Cat Vaccination - Are Your Condemning Your Pet to Death?
Jane Tompsett
Unfortunately there's no way around the fact that vaccinating your cat is going to cost you money.
So why should you even consider paying out for something that, on the face of it, your cat doesn't need? After all, they're not sick, injured or in pain, so why should you take the trouble to book a trip to the vet's surgery and then have an unwelcome bill to pay afterwards?
Death, is the reason. Unpleasant death and the anguish it will bring to you and your family as you witness the heartbreaking sight of your much-loved family pet becoming sick and dying.
Can you genuinely say that the lifelong protection from these diseases that vaccination will give your cat is something that you can decide to ignore?
So, why vaccinate your cat?
To make sure that she has protection from the most dangerous diseases.
To ensure that she has a healthy life.
To actively prevent infecting other cats.
To save having to face the decision to put her to sleep.
And as a bonus, minimise the potential vet's bills in the future!
There are three main diseases to vaccinate against:
Cat 'Flu or Feline Influenza
As with human 'flu, cat 'flu is easily passed on but in the case of cats, has a very high death rate.
Should your unvaccinated pet catch cat 'flu, you can expect to see inflammation of the eyes, nose and windpipe. Your lovely cat will experience unpleasant discharges and will feel very unwell. She'll also be running a fever and will have no interest in anything going on around her. Her appetite will disappear and she may suffer painful tongue ulcers. Your poor cat will be salivating, losing weight and condition, sneezing and struggling to breathe.
Each droplet of mucus breathed, sneezed or coughed out will carry the infection and the virus can travel through cat communities rapidly.
So, taking an infected cat to the vets, a cat show, cattery or other environment where there are other animals, will pose a significant risk of spreading the disease.
Even if your cat is fortunate enough to recover from cat 'flu, she can remain a carrier of the virus for the rest of her life, posing an infection threat to every unprotected cat she comes across.
Feline Infectious Enteritis (Distemper) - Feline Panleucopenia
This disease is particularly dangerous to unborn or newborn kittens and it is not unknown for it to kill within minutes of symptoms appearing - it's that serious!
The cells of the gut wall, spleen, bone marrow, liver, lymph nodes and even sometimes, the brain will typically become affected and the incubation period is generally between two and nine days long.
Typical signs that your cat has distemper include vomiting, diarrhoea, apathy, a distinctive hunched posture and pitiful crying when handled. A sick cat has only a very slim chance of recovery.
This highly infectious disease is passed on by direct or indirect contact and fleas can also be instrumental in transmitting the virus from one animal to another.
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) The cat form of AIDS
This disease is incurable in cats but thankfully, cannot be transmitted to humans. It spreads between animals by direct contact and, once infected, a cat will almost certainly go on to develop health problems that will end its life.
Typical symptoms of this disease are vomiting, weakness, diarrhoea, breathing problems and loss of weight. This virus damages your cat's immune system so any infection will rapidly overcome your cat's defences and lead to death.
If your cat is found to be infected unfortunately she will need to be put to sleep straight away. The infection risk posed to the cat population as a whole is just too great. To prevent this happening, vaccination will give your pet the protection she needs against contracting FeLV in the first place. You will never be faced with the tragedy of losing your much loved cat to feline AIDS.
So, there really is no choice if you truly care for your pet. Vaccination is the only course of action to follow, not only for the protection of your own cat but also for the cat population as a whole. Be sensible - get your cat protected today!
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