I have a question about…vaccines and traveling with pets
Hi Dr Brown,
Here are my questions…..
What are your thoughts about indoor cats getting shots for the Feline Leukemia diease? Is it necessary? Does it really prevent them from getting the diease? I have seen other people’s pets who have gotten the diease even though they are indoor cats. How can that be possible?
Also, my husband and I travel with our two cats in the Chevy Tahoe from Ventura Ca to Lake Havasu City in Arizona. This trip takes 5 hours and it is about 350 miles. We do make sure to bring the basics like water, food and their litter box however should we consider bringing other things with us in the case of an accident or anything else that might happen on the road? They are great travelers, by the way and will sleep the whole trip! As you can imagine, we also get funny looks when people realize we are traveling with cats instead of dogs! It is quite funny! Any ideas or recommendations would be very helpful! Thanks in advance for your time. 
I do not recommend FeLv vaccines for strict indoor cats. Cats should be tested when they are introduced to a new household to determine if they are already carriers. A cat can be a carrier for a long time before showing signs of a disease; which is what I suspect of those cats with a history of being indoors who get FeLv. You should be traveling with food, water, a basic first aid kit, litter boxes and carriers for both cats. Though they may not need to be in a carrier to travel, if you get in an accident you would want to be able to keep them safely confined outside of your car.