Nowadays, many families or individuals like to keep pets, among which dogs are the top choice for many people. In recent years, more and more people have been keeping pet cats. Cats are gentle, do not cause trouble, and are elegant and graceful, deeply loved by many cat lovers. So, do pet cats kept at home have rabies? Next, let's look at some facts about whether cats have rabies, compiled by the PetsZone Mall editor.

Rabies, as everyone knows, many netizens may have never seen a patient with this disease but have definitely heard about it to some extent. Rabies is an acute infectious disease caused by the rabies virus, affecting both humans and animals. It is generally more common in dogs, cats, including wild animals (foxes, wolves, etc.), and domestic livestock (pigs, cattle, etc.). They form transmission chains of rabies to humans. Humans usually get infected by being scratched or bitten by animals carrying the rabies virus. Without effective preventive measures, it can lead to severe acute central nervous system infection, with clinical symptoms such as extreme fear of wind, fear of water sounds, throat muscle spasms, progressive paralysis, and so forth.

In our country, rabies is mainly transmitted by dogs, which can become asymptomatic virus carriers. This means that dogs appearing “healthy” on the surface pose a significant threat to human health. Moreover, with current scientific technology, there is no very effective treatment method, resulting in an almost 100% fatality rate for infected humans. Facing such a dreadful disease, how can we prevent it? Don’t worry, keep reading.

One responsible note from the editor: cats can also be infected with rabies! How is it transmitted? If bitten by a rabid cat or dog carrying the rabies virus, there is a high chance of contracting rabies. If scratched or bitten causing skin breakage and bleeding, you must get the rabies vaccine injection to avoid more serious consequences.

As mentioned before, rabies is not an exclusive disease of dogs—all animals can potentially be infected, including cats. Diseased cats initially show very abnormal behavior; sometimes lethargic, sometimes overly excited, very different from their usual habits. This requires careful observation by the owner. In the middle stage, cats wander around, show mental abnormalities, exhibit strange movements, some unconscious actions, ignoring their owners, appearing very indifferent, and due to spasms of throat muscles, they may bite the air and howl. In the advanced stage, cats develop hydrophobia, fear of light, fear of sounds, become irritable and restless, drool, have random muscular spasms and convulsions, show very strong aggressiveness, and actively attack other cats, dogs, and even humans. Eventually, they die from respiratory difficulty, foaming at the mouth, and multiple organ failure. It is important to remind everyone that if a cat is found to have rabies, it must be sent to a hospital for isolation and treatment. Do not handle it yourself to prevent accidents!

In fact, as long as we do the following well in daily life, rabies is not so easily transmitted: register all pet cats and dogs and vaccinate them against rabies to control the risk from the source. If cats or dogs carrying rabies are found, handle them timely by incineration or deep burial, and never consume them. If bitten or scratched, you must get the rabies vaccine, and severe cases require rabies serum injection. Regularly clean and care for pets in daily life and do a good job in pest and epidemic prevention.