How to know if your cat has rabies


Rabies is related to dogs, but this viral disease can be contracted by any mammal, even cats. It is a very dangerous disease for your kitten and for humans, because the animal can infect people. Detecting the first symptoms of rabies in the cat is very important, to preserve the health of the family and other pets.


What is feline rabies

The rabies disease is infectious and viral and all mammals can suffer from it, for this reason cats can also get sick. Rabies is a serious, life-threatening disease, affecting the central nervous system and causing acute encephalitis.

How is feline rabies spread?

The contagion is produced by the bite of an animal that suffers this disease or by the wounds that your pet may suffer if it fights with an animal that has this disease. It should be noted that rabies has to be spread by another animal, it does not appear suddenly.

For this reason, if your feline suffers from this disease, it means that on some occasion it has had contact with another infected animal or with remains of animals that have suffered from rabies.

The virus is found in the saliva and secretions of these animals, that is why a simple bite is enough to spread the virus.

How to prevent rabies in cats

To  prevent rabies in cats, you should get the rabies vaccine at 4 or 5 months of age and then carry out the annual booster vaccination. Similarly, you can minimize the risk of your cat becoming infected with rabies by preventing them from going outside.

Bats that fly erratically and collide with objects are likely to suffer from this disease, so you don’t have to let your pet get close to them.

Unfortunately, rabies has no treatment or cure. It is a rare disease and most cats that suffer from it end up dying.

Symptoms of rabies in cats

If your feline usually leaves the house often and interacts with other animals, you must pay attention to this disease, you must inform yourself about it and you must try to prevent it by taking the appropriate measures.

You have to bear in mind that if an animal that suffers from this disease bites your pet, it can infect it. If you want to know how rabies affects cats and the symptoms of this disease, we will explain it to you:

  1. Rabies is a virus that directly damages the nervous system of the cat, that is why one of the signs that your kitten may be infected are changes in its behaviour. Symptoms can appear between four and six weeks after the bite, it all depends on the age of your cat and where the sick animal bit your pet. How much the virus infects your pet is called the incubation phase .
  2. Once symptoms appear, rabies has three phases. The first phase, which can last from 2 to 10 days, is called the rotten period . 

Your kitten may manifest all or some of the following symptoms:

  • Fever
  • Excessive drooling
  • Aggressive look
  • Important changes in their behaviour and temperament: aggressiveness, restlessness, anxiety. Suddenly, the most aggressive cats can become docile, and the docile ones can go wild instead.
  • Depression and loss of appetite.
  • Excessive vocalizations and changes in the sound of the meows.

3. The second phase of anger is called the furious or excited phase . During this stage, the angry cat may have the following symptoms:

  • Running and walking compulsively and aimlessly.
  • The aggressiveness of the previous phase continues.
  • Itching on the body that causes it to bite itself.
  • Seizures and lack of coordination.

4. The last phase is called the paralytic phase. At this point an angry cat will show these symptoms:

  • Breathing difficulties.
  • Paralysis.
  • Suffocation and death.
  • Foaming on the muzzle.

5. Rabies is a deadly disease for the cat and for any other mammal, that is why if your feline contracts it, it will be difficult to save it.

But it is essential that you isolate your cat from the rest of the animals and people who live in your house, since it could infect any pet or person with rabies.

To prevent rabies it is essential that you vaccinate your kitten at four to five months of age against this disease. Also, to guarantee the health of your cat you have to apply the annual booster of this vaccine.


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