Vaccines are a necessary evil of life for both humans and our pets, but have you ever asked yourself “Does my cat really need ALL these jabs?” The answer is probably not. Have you heard of titer testing for your cats?
Here’s what you need to know!
It is essential to give your kittens the core vaccinations required to protect them and prevent the return of once-deadly diseases. These vaccinations should begin around 7 or 8 weeks old. However, what is contested is the necessity of frequent boosters. Yes, vaccines protect, but they also present a risk if used too much - far too many pets are being over-vaccinated.
Over-vaccination can cause hypersensitivity reactions and auto-immune diseases, especially in very young animals as their immune system is still developing.
The titer test is a simple blood test that can be done at your vet’s office to look for the immune response in your cat to various bacterial or viral infections.
If your titers are positive it means you have adequate immunity for that specific pathogen. If your titers are negative, you have no immunity to that specific disease.
Titer testing is a really helpful tool to ensure we are not over-vaccinating our pets. Instead of just blindly taking them to the vet for every booster shot, this test can tell you exactly what your cat needs to have.
Personally, I follow the recommendations of holistic vet Dr. Dodds and I only vaccinate my cats for the kitten core vaccines and the first annual rabies vaccine and then I don’t vaccinate again until I have checked their titers and the test shows that they need it.
So please go and talk to your vet and do some further research into titer testing so you can be fully informed about this useful test that prevents over-vaccination.
Also, remember if your kitten gets a lump or experiences any other adverse reactions after receiving their vaccine, you should consult with your vet as soon as possible.
