does my cat have rabies or is just territorial?

Question

my cat who's lil over 1 yr old.. recently gave birth to kittens a month ago. I let her stay in the house but she's normally an outside cat. I have 3 other adult cats and she gets along with them fine. my brother in law came to my house to drop off his 4 cats since he couldn't keep them.. my cat saw all of them and went nuts.. attacked all of them and 3 of those cats were 6 months kittens!! so I put her outside along w her babies the following morning, hoping she'd calm down. But no.. my brother in law had tied up his german shepard way too close to my house. my cat and the kittens were on the front porch.. everything was fine. then I walked over to the dog to pet him and I didnt know my cat followed me and she full-on attacked the dog. I had to kick her off the dog and hauled her back to the front porch.. my husband came home and my cat wouldn't let him near the front door! she attacked my husband. all family members says she got rabies but I dont think so. what to do?

Answer 1

She has babies. The poor thing is frantic because you put her in a strange, stressful situation by allowing FOUR new cats in her territory.

Unneutered toms will kill kittens in order to get the mother to go back into heat. She is reacting very normally to being threatened.

And then you bring a huge freaking dog near her? Of course she will attack him.

And you KICKED her?

This cat is in total stressed-out mode. She sounds as if she is part feral anyway from lack of consistent human interaction.

You would be doing her a kindness to get her to a shelter along with her kittens.

And consider the idea that 8 cats and now these kittens are extreme overpopulation. Ever consider spaying and neutering?

Sadly it is people like you who allow their animals to indiscriminately breed so that the animal shelters are euthanizing unwanted animals day after day.

You are part of the problem. Be a responsible pet owner and downsize and have your animals fixed so they don't continue to add to the overpopulation problem.

Answer 2

Dear heavens! So many things to talk about.

First off, outdoor cats have a MUCH shorter lifespan than indoor cats. Indoor only cats live at least 15 years or better, while outdoor cats live less than five years. If you love your cat, keep her indoors.

Second, please, please spay your kitty. Take a walk through a pet shelter and look at the poor homeless kittens that will eventually have to be put to sleep because there aren't enough homes for all the cats having kittens. Plus, your cat will be much easier to keep if she's spayed. She'll be much calmer and you won't have the mess of dealing with a cat in heat (all the boy kitties spraying around your house, etc.)

Third, when you bring a new animal into your home, always introduce them slowly and gently. The newcomer should go into a private room, with its own bed and litterbox and toys. Let them smell each other under the door, and visit the new cat and let the old cat smell the new cat on you for a few days. Swap them out in their spaces, so they can explore each others' smells and scent each others' litter. When you feel confident, let them have SHORT face-to-face visits. There will be some hissing. As soon as it starts, separate them again. And, when your cat has kittens, it's NOT a good time to introduce new pets to her territory, because she's going to be all the more protective of her turf.

And yes, the generalized aggression is probably just her way of dealing with all the trauma she was subjected to. Right now, what you should do is bring her in, put her in a quiet room with her litter box, a box bed for her kittens and herself, and keep her alone and quiet for several days until she feels safe again. You may also need to have her seen by a vet if you kicked her very hard.

If you do all the above things, you should never see your cat attack another animal again. But if for some odd reason it happens again, use a spray bottle to get her off, rather than kicking her.

Answer 3

Bringing in strange cats can freak out a cat, especially a new mother. It sounds very extreme but I would doubt that it is rabies. Maybe you could find someplace comfortable for the cat outside until it probably calms down in a few weeks. I would talk to a vet or animal control just to make sure that rabies is not in your area. There are some recent reports of rabies. There was a rabid bat in LA and a 5 year old had to wrestle a fox to say his playmates in South Carolina. The odds are low but humans lives may be at risk.
http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_news/story/184321.html

Answer 4

Grab that wild mother cat and her babies and find a quiet corner for them(not near a door) She will come for her food when she is hungry enough. Keep the other cats away. Well, they would have got the hint from the mom already. She is over protective of her brood. It will pass once the kittens get older. Other cats(even brothers and sisters will kill her brood just because they are small like mice.) They don't know any different.
Rabies would have her foaming at the mouth.

Answer 5

Just because your cat is behaving erratically does not mean she has rabies. The symptoms of rabies are slightly different. There are several things to consider here.

Your cat is a mother - she is very protective right now.

New cats were brought into your house -- Cats are very sensitive to change. If they do not recognize a new smell they can have behavior issues. Cats can act adverse when strangers are thrown in on their territory.


Most likely your cat does not have rabies because a rabies vaccine can last for years, rabies is a popular disease but not a common disease, and there are other things that can obviously contribute to the behavior.

Answer 6

Wow! Get all the cats fixed and you should be doing everyone a favor. I foam at the mouth too when I get kicked and hauled off.
Take the newest group to the pound or to an animal shelter that does not destroy critters.
Your female cat is just a loving mother trying to ensure the safety of her children.
If she's frothing at the mouth(I know I am right now!)Call the police or nearest animal shelter for help.
Good luck and remember to love each other.

Answer 7

no she doesnt have rabies. she is just being protective of her babies-not even territorial. are you not able to put her in a bedroom w/ the babies away from the rest of the animals? especially the newcomers? she was used to your cats but your brother-in-law's cats are newcomers and are in HER house. i'd say put her in her own room until the babies get old enough and get her fixed. go to www.spay.org for a local low cost shelter, cuz it sounds like you have your hands full.

hope this helps.

Answer 8

probably just territorial becase there like "why are these cats in MY house and probably cause the one cat has babies

Answer 9

Feline mothers, particularly first time mothers, are very territorial and can be quite violent.

She isn't rabid, she is just being a very overprotective mother.

Answer 10

If she dies, she had rabies. If she lives, she has "issues" (like all chicks).

I knew an outdoor cat that lived to be 18. It toughens them up. So there. Don't make your pvssy a pvssy.