My cat is suddenly drooling, eyes dilated, and acting scared. Rabies?

Drooling is almost always due to a dental problem. There is likely a broken or infected tooth. I suggest you have Monu examined by your vet. Rabies is always a possibility especially if he has never had the anti-rabies vaccine but usually they have neurological symptoms and not just drooling.

I suggest taking your cat to your veterinarian or a 24-hour emergency clinic as soon as possible. Excessive drooling in a cat can be a sign of a number of problems including (but not limited to) nausea, dental disease. Ingestion of a toxin, foreign object caught in the mouth, salivary gland disease, ulcers in the mouth, cancer of the mouth, neurological disorders, or eating something that tastes very bad. Excessive drooling is also a symptom of rabies. Many cats will chatter their teeth while watching birds or other prey animals; however, chattering could alos be an indication of pain or neurological in nature.

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.

I would be concerned about Zapatitos being nauseas, having infection or trauma inside the mouth or even a toxin if possible exposure. I would recommend taking her to a vet to have a good detailed exam to help narrow down why Zapatitos is hyper salivating. It is important to look under her tongue and make sure string is not attached causing a foreign body. Also you can look in her mouth to make sure you do not see any type of sores. Sometimes cats will chew electrical wires and get burns in the mouth or even have viruses that cause ulcers. All of these things can cause hyper salivation. I think a vet visit is best to help Zapatitos feel better as soon as possible.

My condolences to your friend on the loss of his or her cat. Unfortunately, without a post mortem exam it can be very difficult to determine cause of death. If he as vaccinated against rabies, it was likely not a cause. The only way to find out would be to submit brain tissue for testing. This must be done according to strict Health Department guidelines. A more likely cause was trauma, toxicity or heart disease.

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.

I highly recommend taking a video and bringing Kitty to your veterinarian for a physical examination and diagnostics. It can be a gastrointestinal issue and he may require xrays or blood work. I would take him sooner than later. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.