect your cat and other pets by ensuring their rabies vaccinations are up to date.
The prognosis is not good for unvaccinated cats that catch rabies. The infection is most often fatal to these animals.
Why Your Indoor Cat Needs the Rabies Vaccine
Some cat owners may believe that it's unnecessary to have their cat vaccinated against rabies if their kitty spends its time indoors. However, this is not the case. While it might be true that you don't regularly let your cat outdoors to wander, they may escape, or an infected rodent or bat can enter your home. This risk is high enough that your feline friend needs to be protected from this deadly virus.
The consequences of rabies are simply too severe to take any chances, and vaccination is the best and only way to make sure your cat is completely protected against rabies.
Most states also require all cats and dogs older than six months to be vaccinated against rabies. When you take your pet to their vaccination appointment, your vet will issue you a certificate of vaccination as proof that your cat's rabies vaccine is up to date.
How much does the cat rabies vaccine cost?
The cost of the rabies vaccine varies widely from city to city, state to state, and even from one veterinarian to another in the same area. One key factor that contributes to the cost of your cat's vaccination is the type of vaccine used.
Longer-lasting vaccines and those that have fewer potential side effects are typically much more expensive. Contact your vet to learn which rabies vaccine they use for cats and precisely how much your four-legged friend's vaccinations will cost. Your vet can recommend a suitable vaccination plan for your cat's health while keeping your budget in mind.
Should my cat's rabies vaccine be administered on a specific schedule?
Kittens should typically begin their rabies vaccination treatment at about 12 weeks old, though the schedule for your kitty's rabies vaccination will vary depending on the brand of vaccine used.
Most vets offer vaccines without adjuvants (ingredients that have proven effective in preventing rabies but caused an allergic reaction in some cats). These vaccines may or may not be more expensive than vaccines with adjuvants, and are just as effective at preventing rabies but have a higher potential for causing rare side effects, depending on the individual veterinary practice and any existing state legislation on rabies vaccination in cats.
Older non-adjuvant vaccines only lasted for a year, so yearly booster shots were required. Newer vaccines have been developed which require a single booster a year after the first vaccination, followed by boosters every three years after that. These vaccines are considerably more expensive, so some veterinarians opt to stick with the older vaccine type. If you ask your vet "How often should my cat have a rabies vaccine?" they will tell you what vaccination options they offer and what schedule is best for your cat.
Will my cat have a reaction to the rabies vaccine?
Cat owners often have concerns about the possible side effects their cats could experience following their rabies vaccination. Pet parents sometimes come to our veterinarians concerned about stories they have heard about cats who have died from rabies vaccine. Fortunately, these fears are unfounded. Cats who have had the rabies vaccine rarely experience side effects.
If side effects do occur, they are typically limited to slight fever, lethargy, decreased appetite, and/or a localized swelling at the vaccine site.
In some excessively rare cases, a cat can have an allergic reaction to the vaccine, leading to hives, extreme weakness, and unexplained collapse. It's important for pet parents to know that fewer than 0.001% of cats will have allergic side effects to modern rabies vaccines. It is always safer to have your cat vaccinated against rabies than to risk potential infection in the future.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.