Stray cat rabies risk: How to protect my vaccine-allergic cat?

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.

Hello. There is no reason that a cat that previously blocked should not receive vaccinations. At the very least, the rabies vaccine should be kept up to date. For feline distemper/leukemia, as long as Ray has received the kitten series, & 1 booster one year later, then I am OK with boosting this vaccine every 2-3 years. Cats can slip outdoors so it is best to try & keep immunity up. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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 pleading your case does not work, unfortunately no you cannot get a small dose of the shot. This is not allowed. Willow would have to get the rabies shot fully, but she should be ok. Speak with her vet to see if you can get their support with the retirement home requirements. Best of luck.

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!

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.

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.