Possible Rabied Cat in 3 year old girls closet!

kitty6855 · Nov 3, 2010

Hi everyone I am new here and hope not to cause any trauma but need advice. We live in a very rural area of the Northern Plains.

I have a ranch neighbor who has about 30 cats running large on there 30,000 acre ranch.

Today while visiting with the rancher's daughter who is in her 40's, she asked me to go and look into her little girls closet and the little girl show me a cat lying on a blanket in the child's closet.

I asked what is wrong with that cat and she replied that it must have gotten in a fight with a tom cat because it can hardly move and it's eyes are swollen and it can't stand the light, which is the reason it is in the closet in the dark.

The cat will not eat either, the little girl has kitty scratches on her and I did not think much of this until tonight.

I think that cat has rabies, I called them and told them so and they blew me off and said it was just in a fight and not to worry.

I can't help being concerned because none of the cats have had a rabies vaccine and I live in a High Risk State for rabies of which I did not know until tonight.

Could any of you please give me advice on this because I am at a loss.

sharky · Nov 3, 2010

You need to call animal control !

Also call a vet , I have never seen rabies outside a video

Get that child to a dr, rabies or not cat scratches can turn ugly fast

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/rabies-ca...FRxqgwodTBJYOQ

addiebee · Nov 3, 2010

Not sure what to tell you. Sounds like the parents are not being terribly responsible.

Here are the symptoms of rabies in cats:
http://www.peteducation.com/article....1+2134&aid=346

I agree- kid needs to see a doctor and the cat needs to see a vet. Letting it suffer like that is just plain cruel.

kitty6855 · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by sharky

You need to call animal control !

Also call a vet , I have never seen rabies outside a video

Get that child to a dr, rabies or not cat scratches can turn ugly fast

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/rabies-ca...FRxqgwodTBJYOQ

Do you really think I should call animal control and report this? I live in a community of 12 people and again it is very rural and the people value their privacy.

Do you think this cat might have rabies?

kitty6855 · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by kitty6855

Do you really think I should call animal control and report this? I live in a community of 12 people and again it is very rural and the people value their privacy.

Do you think this cat might have rabies?

Ok, Thanks for the link about rabies. This cat does have stiffness and can't move good which she said it might be from a fight although she did not see the fight.

I hate this and wished I had never seen that cat today!

sharky · Nov 3, 2010

I cant guess at yes or no to rabies but I can tell you the cat likely has an abcess that could kill it .... The fact that NONE of the cats are vacinatted worries me... and the fact that the parents let the child play with a injured animal...

Calling animal control may save the cats life( if it is not rabid) the childs life and the lives of the other cats

kitty6855 · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by sharky

I cant guess at yes or no to rabies but I can tell you the cat likely has an abcess that could kill it .... The fact that NONE of the cats are vacinatted worries me... and the fact that the parents let the child play with a injured animal...

Calling animal control may save the cats life( if it is not rabid) the childs life and the lives of the other cats

I will call the vet in the morning, we are about 1 hour drive from anything and I know they would not come tonight.

what is the abcess you are speaking of?

rad65 · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by kitty6855

Do you really think I should call animal control and report this? I live in a community of 12 people and again it is very rural and the people value their privacy.

Do you think this cat might have rabies?

Yes, you do need to call animal control. That kitten got rabies from something, and in "a community of 12 people" as you put it, that thing only has 12 people's animals to attack so it could easily become a local rabies epidemic. Save the lives of every pet your 11 neighbors have and get animal control in to find the culprit.

kitty6855 · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by rad65

Yes, you do need to call animal control. That kitten got rabies from something, and in "a community of 12 people" as you put it, that thing only has 12 people's animals to attack so it could easily become a local rabies epidemic. Save the lives of every pet your 11 neighbors have and get animal control in to find the culprit.

I am calling animal control in the morning, as I said we are in a high risk area and my husband has killed three rabid skunks in the last two months. The skunks were out in daylight running in circles.

I have been bothered that these folks do not vaccinate their cats, or horses. They do have a few tamed kitty's but most are wild and just are mice catchers. This kitty was one of the tamed ones. The fact that it is in the childs closet really upsets me.

carolina · Nov 3, 2010

Hi,
I highly doubt this cat has rabies.... I think it is really sick and it needs to get to a vet though... Poor thing...
Cats do tend to hide, and stop eating when they are not well. There are just to many things that can be wrong with him - he can have an infected wound, an infection, a URI, a rupture in an internal organ... There is really no telling what is wrong with it.
I would get that kitty to the vet, however you can get it there.... I wouldn't call Animal Control... I don't think it is a case for it... My opinion only, of course. But you know how animal Control works in there - if they can take the kitty to the vet to get treatment, by all means... But I highly, highly doubt this kitty has rabies.

kitty6855 · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by Carolina

Hi,
I highly doubt this cat has rabies.... I think it is really sick and it needs to get to a vet though... Poor thing...
Cats do tend to hide, and stop eating when they are not well. There are just to many things that can be wrong with him - he can have an infected wound, an infection, a URI, a rupture in an internal organ... There is really no telling what is wrong with it.
I would get that kitty to the vet, however you can get it there.... I wouldn't call Animal Control... I don't think it is a case for it... My opinion only, of course. But you know how animal Control works in there - if they can take the kitty to the vet to get treatment, by all means... But I highly, highly doubt this kitty has rabies.

Carolina, I have a plastic kennel that I can haul it in and take it to vet. My concern with getting the animal control involved was that they might kill it just to check it for rabies, but on the other hand I don't want the little girl to be in danger either. It is not a good situation at all.

The symptoms the kitty has are these:
eyes swelled up, but not bad.
very stiff and does not want to move.
it seems alert
he wants to be in the dark and hide
he is not eating or drinking

Willowy · Nov 3, 2010

Also being in the northern plains, I know how things are here. . .OK, first of all, in rural areas there is no animal control. Only the sheriff. He might come or might not, depending how busy he is. If he does come, he might just shoot the cat. . .this would be bad. If the cat is shot, its brain cannot be tested for rabies. If the family thinks the cat is rabid, they might shoot the cat. This should be discouraged for the same reason.

Around here, the only way to make a rabies determination is to deliver the cat to the local vet. He decides if the cat's symptoms seem enough like rabies for him the PTS the cat and send its head to the state lab. If he doesn't think the cat is that sick, he'll keep the cat for 2 weeks for quarantine.

Best thing to do, most likely, would be to encourage the family to take the cat to the local farm vet.

Be aware that if the cat is found to have rabies, the rest of the cats on the property will be exterminated. It's standard procedure.

Another option would be to contact the Health Department. I think you can get ahold of them through the Extension Office. This would probably get the most dramatic results, but would also probably cause bad feelings among neighbors.

Personally, I can't understand how people can live with a bunch of unvaccinated cats in the area. I wouldn't be comfortable, especially with kids in the home. I'm really quite stunned at their carelessness. But it's the choice they make themselves.

ETA: just saw your new post. Yes, if you can get the cat to the vet, please do so. Farm vets see a lot of rabies, they know what to look for.

carolina · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by kitty6855

Carolina, I have a plastic kennel that I can haul it in and take it to vet. My concern with getting the animal control involved was that they might kill it just to check it for rabies, but on the other hand I don't want the little girl to be in danger either. It is not a good situation at all.

The symptoms the kitty has are these:
eyes swelled up, but not bad.
very stiff and does not want to move.
it seems alert
he wants to be in the dark and hide
he is not eating or drinking

If you can, please take the cat to the vet ASAP - the vet can treat it accordingly and put it on quarantine if he finds it necessary. My cats will hide in quiet and dark spots when sick, this is pretty normal behavior in a sick kitty... They also stop eating and drinking... Thing is, the longer they go like that, the worst they get.
Taking him to the vet will be the best thing you can do to all parties involved, including the little girl.

sharky · Nov 3, 2010

Take him to the vet ... I live in a area where AC would take the animal to the vet ...

kitty6855 · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by Willowy

Also being in the northern plains, I know how things are here. . .OK, first of all, in rural areas there is no animal control. Only the sheriff. He might come or might not, depending how busy he is. If he does come, he might just shoot the cat. . .this would be bad. If the cat is shot, its brain cannot be tested for rabies. If the family thinks the cat is rabid, they might shoot the cat. This should be discouraged for the same reason.

Around here, the only way to make a rabies determination is to deliver the cat to the local vet. He decides if the cat's symptoms seem enough like rabies for him the PTS the cat and send its head to the state lab. If he doesn't think the cat is that sick, he'll keep the cat for 2 weeks for quarantine.

Best thing to do, most likely, would be to encourage the family to take the cat to the local farm vet.

Be aware that if the cat is found to have rabies, the rest of the cats on the property will be exterminated. It's standard procedure.

Another option would be to contact the Health Department. I think you can get ahold of them through the Extension Office. This would probably get the most dramatic results, but would also probably cause bad feelings among neighbors.

Personally, I can't understand how people can live with a bunch of unvaccinated cats in the area. I wouldn't be comfortable, especially with kids in the home. I'm really quite stunned at their carelessness. But it's the choice they make themselves.

ETA: just saw your new post. Yes, if you can get the cat to the vet, please do so. Farm vets see a lot of rabies, they know what to look for.

You and I could be neighbors. Living in South Dakota it is hard to get a vet house call at all and you are right the sheriff will come. Also trying not to step on my neighbors toes as they live their life the way they want to and in South Dakota that is the way it is.

I will try to get the kitty to the vet tomorrow but it will be a tricky situation at best. I know you understand that and thanks so much for your advice.

Willowy · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by kitty6855

You and I could be neighbors. Living in South Dakota it is hard to get a vet house call at all and you are right the sheriff will come. Also trying not to step on my neighbors toes as they live their life the way they want to and in South Dakota that is the way it is.

With you mentioning ranches, I'm guessing you're West River. . .I'm East (way East, near Sioux Falls) but I'm sure things aren't so different on the other side of the river.

Hope everything works out for the best for everyone.

kitty6855 · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by Willowy

With you mentioning ranches, I'm guessing you're West River. . .I'm East (way East, near Sioux Falls) but I'm sure things aren't so different on the other side of the river.

Hope everything works out for the best for everyone.

Yes I am West river north of Faith. I know you understand what this is all about but most do not. I don't want to make enemies of my neighbors. Things are different here and you cannot run out for milk, bread and eggs, you have to stock up for winter and rely on all your neighbors. It is a way of life.

I am really concerned about this but I must deal with this in a good manner. I do have strong feeling that this cat has rabies otherwise I would not have written in.

This is going to upset my neighbors if I make a big deal out of it.

sharky · Nov 3, 2010

Okay I am really doing this in a loving way though it may not sound like it...
Please ask your neighbors to take the cat to the vet or volunteer to take it and a note okaying care to the vet ... What if the cat is rabid and you do nothing... Well the child WILL get sick and possibley die as will ANYONE who was bite or scratched by this cat... The other cats may be sick and if one makes it off the property it could cause a epidemic in your area ...

carolina · Nov 3, 2010

Originally Posted by kitty6855

I do have strong feeling that this cat has rabies otherwise I would not have written in.

May I ask you why? I am not saying he doesn't... Although for what you are saying, I am strongly inclined to think this is just a sick sick kitty.
Take a look at this video: This is the behavior usually seen in a cat with Rabies. Also usually noticed is foam in the mouth, which the cat in the video doesn't have.
This little girl would not have a finger left on her, and this kitty would not be tucked in the closet had he been rabid.

Of course not ALL rabid cats fit this profile, but most do - extremely aggressive; which is why the disease has this name. The origin of the word "rabies" comes from the Latin term "rabere", meaning "to rage".

hissy · Nov 3, 2010

When I was in 6th grade, one of our cats got rabies. Smokey was a long haired grey tomcat who used to love to hunt gophers in the field behind our house. I came home from school to find my mom in a panic, my sisters crying and my dad outside with this gray cat caught in a fisherman's net. I will never forget seeing that once loving cat turn into a snarling, drooling uncontrollable aggressive monster. The animal control officer arrived with the police and what happened afterward was gruesome and Smokey died.

The symptoms you describe could just be shock. If the cat got into a fight with another cat and the bite was bad enough, an abcess could be forming which is why kitty is hiding. They go to ground when they are ill, some have remarkable regeneration powers and others do not. I am not saying the cat doesn't have rabies, but the only way they are going to tell is by cutting into the brain. Obviously, the cat has to die to make that happen.

With Smokey it was obvious- his whole personality went haywire, he freaked when they ran the garden hose by him at a trickle (rabid animals fear water) He used to drink freely out of the hose and the fountain in the back. he was rabid- no surprise when they found the virus in his brain. I remember most vividly before a bullet ended his life all the drool pouring out of his mouth and how he couldn't keep still even after death.

Possible Rabied Cat in 3 year old girls closet!

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