Rabies? Help?

Question

I think my cat has rabies. We found her today after she had been gone for 5 days. She was skinny, he head felt like there was skin missing under her fur and she was hissing and scratching and biting at everyone and everything. She scratched my mom but not badly. I tried to calm her by giving her treats but she hissed and tried to claw me. She has been hiding in the corners for a few hours. Im afraid because I have two baby (7 month) old cats and a 13 year old cat. The pysco one is 11. Tomorrow my school will be out for staff development. I think thats good so I can keep her away from the kittens, but if she bites me and she DOES have rabies there will be no one to take me to the doctors or whatever. No saliva...but her back legs seem weird and hunched. She is going mental. I am keeping the kittens away from her. (they think they are invincible so I don't want them to get bit.) The crazy cat has fleas (eww) too. Is it just that? Her flea collar is worn out. Im not sure. Help?

just to add a bit. she basically lives outside. she loves it. she has been waiting at the door and growling at us for not letting her out. she has been out for years. she comes and goes as she pleases.

okay even more to add, my mom isn't letting her back out for a while.

This is scary. im not trying to be dramamtic but she JUST tried to run up the stairs and i locked my door with the kittens in it. my lock actually is broken a bit and if she pushed hard enough, she COULD open it. I just don't want to get the babies bit or myself.

okay so this morning my mom put her back out. She was breaking things and if she wants to come home, then she will. If she wants to die outside, then she will. We're ready to face the facts that she doesn't really want to even be here. I kept the kittens in my room. They weren't attacked thankfully. My crazy cat tried to attack them though. I blocked the door off.

Answer 1

What you're describing is a cat in severe stress and pain. The back legs concern me. Everyone jumps on the rabies bandwagon, but it's unlikely, there just aren't all that many cases in each state to have that be the #1 thing to jump to.

She needs to be checked over by a vet, preferably one who handles feral cats (they have a technique to handle the hard to touch cats). Calling her psycho is only assuming things, you need to work with facts. IS she hurt, IS she in pain, IS she stressing out with terror.

If she's not moving normally, she needs to be looked at immediately. If she had a rabies vaccination anytime in the past 5 years she should still be covered by it, the titers are still in her body and would protect her.

Fleas can be taken care of with one drop of Advantage, the vet can give that to her. Flea collars do virtually nothing, the chemicals in them are never balanced right, and if they get wet they can leech out and poison the cat where the collar touches on the neck.

Have a professional take a look at her to see what's wrong. She would also need a quiet environment, not people reaching to grab at her, after her being alone for so long. She needs to readjust back to indoors and that can take a while, even after just 5 days. There's more going on here than you're anticipating.

Answer 2

Several symptoms are associated with rabies;

1. A recent, open wound

2. Aversion to water

3. Altered behavior as you described above

I absolutely understand your concern, but please be aware that the only way an animal can be tested for rabies is to humanely euthanize it and sever the head. Please try to check this cat thoroughly for open wounds before making such a drastic decision. It could simply be that she was traumatized by her outdoor adventure and a stable home will calm her after a few days or a week.

Also be aware that if your cat scratched your Mom and drew blood, she'll need to go through a rabies series as a precautionary measure.

Answer 3

This sounds bad. You need to get that cat to a vet ASAP and keep her quarantined from your other pets in the meantime. She may have rabies if you have not had her innoculated against that - or some other disease. Call animal control if you have to in order to get the cat inside a cat carrier and transported to the vet. You cannot leave things as they are and "hope for the best" becuase something is obviously the matter with 11 yr old kitty. I am thinking distemper :( Please have the kitty seen and protect your other pets!

Answer 4

Is she current on her rabies shot? If so, then that's probably not it. Get some heavy duty gloves and stick her in a cat carrier and take her to the vet. They can't test for rabies without killing her, but at least they'll recognize the symptoms. If she does have it, or if they think she does, then she needs to be put down.

And if you haven't already, get the other animals in the house vaccinated for rabies ASAP.

Answer 5

while you're incredibly effective that the cat has no longer been outdoors and has no longer been uncovered to animals that bypass out then that's surprisingly plenty impossible for him to have rabies. Cats chew for many motives, concern, annoyance, anger, showing dominence, and purely with the aid of fact. the only tests for rabies are to maintain the cat restricted for a era of 10 days to 2 weeks to make effective it would not develop into ill with the indicators you study or to have it killed and its strategies examined. the U. S. centers for ailment administration says that jointly as rabies would take months to take place in an animal the only time that's contagious (and the only time the animal will act ill) is after the ailment has moved into the animals strategies and saliva. Then often interior of three-5 days it's going to be very glaring that the animal is ill with the indicators you study. If the cat does start to coach thise sympoms contained in here few days then you incredibly do would desire to take it to a vet and it does would desire to be examined even even with the undeniable fact that which potential putting it to sleep this is actual kinder than letting it gon by a terrible loss of existence from rabies so as which you will locate out of you want the human prevenataive rabies cures so as which you do no longer fall ill and die. it could be very stable to your cat - the two cats - to bypass to the vet and get his photos and so which you would be able to contemplate having him neutered with the aid of fact it is going to help calm him, stop him from territory marking (peeing or spraying) on your place, make him much less probably to develop into aggressive with you and with your different cat and help him be much less probably to get the belief of working out sometime once you open the door and not coming returned or getting very ill if he did get out and get right into a combat or became into uncovered to a distinct animal who became into ill. i'm happy you rescued him and gave him a stable abode and which you realize and settle for his no longer being a cuddly kitty. he's blessed to have you ever.

Answer 6

This is a terrible story and I am so sorry. Please get your parents to take her to the vet right away. Even if she does not have rabies, she sounds like she is very sick or badly injured (perhaps from getting hit by a car) and needs help. Fleas are the least of her problems, but if you go to my 360 I have a Blog entry about fleas that you might find helpful. (What to do about Itchy and Scratchy)

Answer 7

Rabies takes about 6 months to show up. So, unless she was outdoors a few months ago, I don't think it was that.

I think the cat was injured somehow. BADLY!
I think you should take the cat to the vet and fix what's wrong, or you should have her put to sleep. She is obviously suffering.