My cat's rabies shot expired. Can I vaccinate her while nursing?

All Rabies vaccines are killed vaccines, which means that there is no live virus that is injected into the pet; therefore there is no concerns for pets that are pregnant when vaccinated with these vaccines. Your pet Tabby will be just fine. And to answer your other question, yes pets can get pregnant the first time they go into heat, and cats usually go into heat around 6-8 months. If you have concerns that she may be pregnant then you can get her ultrasounded 35 days after the time in which you think she was impregnated or x-rayed 45 days after that time frame. You will also see her gaining a lot of weight and an increase in her appetite. Hopefully she isn't pregnant however and the pinker than normal nipples are just a transient flushing of the skin due to ambient temperature or stress.

It is never recommended to vaccinate a pregnant pet. Modified live virus vaccines should never be given. Killed virus vaccines (such as rabies), may be given later in the pregnancy if necessary but only under the advice and guidance of your veterinarian.

Hello, and thanks for your question about Chappy. Yes, I would definitely get Chappy's rabies vaccine boostered as soon as possible to keep her current, even if she's still nursing those puppies. Since she's not technically current on her rabies, just make sure she doesn't encounter any strangers (either people or pets) where she could be at risk of biting or being bitten, until you're able to get her in for her shot next week. Hope this helps!

As they are 6 weeks old they do not need to be nursing on the mother anymore, although at 6 weeks i would not consider it a danger to let them nurse on their newly vaccinated mother (many vets already vaccinate puppies at this age anyway).

Cats have allergic reactions to vaccinations on occasion. With Rabies, since it is a "killed" vaccine, it is less likely to cause vaccine reactions, and since it is required legally in many places, I still use it when a cat has had a vaccine reaction in the past. I pre-treat these cats with a benadryl and steroid injection prior to vaccination. I have never seen a vaccine reaction happen in cats or dogs who have received these two injections prior to vaccination. So this is an option to consider for Dudley. For your new cat, there is absolutely no reason not to get her fully vaccinated. In my knowledge there has been no documented case of a cat contracting rabies for a year prior to showing symptoms, so this makes no sense to me. I'm sure the spay will go just fine--relax! Hope that helps!

Hi there. I generally still recommend vaccinating indoor-only cats for rabies, since there's always the possibility that a bat or other animal could get into the house. Since rabies is a fatal disease that can also be spread to humans, it's best not to take any chances. Giving the rabies vaccine is safe, and will not reduce your kitten's lifespan.

She needs a round of vaccines (usually feline distemper, possible feline leukemia and FIV as well) every 3-4 weeks started at 6-8 weeks of age and continuing until she's had 2 rounds AFTER 12 weeks old. So the number can vary depending on how you space them and when you start. For rabies, side effects are very rare (less than other vaccines, where side effects are already low). For any vaccine, side effects to watch out for are vomiting, extreme lethargy, and significant facial swelling. Finally, she should be spayed around 5-6 months of age.