My cat never goes outside. Does he really need a rabies shot?

Yes! Your cat does need a Rabies vaccine!

The Code of Virginia (Virginia Department of Health) states that all domestic dogs and cats receive a rabies vaccination by the time they are 4 months old and may only be given by a Veterinarian or Licensed Veterinary Technician under the supervision of a Veterinarian.

Rabies is a fatal but preventable global zoonotic disease that needs to be taken very seriously. Virginia alone has over 500 confirmed cases of rabies per year. Cats being the most common domestic animal documented.

NOVA Cat Clinic does understand your concern with over vaccination and vaccine induced sarcomas, but it is our duty as health care professionals to make sure the entire public as a whole is protected from such a disease. When it comes to safety for your cat, we use Merial’s PUREVAX Rabies Vaccination.

PUREVAX vaccines deliver everything needed to induce immunity without any of the unnecessary proteins or adjuvants. Adjuvants are additives that increase the immune response and may present potential risks to feline patients, such as injection site reactions and chronic inflammation. PUREVAX is the only complete line of non-adjuvanted feline vaccines available.

What happens if your cat is not current on its Rabies vaccine and it does have a bite from another animal? This is where a lot of the headaches begin. Not only do you have to deal with the stress of a veterinary visit, but we must make a phone call to the county shelter to document this bite wound. From there, the shelter decides how to proceed depending on the history of your cat. There can be a period of 10 days to 6 months of quarantine depending on each case. In extreme cases if the cat is acting odd or has sudden strange behaviors, the shelter may require the cat to be humanely euthanized and submitted for a rabies test.

NOVA Cat Clinic works with each individual client in educating and meeting the vaccine requirements for each cat required by law. If you elect to decline the rabies vaccination by signing a waiver to due to personal reasons, please remain aware of the risk you elected to take.

There are only a few scenarios that your veterinarian would not vaccinate your cat. A clear history of severe vaccine reactions would be one of them.

If you have any further questions in regards to the Rabies vaccination with your cat, do not hesitate to ask one of our veterinarians at your cat(s) next visit.

View the answers to the Rabies Quiz.