I know some people may not agree with this, but Tubby and Peanut got their shots when they were kittens and then before I moved them to Chicago, but other than that, I never took them to the vet for shots or for anything. They were both completely healthy and there was no reason for me to think otherwise, so I just never took them. Most of the time I was kind of broke too, which I'm sure helped fuel the decision at the time, but I know that had something been wrong, they would have been to the vet in a heart beat.

When Tubby was 15 1/2, I felt he was throwing up too much so I figured it was time to see the vet, and also time for a good check-up since he was getting old. The did discover that he was in the beginning stages of kidney failure, so it was a good thing I took him, but like I say, I could sense something was wrong because of all the throwing up. After that he was at the vet every 6 months for blood work to monitor the kidney failure - at over $200.00 a crack - so even though he visited a vet so infrequently when he was younger, I never felt he was neglected.

As for Peanut, she is so healthy for her age it's ridiculous, so I don't feel she has been neglected healthwise either, and she is scared to death of going to the vet, so I figure in the long run she's better off because of all the trauma she was spared through the years.

I do believe kittens need to go through the various shot stages, but once they're through that - and they're strictly indoors only - I just don't see the need to vaccinate every single year. My current vet agrees because he has not once pushed any vaccinations on me.

Anyway, like I say, some people swear by the annual check up and complete vaccinations - I'm just not one of them.