Can a rabies vaccine cure my cat if she's already infected?

A pet will never get Rabies and not become symptomatic. They will always show symptoms. So if your pet is not showing any neurological symptoms, then she doesn't have rabies, especially if she has not had any encounters with wildlife that could have had rabies within the past 10 days. You can proceed with vaccinating her so that she is protected. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Take care.

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!

If the sick cat's eye was ruptured or if there's any chance your cat had contact with the sick cats saliva (which I would think would be possible if the cat was allowing your cat to lick it's eye) then there is potential for exposure. Unfortunately there is no post-exposure vaccination protocol that prevents rabies in cats - all you can do is booster the vaccine and then quarantine your cat as recommended by animal control (be sure to give all details to the vet when you are updating the rabies vaccine). This is why keeping up with annual rabies vaccination is so important. You should know soon whether or not the sick cat had rabies - if it did not then you may not need to continue quarantine for your cat.

Cats do get rabies so they need to be vaccinated like dogs. Rabies is a fatal disease to people and animals. That is why we have laws requiring vaccination for cats and dogs. They can get it from raccoons and other mammals. Your photo unfortunately didn’t come through. If you have a stray cat I recommend catching it, in a trap if needed, and bringing it in for an exam, testing for infectious diseases and a rabies vaccination. Many shelters and rescue groups will help pay for this so check what assistance is available in your area. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

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.

Hi there. It's possible that a stray cat could be infected with rabies even if it's not showing any symptoms. However, an infected animal isn't contagious until the very last stages of infection. The general rule of thumb is that if an animal with an unknown vaccine history bites someone, it needs to be quarantined for 10 days to observe for any symptoms. If the animal is infected and contagious, they will develop serious neurlogic issues and die within a few days. If they animal is still alive and healthy after 10 days, you can be confident that it was not shedding the rabies virus at the time of the bite.

It does not immediately "wear off" but it depends on how good her immune system is as to whether or not her body responded appropriately to the previous vaccine. There are no vaccine risks to nursing cats, so vaccination is recommended now. Kittens can receive their first subcutaneous vaccines at 4-6 weeks of age and there is no risk to the babies when nursing moms are vaccinated.