I tend to think, 1, 2, or 3, or a combination of them.

A cat bite often gets red/swollen, and shows infection. There may be fever and/or swollen lymph nodes. You can get tested for
bartonella I think.
this link explains all the bacteria that may be in a cat bite:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/739023_5
If you don't belong to medscape, you can join free very easily and keep your account open for any future visits.

2) the vaccines really could be culprits.

3) and post viral damage is real, and maybe self limiting, with a recovery period. (shingles pain does pass for many, but not everyone, and some have lingering nerve symptoms).

I will give this example using myself.... I am pretty stable all these years with my PN, but if I get MSG in food by accident from a carry out or restaurant, I can have a couple days of real flaring symptoms. The same with sudden falls in barometric pressure with the weather. So the environment may play a big part of our distress sometimes.

I certainly don't think you are "crazy"!