Dear Kathy: I also wish there were some definitive studies, but since the companies who develop vaccines seem to be the only ones with money to do research, I don't think we will see any studies done any time soon which demonstrate that the vaccines aren't safe or necessary.
I was able to obtain some helpful info from the website Holisticat.com about vaccines and printed out some articles, including one from Dr. Don Hamilton, a holistic vet who has writtten a well-regarded book about holistic/homeopathic pet care, and another from Dr. Jean Hofve. Dr. Hamilton's advice is that you should not give vaccines of any kind to an immunosuppressed animal. For healthy animals, he recommends using only single valent vaccines (not combo vaccines) and only after assessing 1) whether or not the disease is life-threatening, 2) how likely the animal is to be exposed, 3) the vaccine is known to be effective and 4) the vaccine is considered safe. He is especially adamant that yearly boosters are not necessary and even counter-productive. He considers the vaccines for FeLV and rabies very high risk and those for FIV, FIP and ringworm ineffective. If I had a scanner I would send you a copy. Dr. Hamilton's practice is in New Mexico and he is available for phone consultations, but there is a charge for that, of course. Given that Killian is an adult kitty now and kept indoors, she is at very low risk of being exposed to and/or contracting the illnesses for which cats are typically vaccinated. Kittens are most at risk due to the illnesses for which the typical 3- or 4-way vaccines are intended to protect. Most healthy, adult cats can resist or shuck off such infections. As Killian is now FeLV+, her immune system may not react normally to the challenge of any vaccines, and such a challenge could be too much of a stress. Since she was vaccinated as a kitten (right?) her body retains in its cells the "memory" to produce antibodies to whatever she was vaccinated for, to whatever extent it can still do so given her FeLV+ status. We humans do not need to have yearly boosters after the initial childhood series...we only need revaccination for toxins, such as tetanus to maintain a safe titer. So why do we do this to our pets? Some believe that practice started as a way for vets to get pet owners to bring their pets in at least once/year for an exam. And of course the vaccine companies are making money so why should they complain? The newer wisdom regarding vaccines is that yearly boosters represent an unnecessary assault on a pet's immune system and some vets see a correspondence between this and the growing incidence of degenerative and autoimmune diseases. In light of this information, it would seem the best course would be to do the best you possibly can to prevent exposure to pathogens by keeping Killian indoors, keep stress in her life to the absolute minimum, feed her the best and most natural diet you are able to provide and include some immunosupportive supplements. You are right to be concerned about Killian catching something when taken to the vet (URI's especially), just as hospitals and airplanes are a great place for we humans to get exposed to pathogens. In that respect, house calls are much safe if you can find a vet who will do that. Shelters, catteries and multi-cat households are also more at risk due to the liklihood of increased "viral load." Sally in San Jose
