Rabies Shot Side Effects, Cats
Natural Remedies

Rabies Shot Side Effects in Cats

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Deirdre (North Attleboro, Ma) on 01/01/2012

I have an indoor 3 yr. Old Burmese cat. He had his yearly vaccines including Rabies on 12/8/11. He seemed ok for a couple of days and then his appetite when downhill and his spark was gone... He stopped stalking the other cats and acting like the head honcho (His normal behavior). I observed him for a while, hoping things would change and fed him whatever I could get him to eat; chicken, tuna (I usually give him Innova Reduced Fat can in the a.m. And same thing at night, but the dry formula)... He never has trouble with meal time. He was drinking his water, but he still was not his usual spunky self. My vet was on vacation so I brought him to a new vet.(12/21/11)..he checked him out and said he appears fine, but he did have a 1 lb weight loss (in just 2 weeks! ... Maybe a scale difference?) He did observe what appeared to probably be a scratch above his eye(from one of my other kitties), he syringed a sample of the fluid and found nothing. I have the same concerns and bring him back on 12/21/11 the Dr. Does a full senior blood profile (including thyroid, just to cover ALL the bases. ) He also does a urine test.... He finds nothing at all. It is now 12/30/11 and I notice another spot of hair loss over his other eye.... Definitely not a scratch, completely bald, but with little prick marks on the skin??? My cat is not scratching constantly and is not being attacked by the other kitties. His appetite is still the same... I may get one meal of chicken or tuna into him a day and he will only eat off the floor and not out of his dish. He is NOT himself, but I am managing to keep him roughly fed & hydrated. It is now 1/1/12 the Vet is closed and I will be calling him first thing in the a.m. Do any of these combined symptoms sound familiar to anyone? I hope my cat is not getting Alopecia from having been to the Vet 3 times in the last month and getting blood & urine tests :-( I am suffering as long as my lil guy is suffering... Any advice would be welcomed, thanks!


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Meowmeow (Franklin, Ma) on 12/14/2011

My 17 year old male cat had a bad reaction to the rabies shot. A little history about him: He is an indoor domestic short hair cat. He has generally been healthy his whole life, until he was 14. At 14 he was treated for hyperthyroidism with radio-iodine therapy. Last January he was diagnosed with 3rd degree AV block. He was started on Theophylline, but within a month began to have a really bad reaction to it. His medication was changed to Turbutaline (one-quarter of a pill every other day) and he has been doing okay on that for the past 10 months (he has had no pass-outs or dizziness).

He was given his rabies shot yesterday and within 15 minutes, he was unable to walk straight, falling over and began panting. The panting only lasted for about a minute and the dizziness has seemed to subside, but since yesterday, he will not come out of his cat cube house bed (he stays in there when he is not feeling well). After he had the reaction yesterday, I thought back and it was last December when he had his rabies shot too. I don't remember him having a reaction last year to it, but within 2 weeks of his shot, he began to show the signs of 3rd degree AV block. I don't believe that the rabies shot caused the AV block, but I don't think that it has helped either. He is still not feeling well and if he survives this episode, he will NEVER be getting another rabies or distemper shot.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Diana (West Newbury, Ma) on 10/20/2011

I am so happy to have found this website to try and figure out what has happened to our 20 yr old cat after having a rabies shot one week ago... Flower had lost a pound since her last checkup 6 mo ago. We had her ears treated for allergies and had her nails clipped. The vet told us that she was overdue for her rabies vaccine so we had it done. That night I noticed that she was very weak and acting strangely, distant and quiet, sleeping all the time... Now a week and a half later she is staggering and walking with her front legs crossing and rear end tipping to one side.

For the last 24 hrs we have thought that she is ready to pass away maybe from a stroke or some illness not identified but having just read everything I can about vaccines, I think that the rabies shot has caused this terrible thing to happen to this sweet animal! She's dazed, confused, crying which she seldom does, vomiting but nothing in her belly. I'm not sure if she is seeing clearly... She is dropping her head into her water bowl and not eating a thing... I am calling the vet as soon as it opens today... But I am afraid it has permanently harmed her. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences with me... I pray there is something the vet can do to turn this around... Her age is against her... it's a shame and never had to happen.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Mike (Bourbonnais, Il/usa) on 10/04/2011

My cat has a Rabies Vaccine Injury. She is now over 50% paralyzed and can barely walk. She stumbles around and is uncoordinated. She developed a neuro-muscular/ neurological disease from the Rabies Vaccine. She is very Lethargic, has an 'autistic blank looking stare' and has major behavior changes such as being very fearful & agression at times. They analyzed her and found she has partial blindness. So far my vet just started giving her Steroid Injections and liquid Benadryl for treatment. This is only a starting therapy and won't fix the problem, but is better than nothing. The vet won't officially admit that it is a 'Vaccine Related Injury' but I know it is.

What is a homeopathic/ herbal / vitamin / misc. Remedy that you can recommend for my cat. I need to know what herbs are SAFE to feed my cat and which are TOXIC to feed my cat, and what symptoms they may help with. I've heard about possible acupunture, to help with the neurological problems that the vaccine caused, but what other treatments are out there?? I have searched the net but couldn't find anything specific....[Mike]


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Melody Q. (Ohio) on 03/25/2017

My 3 year old kitty named Tomas was given a 3 year rabies in his right rear leg and 2 months later has a firm lump in his leg. Taking him on Monday to have it looked at. You said in your post in 2011 that his lump was removed and came back vaccine related fibro carcinoma. How long did he live after that? Just curious if it came back somewhere else? Thank you!


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Catera (Midwest City, Ok/united States) on 10/13/2011

I am sorry, I now know what I thought was impossible. Two siblings, a boy and a girl got their shots. The girl vomited for a week then starting losing weight fast and stopped eating. Her gums and ears turned yellow (liver problem). Shortly after, her brother started having the same symptoms. He was put on anti-biotics. He hasn't gotten better, won't eat, won't defecate, won't move, won't pee, nothing. We are saddened that tomorrow we take him to be euthanized because his liver is failing. His sister, however, is finally eating small amounts and getting slowly better. This is atrocious!


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Laprincessa86 (St. Paul, Minnesota) on 10/07/2012

My 6 month old female kitten just got her second set of shots. The vet told me she needed a rabies shot so I paid for her to get it. The had to give her it 3 times in her leg because she was moving so much.

Two days after the shot she's been like a zombie. She walks like her legs are in pain. You pick her up and she meows in pain. She won't eat or drink anything the past 2 days. She just sleeps all day and moves super slow. She can barely even hold herself up, she'll just fall to the side and sleep. Her breathing is super heavy. I'm so nervous because she's so small. I'm going to take her to the vet tomorrow.

The vet told me she'll need one next year too, I doubt I'll take her, she's a 100% indoor cat and these symptoms are scaring me.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Nancy (Sebastopol, Ca) on 08/01/2011

I took my two cats (8 years and 10 years) to the Sonoma County Humane Society Hospital for their rabies shot. My healthy 10-year old cat died within an hour. She appeared to be in wretched pain, vomiting, crying, unable to hold her head up..... She was poisoned by the bad vaccine. If I'd know that it is not necessary to give an indoor-outdoor cat the rabies vaccine (very low risk of rabies in this area), I would not have done so. I feel horribly guilty for my uninformed decision. My other cat was fine (different vial of vaccine) It's been heartbreaking. My regular vet said that in his 28 years of practice, he's never known an animal to die from a rabies shot.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Denise (Griffin, Ga/ Usa) on 06/12/2011

My himalayn was vaccinated for rabies yesterday. She has been lethargic won't eat or drink I had not taken her to the vet for over 5 years because of this. She had a very bad reaction the first time. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid to take her back for fear of further damage.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Denese (Cumming, Georgia, Usa) on 05/05/2011

Hello. I adopted a 3 yr old Himalayan/persian mix cat from animal control and she was fine when I brought her home. Two weeks after I first adopted her I took her in for a rabies shot. Within 4 days after the rabies vaccination she began vomiting pretty chronically.

Dr's were never able to link the vomiting to the rabies shot, but thought she may have IBD or some type of unknown lymphoma? At any rate, she just passed away the other day and had gone into severe renal failure.

I took her over to UGA where a Dr. has performed a complete necropsy, and we are waiting on some more definitive answers as to what Apple's problems were..

The brand name of the vaccine I remember was called "Fort Dodge".


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Sylvie (Santa Cruz, California) on 03/27/2011

Hello, My Nella cat just received a rabies vaccine in order to travel overseas. She is now experiencing several side effects: loss of appetite, vomiting, and she has mucus and blood in her scant and milky stool. Are there any folk remedies to help her with these symptoms? Is there something I should be giving her to prevent further complications?

Thank you kindly, Sylvie

Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by 5 Pooches Home (Houston, Tx) on 03/28/2011

Try Thuja 30c.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Jan (South Windsor, Ct) on 10/23/2009

Our beautiful long-haired calico 18yr old cat received her rabies vaccine yesterday at 3pm. At 10pm she suffered a seizure and died in my arms. My vet denies a correlation. I think it was the vaccine. I didn't want her to have it because she was an indoor cat and her advanced age. My 22yr old dtr and I are heartbroken.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Anonymous (Malibu, California, USA) on 10/18/2009

After having a cat nearly die after his first rabies vaccination, fast forward many years to now -- I have a six-month old male kitten whom I have chosen to not vaccinate. The problem is I have failed in my attempt to find a veterinarian who will neuter him without being vaccinated. Can anybody out there refer me to a veterinarian in southern California who will neuter my unvaccinated kitty? I feel we are being held hostage because we've chosen an altenative, healthier path. Thank you!


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Carmen (Ladysmith, B.C Canada) on 05/31/2009

I am just commenting on the side effects of Feline Vaccines. I believe 2 of my cats have has serious reactions. My cat Willow ( she has now passed ) started having seizures shortly after having a rabies vaccination. She had to be on phenobarb for the rest of her live. I also believe her life was shortened because of the vaccination reaction. And if that wasn't enough I had my kitten Sawyer's first set of shots in December. The next day I heard him growling behind the couch..he had bit off the end of his tail and was attacking it like it wasn't his own. I went back to my vet that day and she kept him for observation and treated him for fleas ( he didn't have any ) I thought this was a bunch of bull and called the homeopathic vet up island. She sent me some tinctures that seemed to help. He goes in spells now....is good for a few weeks then regresses. When he was neuted I asked for the tip of his tail to be removed just incase this would solve the problem. It hasn't. He still growls, attacks his tail and his back crawls like there are bugs crawling on him. I am going to try accupunture next, get him on some more homeopathic, and will never vaccinate him again I work in an animal hospital and this puts me in a tough spot as i do believe our animals are being over vaccinated.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Deb (Alva, Fl) on 08/05/2018

My 6 year old cat had a rabies shot in November of last year. The vet accidentally gave him another 3 year vaccine last month. He appears to be ok. Will this affect him?


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 11/11/2017

Hey Badseed33,

You might try homeopathic Silicea and/or thuja for the vaccine reaction. You might also consider dosing activated charcoal - might have to mix it into a can of tuna to get her to take it. I will say that having a single 4 month old kitten is a real challenge. I urge you to consider a second kitten of the same age so that your first kitten can socialize. At that young age kitties realize that if they bite their playmate the playmate bites back, and that it does not feel good. In this way they learn to inhibit their bite when playing with super tender skinned humans. Please report back!


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 10/25/2017

Hey Ventot,

A swollen paw does not sound normal at all - please see your vet.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Megan C. (Clarksville, Tn) on 08/27/2017

My kitten, Lucie, is about 10 to 14 weeks old. She was found in an abandoned house and no one was 100 percent sure of her age. We were told by the people that found her that she was 6 weeks but when we took her to the vet at the first available appointment over a week later, the vet suggested that she was actually just at 6 weeks. If that was the case, than she was on solid food way too early by the people who found her and was possibly malnourished. I say all that because I don't know if she had a bad reaction to the rabies vaccine because of her unknown age and being to young or because she was weened to early to have a fully developed immune system.

At "6 weeks" she recieved her first round of vaccine and deworming, and addition vaccines every 3 weeks for a total 3 visits. The last visit she recieved her Rabies vaccine. She was very small when we got her and was only 4.7 pounds at the final visit when she received the rabies vaccination. Within less than four days we had to bring her back because everyday following the vaccination, she was eating less and less. We tried two different dry and wet foods, treats, hours of sitting and coercing and the amount she ate continued to declined and led to vomiting. She had lost a full pound when we brought her back and the vet ran test and stated that she didn't find anything but it's probably a reaction to the vaccination. They gave us stimulant pills to give her every 48 hours and Advaita supplement powder to sprinkle on her food. Which seemed counter productive since she wasn't eating anything! The next day she was basically bones and the vet didnt offer any tips when called back so I decided to get a syringe, mix the powder and pill with a little milk and unfortunately, force her to drink it using the syringe. She thought I was the most evil person for scruffing and forcing her to take the medicine and powder but I was scared if I didn't, she would be dead by the end of the week. I was could feel her ribs, shoulder blades and thigh bones but the vet seemed unphased even though she was already less than 5 pounds before the vaccine and was strinking rapidly.

After staying home and watching her, and sitting up at night to get her to eat at least 5 pieces of dry food every 4 hours along with the meds, she is finally showing signs of life again. She's prompting herself to eat and eating a little more every time. Still has not started to play again and still is sleeping a lot a week later but I hope she fully recovers. Lucie is an inside cat and I don't know if she will react this way when its time again or if I even should get it since she is strictly an inside cat. She almost lost all her weight!

What should I do in a year from now?

Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Shelly (Clemmons, Nc) on 08/25/2017

We adopted sibling cats from AARF about 3 weeks ago. One of them had the rabies shot and the other did not. I was told that the female cat didn't have her shot but they somehow had the paper work mixed up because she had a rabies form and tag but the male cat did not. I had to take them back in to AARF yesterday for the shot. They have veterinarians that come in every Thursday to give shots. They looked at all the paperwork we were given and determined that the female had her shot and the male did not. They gave him his rabies shot and not long after getting home, maybe 2 hours, he started vomiting everywhere then itching to the point where he was scratching his skin above his eyes raw, his face and eyes also got swollen.

I called the emergency vet, actually 2 different ones, and was told by one that this was an emergency and I should bring him in. I called a 2nd one and they said it sounded like a normal reaction as long as he was not having trouble breathing. They did say I could give him benedryl but we did not have any and it was 11:00 pm. We kept an eye on him all night and he seems to be feeling better today bu still not back to his playful self. His sister sure does miss him playing with her.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 08/21/2017

Hey Darleen,

Vaccine reactions can show up right away or take time; 45 days isn't unusual to see a vaccine reaction. That said, at 17 years old there can be many reasons for your cat to have seizures. My advice is to take your cat to the vet to try to determine the cause of the seizures. Idiopathic epilepsy is one possibility. Doing a blood panel is minimally invasive an can provide helpful information and can point out problems with the liver and kidneys which can and do cause seizures. If liver or kidney problems show up your vet can help you with dietary changes that will give your cat added quality of life.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Paula (Ga) on 08/02/2017

Took 6 yr old very healthy, Happy kitty to vet for slight twitch in ear. She got a clean bill of health however. They insisted she have Rabies shot which I did not want. When we got home she threw up and has been very lethargic for a week. I have of course taken her back to Vet 2 more times for steroid and annahestimine, no change. Full lab results taken, Vet says all is normal except white blood cells are 3.1 low. They are denying that the shot caused this and saying she must have had something already. How can we treat it if they don't acknowledge it. They even suggested that I asked for Shot, they don't are not the law. All false which makes getting proper care impossible if Vet is not trustworthy. 7 days later small change in her but she is not the same fun loving, very affectionate kitty. I am beyond heartbroken and worried. Can someone please advise me?

Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Maria (Nh) on 08/02/2017

My 15 year old cat had a rabies last month - after never having a reaction to them - her eyes were rolling into her skull, she couldn't stand and her tongue just hung out like she was panting. Rushed her right back to the vet where they took their sweet time, finally administering benadryl and fluids and we were sent home. She seemed to be doing a little better, but she's still not anywhere near she was. She has other issues - so she is syringe fed most of the time - so I have been putting probiotics (from milk kefir, water kefir and fermented veggies) into her food along with activated charcoal to see if it can help pull out more of the toxins. (This is all without the approval of my vet - who believes this is unnecessary.) I was up all night worried about my cat last night - hoping to get her back to the vet Friday because I don't think I can stand it. Please be vigilant...if something doesn't seem right - keep bugging them.


Rabies Vaccine Side Effects
Posted by Suseeq (Sydney Australia) on 08/03/2017

Please put this kitty on a course of vitamin C.



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