Rabies Worry

[Lily777]

Hello everyone,

I haven't been on for quite sometime because my health anxiety has been in a MUCH better place than before (yay!). I just felt the need to log on because I am obsessing over the possibility of having rabies, and I need some reassurance and support.

Tonight, I was petting a stray cat, and it got playful and bit/scratched me. The bite broke the skin, but it is a very shallow cut (similar to a paper cut) and it bled a little bit. While the cat is a stray, it was extremely friendly and not at all afraid of humans. It just wanted to be pet, and was very playful and docile. I washed the cut with soap and water, rubbed some alcohol on it, and put some bacterial cream on it. Of course, my mind goes to the worse case scenario and thinks that maybe this cat has rabies and now gave it to me.

I spoke to my mom, and my mom said that she has seen that cat before and that it always is in our yard. She said that it has never been aggressive/rabid, and that she's sure that it must be owned (or at least fed) by someone because of how comfortable it is with people. I have no way of knowing if it is owned by someone or has gotten rabies shots. I worry because the cat comes in contact with other animals that do have rabies such as skunks, raccoons, and bats while strolling the neighborhood. It definitely was not acting rabid at the time it bit me.

I know rabies is extremely rare in the United States; I googled and read that there are only 1 to 3 cases per year in humans. And that it is even rarer to find rabies in an animal like a cat. My mom told me that she is 100% sure I have nothing to worry about and that I shouldn't give it another thought. I asked her if I should call the doctor, and see if he recommends I get the rabies shots, and she said she does not think it is necessary.

I would appreciate anyone willing to talk me down from my anxiety, or share with me if they have had a similar fear. Do you think a call to the doctor is neccessary?

Thank you so much!

Lily <3

[AMomentofClarity]

Extremely extremely unlikely. 330M people in the US, 1-3 cases per year. Literally a 1/100,000,0000 chance. It’s so small, it’s not even worth considering the possibility unless you’re mauled by a wild animal. And even then you’re likely to be fine.

[Lily777]

Thank you for putting that in persepctive for me! I know the chance is very slim, but my anxiety brain tells me that I'm probably going to be one of the 1 to 3 people.

I just read on the humane society's website that an early sign of rabies could be an "overly friendly" animal, so of course that is just feeding my anxiety about the situation.

I read that the virus can only be transmitted when the animal is showing symptoms, and then it dies within 10 days. So if that cat lives beyond that period, I will feel much more at ease. Hopefully I still see it around.