Another Cat Question -- Rabies Tag

[RPM]

Where we used to live, in another state – we went to the vet, got the vaccination, got the tag, came home.
Where we now live – we went to the vet, got the vaccination, didn’t get the tag. Instead we got an application form to fill out and mail to the county office, which for a fee will send me a tag.

The vet who did the vaccination here last year did not give me an application form. He said, save the money, don’t apply for a tag, because after that every year the county will hound you (NPI) to update your kitty’s vaccination. Having the vaccination certificate from the vet is all I need, since unlike a dog my kitty doesn’t get taken for walks, isn’t out in public (except when crated to go to the vet), and never wears her collar anyway.

The new vet’s office staff this year wouldn’t give me a straight answer to “Do I need to send in this application?” I don’t blame them – it’s not their responsibility. But I really don’t want to spend the money on the fee, since I’ve just spent a couple hundred on shots and labs (not labradors!), and I don’t want the county hounding me to renew my kitty’s vaccination next year. I am law-abiding but also freedom-loving, and I don’t like the idea of being hounded by officialdom. I’m also suspicious of a system that won’t let vets keep a supply of tags on hand and hand them out at the clinic. Where I used to live, the tags came pre-engraved with the vet’s name and contact info.

What does your county do? I guess next year I could go to the next county over for the vaccination, but the state line is too far away …

[csaper58]

Here the tag is just a decorative bonus. Many counties are doing away with them to save money.

Our Animal Control Officers will want to see the paper certificate of vaccination which they will double check against vet’s records to verify it’s not a forgery.

Keep it with your other important papers.

[RPM]

One vet we went to several years ago gave my kitty a picture ID that looked just like a driver’s license. I think that would be a good idea for the double checks you mentioned, csaper58.

[chestnutmarebeware]

I’ve lived in two states/three counties in the past 10 years and I’ve never received a rabies tag for the cats. The certificates are all that is necessary for proof of vaccination. I can’t imagine more than a tiny percentage of cat owners would put a tag on kitty’s collar, so it’s probably a waste of money to hand them out.

I’m all for any cost savings that safely benefit vets.

[Jhein12]

The tags are useless to me. They do not have the pets name on it or the expiration date of the vaccine, just the year it was given. I don’t accept them as a groomer, I need to see the paperwork.

[RPM]

Thanks for your replies! I just learned that the county has privatized the issuance of tags. The company issuing them says it will “never” share people’s personal information, but I’m uncomfortable with sending my personal information to a company I know nothing about, that’s in another state, is making money off of issuing tags that should be given out in the vets’ clinics, and that has been given the authority to mail out notices telling people to renew their licenses a year (or three) from the date of the vaccination. I don’t mind my vet having this info – I want them to have it! But some private company doing it for profit? Nope. Not every county in this state does it this way, just the one I live in, and the one next to it.

[Chall]

Why not have your own made up? Your tel and vets?
If a cat gets picked up by animal control w/o tags it might be euthanized. With tags, they can call vet to verify rabies certificate.

[csaper58]

@RPM

Thanks for your replies! I just learned that the county has privatized the issuance of tags. The company issuing them says it will “never” share people’s personal information, but I’m uncomfortable with sending my personal information to a company I know nothing about, that’s in another state, is making money off of issuing tags that should be given out in the vets’ clinics, and that has been given the authority to mail out notices telling people to renew their licenses a year (or three) from the date of the vaccination. I don’t mind my vet having this info – I want them to have it! But some private company doing it for profit? Nope. Not every county in this state does it this way, just the one I live in, and the one next to it.

Can you make your own tag with one of the blank tags at PetSmart type stores?

Just put pet’s name, vac. license #, and date given/date expires? That info should be on your paper certificate.

[betsyk]

Is it a cat license? Around here, you go to the vet, get the vaccine, go home with a piece of paper with the tag taped to it, and you could be done… or, you could be a good pet owner and get a license, which requires proof of rabies vaccination and costs about $25/year. They send you a different tag, and you will get a renewal notice with a little discount if you keep it up. If you have a dog, you can do the next step which is a dog park pass, another $40/year with a discount for the second or third dog in a household.

Our state likes licenses. They want you to register your bike and get a bike trail pass, too. The likelihood of my cat getting lost is about equal to the likelihood of my bike getting stolen. But that $60 ticket for not having a dog park pass - that stung.

[evenstar]

Wow! That’s an expensive license, betsyk. Here the fee for a spayed/neutered kitty is $5.00. I wonder if the difference is county fee for me versus maybe a city fee? I do know that the towns closest to me with dog parks don’t charge a fee to dog owners - it’s part of what’s paid for out of general city taxes.

The fee for curbside recycling, however, is pretty hefty, and you pay it with your property taxes regardless of whether or not you use the curbside service (I don’t - I take my recycling to the convenience center because I can recycle more types of items that way.). (Talk about veering off topic! :o