Cancer linked to shots can be fatal to your cat

By Alison Young
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
March 29, 2009

When Leanne Smith felt the golf-ball-sized lump between her cat Tardy’s shoulder blades, she was filled with dread.

"I knew what it was immediately," said Smith, a vet tech at Georgia Veterinary Specialists in Sandy Springs. "I was really upset."

Tardy had a rare but dangerous tumor, called an injection-site sarcoma. Years ago, Smith said, that’s where the 11-year-old cat had been given vaccinations.

An estimated three of 10,000 vaccinated cats will develop cancerous tumors in the spots where they’ve received routine shots, such as those that protect against rabies and feline leukemia.

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