how can i tell if my cat has rabies? and what do i do if she does?

Question

i recently jus came back from italy after i left my cat w/my mom 4 a month and a half and when i came back my cat started growling, hissing, biting and scratching me im scared she might have rabies! how do i know if she does? i heard that they either put the animal down or quarantine them ?

Answer 1

You cat is fine. It would have died by now if it had rabies.

She was problably abused or at least not very happy.

Answer 2

It's required by law for all cats, dogs, and ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies. So, if you've been bringing your cat to the vet, than I'm sure he's vaccinated. More than likely, the poor cat was just frightened. Cats startle easily and will lash out. They will also act aggressively and lash out when they are injured or sick. It is most definitely normal behavior for a feline. You did a good thing by putting him a room alone. This will give him time to calm down and get himself together. Cammy is mistaken. No shelter would willingly take in an animal that is suspected of having rabies. That would be entirely too dangerous. If you are still concerned, you can always bring your cat to the vet. He may have injured himself when he got stuck in the window anyway, so it might be a good idea. *edit* Cammy, your link just says the animal has to be quarentined. I already knew that and wasn't claiming they shouldn't be. Nowhere does the link suggest you send it to a shelter in order to do that. Shelters don't have enough space for healthy animals, let alone one that could potentially have a disease fatal to humans. A quarentine would not take place at a regular shelter where animals are adopted out of. Quarentine lasts 10 days and would take place at a vet office, or other locations deemed appropriate by the local health department. Shelters and pounds are two different things. A pound is either city or state owned. A shelter is a non-profit agency that relies on donations to maintain the animals. It is not affliated with any other organization, so the state cannot tell them they must hold a possibly infected animal. There is a huge difference between the two in terms of how long the animals are given to be adopted, and the quality of care they receive. At no time did I say that rabies isn't dangerous and shouldn't be taken seriously. I said quite the opposite, actually. Our disagrement completely lies in where the animal should be quarentined. If it's not done in a sterile, isolated area, than the rest of the public, and other animals, are at risk. I fail to see how you believe I would be responsible for giving everyone rabies if I was in charge and handled the situation that way. Well, therein lies the problem. When I say "shelter", I mean humane societies that are fully independent functioning facilities that are in no way affliated with the government. Those facilities would in no way take a rabid, or suspected rabid, animal. Their whole purpose is to find adoptive homes and a rabid animal is not adoptable, as you well know.

Answer 3

Do you have any idea how rare it is that a domesticated house cat has rabies???? Besides, it only takes 10 days for your cat to get violently ill from rabies and die. If you took her to the vet, (which seems a little premature) and she had not had a rabies vaccination and she had actually bitten you to break skin (read:you saw blood) then they would quarantine her either there, or at the local shelter, depending on your state and county laws. If something were to happen in those 10 days, and she passed away, then they would send a sample of her brain tissue to a testing lab and see if she had rabies. However, just because your cat is cranky, doesn't mean she has rabies. She probably is mad because you left for 4 1/2 months. Here are more problematic signs of rabies that I would look for:

-EXTREME aggression and excitement. As in NO ONE can touch her, come near her, hiding.
-Panic.
-Afraid of her water bowl (sounds stupid, but remember this is a disease of the central nervous system, and their throat closes up)
-Stops eating
-Spinning in circles, erratic behavior or movements.
-Last but not least, drooling at the mouth, at this point, her throat has closed up.

Please keep your cat up to date on her immunizations or leave her in the care of someone who can next time. I doubt she has rabies though.

Answer 4

Unfortunately the only way to test for rabies is by testing a brain slice and the cat has to be dead.

Had she had rabies shots? If so, you probably do not need to worry.

Maybe she is just mad at you. When I go away even when I leave my neighbor to feed my cats, one of my cats always runs away and hides the whole time I am gone and then she won't come back until a few days after I get home.

Answer 5

Didn't your cat have rabies shots? Check with your vet. Was she outside while you were gone? Could she have come in contact with wild animals or bats? She would have to have been bitten by an infected animal, and not have had her shots in order to get rabies. Maybe she just isn't happy about you leaving her for so long. If there IS a chance she was exposed to the disease and was not protected, you MUST take her to the vet, and yourself to the doctor at once.

Answer 6

Is she up to date on her rabies vaccine? if so, then i wouldn't worry about it. If not, then, I would take her to the vet. They can either quarantine her and booster her vaccine or put her to sleep. Hopefully she just had a bad time while you were gone and that's the only problem. Maybe she was treated not-so-great while you were gone.

By the way, it takes over 3months for your cat to show symptoms of rabies and at that point it's too late.

Answer 7

Is she foaming at the mouth? The vet will quarantine the cat first. The cat probably is reacting to the smells you have brought back and the fact that you have been gone.

Answer 8

I think it is highly unlikely that your cat has rabies. I think she probably is mad at you for leaving her for so long. She may not recognize your smell anymore, or you may smell differently now. If you think something else could be medically wrong with her that get her to the vet for a check up to make sure.

Answer 9

If it has it will be growling, hissing, biting and scratching, which could well give you it too. Get it seen to by a vet.

Answer 10

You must go to the vet immediately. This is a disease that can be spread to other animals and humans, plus your cat will be in pain.