Argument for inoculating indoor cats against rabies?

Jamie goes outside on a leash every day, and always seems to manage to get into fights with neighborhood cats, or to catch rodents, so he's vaccinated against rabies. Anyway - he kept waking me up this morning, and I finally gave in around 6:15, went downstairs and fed him, and crawled back into bed. He then decided to wake up my husband, who found that Jamie had apparently caught and injured a bat, which had escaped and crawled behind our vacuum cleaner, which is in the corner of the living room, behind a door. This is the second time he's managed to catch a bat, either inside, or on the balcony. Screens aren't usual here, but our downstairs windows are secured with cat net, and were closed last night. We have French doors upstairs (open last night), which open onto balconies, also secured with cat net. The back balcony is secured with a 7-ft. net, but there's some open space at the top, where a bat could presumably get through. My husband thinks the bat, which he put back outside, after applying some Betadine, could conceivably have gotten through the cat net, because it was so small. I'm still b****ing at R. for picking up the bat without gloves.
Has anybody had similar experiences? Maybe with moles in the cellar walls, or mice getting into the house? Do you have your pets inoculated against rabies for that reason?

We have skunks, bats and possums, and coons here. All my cats are vaccinated against rabies. We have a little brown bat that lives right above the back door in a little tiny crevice. You can see him every day as you walk out our door and just look up. At night, I have to be careful because he patrols in the new addition which is not enclosed yet, and several times, he has scared the living daylights out of me swooping in the air-

I have seen one cat that was rabid in my lifetime- I hope to never experience that again. I was 8 years old when Smokey got rabies and the experience is as fresh in my head today as it was the terrifying night when he attacked my daddy.

I don't know if it's this way where you live -- you'll have to check your local ordinances -- but if a strictly indoor cat, who has NEVER been outside, bites someone and it's reported to the authorities and/or the bitten person requires medical attention, the owner of the cat will have to show proof that the cat had a rabies vaccination. If the cat didn't have a rabies vaccination, the cat will have to be put in quarantine AND the person bitten will have to get treated with rabies shots.

Furthermore, pets are required to be licensed and in order to get a license, proof of having a rabies vaccination is required. (Many people don't get their pets licensed and technically they're in violation of the law, but it's not enforced) There are a few states where a rabies vaccination is a state law, also.

Apparently, rabies are mandatory in my county. My cats are indoor only but the vet said they might turn me in if I don't vaccinate against rabies. I think I had more chances of getting rabies than they are, as they are never allowed outside, but I had them vaccinated because the county requires it.

Mine are all indoor cats, and are all vaccinated against rabies - mostly because it's illegal not to where I live. Meeko did catch a bat once, a number of years ago - it came into our house through our chimney and was flying around the living room, and he caught it and unfortunately maimed the poor thing before our landlord got there and killed it.

Rabies is a mandatory vaccine in the United States because of the potential of pets being carriers to humans. I vaccinate mine with 3 year rabies (not recognized in some states) so that they are compliant with the law but don't have to get poked every year. If 3 year rabies vaccines are available in your state it is recommended to use the 1 year for the first year and then a 3year the next year (something about how the body's immunity is set up with the vaccine).

I was attacked by a stray dog once and had to get rabies shots (I was only 8 or 9 years old, too)...they were extremely painful, stressful shots in the dosage required for humans who have been attacked by potentially rabid animals, so I definitely can testify as to why the vaccines are mandatory.

I was accidently bit by a german shepherd puppy when I was about 6 years old (it was running loose in the park across the street), my parents called animal control to pick the puppy up. My parents in their wisdom proceeded to scare me with the threat of rabies shots, and told my the puppy had to have its head amputated to test for rabies (then said it came back negative so I would be spared the shots). My parents thought this would make me think twice about approaching stray animals, well instead it has made me dedicate my life to helping them, and I have never reported an animal bite since.

Sorry the post above made me think about this (my parents later told me none of this was true).

My vet told me that there have been several rabid bats found in our area in the past few years, so that's an excellent reason to vaccinate indoor cats. In addition to all the legal stuff. It seems like rabies keeps moving through different animal populations, I remember a few years ago we were all warned about rabid foxes coming into urban areas.

I always keep rabies current ... just out of fear

Well, there's practical reasons and theoretical reasons and legal reasons and then other reasons.

You point out some good practical reasons. Indoor cats can catch rabies from preying on rodents that get inside the house. Nano is a confirmed hunter so she is likely to kill anything that finds its way inside. She can also make a few "kills" if she escapes for a couple of hours each monh. So yes, concerns about your cat getting rabies from infected prey is a practical concern.

Then there's the theoretical. If Nano ever seriously bit anyone, I'd like to have clear proof that rabies is not an issue so there are no lawsuits and no doubt that Nano is clean. Animals whose rabies status is unknown can be put to sleep. That's usually more of an issue for dogs, but why risk it?

And then there's the legal aspects. Cats in my area are supposed to be inoculated against rabies during an annual checkup. I have to keep Nano's license/registration current.

And finally...there's just the aspect of being a responsible pet owner. That means looking out for the animal's best interest and allowing outsiders to feel confident that my pet is not a threat to them. It's not up to other people "to deal with" my choice of having a pet cat. It is up to me to demonstrate that Nano poses no threat and isn't a burden on them.

Jamie gave us another reason today. He managed to slip past my husband and get out of the house. Luckily he ran to the neighbors' front yard, got scared, and hunkered down so that R. could catch him and bring him back inside. (I was at work).
Our county doesn't have licenses for cats, and indoor-only cats aren't required to be vaccinated against rabies, but I'm going to be telling people here with indoor-only cats the bat story - people think there's no risk, but there is.

We vaccinate our cats (indoor only) in the off chance that they may escape into the great outdoors. Although keeping their collars on is challenging for us. They always manage to get them off.

Originally Posted by buddha&Meeko

We vaccinate our cats (indoor only) in the off chance that they may escape into the great outdoors. Although keeping their collars on is challenging for us. They always manage to get them off.

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How about microchipping them? It's quick, relatively painless, and doesn't require anesthesia, as tattooing does.

Originally Posted by jcat

How about microchipping them? It's quick, relatively painless, and doesn't require anesthesia, as tattooing does.

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They were both microchipped when we adopted them. I had collars with bells since they love to sneak up behind me and sprawl out right behind my feet. I heard a rumor that most places don't actually scan for the microchip unless you take the "stray" to a Vet and ask them to scan it. Is that true? I know I'm getting off topic here. Sorry!

Originally Posted by buddha&Meeko

They were both microchipped when we adopted them. I had collars with bells since they love to sneak up behind me and sprawl out right behind my feet. I heard a rumor that most places don't actually scan for the microchip unless you take the "stray" to a Vet and ask them to scan it. Is that true? I know I'm getting off topic here. Sorry!

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Yes, microchipping is almost unheard of in many areas.

Mine are all vaccinated by rabies..its a requirment.

Originally Posted by buddha&Meeko

: I heard a rumor that most places don't actually scan for the microchip unless you take the "stray" to a Vet and ask them to scan it. Is that true? I know I'm getting off topic here. Sorry!

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Unfortunately, that seems to be true. Being an overprotective pet owner, I've had Jamie tattooed and chipped, and have a collar on him with our address and telephone number. ZsaZsa, our "part-time cat", was tattooed when she was spayed, but has acquired a microchip and a collar with tags since we "half" took her in (she eats at our house, and we pay the vet bills, but her official home is two doors down, because Jamie won't accept her).

If you can take a close-up pic of a tattoo, I'm interested in seeing what that looks like. Thanks....

I would like to see the tattoo.

Originally Posted by coaster

If you can take a close-up pic of a tattoo, I'm interested in seeing what that looks like. Thanks....

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