My unvaccinated cat fought a stray. Should I worry about rabies?

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!

Hi there! Without confirmation of rabies infection by very specific testing it is impossible to know with certainty if an animal or person has contracted the virus. With that said, rabies infection must be always be considered when an animal comes in contact with any unvaccinated/unknown or wild animal, especially if said animal is showing neurological signs. Signs of infection typically do not occur until 5 days post initial infection. Rabies is transmitted through saliva/bites, ingestion of an infected animal, urine, and through an infected mothers milk. While it does not sound like there was any penetrating wounds, I highly recommend that you contact your regular veterinarian as soon as possible to discuss how to proceed, as the laws regarding handling potential rabies cases vary from state to state. If Scarlett is up-to-date on her rabies vaccine she may need to receive another rabies vaccine and/or be quarantined for a period of time as a precaution. Remember that people can also become infected with rabies, therefore be sure that you limiting your contact with Scarlett as well as the stray cat until you speak with your regular vet and discuss a plan moving forward.

Rabies can only be contracted by being bit by animal that is shedding the virus. The biggest concern for indoor only cats is if a bat has gotten into the house because we do not always know if that bat has bitten a cat. If Bonnie is not vaccinated for Rabies, then she may need to be quarantined for a period of time (usually 10 days) to make sure that she does not develop any signs of Rabies. That quarantine may be able to be in your house if you don't have any other animals or may need to be at a vet clinic or shelter. I would recommend contacting your veterinarian to discuss the specific legal requirements in your area. Depending on your state, she may not be able to be vaccinated for Rabies until after her quarantine period. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answers your questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Hopefully Teddy will be ok. You did the right thing by taking him into the vet the next day for the rabies vaccine. Four months isn't extremely far over, so he may have still had some protection from his last shot. I hope this helps!

There is a usually a 10 day quarantine period after an animal breaks the skin of a person. If the animal has rabies in it's saliva - it show signs of rabies within 10 days. This doesn't not mean that the animal doesn't have rabies- just that it couldn't have transmitted it at the time of the bite. Rabies can have a long incubation period. Rabies should be taken very seriously because it is a fatal virus. I would recommend getting Tofy vaccinated as soon as possible. I would recommend consulting with a local veterinarian on what happened and have an exam done on Tofy. They can give you the necessary information. Please get her examined and vaccinated to protect her and yourself. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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!