Blue Wednesday

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Petey is 19 pounds of fun and fur, over at Petronious the Arbiter. He's one of our blue variant panthers and list his occupation as an Outspoke Housecat. He likes most of the standard feline things: eating, sleeping, bird watching, and the chasing of feathered things.

A resident of Southwest Oklahoma, he lives with four other cats, four dogs, 4 humans a few fishes, which he obviously has not yet seen fit to eat. You really should remedy that situation Petey.



Wednesday's Events at Cat Blogosphere
White Wednesday for all Whitesters!
Whisker Wednesday … show off your whiskers.
Wordless Wednesday or Wordy Wednesday, you decide.
Wednesday is Gingersday too for all Gorgeous Gingers.
Way back Wednesday, for those who have come before.
Weird Wednesday for all sorts of strangeness.
Wondering Wednesday, to ask, or answer questions.

Here at House Panthers, it's Blue Wednesday for all our Russian Blue Members!



Our House Panther furriend Meep has been sick. It seems he has an enlarged heart with thickening walls and one of the valves isn't working so good, so his heart is beating too fast. The good news is that they caught it early and believe that it can be controlled with Medication.

You can find out all the details over at Buzz & Meep's Blog.

Make sure you stop by and offer him some purrs and well wishes if you have not done so already.



VACCINATION CONTROVERSY

For many years, we have been vaccinated every year. Veterinary vaccines were licensed for one year's duration and so each year, we go to the vet and get a booster shot. However, the finding that vaccinations may cause cancer in cats has made the Veterinary profession review that policy.

In the late 1980s, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania noticed an increased incidence of fibrosarcomas (an aggressive type of tumor) in the vaccinated areas of cats. The increased incidence coincided with a new requirement for rabies vaccination in Pennsylvania. These researchers found microscopic amounts of aluminum (included in vaccines to boost the immune system's response) inside the tumors and proposed that the vaccination was associated with the development of tumors, and that the aluminum may be the offending agent.

Since this original article in October of 1992 additional research has been done. Although there is agreement that vaccination can cause fibrosarcoma to develop, the concept that the aluminum is the causative agent has been questioned. There are many ingredients to vaccines, aluminum being only one - and the presence of aluminum may only be a marker of vaccination instead of the cause of cancer. Despite this controversy, adjuvant free vaccines are now available (no aluminum). However, there has not been sufficient data to support the claim that they are truly safer.

The incidence of cancer seems to be highest after vaccination with rabies and feline leukemia-virus vaccinations, and less common after distemper vaccines. The most widely quoted estimate is one case of cancer developing for every 5,000 doses that are administered.

Recent research has demonstrated prolonged immunity after vaccination in cats. One researcher has demonstrated immunity seven years after the initial kitten series of vaccinations.

Taking all these bits of information into consideration, several veterinary task forces have made recommendations. These include the American Association of Feline Practitioners, the American Animal Hospital Association, and the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Many of these veterinary associations can be visited on the internet by searching for "feline vaccination guidelines."

The current recommendation is to vaccinate for rabies according to state law (often every three years) and distemper vaccine every three years. Administering the feline leukemia virus vaccine is recommended only for cats that go outside.

Controversy swirls in the veterinary community about this issue. Some claim the studies are inadequate and that further research must be done. Agreement on that point is universal. However, since we do know that the vaccines are potentially harmful, you might wish to discuss this issue with your veterinarian to determine what vaccination schedule is right for you.



Want to join House Panthers? Our membership is open to members of the black, grey (Russian Blue) and dark brown (Bombay) clans. Ask Not the Mama to e-mail you an invitation!

Find a new friend at Petfinder.com, the temporary home of 245,845 adoptable pets from 11,827 adoption groups. Over 9,000 house panthers are available around the country!