02/03/2026
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE 🦠 & VACCINES PART 2:
Within the last 6 months, based on personal experience, we have had multiple Vet clinics say that:
“YOUR CAT HAS TO HAVE A RABIES SHOT TODAY. IT IS THE LAW.”
Mind you, these clinics NEVER ASKED for us to bring the cat’s rabies records. NEVER ASKED if they were current on their rabies vaccines before making that statement. No, they stated without any possibility of an exception to “the law,” that our cats were going to be vaccinated for Rabies. Period.
We live in a location where we have to travel extensively for veterinary care because no local vets will take on new clients because they are so overrun. A common occurrence in many places. A trip to the vet here is a minimum 20 minutes up to a 1 1/2 hr drive, one way! ☝️ That is 3 hours or more, round trip at times. And because of this issue, we use various vet clinics, hoping to get in with the nearest one. But that isn’t always possible. And so, it’s a constant battle, informing the new clinic or new veterinarian about the pet in front of them.
But this is another thing I want you guys to know…. 1 - Know the laws/local ordinances. 2 - Know your rights. 3 - Don’t let anyone push you around.
First of all, let me say, I DO NOT know the laws specifically myself. I intend to research this for our local area. But it is my general understanding & always has been, that pets within the city limits of Colorado must be vaccinated against Rabies. That it IS THE LAW. But within about the last 6 months, vet clinics are being very forceful about it. Apparently, the state is pressuring them more nowadays, is what I was told when I asked why this is bring to forcefully pushed now.
But I will say this. It is common sense that there are legitimate reasons to NOT VACCINATE pets for Rabies & situations in which the law may not be applicable. And autoimmune disease 🦠 is one of those reasons.
Don’t let anyone push you into making decisions that will negatively affect the life of your pet. Veterinarians are supposed to be looking out for the pet’s well being & health. It is not logical to vaccinate when it may be at the detriment of the pet’s health. And don’t let them tell you otherwise.
First, the pet needs to be able to be declared healthy enough to receive vaccinations. 💉
Personally, this one particular cat that already is suffering from adverse reactions to a Rabies vaccine would have been vaccinated for rabies 3 additional times within the duration that i the cat still current on the vaccine. If we hadn’t given a firm “NO.”
So my advice is, always bring your Rabies vaccination records with you to all your vet appointments. Especially if it is a pet the clinic hasn’t seen before, or a new provider. Because they won’t ask you. And then they will tell you that you’re going to have it done, that it is the law. And maybe they won’t tell you until it’s too late & they already did it. And that is just an uneasy feeling... For vets to be more worried about the law than the pet’s health. But it is becoming a frequent occurrence these days.
For those of you wondering, how might you know if a pet could potentially have an autoimmune disease? 🦠 For cats, their mouths may look like this. It may start as an oral manifestation. Where the cat is young, and shouldn’t have severe dental disease, but it does. Especially the gums being inflamed. Yes, that can simply be dental disease. But Key factors are:
- Unusually severe for the cat’s age
- If the manifestation attacks new parts of the cat’s body after tending to the immediate issue, which may be the dental disease initially.
- It can be genetic. So, if you got a kitten out of an adult that had autoimmune disease, it is very possible and even likely the offspring will have it too.
Autoimmune Diseases can be difficult to diagnose. And there is no sure way to definitively conclude whether a cat or pet has it. But these are some of the tell tale signs you might see & that should be a forewarning to heed with caution when vaccinating that pet.
(This photo is what initial manifestations of autoimmune disease in cats might look like. Note, the cat’s teeth are very white & most of the remaining teeth look to be in great shape. I would guess this cat to be between 2-5 years old. It’s already had to have bottom teeth removed and the inflammation remains. It’s hard to say exactly what was going on with this particular cat without more info, but this gives people an idea.
But the severe inflammation on the gum lines of what look to be pretty healthy teeth overall, is a tell tale sign. Additionally, the tumor-like masses or lumps may be another sign.
If you don’t know the age of the cat in question, looking at their teeth will give you some clues.)
