Does my cat have raies?

Question

Okay, so, two days ago I noticed my cat was having trouble walking. She'd walk a few steps and then her hind legs would slip from under her and she'd fall. This is obviously abnormal behavior, so I took her to the Vet yesterday. The Vet didn't know what it was, but gave her some kind of fluid in case she had ingested something dangerous and told me to call him on Monday after the weekend.

Last night and today, however, she has even more difficulty walking, and even standing now. She can only move a couple steps before falling over onto her side. She's also become lethargic, though she's attentive and alert. I'm worried now, however, that she has rabies. I've only had her for two weeks, and she just got her rabies vacine last week, she could have contracted it before I got her.

Does this sound like it could be the case to anybody? As if that wouldn't be terrible enough, I'm worried about my other cats and dog. What would happen to them ifit turns out an animal in my house had rabies?

I actually got her from my sister, who received her with the cat's mother a few months ago. She's only about 8 months old, and her history before my sister received her is completely unknown.

Answer 1

that sounds exactly like a friend of mines cat

but what happened was i found this kitten about age 5 weeks

mother abandoned it.

i gave it to my friend and it started walking funny as it got older and it would fall over so they took it to the vet and they found out that the cats hind legs joints had disenagrated, and thats what happened the vet said its extremely rare and hes never seen it in cats so really check that out!!!!

the cat is like 3 years old and is able to move around with her disability

Answer 2

Is your kitty drinking? Usually they will stop drinking when infected with rabies. The whole swallowing thing seems to be impossible for affected animals. I should think if rabies was suspect the vet would have been more concerned than - "call me after the weekend". So while this might be a possibility, I doubt it is. You don't say where you got your kitty from? Did you notice any wounds or puncture marks on your kitty? healing or otherwise?

Your concern for your other animals is only founded IF they have NEVER been vaccinated for rabies. If they have they should be fine.

The only way to be sure if your kitty has rabies is an examination of the brain (after death) so I would think seriously about how it is possible before mentioning rabies. Obviously, rabies IS dangerous to you, your family and your other pets so I am not telling you to forget about it just try and track down where your kitty was before and if it was even possible to have had exposure to rabies.

How old is your kitty by the way? Could you write to me so that I can know the answers to some of my questions AND know how things are going for your kitty? Thanks.

Answer 3

It is most likely not rabies. Rabies is somewhat rare and usually affects feral cats who live outdoors and who come into contact (a fight for instance) with another infected animal.
Here are some other possibilities. You mention that she had a rabies shot last week. These shots have been known to cause adverse reactions in a small percentage of cats.
Weakness in the rear legs is a somewhat common symptom of many ailments. It is referred to as muscle wasting. One cause of muscle wasting is low potassium or high phosphorus levels.
Another cause is not eating. Cats require a high protein diet, and when they don't get enough, they don't convert fat like us humans do. Instead, their bodies resort to absorbing nutrients from their muscle mass to sustain them. The rear legs are the first place this usually manifests itself, since there is a great amount of muscle there.
I would say that the cats situation is critical and would benefit to a trip to the emergency hospital. A competent vet should be able to pinpoint the cause relatively quickly.

Answer 4

Rabies kills a cat in less than 2 weeks and the obvious signs are that the cat is SICK and can't swallow. Rabies constricts the throat. If she's drinking water, it's definately not rabies.

You're describing a neurological reaction in your cat, consistent with poison or toxic chemicals, or a severe depletion of potassium (or a number of other things). Did your vet run a blood panel test? That would give you a lot more info as to how the inside of the cat is working.

Answer 5

Anytime there are neurologic signs, rabies is a possibility. I doubt your kitty has rabies, but she definitely has something bad going on. Are her back legs cooler to the touch than her front legs? I would keep her away from the other pets in the household, this will prevent her from spreading rabies if she does have it. If she dies, you should have her tested for rabies for your own health and peace of mind due to her unknown history.

Answer 6

It's very doubtful that your animal has rabies, It could be wobblers, an ear infection, some sort of head trama, vestibular disease.

Rabies is very very rare in house pets. Also once an animal starts presenting with signs of rabies they are usually dead with a couple of days meaning if your cat was rabid it would most likely be dead by now. Also since she has had her rabies shot it is very very doubtful that she has it.

It's most likely she has an ear infection or some sort of vestibular disease. The good news is that these are not contagious and are treatable if caught early on. Since your cat is getting worse I would advise calling your vet on emergency. Your baby could be going downhill very quickly especially if she isn't able to get to food or water!!!

Answer 7

your cat might have had a bad reaction to the vaccine this happens with a lot of vaccines but im mot sure about rabbies. take your cat back to the vet immediatly and you may want to shell out some cash for bloodwork and such. this sounds reallyserious so please take it very seriously. if your current vet does not seem to know the answer bring your cat to another vet. all vets are not created equal. what have you been feeding her? diet is very important. grain free diets high in meat and preferably human grade meat are important

Answer 8

what's raies I think you mean rabies

Answer 9

yes