Dead Cats & Rabies

Rabies is a deadly virus that can infect all mammals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 7 percent of all rabid animals reported in the United States were domestic animals in 2008. Of these, cats were by far the most numerous when it came to being infected with rabies.

  1. Rabies and Cat Population

    • The number of cats that tested positive for rabies is relatively small compared with the actual pet cat population. In 2008, according to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 294 cats were found to have rabies. When compared with the 93.6 million cats owned in the United States, according to the American Pet Products Association, the number of cats that tested positive is very small.

    Rabies and Fatality

    • Rabies is nearly 100 percent fatal if a cat contracts the disease. If a cat dies due to an unknown illness that causes it to stumble or salivate, have aggressive or shy behavior, act like it is choking, or show other odd behavior, you should have the cat examined for rabies.

    Transmission

    • Rabies is contracted through the saliva of an infected animal. The animal is able to infect a person or another animal only through a bite or getting saliva into a wound or scratch. Furthermore, infected animals cannot infect other animals until the virus reaches the brain. The animal then has at most 10 days to live. If you suspect a dead cat has died from rabies, avoid touching it with your bare hands---wear gloves, bag the animal and submit it to be examined by your state veterinarian.

    Verifying Rabies

    • There is no test for rabies for live animals. The animal must be dead or euthanized, and a veterinarian must examine the brain tissue. The direct fluorescent antibody test is the preferred test for rabies. A lab can often have test results within a few hours.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Cats are particularly susceptible to rabies because owners often allow them to roam. Keeping a cat inside and keeping rabies vaccinations up to date will prevent losing a cat to rabies. Dead cats are unlikely to transmit the disease to people, but as a precaution, you should always wear gloves and have any dead cat tested at the state's veterinary office to be sure it was not rabid. This is important if you've had contact with the animal while it was alive as you will need to start rabies vaccinations to avoid contracting the disease.