My friend in California got bit by a stray cat today. What's the odds of her catching rabies?

Answer 1

Probably slim to none, but I would still get checked out by a physician!

Answer 2

You need to have the cat tested or find it's owner (if there is one) to see if it's had it's shots. Unfortunately, the animal will need to be destroyed to find out if it has rabies but that's still better than you dying from it. Can you catch the cat? If not- call your doctor and ask what some of the signs are that would allow you time to get the proper treatment. Rabies is nothing to mess around with!!!

Answer 3

I just want to add my 2 cents, in the hope that it will help you get your friend to a doctor.

The chances are slim that the cat had rabies -- but rabies is NOTHING to fool around with. It can take a week or more for the first symptoms to show -- but once you have the first symptoms YOU ARE DEAD. There is no cure, no treatment --you're dead. It's one of the most lethal diseases known to Man.

Your friend needs to see a doctor and probably will need to get the rabies vaccine. They have improved the vaccine a lot -- it's not nearly as painful or difficult as it used to be!

So please have your friend go to a doctor. Why take a chance?

Answer 4

a tetnus shot (as mentioned above) does NOT stop Rabies, which is very slow moving...

If the cat has been caught it will be placed under a RABIES hold or RABIES watch for 10 days.... If the cat hasnt been caught you should try to do so.

If the cat actually has an owner, its owner will be able to indicate if the cat has had its rabies vaccination or not.

Otherwise your friend needs to report this, if the skin was broken and you are in a high risk area it is important to go to the hospital right away.

Answer 5

Tetanus shots do nothing against rabies. Definitely she should see a doctor, cat bites get infected 9 times out of 10. The chances of her catching rabies is pretty slim, but considering that rabies is ALWAYS fatal if you do catch it, it's definitely worth a trip to the doctor. Rabies shots do NOT treat rabies, there is no treatment for rabies. Rabies shots vaccinate you against the disease so that you don't catch it. You must get the rabies shots immediately for them to be effective.

Most rabid animals do not foam at the mouth. They act abnormal, like circling, acting confused, looking drunk, drooling. This behavior occurs in episodes, the animal can look perfectly normal in between episodes.

BTW...cats are much more likely to have rabies than dogs.

Answer 6

She should see a doctor about the bite if it broke the skin at all. There are shots that humans can get if they were bitten by animals that might have had rabies, so that they won't get rabies. However, this needs to be taken care of right away if it's going to be done.

Answer 7

The cat was a stray! Then I would for the sake of safety say a 100% chance.

You can not tell from the physical appearance of a rabid animal, as for rabies there are different stages for the infection.

I'm a retired police officer and have delt with animal control. I have captured rabid animals with no outward appearance of infection.

Why risk death, get treatment.................. NOW! don't wait!

Answer 8

rabies- who knows? if the cat wasn't acting weird its probably ok. however, i'd be very concerned about infection- especially if the cat drew blood. my husband was bitten by a friend's house cat a few years ago and had obvious signs of blood poisoning within 12 hours. there was a noticable red streak from the bite up his arm towards the heart. went to the er where the md said cat bites often cause blood poisoning. this infection can move VERY quickly. your friend should pay attention to the bite area and be checked by a doctor.

Answer 9

Ferrel cats can be very dangerous. There is a high chance it could be infected with the rabies virus. It could have ate another small animal that was infected. Have your friend go to the ER now, and they will give him a vaccine to make sure he isn't at risk. It is not the 21 shots in the stomach as the myth says.

If he doesn't he is at risk for lockjaw. I highly doubt he wants his jaw broken, then wired just because he didn't go get a few vaccines to be sure

Answer 10

The odds are probably in her favor, but it's not something she wants to gamble on. She should get the shots. As others have mentioned, there's a greater chance of infection with cat bites so tetanus shots and antibiotics are wise too.

Answer 11

There's cat scratch fever too, you know? And yes, it's a fatal disease. Rabies is also possible.

Have her go to a doctor immediately, so they can soak it in iodine and innoculate her for tetanus. Animal bite infections are running rampant, even from domesticated pets and animals.