Adverse Reactions to Rabies in Cats

Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that less than 1 percent of domestic animals are diagnosed with rabies each year, unvaccinated cats that live outside are particularly vulnerable for rabies because of their proximity to wild animals. Seek veterinary care immediately for treatment and a prompt diagnosis if you think an animal with rabies may have bitten your cat.

  1. Significance

    • Animals infected with the Rhabdoviridae virus that causes rabies secrete the virus in their saliva and transfer it to other animals through bite wounds. Only mammals contract rabies, with most cases appearing in skunks, bats, foxes and coyotes. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) states, "In recent years, cats have become the most common domestic animals infected with rabies . . . because many cat owners do not vaccinate their cats before the cats are exposed to rabid wildlife outdoors."

    Prodromal Phase

    • Once it hits the central nervous system, rabies symptoms advance quickly. Within a few days, in the prodromal phase of the disease, cats stop eating and drinking, run a fever, shy from human contact and may chew at the bite wound. You can also see subtle changes in behavior---your cat may become less social or gradually more aggressive.

    Furious Phase

    • During the furious stage of rabies, normally lasting two to four days, symptoms include aggression, erratic behavior, dilated pupils, no fear of natural enemies, ataxia (muscle incoordination) and constant vocalizing. Rabid cats attack any animal at will, biting and scratching, and will attempt to bite their way out of any constraints. They crave food and may try and eat inanimate objects. Diseased cats commonly suffer from seizures in the stage.

    Paralytic Phase

    • In the final two to four days of the paralytic stage, your cat will show signs of choking, an inability to swallow, drooling or foaming of saliva and paralysis of the throat and chewing muscles. As the paralysis spreads, the cat rapidly becomes comatose and dies.

    Prevention

    • Pet owners need to vaccinate their cats to avoid this disease. The AVMA recommends not letting your cats roam free, never keeping wild animals as pets and not allowing wild animals to eat from your garbage or pet food. They say to bat-proof your home and to observe all wild animals long distance, particularly if the animal is acting strangely.

    Warning

    • Any human who is bitten by a rabid cat can get rabies and must be treated before the virus reaches the brain for the treatment to be affective, say doctors at Penn State University's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Once the virus reaches the human central nervous system, the infected patient typically dies.