Rabies...my worst fears have come true

[AnxiousJamie]

FishmanPA, I need your logic! I am petrified of rabies. But I mostly get by fine by avoiding situations that could cause rabies....until this weekend.

Background: we have an outside cat that is UTD on all vaccinations. We keep him around to scare away mice and snakes from the woods around our house. This spring, a beautiful, pregnant Siamese stray came around. She had her kittens in my yard and I fixed them up a house and even kept them in my garage during cold nights. After finding homes for all her kittens, we had decided that we would get this new female spayed. I was planning on doing that this week as we just placed her last kitten last week. Well Mama cat is sick! I mean she looks like she’s about to die any minute. She started showing symptoms yesterday. I’m convinced she has rabies bc I know she hasn’t been vaccinated. Me, my husband, and my daughter have all had contact with her for weeks now. She licks us, rubs against us, and has scratched a time or two. She’s never bitten any of us. However there are cases where cat scratches have caused rabies if the cat had saliva on her claws and she’s licked us too. I have the cat in my garage tonight and we are going to the vet first thing in the morning. Someone please tell me that my whole family has not been exposed to rabies!!!

[AMomentofClarity]

There’s thousands and thousands of people in America bit or scratched by strange animals every year.....and there’s an average of 2 cases of rabies. Odds are well in your favor of being just fine.

[Fishmanpa]

AMomentofClarity said it best.... mathematically alone rules this out and add to that, not one rabies fear has come true ever on the forum.

Positive thoughts

[AnxiousJamie]

Thank y’all. You are both right. But the thing that has me so worried is that the cat actually is very sick with something. Most people who have posted about bites or scratches...they were bitten by otherwise healthy looking animals. I don’t even know if this cat will make it thru the night. She’s bad off. Won’t eat or drink. I handled her with thick gloves today and couldn’t find much except that one nostril looked to be bleeding a little.

[AMomentofClarity]

Thank y’all. You are both right. But the thing that has me so worried is that the cat actually is very sick with something. Most people who have posted about bites or scratches...they were bitten by otherwise healthy looking animals. I don’t even know if this cat will make it thru the night. She’s bad off. Won’t eat or drink. I handled her with thick gloves today and couldn’t find much except that one nostril looked to be bleeding a little.

It could be a thousand different things that aren’t rabies.

[diego_]

Rabies symptoms in cats are very characteristic, the cat is almost definitely sick for a different reason. But, if it will make you feel better, I'd recommended get your family vaccinated. It's side effects are rare and usually subtle.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I just want to say I think it's great that you have taken in this cat and found homes for her kittens.

It's obviously a matter of getting this cat to a vet to help her but all you know is that she is sick. Consider all you know about when your own cat gets sick, what you've heard elsewhere about how cats behave when ill in terms of feeding/energy/sleeping. There could be many reasons for her to be sick and she is going to behave a certain way when feeling ill just as we do.

I hope she is ok and continues to benefit from the loving home you have provided.

[NervUs]

I have had this exact fear...rabiescfrom cat scratch. Less than .1% of cats test pos for rabies in my state, so very low. It is so much more likely that your cat is suffering from some other ailment. If she dies, definitely submit her for testing. If not, the vet might put her oncwatch for 10 days. If she is still alive at the 11th day, it was not rabies and no worry about shots.

So sorry you have to go through this! My child was scratched by a feral kitten and that's what we had to do.

[AnxiousJamie]

Thanks all. I have an update. Unfortunately my kitty had to be put to sleep this morning. Our vet said she was very sick and it was decided that the most humane thing to do would be to let her go. She was suffering. My heart breaks. But even worse, I have to tell my 4year old this afternoon ����. My vet said he suspected feline leukemia or possibly pneumonia. He’s been a vet for 35 years and has never seen a case of rabies. He is gonna send off samples for testing but he said that was just to ease my fears. Thank you all. I’ll update when tests come back.

[diego_]

I've lost many cats to feline leukemia... it's such an horrible disease. I hope you are doing well.