In the USA the standard protocol (recommended) for vaccinating a kitten with the FVRCP vaccine is, as I understand it, a series of four injections starting at six weeks of age and finishing at 16 weeks of age. This is 4 vaccines within 10 weeks.
FVRCP is a combination vaccine against viruses: herpes, calici, panleukopenia.
There is concern amongst some vets and cat owners that a kitten receives too many vaccinations, which can damage kidney cells. There is evidence that the FVRCP vaccine can inflame kidney cells.
There is a direct link, in fact, as the FVRCP vaccine is grown in feline kidney cells. The cells used to grow the vaccine is retained in the vaccine and so they are injected into the kitten with the vaccine. It is suggested that the kitten attacks these cells as foreign bodies, gets confused and attacks his own kidney cells in an autoimmune response. This inflames the kittens kidney cells.
A research paper also links vaccines with kidney damage: Vaccines and kidney damage
Is the series of combination vaccines administered to kittens one reason why cats are 7 times more likely to get kidney disease than dogs and why kidney disease is the most common cat health problem in some veterinary surgeries? Kidney disease is certainly a major health problem for cats in the 21st century. Another potential culprit for the high incidence of kidney disease is diet: low protein commercial cat food and/or dry cat food2.
One veterinarian2 recommends that the standard procedure should not be followed. Instead, she recommends that:
- An injectable modified live (non-adjuvanted) FVRCP vaccine should be used as follows:
- The first vaccination takes place at aged 8-9 weeks
- The second and final vaccination takes place at no younger than 16 weeks (2 vaccinations).
Cat owners should take charge in the veterinarian’s consulting room, in a gentle but persuasive way, armed with sound information. At least a client should gently challenge and probe for good answers.
Arguably, there is a tendency amongst vets to over-vaccinate for various reasons, one being that it gets clients back to the clinic for a bit of selling. The vet is the expert. That does not mean he/she can’t be questioned about, for example side effects.
In my view, vaccinations in older cats should not take place. This certainly applies to places where vaccinations of cats and pets take place routinely creating a healthy zone.
Ref:
- Your Cat by Elizabeth M. Hodgkins DVM
- Lisa A. Pierson, DVM
I actually did choose the vaccine with the adjuvant for Monty’s rabies shot over the PureVax which is non-adjuvanted. The reason is that the PureVax is only good for one year. With the other he can go three years before needing another vaccine. The vet said they use a very high quality vaccine, but no, it’s not as good as PureVax. I could have went to a very pro-declaw vet for the PureVax. I choose to go instead to the vet who discourages declawing and educates clients. And I decided that the risk is low enough that it is just better to not have to put Monty through another vet visit for awhile. He only gets the rabies shot, no others. He just has such a hard time with strangers and gets so stressed out at the vet. I opted for the slight risk of sarcoma over putting him through such torture every year.
He really, really hates that vet though– more even than he hates the pro-declaw guy. That’s the vet who saved his life after the bee sting on his tongue. That’s the vet who looked sad when I said my husband wanted Monty declawed on all four paws and said, “There really is no reason to take his back claws.” (Which got me thinking that if it really is no big deal to declaw why did the vet argue against the four paw declaw and look so sad?) So this vet saved his paws and his life, but Monty reserves his scariest growls for him and hisses at him constantly. He’s also very good at giving a shot quickly. I doubt Monty noticed the injection at all. He was too busy growling.
Why are these still in vaccines? It seems everyone thinks they cause problems? There are alternatives that are better. So why is the profession still using the vaccines containing adjuvants?
Thanks for a very informative comment Harvey. You are better placed to comment on vaccinations. Personally, I have never vaccinated my cats. Perhaps in the 80s I may have but my last two cats, Binnie and Charlie did not receive vaccinations. I don’t believe older cats should have any boosters. The risk outweighs the benefit as fat as I am concerned.
I am lucky in having a vet who did not recommend vaccinations for Charlie or Binnie. He actively discouraged it for Charlie. I liked that. He basically agreed with me. Both cats never went or go far from the home. There is little prospect of catching a virus.