How likely is it to contract rabies from a cat scratch?

Question

i posted a ? a few days ago related to an incident with my cat & a man in my neighborhood. when i came home from work yesterday, i had 2 msgs from animal control saying they were coming to seize the cat to quarantine for 10 days because i didn't know if the person who gave the cat to me vaccinated him. the cat scratched this man on the nose. not bite.

Answer 1

The rabies virus enters the body through a cut or scratch, or through mucous membranes (such as the lining of the mouth and eyes), and travels to the central nervous system.
When an infected animal bites another animal, the rabies virus is transmitted through the infected animal's saliva. Scratches by claws of rabid animals are also dangerous because these animals lick their claws/paws.

Chances of getting rabies is much higher from a bite than a scratch, but it is still possible and law requires that any animal that bites or scratches someone be quarantined (at the owner's expense) for 10 days to make sure they do not exibit any signs of the virus. The animal will receive a rabies vaccine after the 10 day quarantine. Rabies vaccines are required by law, so make sure you keep your cat up to date at all times, by protecting your cat....you are also protecting yourself and your family.

Even if you are ever unsure if your pet had already been vaccinated, it does not hurt to have the vaccine administered again.....better safe, that sorry!

Answer 2

Rabies From Cat Scratch

Answer 3

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No, you can't contract rabies. The reason why is because you were SCRATCHED, not bitten. Rabies is spread through the saliva (or brain matter, but I'd doubt you've been in contact with their brain matter!). If the cat bit you, then you would need to quarantine the animal for 10 days to make sure that it doesn't die or show any signs of rabies. If it did, then you would need to be treated immediately. You cannot wait to see if you get sick, because once you show symptoms, you would be dead in a week (give or take a few days). The virus lives in the body for weeks to months before it hits the brain and affects the person (and they start showing symptoms), that's why you can treat it after a bite, to keep it from affecting you. But once it hits the brain, it's too late, you will die. If the cat did not die or show symptoms during the quarantine period, then the animal did not have the virus in their brain (or saliva) when it bit you. It could still be in their body, but they can't transmit until it gets into the saliva (and again, they'd die within days). Again, if you were scratched, not bitten, then rabies is not a risk here. But cat-scratch fever and other infections are, so you should see a doctor right away. He'll likely just put you on antibiotics to keep any infection from happening.

Answer 4

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RE:
How likely is it to contract rabies from a cat scratch?

Answer 5

While it is not likely, it is possible "if" the animal in question has rabies. Cats lick their paws and nails and this could then be transfered if the animal in question was/is infected.

Animal Control will keep the animal for 10 days to observe for any possible signs of rabies or questionable behavior.

Hope this helps out. I learned a bit on this subject this summer after I was bitten by a stray cat in my neighborhood. I had to take the rabies shots myself. No fun, let me tell you. If your interested you can check my link. It also discusses some of the animal control procedures concerning an animal that is quarantined.

Sorry your kitty has to go to quarantine jail for a few days...

Cat bute results in painful rabies injections.
http://decenturl.com/associatedcontent/cat-bite-results-in-rabies-shots

Answer 6

It is possible, but usually you contract it more through a cat bite, if you were bit or scratched by a rabid cat the best thing to do is go get a rabies shot.

Answer 7

rabies is carried in the saliva not the claws. a cat bite or scratch can lead to an infection if not treated properly and bites and scratches should be handled with care even if the animal does not have rabies.

Answer 8

Not very. You need to come into contact with the saliva or other bodily fluid of the infected animal.

In therory, if a cat scratched you and WAS infected with rabies and happened to get ti's saliva in the opened scratch, you could become infected. Not likely at all though.

Answer 9

It is impossible to contract rabies from a scratch. Rabies is spread only by direct saliva-blood or blood-blood contact.

Answer 10

Unless the cat is foaming at the mouth and snarling, its highly unlikely it has rabies; and its impossible to get rabies just from a simple scratch, even one that draws blood (no rabies virus-no rabies.) That's all there is to it.