Cat has rabies???

[Zahboo]

If it was her first rabies shot, it's a one year, then there is a 3 year. I've wouldn't jump straight to rabies, but I would definitley get her to the vet. With public health issues (YES rabies have a public health risk) you need to get her to the vet, I'm sure they will work out a payment.

 

[High Roost Ranch]

I don't think you're understanding the potential seriousness of this situation. If it is rabies, it needs to be dealt with promptly. Time is of the essence, I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH. Call your local vet and be upfront with them. Tell them you believe YOUR cat has rabies, and you want it evaluated. Tell them you don't have the means to pay. Tell them upfront. It is in their best interest to serve the animal, especially in this case. Times are tough and it's general knowledge that people are under financial strain. If they won't help you then immediately call Animal Control. They will help you. As was said, worries about getting into trouble for not having your pet UTD on vaccines or license is TRULY the least of your worries at this point. The cat is suffering. And if it is rabies and you become infected, what you see the cat experiencing is what you'll be experiencing.

I've done the rabies series vaccine. It's not as bad as they say it is. I was bitten by a fox kit and instead of having the animal destroyed to test it due to my negligence, I went through the rabies vaccinations myself. But that's not saying you've not already been inadvertently exposed and could be manifesting a live case yourself. Don't mess around, get the cat seen by a vet immediately. Use a large thick blanket, drap it over the cat, roll it into a kennel or box and secure it. Then hustle to the vet.

Good luck and please don't waste time. If you're wanting someone to say don't worry, this problem will fix itself, that isn't going to happen. This is serious. It could be deadly.

 

[Oven Ready]

I am unconvinced it is rabies.. The incubation period for rabies in cats, before major symptoms are seen, is about 3-4 weeks at a minimum and up to about 5 months. Cats also only have a 20% chance of contracting rabies when bitten by a rabid animal.

It sounds to me more like a serious infection, very common from cats fights and can be fatal if untreated.

BUT better safe than sorry (or dead), I would be extremely wary of being in contact with the animal if YOU suspect rabies and you should take the advice of everyone else here and contact the proper authorities immediately. If you cannot afford to pay a vet then contact a welfare group, tell them you have a cat with suspected rabies locked in your house and they will probably know who to contact.

I guess if you say it's your cat they might charge you, if it's not your cat but you 'trapped' it in your porch how can they charge you? (but it's unlikley you'd get it back if it's "not yours", if it has rabies you won't be getting it back anyway.

 

[cmjust0]

Last time I suspected something didn't have rabies on this forum, it was put down for potentially being rabid....so I'm hesitant to say this, but I also doubt this is rabies. If the cat's been vaccinated at all in the last several years, I *really* doubt it's rabies.

Ya know those so-called "3 year vaccines" people are talking about? Yeah...they're the same as the 1yr. You can't really make a vaccine any "stronger" or "weaker" considering that it's not the actual vaccine which confers immunity, but the animal's own immune response to the vaccine. They get away with calling them 3-year vaccines because they tested vaccinated animals 3-years later, and they were still protected. Voila -- 3 year vaccine is born.

Anyway, I'd say it's an infection.. Cat's probably delerious with fever right now.. If you can't afford veterinary care, at least drive your hind end down to TSC or some farm/feed store and buy some kind of OTC antibiotic to take a stab at treating it.

Actually...better idea....if you have a fish store nearby -- like a dedicated fish/aquarium supply kinda place -- call them up and ask if they have a product called "FishMox".. They're OTC amoxicillin tablets, and they should be pretty cheap. Assuming the cat weighs about 10lbs, he'd need about 100mg every 12hrs.. The tablets are 250mg...break one in half and cram it down his mouth. Or, actually, crush it up in a little water and squirt it down his throat with a syringe. Or if they have FishFlex and not FishMox, that'll work too...1/2 a tablet every 8 hours instead of 12..

If all else fails, hell...go grab some tetracycline powder and give that at a rate of 9mg/lb of bodyweight every 8hrs.. If I were REALLY up against a wall in a situation like this and all I could get was injectable tetracycline (LA200, Agrimycin-200, etc), I'd probably squirt about 1/2ml of that down his neck every 8 hours.

There was a time when I wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything like any of that but...well...these days, that's just how I roll.

He could certainly also stand to have the wound itself re-evaluated...it probably needs to be disinfected. While you're out getting your FishMox or whatever, stop by a pharmacy and pick up a cheap bottle of generic betadine. You're talking about...what...a total of $25, maybe? Couldn't be much more than that...

Point being -- there are things you can do besides fret, and it's your cat. You're kinda sorta morally obligated to do something.

So do something.

Whew...ok.. </

>

 

[Love my Critters!]

Well said...

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

only problem is if it does have rabies you shouldnt' be sticing your hand anywhere near the mouth. The vet was called. They didnt' really give any susgestions on how to help or what to do and said she woudl most likely die soon. Just to clear up the money she has the money to use and most likely her mom/or grandma woudl help pay.

 

[cmjust0]

My experience has been that when a vet's called and states than an animal will probably die soon, it's generally because the caller has indicated that they're unwilling to bring the animal in for treatment. I've heard that conversation MANY time at my local vet's office...people call up asking for free advice or directions, vet/tech/clerk advises to bring the animal in, caller declines, vet/tech/clerk indicates that the animal's probably going to die without treatment.


Both parties go "Oh well" -- click -- and life keeps rolling right along...well, for everyone except the animal in question.


But, just to be clear...are you telling us that the vet DID NOT ask you to bring the cat in, and instead just told you -- over the phone -- that the cat was probably going to die soon anyway?


If so, then my suggestion would be to call another vet because that one's clearly unqualified to be practicing veterinary medicine.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
I agree with her 100% and she is on the money about people not taking their pets to vets and for those who says NOT to bring the cat in for treatment, should not be practicing veterinary medicine. I was studying pre vet courses and those are the ones they did cover in class about people calling in for free advices vs coming in for treatment, however, it is the owner's decision on animal's life and how important that pet or livestock was for them.

 

[patandchickens]

Whoa whoa whoa.

A lot of misinformation on this thread, and it's a serious subject.

1) it would be extremely unlikely (not impossible, just unlikely) for a previously vaccinated cat to have rabies, even if the vaccination was not technically up to date.

2) it would be super rare to have only 1 week incubation (from infection to symptoms). A month or months is the norm.

3) the symptoms you describe are NOT particularly characteristic of rabies (they don't rule out rabies, as rabies can present a whole variety of ways, but they are certainly neither typical nor suggestive of it) -- they are more likely to reflect a systemic infection, either from a bite wound or from a disease e.g. distemper, or a traumatic or poisoning incident.

4) If you call a vet and say "my cat has rabies symptoms and was not vaccinated, can you take a look at her" they are extremely unlikely to agree to it. For reasons that are readily understandable.

5) Whereas if you say "my cat is very lethargic and almost unresponsive, and I am really worried about her" they will probably take a look at her. (Although they would be more likely to if you'd have kept up on her rabies vaccination.) This is not dishonest; it is simply not making a huge issue of something that is NOT a huge issue.

Take. The. Cat. To. A. Vet. Find. A. Way. To. Pay. For. It. It's sort of a basic responsibility of pet ownership.

Besides, you won't know whether the cat HAS rabies (although I will betcha anything it doesn't) unless you DO take it to be examined; and since you are worried about rabies, you would WANT to know that, so you can know whether you should be doing something about your own and your family's safety, shot-wise.

Best of luck to you and cat,

Pat

 

[RiverOtter]

Quote:
What he said.

Seriously, the difference between needing the shot every year and every 3 years (because it's the exact same vaccine) is the regulations in your state and how much money they want to make off the licensing fees.
Titer tests show that your pet is basically protected for life, unless they have an unusually long life span or poor immune system.

It's probably a neck abscess and a nasty infection. And I've never known any animal with a fever to want to drink. My kitten is just getting over an ear infection and I had to soak her food in milk and water 50/50 to get her to drink anything.
Not wanting to drink water is NOT a sign of rabies.