The VAS Awareness Breeder's Guide was created to help breeders and the people who buy their kittens to understand “vaccine-associated sarcomas”, or VAS.  Some veterinarians may call this “injection site sarcoma”, or ISS. 

Our Breeder's Guide was designed so that breeders can assist us in our efforts to educate the feline loving public about VAS.   We believe that educating cat owners about VAS is the key to preventing this deadly cancer in countless cats.   

... For the Breeder ...

Our “For the Breeder” materials are the references for the vast majority of our handouts.

• The 2006 Report of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and Academy of Feline Medicine (AFM) Advisory Panel on Feline Vaccines.  This printer friendly, comprehensive report was created and published in 1998, and was updated in 2000 and most recently, in 2006.  The members of the panel include distinguished veterinary professionals, specialists and researchers from across the country.  With the publication of this report, scruff shots are no longer recommended and veterinarians are urged to encourage cat owners to bring their cats to the vet for annual exams without using vaccines as a rationale for the vet visit.  In this report, vets are also urged to inform and educate clients about vaccines and their risks prior to administration of vaccines to cats.  The report contains information about reporting adverse vaccine reactions, signing a consent form and potential liability issues for veterinarians.  The recommendations in this report are considered by many to be the veterinary standard of care for administration of feline vaccines.

• The Report of the Vaccine-Associated Sarcoma Task Force, as published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in March 2001. The task force is based at Cornell Feline Health Center at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary medicine in New York. It is a combined effort of clinicians and veterinary researchers from the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association, American Association of Feline Practitioners, the Veterinary Cancer Society, the Animal Health Institute and representatives from the USDA/APHIS.

• The American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2001 “Principles of Vaccination”.  

... For The Buyer ...

These printable versions of our “For the Buyer” handouts were created and designed to make it easy for you to print, copy and give to the people who buy your kittens.  Working together with you, the dedicated breeder, VAS Awareness is able to educate exponentially more people than we ever could without you!  You have our sincere gratitude and thanks!  

• Our VAS Awareness “All in One” flyer with basic tips for cat owners.

• Recommended injection sites for feline vaccines and Things to consider and discuss with your vet.

• “Vaccines and Sarcomas: A Concern for Cat Owners” from the Cornell Feline Heath Center.

•  “Are Annual Shots Overkill?” from the Wall St. Journal.

•  We are pleased to provide “Current Vaccination Recommendations for Kittens and Cats”.  This was written with the goal of providing the recommendations found in the 2000 and the 2006 Report of the AAFP/AFM to the cat-loving public in a two-page, easy to understand handout.  This handout has been a cooperative effort of the VAS Cat Show group and VAS Awareness working together with Dr James Richards, DVM of the Cornell Feline Health Center.

     If you would like to have a VAS educational table or speaker at your event or meeting, contact:

info@vas-awareness.org

For more information about VAS, our handouts, or for assembled Breeder’s Guides, contact:

info@vas-awareness.org

For the most comprehensive information available on the internet about Vaccine Associated Sarcoma,

visit www.CatShots.com