Found cat acting mean and growling. Is it rabies or just stress?

Rabies typically presents with severe neurologic signs and aggression. The type of thing you are describing simple sounds like fear. While it may be out of the ordinary, I would not jump to the conclusion of Rabies unless you have a good reason to believe this is the case. If your kitty is not Rabies vaccinated, I implore you to have this done as soon as possible particularly if its an outdoor cat. Hope this helps.

Is he vaccinated for rabies? It could be a behavioral problem if coming from an outside cat to now indoor. I would make sure he has a place to sit up high and look outside. You may want to train him to walk on a leash also. I would recommend a veterinary visit if he has never been and get him fully vaccinated. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Dilated eyes and drooling from the mouth are signs of either a neurological disease, or more likely a toxin. I would recommend getting a large box and a large thick blanket. I would suggest catching your cat with the blanket and getting him into a box, and bringing him into your vet for a check up. If he isn't vaccinated for rabies this could be a concern, as the behaviour is very strange, however as previously mentioned, a toxin is more likely. Best of luck with Autum.

I think the likelihood of you acquiring rabies is relatively low, however it is much higher for Tomas. I'd recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to have his rabies vaccine updated and to discuss a quarantine period if needed. Even if Tomas has been exposed to rabies he would not be able to shed the virus for at least a few weeks.

No if he was infected with rabies it would take much longer than that to have clinical signs. I would be more concerned about him having hurt his mouth in some way, or perhaps be somewhat sedated if he's on any pain medications. If it continues, I'd recommend going back for a recheck to see if they can see anything different in his mouth now that it's been a few days.

Animals with rabies typically become progressively worse with other neurologic symptoms (such as muscle tremors and seizures), and die within a few days of beginning to show symptoms. So if this behavior has been going on for longer than that, it isn't rabies - instead, it's likely to be a behavior issue. From your description, it sounds like Max is very anxious and fearful. Many fearful dogs are also aggressive towards other animals and people. If you want to work on this problem, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan for his aggression and anxiety issues. This might include medication, as well as management suggestions to help him avoid situations that make him afraid, and specific training exercises you can work on to help with this behavior. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Based on your description of Gus's encounter with the new puppy I would not be concerned about Rabies. This was most likely related to the excitement of the encounter. You mentioned Gus is current on his Rabies vaccination so there should not be a huge concern here. However, if you want to be certain about Gus you can have him examined by your veterinarian if his behavior continues to be abnormal and if needed the doctor can actually check Gus's rabies titer (a blood sample) and send it out to the lab. Most likely, Gus is absolutely fine. Best of luck.