“Deh DDD b deh
Duk-taype Dispensing Device.
I just mading it up. ”

Google is our friend…o, yesh…

1) FeLV and FIV are not core vaccines, you generally have to ask for them (core vaccines are FVR aka FHV1, calicivirus, and panleukopenia, plus rabies). Don’t just assume these were given. Also, it has to be given once, then again in about three weeks, to be effective.

2) FeLV spreads very easily through casual contact, FIV needs more direct contact

3) IF TESTS ARE GOING TO BE DONE, THEY HAVE TO BE BEFORE VACCINATION BECAUSE AFTERWARDS ALL CATS WILL TEST POSITIVE FOR ANTIBODIES

4) FIV vaccine has about a 50% success rate, FeLV is better but not absolute. This is a substantial part of why they aren’t core vaccines in most places.

5) With rescue cats, there’s absolutely no way to know an animal’s history: was he neutered late and has a history of fighting, was his mother vaccinated, could he have been in a household with a lot of feline turnover…

6) It’s a good plan, if there’s any symptoms at all, to check and make sure — not a bad idea even with no symptoms, but keep in mind the possible false positives

7) That said… weight loss CAN be a sign of trouble, but it’s a pretty vague one, and I’ve known cats too that lost some weight in the early part of the summer and gained it back in late fall.

I would say, personally, that if you trust your vet, and your vet felt that it was a good idea, then there was probably a reason. Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint it to a client, just a sense of, “Something worries me, here.”

And if you don’t trust your vet… find a new vet.

As for outside: simple wooden frame and chicken wire, so they can go out and have an area other cats can’t get into? Being around other cats who are clearly not looked after, they’re at risk for all kinds of not-so-lovely stuff.

Does this help at all?

You go splode splode

~Splort~

LM, I finkso I lost my trane up there, I was gonna say wif outside kittehs, I don’t think anything is certain, so tell ur husbin u was just following the vet’s advices, and they knows best! STN.

and ohai to u too, two_kittehs!

*musical sting*

Hooz brayne iz REALLY in sweetpea’s crayniyum?

I has SUCH a problum wif people that let their kittehs roam around unnootered and unprotected!!
I just lost one of my adoptified outside kittehs Sunday nite. He was such sweet boi. Ifinkso he cotted somethin nasty from one of teh otter strays, he got SO sick in such a short tiem, I tooked him to teh emergency Dr. Tinycat but all we cud do was to halp him to teh bridge.