My cat just had a terrible reaction to his annual shots

[Skittles]

after I brought him home he vomited his food which I didn't think anything of - Clancy gobbles his food and has always been prone to barfing - but he kept retching and eventually was tossing up foam; then he started wailing really loud and twitching. I called the vet who said bring him in; the vet said he's going to give him a shot of something - I think he said cortisone - and keep him until five. He didn't sound that alarmed but I am freaking out. Clancy is six and has always had annual shots and nothing has ever happened - any of you know anything about these reactions? :(

[Dookus]

1. sorry to hear that

my guys get a little lethargic after their shots, but in a cat, that's not terribly noticeable.

Poor guy... I hope he'll be OK.

[Skittles]

2. he's my baby

it's just me and Clancy here. To make matters worse, there was a freaking YELLOWJACKET in my car when I drove him to the vet but I was too freaked out to waste time getting it out so I drove with the windows down while that damn thing buzzed around my head. :o

[Kathy in Cambridge]

3. Sorry to hear that

:-(

my cats get sleepy after getting shots and even my puker Reno (a black kitty like Clancy) didn't get sick. Did the doc also give you something to settle his stomach? It could be just a stomach ache from the drugs.

[Skittles]

7. he had a bout of the trots on the vet table too

gawd he looked awful but the vet did not seem too alarmed; just said he wanted to give him a shot and watch him for a while.

[Caoimhe]

10. I give my cats their shots

And keep a vial of epinephrine nearby for if they have a reaction. It happens, though I've never witnessed it. I'm sure your baby will be fine.

[Skittles]

20. what a sweet gal you are

ten posts and already responding to DUers in distress; welcome to the DU! :hi:

[redqueen]

4. That happened to my Whail a long time ago

She turned out just fine... I'm sure Clancy will be okay, too.

[LisaM]

5. I recently read an article about animal shots

it said that they really only need them once every three years - if that - they're not really sure how long they last. I hope Clancy is okay.

[Skittles]

9. he gets some shots yearly and the rabies one every three years

this was the year for the rabies shot

[Philostopher]

6. He should be okay.

We had the same thing happen back in July, when we took Gord in for his shots. He's also six years old. It was probably the rabies shot that got him -- that's what our vet said, anyway. He'd only had the three-year rabies shot once before, the other shots he has every year. The vet said it was probably a reaction to the carrier medium for it.

Three years from now, when Gord has to go back, they want us to bring him in and leave him so they can shoot him up with steroids and give him antihistamines (he was having trouble breathing, too, they put him on oxygen for four hours besides the steroids), then give him the shot and keep him for observation.

[Skittles]

11. he did get a rabies shot today

Clancy is pretty much a house cat but does a little escape act sometimes; also he likes to sit in the window sill and sometimes sniffs the local Toms through the screen so I feel like he really does need the shots.

[Philostopher]

18. We have an outside run, so they get the usual.

The coronavirus and feline herpes. They don't get the feline leukemia because there aren't many cats wandering in our neighborhood, though if we start seeing more of it we probably will go back to having those done too. The vet we use doesn't give FeLeuk to all cats, anymore -- there's been too high an incidence of injection sarcomas (cancerous growths at the injection site). The other shots, including the rabies, are supposed to be lower-risk, and the vet did say their clinic was looking into alternatives for feline leukemia that had a reduced incidence of sarcoma but she still didn't like to give it to them unless they needed it.

We have to have the rabies, legally -- I don't know if its state-to-state, but in Ohio, you can be fined for not having rabies shots up to date on all your animals.

[ET Awful]

8. My roommates cat had a similar reaction last year

Evidently the vet was using some kind of new "cocktail" of shots instead of doing each individually, and the cat didn't tolerate it too well.

He recovered fine though :).

[Skittles]

13. OK you guys are making me feel better

thank goodness for DU, I'm shaking right now. :o

[Flaxbee]

12. shots keep getting stronger...

and more effective, which isn't necessarily good for the little guys; my sister's a vet and it seems the rate of adverse reactions is going up. Perhaps the formula was new and different and Clancy's allergic to whatever is new in the shot. My kitty got an enormous lump between her shoulder blades once after getting her annual shots there; apparently 1% of cats react so badly they get a fatal form of cancer but only if the shots are given in between the shoulder blades where there's less muscle tissue, so ALWAYS make sure your babies receive their shots in their hind legs. My kitty's lump was biopsied, and the results were weird but the surgery would have left her deformed and disabled (taking a tomato-sized hunk of tissue from between the shoulders of my little 7 lb skinny girl would have been horrible) so we played "wait and see" and the lump eventually dissipated, but it took 3 months (that was 2 years ago).

Anyway -- good you got him back to the vet's. He should be fine if he's gotten something to quell the reaction. My sensitive girl (mentioned above) also reacted similarly - barfing, shaking - to anti-flea/tick meds and I think it was also a cortisone shot that helped her, though she was kinda unsteady on her feet for a few days afterward.

Keep us in the loop! The vet will keep a close eye on him, don't worry.

[Zuni]

16. Thank you for that tip

I would have never known otherwise. I will keep that in mind.

[Skittles]

17. oh my vet is a great guy

big guy, very shy with people but just loves animals. I hope Clancy will be OK because tomorrow I have to work 6PM to 6AM and there's no real way to get out of work on a time change weekend - all systems have to be booted. If Clancy is still not himself I will get Tombo to come stay with him.

[Zuni]

14. my cat puked alot last time she went to the vets

It didn't sound that bad but she seemed pretty ill. Called the vet, said that upset stomachs are sometimes a side effect of medicines.

[GingerSnaps]

15. Is Clancy doing alright?

Ask me about what happened to my Cat when Clancy is back home and doing better. :hug:

[Skittles]

19. Clancy just looked so bad when I left

he had foam on his mouth, eyes really wide, wailing, a bout of the trots. Vet said he wanted to watch him for the next five hours. Isn't it amazing how a sick pet can make its human feel sick? My poor baby.

[flamingyouth]

21. Hugs to you and Clancy

My Winky can't have any shots anymore - she had a horrible reaction after I adopted her. I didn't know where she was on her shots cycle since she was a shelter cat, so we just started her over again. She had many of the same symptoms you list, plus she got an abcess where she had the injections. Anyway, the vet said no more shots. She's indoor anyway. :(

She recovered quite well and remains a holy terror to this day. :D

[chiburb]

22. Must've been imported drugs...

They aren't safe you know...

[Skittles]

23. from Canada?

oooh, I should not be making jokes :o

[saracat]

24. Wow! I hope the kitty is well soon. I just can't stand it when they are

sick. This is the first time I have ever heard about this. I am going to watch very carefuly with mine. They are due for their shots.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

25. I've had that happen...

My cat Pinkman had his shots and by the time I had him home he was projectile vomiting (and I meet FEET!) and his head was blowing up so big that is poor little eyes could barely open.

Rushed him back to the vet where they gave him a shot (cortisone? Antihistamine?), he was back to normal in a few hours.

Hope your guy is okay.

[Skittles]

26. thanks, HHNF

please tell us how Pinkman got his name

[Hell Hath No Fury]

33. The story goes...

A feral Momcat brought her week old kittens into our basement and took up residence with us.

One was pure white with all the delicate pink accessories: pink toe pads, pink nose, pink ears, pink poophole. We determined the kitten was a girlie and the name "Pinky" was decided upon.

And her name remained that way.

For a month or so -- until we discovered "she" was instead a "he", and an alph male to boot. "Pinky" just sounded too fem for such a tough, little guy, so we tried to butch it up and started calling him "Pink Man".

Momcat and her entire clan ended up staying with us until they all went to Kitty Heaven.

Thanks for asking! :hi:

[animuscitizen]

27. Cat health link

http://p203.ezboard.com/bkittyhaven

When my cat (now deceased) was suffering from major health problems, I found a lot of helpful info by reading and posting on this site. I know what it is like to worry about a kitty friend. Hopefully Clancy had a minor reaction to the vaccination and will recover soon.

[Skittles]

28. I will check this out, thank you

welcome to the DU :hi:

[GingerSnaps]

29. Let us all know how Clancy is doing

:grouphug: For you and Clancy.

[MissB]

30. Aw... I am so sorry

Hope he recovers.

Perhaps there was an underlying illness (kitty cold)?

[Skittles]

31. naw, Clancy is in good health

and he's never had problems with shots before

[geniph]

32. It happens sometimes

most of the time, a cortisone shot takes care of it. I hope Clancy will be back to himself in short time.

Keep us posted, okay?

My three send purrs to Clancy.

[CatWoman]

34. Streak says PLEASE GET WELL, CLANCY!!!!

[Lindacooks]

35. That happened to one of my cats too...

the cortisone will fix him right up - don't worry.

And ask your vet about this; current research suggests that cats, especially indoor cats, do not need annual shots. Shots every two to three years are all that's needed.

http://cats.about.com/cs/vaccination/a/vaccination.htm

[SoCalDem]

36. I do not get shots for my cats.. They are all indoorsies who never

come into contact with other cats.. As we brought new ones in, THEY were fully tested (cost a lot, but...) and then quarrantined in a bathroom til the all clear...

A couple of ours got sick after vaccinations, and I never did it again..

A friend who is a vet-tech, told me that if they are not indoor/outdoor, and never mix with other cat populations, they don't "need" the shots,.,

[Skittles]

38. he does the occasional escape act

and likes to sit in the window sill and sniff other cats through the screen so I really feel like he needs shots. His rabies one he gets only every three years.

[Skittles]

37. *******CLANCY IS BACK HOME AND HE IS OK*********

a little tired - giving me the evil eye and hiding under the bed - but he's OK. Thank you all so much for your responses as I truly was freaking out earler! :D

[GingerSnaps]

39. That's great news

:hug: Clancy for me.

BTW My Cat died three days after he got his shots and I am still not over his death.

[Skittles]

40. oooh, I am so sorry

thank you for your discretion

[sleepyhead]

41. If he is six years old

and has been getting vaccinated yearly, his immune system should be protecting him fine. Talk to your vet about giving the vaccines every 3 years instead of annually. And also consider having him pre-treated with cortisone or an antihistamine about 20 minutes before the vaccine. Works wonders. Note that he should still have an annual examination (1 year is like 5 years for a cat and he will need a good going-over each year), but the vaccines can be given much less frequently.