Savannah Cat Chat - THE Place for Savannah Cat Talk



Todd L

Savannah Super Cat
I have a question in reference to shots for savannahs. Is there any shots that a savannah cat should not receive?

I swore i read somewhere online that certain shots that are fine for domestic cats can be harmful to savannahs.

Is this true??

I dont want my vet giving my savannah something that will hurt him.

Also when it comes to chipping your savannah. Is there a certain chip you would use over others?

Thanks for any help here.


Staff member
This is one of those topics that you will get as many answers as people you ask. There are risks and benefits to both killed and modified virus vaccines so you will just need to decide which is best for you - I believe the link Paige supplied has a good discussion about this.

It is also generally NOT recommended to give feline leukemia if your cat is indoors only, or the FIP vaccine unless you have a colony of cats with a high incidence of FIP. Chlamydia is also usually only recommended if you've had problems with it in your cats in the past.

Per Lausund

Staff member
Patti and Paige said it all. The risk with attenuated vaccines is that they WILL cause disease, very mild, that is how they work and they give a better immune response (read protection) than killed vaccine. I use these on our savannahs, and have not seen any untoward reactions. Be aware that most attenuated vaccines contain both live and killed components, and different brands may give significantly different reactions.

Killed vaccines generally give a weaker immune response, but are helped by adjuvants which may also be a problem: they have been known to cause side effects and local tumours that may progress to cancer. They should not cause disease, but then there is should and don´t: There have been reports of problems with some killed vaccines as well. Personally, I don´t use them except in rare cases.

As mentioned, leukemia, FIP and chlamydia vaccines should not (also, in my opinion) be given unless there is good cause, discuss this with your vet. Personally, I would rather treat chlamydial infection (or Chlamydophila as it is now called) than vaccinate against it, I have seen far too many cats react to the chlamydial component.

Rabies vaccination is often necessary: if there is rabies in your state you vaccinate. Again my very opinionated statement, but rabies is a very dangerous zoonosis and horribly insidious, not to mention horrible in expression. There is negligible risk with the vaccines available, use them!

As for ID chips, they are steadily improving, not much trouble with the ones used now.

Good luck, and remember to deworm regularly!
Zeus got his rabies shot this morning which leads me to ask the following questions.

The vet suggested that I may want to get leukemia shots for the boys as Shadow my female domestic is an in door out door cat ... Your thoughts in this please.

Secondly, Zeus is a little over 5 months old. The vet recommended not getting him fixed for another 3 or 4 months. He stated that Zeus still has a majority of his baby teeth. But to get both boys fixed at the first sign of marking by either of them. Sound advice I would think.

The vet stated I should just insert the "home again" chips myself ... What are the ramifications of this pls.

And finally, Zeus made a mess in his carrier this morning. Fortunately he likes water and I was able to wash him him up in the sink before the vet came in. The carrier is worse the the wear though. I would like to reuse this carrier. Suggestions pls to get rid of the smell from the hard plastic the carrier is made from (get rid of the smell to both kitties and humans).

One last update, I got smarter than the cats and was able to get them both to sit on the scale long enough to register. 7.8 lbs for Zeus and 11.2 lbs for Abu. And I didn't get a single battle scar lol =}

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.


Staff member
rob, I will let others answer most of your post, but...

I would not recommend inserting the home again chip yourself...I cannot imagine why your vet would suggest it.

Taj always poops in his carrier when going to the is often caused by anxiety and fear...poor Zeus :( You can use something like anti-ickypoo to get rid of the smell...or I just use hot water and a good soap to get rid of it...I have learned to use all kinds of pads when I take Taj, so if he poops or vomits, I can just take the type layer off and there are more left. I also carry a plastic garbage bag to throw everything away in.

Hope this helps.

His response about me doing it myself was after I questioned the 16.50 fee for insertion of the chip. The chip comes in a needle and it is simply injected under the skin between the shoulder blades of the animal.

I said, I can understand the fee if you are registerying the kitten with the home again website that has a fee for registration. Otherwise that seems a little extreme for what boils down to just a shot.


Staff member
#9 vet charges $10 to give a shot for the syringe and needle...but i still won't insert the chip myself...and I was a nurse in another life ;)
That is why I was asking about it, I'm a little apprehensive about. I have given a cat shots before (at the vets direction). I know lots of people self vacinate their pets as well, but chips are a little different. So thought would get feedback.