does my cat have rabies ?

Question

I got this stray cat when he was a kitten a little over a year and has been indoors the whole time. He never liked humans so i can not even pet him but he loves my other cat and seems normal besides that. I have never taken him to the vet to get his shots. The other day he bit me and now i am wondering if he has rabies. from what i looked up online he does not have any signs and i would think that having him for over a year I would have seen signs or for that matter for the rabies to have already taken its cource ??

Answer 1

rabies takes about two weeks before showing symptoms and the animal will die a few days after, so he definitely doesn't have rabies unless he could have been exposed to an animal that does.

it's more likely he's feral since you found him as a stray, and that would explain why he doesn't like people. he will just take some extra love, attention, and socialization to get him to come around, hopefully.

you should take him to the vet though, all cats need to be vaccinated just in case he accidentally gets out (you may think he never will but cats are suprisingly good at escaping if they decide one day that they want out). plus your vet should be able to give you some advice on how to train him to accept humans, if that's what you want.

good luck!

ps - in response to "me" 's post, the only way they can test for rabies is by killing the animal, so if there was any possibility the cat DID have rabies, the only other alternative of "testing" for rabies is, you'd have to get rabies vaccinations and the cat would be quarentined for i think two weeks.

Answer 2

If you are absolutely sure that the cat has not been outside and has not been exposed to animals that go out then it is pretty much impossible for him to have rabies. Cats bite for many reasons, fear, annoyance, anger, showing dominence, and just because. The only tests for rabies are to keep the cat confined for a period of 10 days to 2 weeks to make sure it does not become ill with the symptoms you read about or to have it killed and its brain examined. The US Centers for Disease Control says that while rabies may take months to manifest in an animal the only time it is contagious (and the only time the animal will act sick) is after the disease has moved into the animals brain and saliva. Then usually within 3-5 days it will be very obvious that the animal is sick with the symptoms you read about. If the cat does start to show thise sympoms in the next few days then you do have to take it to a vet and it does have to be tested even though that means putting it to sleep which is actually kinder than letting it gon through a horrible death from rabies so that you can find out of you need the human prevenataive rabies treatments so that you do not get sick and die.

It would be very good for your cat - both cats - to go to the vet and get his shots and for you to consider having him neutered because it will help calm him, stop him from territory marking (peeing or spraying) in your home, make him less likely to become aggressive with you and with your other cat and help him be less likely to get the idea of running out sometime when you open the door and not coming back or getting very sick if he did get out and get into a fight or was exposed to another animal who was sick.

I'm glad you rescued him and gave him a good home and that you understand and accept his not being a cuddly kitty. He is blessed to have you.

Answer 3

First, no cat has infected a human with rabies for over 4 decades.

Cats are less susceptible to rabies than many other animals. When cats do get rabies, they usually get the “furious” type; they stop eating, become very aggressive, and make unprovoked attacks on other animals and humans. Rabid cats usually die within four to eight days.

You have a feral cat. It has the same traits as a wild animal. Cat bites get infected easily and can lead to "cat scratch fever". The treatment for the bite is to wash it well with soap and water. If it gets infected as demonstrated by increasing redness and swelling then you need to see a doctor for antibiotic treatment.

Answer 4

No. Dogs are the only animal I know that can spread rabies

Answer 5

Your cat is probably a wild cat, in other words not a people kitty. If it had rabies, it would have died long ago. It doesn't take long for rabies to kill an animal. I had a cat like yours and it just didn't like people. good luck.

Answer 6

If he'd had rabies for over a year, he'd be long dead by now.

Still, get him to the vet to get his shots ASAP. In most places, that's actually the law.

Clean the bite thoroughly and keep a close eye on it - cat bites can get infected very easily.

Answer 7

You would know if he had rabies. It affects animals neurologically so it would be obvious if something was wrong. However, you should get your cat vaccinated every year for his safety, as well as yours.

Cat bites and scratches can become easily infected so make sure you clean it daily and apply antibiotic ointment until it heals.

Answer 8

No..he does not have rabies..but he needs to go to the vet anyway. he will probably calm down once he is neutered.

Answer 9

take him to the vet to see. if he does and he bit you... you need to know like now. even if you are sure he doesn't have rabies your better safe than sorry.

PS your cat may be getting more aggressive with age and i would recommend talking to your vet about his aggression and see what obedience stuff can make him better (even less shy!) to humans.

Answer 10

Yes, you are right. He does not have rabies so don't worry about that.