For the Love of Vets

Indoor Or Outdoor Cat: Why Both Need Vaccinations

24 April 2020

Erin Steeves

Whether your cat is outside with other animals, free to roam around the neighborhood, or is an indoor cat, laying close and cuddling up next to you each day, your cat should be vaccinated. Vaccinations are important in all pets, even those that you allow to go wild and those that you keep at home. Vaccinations help protect your pet and other pets from diseases such as rabies and feline herpesvirus. If you aren't sure why your cat needs vaccinations, read on for helpful information to guide you.

To Protect Your Other Animals

Not only do you need to protect your cat, but if you have other animals in your home, you need to protect the other animals living in your home, as well. If you aren't getting your cat vaccinated, for instance, and you have a dog, you are leaving your dog open for diseases as well. To protect all of your animals in your care, whether they are indoor or outdoor, you need to have them all vaccinated to protect them from diseases. 

To Protect Neighborhood Animals

You also need to think about the other animals in your neighborhood. If your fluffy cat decides to go out for a stroll, gets rabies from a wild animal, then moves to the neighbor's yard down the street and attacks their dog, it can be an awful thing. You should vaccinate your cat to protect neighborhood animals, as well.

To Protect Yourself

In addition to the neighborhood dog being attacked because your cat has been infected with rabies, you also should have your cat vaccinated to protect yourself and your family as well. If your cat is going to lash out and attack a dog, think about what they could do to you or one of your children or other family members. Rabies is a disease that attacks the brain, so your cat isn't going to have any idea who you are or who anyone else is. They could attack without warning.

If you have a cat, you need to be sure you keep up with the vaccinations required by your veterinarian. If you aren't sure what vaccinations your cat needs, talk to your veterinarian and ask about a vaccination schedule. Your cat will need core vaccines and non-core vaccines, in addition to other care by the veterinarian. Take your cat to the veterinarian for a regular checkup each year and remember to vaccinate.

To learn more, contact a veterinarian.

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