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I'm sure you've heard of canine rabies, a disease that affects all mammals and can even infect humans. despite the anger not being a very common disease in cats, it is very dangerous, since it has no cure and causes the animal's death.
If your cat leaves the house a lot and is in contact with other animals, you should take this disease into account, find out about it and take the necessary measures to prevent it. Keep in mind that one bite from an infected animal is enough for contagion.
If you want to know what the rabies in cats, yours symptoms, prevention and contagion, keep reading this PeritoAnimal article.
What is anger?
THE anger is viral infectious disease it affects all mammals and so cats can also suffer from it. It is a serious disease that usually causes death, as it affects the central nervous system causing acute encephalitis in patients.
It is spread through the bite of an infected animal or wounds during a fight with a rabid animal. It is important to mention that it does not appear spontaneously, it has to be transmitted by another animal, so if your cat suffers from this disease it means that at some point it has been in contact with another infected animal or with its remains. The virus is present in the secretions and saliva of these animals, so a simple bite is enough to transmit the virus.
Bats that fly by day and bump into objects are likely to suffer from rabies, so it's important never to let your cat get close to them.
Unfortunately, rabies is a disease that there is no cure. It is rare and causes the death of most infected cats.
Feline Rabies Vaccine
THE rabies vaccine it is the only rabies prevention method. The first dose applies to three months old and then there are yearly reinforcements. Usually, dogs are periodically vaccinated but not cats, so you should consider whether your cat is exposed to risk areas or comes into contact with wild animals. If so, the best thing is vaccination.
There are regions in the world that are at greater risk than others. In Europe, rabies is almost gone, but every now and then an isolated case emerges. Find out about the presence of the disease where you live to be alert and prevent your cat from catching rabies. In some countries a rabies vaccine is mandatory.
This vaccine may be mandatory to leave the country with your cat or to participate in competitions or exhibitions, so always inform yourself beforehand. But if yours never goes outside, your vet may not find it necessary to administer it.
disease stages
There are several stages of rabies in cats:
- Incubation period: is asymptomatic, the cat has no obvious symptoms. This period varies widely, ranging from a week to several months. The most common is that they start to show symptoms from the month after the infection. During this period the disease spreads through the body.
- prodromal period: at this stage changes in behavior already occur. The cat becomes tired, vomiting and excited. This phase can last between two and 10 days.
- Excitement or Furious Phase: is the most characteristic phase of anger. The cat is very irritable, with sudden changes in behavior, and may even bite and attack.
- paralytic phase: Generalized paralysis, spasms, coma and finally death occur.
The period between phases may vary for each cat. The most common is to start with changes in behavior until the nervous system is severely affected and seizures and other nervous problems begin.
feline rabies symptoms
The symptoms are varied and not all cats have the same, the most common being the following:
- abnormal meows
- atypical behavior
- Irritability
- Excessive salivation
- Fever
- vomiting
- Weight loss and appetite
- water aversion
- Convulsions
- Paralysis
Some cats do not suffer from vomiting, others do not have excess salivation, and others may suffer from a nervous condition and die suddenly. On the other hand, the aversion or fear of waterrabies is a symptom of animals suffering from rabies, which is why the disease is also known as rabies. However, cats do not normally like water so it is not a clear and obvious symptom.
Many of these symptoms, especially in the early stages, can be confused with other illnesses. If your cat has any of these symptoms and has recently been involved in a fight, see a veterinarian as soon as possible. Only he will be able to make the proper diagnosis.
Rabies Treatment in Cats
Anger there is no treatment. It acts very quickly and is lethal to cats. If your cat has been infected, the first thing your veterinarian will do is isolate it to prevent it from infecting other felines. Depending on the progress of the disease, euthanasia may be the only option.
For this reason prevention is very important, as it is the only way to protect your cat against this disease. Pay special attention if your cat leaves the house and is in contact with other animals.
Remember that rabies affects dogs, cats, ferrets, bats and foxes. Any fight your cat has with these animals can cause contagion. If your cat gets into fights then the best is to vaccinate him.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.