The whole month of September is all about CATS!
In week 1 we talked about vet visits, food, water, and a little something called “hunt, stalk, kill, eat, clean sleep.”
If you missed it, you can read the blog here: https://jessicalfisher.com/september-is-happy-cat-month-part-1/
In week 2 (last week) we talked about playtime, supervised outdoor time, how having 2 cats are better than 1, and the importance of understanding that a cat is not human.
If you missed it, you can read the blog here: https://jessicalfisher.com/september-is-happy-cat-month-part-2/
This week, we will continue the conversation on raising a happy, healthy cat!
OVER-VACCINATION
I’m not anti-vax, however, to suggest that we aren’t over-vaccinating our pets is to ignore the facts. We’ve talked about vaccines quite a few times. We’ve talked about using titer testing to measure immune response prior to blindly vaccinating. We’ve talked about dosing and how a
Chihuahua gets the same dose as a Doberman. We’ve talked about DOI or the duration of immunity.
Here is the link to the Patreon post about titer testing: https://www.patreon.com/posts/50184168
All of these topics are important. And I believe that having the core vaccines as a puppy or kitten is important, as long we are administering them appropriately. For instance, you should not give more than one vaccine at a time, otherwise, if there were a vaccine reaction, how would you know which it was?
Once your pet has had their core vaccines, there is a strong possibility, according to much research having been conducted by multiple veterinarians around the world, that they have sufficient immunity for many years, some even their lifetime.
So, why would we continue to jab them with more, especially considering the quite damaging known “side effects”? It just doesn’t make sense.
Here’s a list of possible “side-effects” from vaccines (which may not be comprehensive):
– discomfort and local swelling at the vaccination site
– mild fever
– decreased activity and appetite
– sneezing, mild cough, snotty nose, or other respiratory signs, even up to a week after an intranasal vaccine
– persistent vomiting or diarrhea
– itchy skin/hives
– swelling around the neck, face, and eyes
– severe coughing or difficulty breathing
– collapse
– injection site sarcomas (firm swelling under the skin)
– cancer (especially in cats, see this article from Dr. Becker)
– vaccinosis
What is vaccinosis? According to Dr. Karen Becker:
“It isn’t an acute, often immediate adverse reaction to a vaccine like those described above. Adverse events, or hypersensitivities, whether mild (such as lethargy, flu-like symptoms, etc.), or severe (such as anaphylactic shock), that are clearly linked to a recent vaccination are widely acknowledged by the conventional veterinary community. They’re viewed as occasional aberrations of a basically safe procedure.
Vaccinosis, on the other hand, is a problem only holistic and integrative veterinarians seem willing to acknowledge. It is a reaction of a pet’s body to vaccines that have been injected without the pet having experienced a notable adverse event or hypersensitivity. These are chronic reactions to not only the altered virus contained in the vaccine, but also to the chemicals, adjuvants, and other components of tissue culture cell lines — as well as possible genetic changes — that can be induced by vaccines.”
Symptoms of vaccinosis:
– lethargy
– hair loss
– hair color change at the injection site
– fever
– soreness
– stiffness
– lack of appetite
– conjunctivitis
– sneezing
– oral ulcers
– immunosuppression
– behavioral changes
– vitiligo
– weight loss
– reduced milk production (females)
– lameness
– granulomas and abscesses
– hives
– facial swelling
– allergic hypersensitivity
– respiratory disease
– allergic uveitis
– injection site sarcoma (cancer)
– anaphylaxis
– autoimmune arthritis
– polyarthritis
– hypertrophic osteodystrophy
– autoimmune hemolytic anemia
– immune-mediated thrombocytopenia
– thyroiditis
– glomerulonephritis
– myocarditis
– encephalitis or polyneuritis
– seizures
– abortion
– congenital abnormalities
– embryotic death
– infertility
And remember, a vaccine can only be given to a healthy pet. So if your pet has a cold, upset tummy, allergies, or ANYTHING that is other than completely healthy, they are not candidates for a vaccine in the first place.
Again, I’m not anti-vax, but rather a pro-responsible vax. It’s about IMMUNIZATION, not vaccination!
FLEA & TICK
Flea and tick meds are passed out like candy at an allopathic vet hospital. I used to be that person who followed my vet’s instructions to the T. That is until I started learning more about raising pets naturally. I’ve told y’all before, I started with my dogs and slowly progressed to my cats.
I’m not sure why that is, but I know I’m not the only one in this camp.
For my cats, a big lightbulb moment hit me when I gave one of my cats (King Tut) a dose of Revolution on the doctor’s orders for a nasty ear infection. He got a chemical burn! I told the vet and he almost shrugged it off. WHAT?! Never again I said, and that set me down a path of knowledge and confidence to raise my cats better.
Traditional flea and tick “meds” are neurotoxins, which means that they attack the nervous system of the pest. Your cat is not immune to this, and there are many – and I mean many – reports of serious “side effects” on cats and dogs who have taken these medications.
Here is a link to our Patreon post about why you should stop using flea and tick “meds” on your pets: https://www.patreon.com/posts/51565363
But, not to worry, I don’t like to leave you hanging with a warning to stop something without providing you a viable alternative!
There are lots of natural alternatives to help keep your cat safe, which I go over in this Patreon post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/51032274
My all-time favorite alternative is using veterinary-grade essential oils from animalEO. I can’t tell you how much I love animalEO essential oils – not just for my pets but for myself as well.
We will continue these cat tips all month!
