My cat licked a sick cat. Could he get rabies if his vaccine is old?

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.

You should contact the health department or animal control in your area regarding your bite - they might recommend a quarantine for your cat to be sure there is no concern for rabies. No vaccine is 100% effective so while it is unlikely that the unvaccinated cat could transmit rabies to your cat it is possible. You should also probably contact your physician - cat bites often get infected!

More than likely you will not get rabies if your dog licked a small wound, especially if he has been vaccinated in the past. Monitor him for the next 10 days because that is the time between when an animal is infectious until they start showing clinical signs. So if your dog doesn't start showing clinical signs of rabies in the next 10 days you couldn't get rabies from him. If you are concerned and want more information, please call your own doctor or your local health department. You should also have his rabies updated if it has expired.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Rabies laws are specific to the country. I would contact your Veterinarian regarding the laws in Russia. In the US if a healthy cat presents for a vaccine and has no previous vaccine history we give it a Rabies vaccine. It is not illegal to do so. If we find out later that is was exposed to rabies no one gets in trouble. If a cat who has been vaccinated is exposed to a possibly rabid animal we still are allowed to booster the vaccine in the US. If the vaccine is overdue we MIGHT be able to vaccinate the animal but it has to be under quarantine for 6 months. Every state is different with the laws. We usually contact the State Vet for instructions. The symptoms will not be delayed or masked. It can take up to 6 months to show symptoms of rabies post exposure. If this cat was exposed to Rabies (confirmed) BEFORE it was vaccinated it can still get Rabies and should be in a strict quarantine or be euthanized. Rabies is deadly to humans. I recommend you contact a Vet in your country for your specific laws. Good luck!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chiko. This would count as a rabies exposure until it is now if the bat is rabid or not. Do not handle the bat, contact animal control. If you still have the bat or know where it is, it can be submitted for testing. I recommend that Chiko sees his veterinarian today. Laws can vary between states, but he will likely require a rabies booster and a quarantine period. If you touched the bat at all, you will need to contact your family physician to determine if treatment is required for you or anyone in your family. I hope this information helps!

I am so sorry for the loss of your poor kitty. Her symptoms don't suggest she got infected with Rabies, but instead I suspect she was having a severe anaphylactic reaction to the vaccine, especially since her symptoms started within 24 hrs of her immunizations. The Rabies vaccine is NOT a live virus, so pets can't get rabies from the vaccine. Also even if a pet has a particular vaccine in the past, this does not mean they can't have a reaction in the future unfortunately. Also since the Rabies vaccine has clinically been shown to last a bit longer than the 1 year mark, your pet was likely still protected. Again I am sorry your pet was not able to recover from this sudden turn of events. I send my condolences to you and your family through this difficult time. And unless Scruff was exposed to a rabid animal within 10 days of being symptomatic, then rabies transmission is very unlikely, unless there is more to the story than what you have mentioned here. Feel free to request a private consultation if you need to discuss things further. Best wishes and take care.

The good news is that rabies is transmitted through bites/saliva and not scratches. If Ming was infected and shedding the rabies virus a month ago, then he would have died from the disease by now. Considering all of this, I think you should be safe, but it's best to consult with your physician if you have any further concerns. Below is a link to more information about rabies. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html I hope that helps and all is well.