While rabies is an exceptionally dangerous virus that's fatal for cats and other pets, it is entirely preventable. Here, our Los Angeles vets discuss everything you need to know about the cat rabies vaccine, including costs, scheduling and side effects.
How Rabies Spreads
Skunks, foxes, bats, and raccoons are the most common carriers of the rabies virus in North America.
Since the virus is spread via saliva and causes increased aggression in animals suffering from its effects, the most common way cats become infected is through the bite of an infected animal.
Rabies also poses a severe risk to human health, so most US states require that pets diagnosed with rabies be euthanized. Because all mammals can catch rabies through the bite of an infected animal, it's extremely important to protect your pet by ensuring that their rabies vaccinations are always kept up to date.
For unvaccinated cats who catch rabies, the prognosis is not good, as the infection is fatal.
The Cost of the Cat Rabies Vaccine
The cost of rabies vaccination varies widely from city to city, state to state, and even from one vet to another in the same area. The type of rabies vaccine used is a key determinant of cost.
Vaccines with longer shelf lives and fewer potential side effects are typically much more expensive. Contact your vet to find out which rabies vaccine they use for cats and how much your cat's vaccinations will cost. Your veterinarian can advise you on which vaccination plan is best for your cat's health and your budget.
Cat Rabies Vaccine Schedule
The schedule for your feline friend's rabies vaccination will change depending on the brand of vaccine your vet administers.
Most veterinarians recommend vaccines without adjuvants, which have been shown to be effective in preventing rabies but have caused allergic reactions in some cats. These vaccines may or may not be more expensive than vaccines with adjuvants, which prevent rabies just as effectively but have a higher risk of causing rare side effects, depending on the individual veterinary practice and any current state legislation governing rabies vaccination in cats.
Since older, non-adjuvant vaccines only lasted for one year, annual booster shots were required. Newer rabies vaccines for cats that require a single booster one year after the first vaccinations, followed by boosters every three years after that, have since been developed. These vaccines are significantly more expensive, however, so some vets choose to stick with the older vaccine technology.
Ask your vet, 'How often should my cat have a rabies vaccine?' and they will be able to tell you which vaccinations options they offer and what schedule is ideal for your cat.
Kittens should begin their rabies vaccination treatment at about 12 weeks old. If you haven't already, you can schedule your cat for all its routine vaccinations and other preventative care at Rancho Park Veterinary Clinic.
Possible Cat Reaction to Rabies Vaccine
Cat owners frequently express concern about the potential side effects of their cats' rabies vaccinations. Some pet parents come to our Los Angeles vets with concerns about "cats who have died from the rabies vaccine." Fortunately, these fears are unfounded. Cat rabies vaccine side effects are uncommon and may include a mild fever, lethargy, decreased appetite, and/or localized swelling at the injection site.
In some excessively rare cases, a cat can have an allergic reaction to the vaccine, leading to hives, extreme weakness, and unexplained collapse. Pet parents need 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.
Why Your Indoor Cat Needs Their Rabies Vaccine
Cat owners may believe that rabies vaccination is unnecessary if their cat lives indoors, but this is not true. While it is true that you do not allow your cat outside, the risk of escape, or worse, an infected bat or rodent breaking into your home, is significant enough to warrant protection for your feline companion.
The consequences of rabies are simply too dire to take any chances, the best and only way to ensure your cat is completely protected against rabies is vaccination.
It is also the case that in most US states all cats and dogs over the age of 6 months are required to be vaccinated against rabies. When you take your pet to be vaccinated your vet will be sure to issue you with a certificate of vaccination as proof that your feline friend is up to date with their rabies vaccine.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding people or pets. Always follow your doctor's advice regarding asthma or other allergy symptoms.