Cats, bats & rabies..Oh My!

[JCRobinhood]

I need HELP!!! A friend has a cat who has missed her rabies vacs (I know, I know). The cat just killed a bat & we're concerned about rabies. Local Animal Control (NC)will not test the bat and gave only 2 options: 6 month quarantine OR put her down. Does anyone know if Animal Control is supposed to test the bat or if there are any other options??? (Still have the bat in the freezer - which means I will also pass on any freezer pops offered by my friend).

Any help is mucho appreciated!!!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. We didn't get much cooperation

from our local health department when one of our cats had symptoms of rabies and my husband had to shoot it (one of the hardest things he's ever done). They told us we could cut off the head and take it to a vet who would perform the test-for a hefty fee, which we didn't have. We burned the carcas. We have no animal control in our county.

If your friend has money, she may want to go that route.

It always amazes me how nonchalant people are at animal control/public health facilities when it comes to rabies. There have been instances of people getting rabies from infected animals here in my county, but the health department doesn't seem to care, even when it gets in the news.

[JCRobinhood]

2. thank you

How long did it take for your cat to show symptoms of rabies?

[NorthernSpy]

7. rabies is an extremely variable disease in that regard

Depending on the amount of virus introduced into a wound -- and on the placement of the wound -- it may be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for a cat begin showing signs of the disease.

The standard of six months in quarantine for an asymptomatic cat suggests that the possibility of an incubation period lasting longer than that is extremely remote (although in humans, the incubation period can last more than a year; I believe nineteen years from exposure to full-blown disease is the record).


Mary

[LynneSin]

3. As a Bat, Cat surviver I wanted to share some info with you...

I had my bat tested but not through the Local Animal Control but through the Delaware Department of Public Health. I found this article on their website: http://www.state.de.us/dhss/pressreleases/2003/rabies7-8-03.html and called them.

Now mind you, they are in Dover and I'm an hour north in Wilmington, but they did say I could drop my bat off at the local ASPCA and that they make pickups there.

My cats and I were all fine - but I know the panic you felt.

HOWEVER - my most important piece of advice:

DO NOT PUT THE BAT CARCASS INTO THE FREEZER

I was lucky they were able to test my bat - it was in the freezer for almost 12 hours. I had no idea that a freezing a bat can kill the rabies left in the carcass. And the guy at Public Health said if they couldn't test the bat that I would have to get a series of rabies shots (my cats were fine).

I hope this helps out some!!!


Sincerely:

LynneSin and Evita the Batkiller

[Crunchy Frog]

4. Talk to the local Public Health people.

Especially if you suggest to them the possibility that the bat may have bitten someone, they would certainly test it.

I do work at a wildlife rehab center, and we've had to put bats down to have them tested just because they were in the vicinity of a person. They tend to be pretty zealous on that score.

[NorthernSpy]

5. I hope I'm not too late! (lots of info)

The first thing to do is to get the cat a rabies booster shot! If your friend does nothing else, she MUST do this -- today!


Just as other people here have told you, your friend needs to bring the bat to a state laboratory or other state agency to have the bat tested. Usually, this will be some division of your state's bureau of public health. The bat needs to be brought to the appropriate agency IMMEDIATELY. It may still be possible to test for rabies inclusion bodies, despite the bat's having been frozen.

Now, regarding the cat...

Nearly all of the rabies vaccines used in cats in the United States are three-year vaccines. That means that the manufacturer's tests have shown that each dose of the vaccine consistently provides at least three-years' worth of immunity from rabies. A few states, such as Florida, require yearly rabies shots*, despite the fact that the real duration of immunity is far longer than one year.

No cat that has had at least two doses of three-year vaccine in its adult lifetime has ever been known to have developed rabies from subsequent exposure. It is possible that repeatedly-vaccinated cats eventually do develop lifelong immunity to rabies.

So, my questions are:

How long ago did the incident with the bat occur?

How old is the cat, and how many rabies shots has s/he had so far?

How long ago was the cat's last rabies shot, and was a three-year vaccine used?

Is it possible for your friend to keep the cat indoors and away from unvaccinated animals? If so, this may satisfy the purposes of quarantine**, depending on the particulars of the situation.


So: my advice for your friend is to...

1. Vaccinate the cat, immediately! Post-exposure re-vaccination may be effective in preventing rabies.

2. Get the bat to the state bureau of public health, or other such agency. Explain that the bat was frozen for a time. They may still be able to test it. I don't believe that they ever charge for a rabies test.

3. If you suspect that any person in your household may have been exposed to the bat, discuss the situation with your doctor -- or, if you have no doctor, visit a walk-in clinic. Post-exposure prophylaxis may be indicated, depending on the whether or not the bat could be tested, and if it was testable, what the test results were. If you or someone else was asleep in the presence of the bat, and the bat either tested positive or could not be tested, the Centers for Disease Control recommend that you begin post-exposure therapy immediately -- even if you have no bite-marks or other wounds.

4. Get rabies booster shots for all of the other pets in the household.


Please: Do not leap to the conclusion that the cat must be killed or surrendered to the authorites for quarantine. Odds are that these things won't be necessary.


* Note: some states' rabies vaccination statues apply only to dogs.

** Also, if the cat hasn't bitten anyone, then your state might not have grounds for taking him/her into quarantine in the first place -- but, of course, this would depend on many things.

Best of luck to your friend and her cat!



Mary


(fixed typo)

[JCRobinhood]

8. Thanks so much!

I've passed this along to my friend and we're kickin' for the kitty too. No one's jumping to conclusions here... I'll try to find out more.
thanks again

[NorthernSpy]

6. kicking for the kitty...

... whose life is on the line!