Any shot given after the first shot is a booster shot, as it "boosts" the first one. There are studies that show that single doses of vaccines are effective, though not all are CAT studies, but the immune system works much the same in all mammals: http://www.heska.com/ultranasal/pr_info.asp (proven effective single dose intranasal FVRCP vaccine - cats) http://www.news-medical.net/?id=12817 (proven effective single dose Typhoid vaccine - humans) http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2005/niaid-01a.htm (proven effective single dose shingle vaccine - humans) http://www.enn.com/wild.html?id=1226&ref=rss (proven effective single dose bird flu vaccine - humans) http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020183 (proven effective single dose Lassa vaccine - monkey test subjects in prehuman trials) http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14084459 (proven effective single dose encephalitis vaccine - humans. Of particular interest, this was done side by side with a two dose series study, and the effectivness was less then 1% more with two doses... hardly worth the side effects and risks!) http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/ajvr.2004.65.1459?journalCode=ajvr (proven effective single dose West Nile vaccine - horses) http://www.spiritessence.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=vaccination says: "Dr. Ronald Schultz at the University of Wisconsin is the premier vaccine researcher in the country. He says, that 'canine distemper and adenovirus-2 vaccines both provide good lifelong immunity. These need not be given annually.' He says the same about the feline distemper (panleukopenia) vaccine. He believes that a single dose of modified live vaccine given at 10-14 weeks of age is protective for life. Both canine and feline distemper vaccines have been shown to induce immunity for 5-7 years or more. Moreover, all of these are diseases of young animals; older animals are naturally more resistant. Once vaccinated, adult animals are typically fully immune. " http://critteradvocacy.org/Vaccination%20Concerns.htm says: "The AVMA Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents (COBTA) presented their consensus at the July, 2000 137th Annual AVMA Convention. They focused on the following points: When an annual booster vaccination with a modified live virus vaccine (i.e. Distemper , Parvovirus or Fe Distemper) is given to a previously vaccinated adult animal - no added protection is provided. Modified live virus vaccines depend on the replication of the virus for a response. Antibodies from previous vaccines do not allow the new virus to replicate. Antibody titers are not boosted significantly, memory cell populations are not expanded. No additional protection is provided. Vaccine Manufacturers label claims should be backed by scientific data. There is no scientific data to support label directions for re-administration of MLV vaccines annually."
I did email Dr. Bob and ask if he knew of any FELINE specific studies done to show single-dose immunity in cats. I will let you know if he responds with anything helpful. Phaewryn http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html Special Needs Cat Resources
