• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Cat Appy

Cat Appy

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Articles

Rabies in Cats

Rabies is a life-threatening viral disease that affects dogs, cats, as well as humans. The rabies virus can attack the central nervous system of your cat causing seizures, paralysis, and coma, which can ultimately result in death of the animal.

Home / Uncategorized / Rabies in Cats
Rabies in Cats

Rabies is a life-threatening viral disease that affects dogs, cats, as well as humans. The rabies virus can attack the central nervous system of your cat causing seizures, paralysis, and coma, which can ultimately result in death of the animal.

Rabies is a viral disease that affects the nervous system of warm-blooded animals, including dogs and cats. The causative agent is a single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Lyssavirus, that belongs to the family Rhabdoviridae.

After entering the body, the virus replicates in the muscle cells and then, pervades the peripheral, sensory, and the motor nerves. The virus then passes into the nerve fluid, and reaches the central nervous system. The disease can prove fatal, once the virus reaches the brain. Rabies can easily spread from the bite of an infected animal or pet to humans, in which case the affected individual is treated with post-exposure vaccination and antibody injections.

Causes of Feline Rabies

Would you like to write for us? Well, we're looking for good writers who want to spread the word. Get in touch with us and we'll talk...

Let's Work Together!

The single-stranded RNA virus that causes rabies, is generally contracted from the bite of an infected animal. The virus is usually present in the saliva of the infected animal. In rare cases, the infection is known to spread by the ingestion of an infected animal as well.

The animals that are more likely to carry the rabies virus are fox, raccoon, bat, wolf, jackal, and mongoose. Sometimes, aerosolization can be a cause of rabies infection, though the virus generally does not survive outside the host for a long time. Aerosolization usually occurs in caves infested with a large number of rabies-infected bats, and so, other animals like cats may get infected by breathing in the air escaped from such places.

When the rabies virus enters the body through any of the above-mentioned ways, it starts replicating rapidly in the muscle cells. The virus then enters the nerve fluid and ultimately, reaches the central nervous system or the brain. After reaching the brain, it moves to the salivary gland. It may take some time to develop the infection after the initial exposure to the virus. This time period is called ‘incubation period’, which is usually 2 to 12 weeks.

Signs and Symptoms

A cat can go through three stages after being infected with rabies. These stages are known as prodromal, furious, and the paralytic or dumb phase. Each phase has some specific signs and symptoms, and an infected cat can go through one or all of these phases.

The prodromal phase is characterized by the symptoms like nervousness, anxiety, and fever. The animal may exhibit behavioral changes. For example, a friendly cat may become irritable, while an aggressive one can become gentle. The affected cat can be observed to lick or scratch the site of the bite frequently. This phase usually does not last long. So, within a few days, the infected cat enters the furious phase.

As the name suggests, the furious phase is characterized by more erratic, aggressive, or restless behavior. The cat may become over-responsive to both auditory and visual stimuli. As a result, the animal can roar loudly and start biting objects, along with exhibiting violent and uncoordinated movements. Seizures and disorientation are also common in this phase.

Some infected cats can experience the paralytic phase directly after the prodromal phase, without going through the furious phase. In the paralytic phase, the nerves and the muscles, mainly of the face and the neck can get paralyzed. The affected animal can be observed to salivate excessively, and its breathing may seem labored. The cat may not be able to swallow food due to mandibular paralysis. A choking sound, along with a drooping jaw and a protruding tongue are some other common signs that can be observed in this phase. Eventually, the infected cat becomes very weak due to paralysis. Finally, the infection causes respiratory failure, which results in coma and then death.

Diagnosis and Treatment

This viral infection can be quite difficult to diagnose at times, as the infected cat may not exhibit any of the classic signs and symptoms of rabies in the early stage. The usual practice is to examine the brain tissues under a microscope. Skin and blood tests are also carried out occasionally.

Would you like to write for us? Well, we're looking for good writers who want to spread the word. Get in touch with us and we'll talk...

Let's Work Together!

There is no cure for rabies, once the animal gets infected. Rarely, some dogs have been reported to survive after being infected with the virus. So, vaccination is always is the best preventive measure to protect your pet from this fatal disease. Cats are usually vaccinated against the disease at the age of three or four months, and then again at one year.

After a year, the three-year vaccination program is suggested. However, many veterinarians suggest a yearly or two-yearly vaccination program. Recent studies have observed that the incidence of rabies are more in cats than dogs. This may be due to the fact that only a small number of cats are vaccinated against the disease.

To prevent feline rabies, you should try to keep your pets away from wild animals. If you observe any bite or scratch of unknown origin on their body, then report it to a veterinarian or an animal control officer as soon as possible. Above all, consult your veterinarian about the rabies shots available for cats, as the incidence of rabies in vaccinated animals is quite rare.

Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of a veterinarian.

Like it? Share it!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
« Previous Post
Next Post »

Category iconUncategorized

Get Updates Right to Your Inbox

Sign up to receive the latest and greatest articles from our site automatically each week (give or take)...right to your inbox.
Blog Updates

Further Insights

dog and cat
Dog People vs Cat People
May 10, 2020
black cat
Catlore Four Fast Facts
May 9, 2020
cat training
4 Tips to Train a Cat
May 6, 2020

Primary Sidebar

Search

Latest Articles

dog and cat

Dog People vs Cat People

black cat

Catlore Four Fast Facts

cat training

4 Tips to Train a Cat

manx cats

3 Fast Facts About Manx Cats

Exploring the website?

Our site includes quite a bit of content, so if you're having an issue finding what you're looking for, go on ahead and use that search feature there!

Footer

We hope you enjoy this website. We've created informative articles that you can come back to again and again when you have questions or want to learn more!
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Copyright © Cat Appy & Buzzle.com, Inc.
6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsAccept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.