My cat caught a bat please help

[etrinity90]

So basically to give a story which may be a little long.

my cat Floki he was due for his vaccines February 2023 I completely forgot about them because he has allergies to fleas and such and he had gotten a swollen chin which turned out to be because of the fleas and they gave him a steroid shot which helped And I was supposed to schedule a different vaccine appointment. He’s 1ish his birthday is October and he turns 2 this year.
About two days ago I heard scratching coming from our attic door I was trying to call pest control thinking a squirrel or something was trying to get in and then it stopped and seemed to leave. We’ll last night about 7:30 I was playing with my two other cats Freya and eris who are fully vaccinated and up to date and my cat Floki jumped down to the middle of our stairs and I heard a squeak and noticed he had a bat. He dropped it and then just looked at me which I grabbed him and threw him in the bathroom and ran and got something to grab it with and I was so freaked and stressed out that I put it outside thinking it was dead because it wasn’t moving at all. Well it flew away unfortunately when I went to go grab it to put it in a bag to take to the vet and I then proceeded to check Floki for any wounds. I looked all over his body and face and didn’t see any no scratches no bites nothing. He has been acting himself and is not licking any areas indicating there’s a wound there he’s been having his normal zoomies and playing and being his cuddly self.

I called my vet this morning and they are having me bring him in today for a rabies vaccine and they advised per cdc To quarantine with little to no contact from anyone for 45 days. He is very very attached to his sisters and to me and so I contacted an emergency technician(friend of mine from my last job) who believes that 45 days is just way too long and she said to quarantine for 14 days as he would start showing symptoms and they haven’t had any cases of rabies at their emergency hospital back in California and how it’s very rare for bats to have rabies. I live in illinois now and bats are common unfortunately so I’ve been stressing myself out all day because he is my heart kitty and I couldn’t bear to think of losing him so I wanted to reach out to others to see if they have any knowledge or opinion on the matter.

thank you.

 

[gitabooks]

Take a breath. It's okay.

Rabies vaccines typically last much longer then people think (it's just to be cautious that they are given so frequently). Also, bats are very unlikely to have rabies. I wouldn't worry about quarantine or any of that as long as you get him vaccinated and keep him inside. The bat likely didn't even bite him.

 

[etrinity90]

Take a breath. It's okay.

Rabies vaccines typically last much longer then people think (it's just to be cautious that they are given so frequently). Also, bats are very unlikely to have rabies. I wouldn't worry about quarantine or any of that as long as you get him vaccinated and keep him inside. The bat likely didn't even bite him.

thank you it’s just something that you know the internet just tells you so many different things I’m glad and grateful to have found this website. He’s just like my son and it sucks to have to do this to him bc he gets so anxious alone. Well my three cats have to be together all the time they’re just so bonded. I’m off this weekend and took some sick days yesterday and today from my job so I think I might quarantine him for the weekend especially if the vet doesn’t see any wounds on him and if he’s acting himself but I’ve done so much research And my grandma who lives out in the country her cats catch all sorts of things and aren’t even vaccinated just barn cats and have never had rabies or really anything now they’re old and happy lol but I appreciate the advice a lot

 

[etrinity90]

I think right now my biggest concern is quarantine. I just took him to the vet her got his fvrcp and rabies the vet checked his body for any bite wounds I did let her know that the bat was faced down when I saw it. She is very adamant on him being on a 45 day quarantine with little contact just fed and watered and that’s it. Which if I were to do he’d be freaked out or super depressed it’s already hard enough he is meowing at the door where his sisters are sitting. She said he could start showing signs if he has it in 2 days up to 4 months so it’s like idk what the 45 day quarantine would even do. Idk I’m just stressed and feel like there’s nothing I can do besides sit and wait and I hate that feeling

 

[fionasmom]

Illinois Department of Public Health Urges Public to Watch Out for Rabid Bats, Other Infected Animals
You may want to check vectors for your immediate area of Illinois to see if there have been rabid bats found locally.

So far this year, Los Angeles county has had 30 rabid bats. It is the one vector of concern out here and humans who handle any bat, in cases such as taking one away from their dog or cat, are usually give the rabies series. It is impossible to determine a bite because the teeth of a bat are so small. What the vet tech told you is true. There are not that many cases of rabid bats in CA, depending on the county, and it is possible for a vet clinic never to see one. Problem is that rabies is a one way street.

Your vet was right to revaccinate immediately. I also can't fault her for taking this seriously, although I understand your frustration and upset at the prospect of what might be ahead of you.

Where is the bat now and can he be tested? Did you completely cover your hands or otherwise protect yourself when you picked it up?

I was going to suggest running a titre, but I don't think that it will give you the information that you need or want in order to clear your cat.

 

[etrinity90]

Illinois Department of Public Health Urges Public to Watch Out for Rabid Bats, Other Infected Animals
You may want to check vectors for your immediate area of Illinois to see if there have been rabid bats found locally.

So far this year, Los Angeles county has had 30 rabid bats. It is the one vector of concern out here and humans who handle any bat, in cases such as taking one away from their dog or cat, are usually give the rabies series. It is impossible to determine a bite because the teeth of a bat are so small. What the vet tech told you is true. There are not that many cases of rabid bats in CA, depending on the county, and it is possible for a vet clinic never to see one. Problem is that rabies is a one way street.

Your vet was right to revaccinate immediately. I also can't fault her for taking this seriously, although I understand your frustration and upset at the prospect of what might be ahead of you.

Where is the bat now and can he be tested? Did you completely cover your hands or otherwise protect yourself when you picked it up?

I was going to suggest running a titre, but I don't think that it will give you the information that you need or want in order to clear your cat.

I wore an oven mit and grabbed the bat with a knee brace I found that was closest to me and wrapped it up in the knee brace and placed it outside which I wish that I kept it but due to the stress of the moment I was thinking clearly. I know that in a county kinda far from me there has been cases of rabies in bats I believe it said about 8 were found I don’t know much about where I live in but my vet told me if I find another in my attic to safely catch it and freeze/kill it and get it tested since colonies can share it basically and if it doesn’t have it more than likely the others don’t too. I did 100% make sure not to touch it tho and I sprayed and cleaned the carpet where it was laying. It’s just hard bc I’m hearing so many different things from so many people that I don’t even know what is right or wrong. My coworker Amy use to have bats every day enter her house when they first moved in and she had a cat who hasn’t been vaccinated in years and never did anything for themselves or the cat and it’s been years now and they’re all fine. I’ve talked to friends and family who have had bats that live in their attic that they just ignore and said that rabies is rare to find in the bars out here but my vet says it’s very common out here but she said there hasn’t been a case of an animal contracting it that most of the rabies that bats carry out here are only transmitted from bat to bat and the more common rabies out here is like with raccoons and skunks. I just am fearful of quarantining him for 45 days with little contact and him getting worse and not even having it. But then 4 months later he starts showing symptoms. It’s just very stressful because I’ve never had this happen before. And with my family pets as a kid my parents never treated them or cared as much as I do and my family dog was around skunks a few times, rats that she’s killed and yah so I don’t know, I was thinking of just quarantining him for 2 weeks like my technician recommended bc symptoms can start showing within 2 days of exposure but I just hope I’m doing everything right it’s hard to say in this situation

Also to note Springfield is about 2 hours from me

 

[fionasmom]

We understand your complete anxiety about this. Because rabies protocol varies a great deal from state to state, and even counties, I wondered if animal control would contact you. If so, just erring on the side of caution in case your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat, I would not let him outside. This does not solve the 45 days problem, but might help you to avoid another one.

It sounds as if you were very careful about handling the bat. As I understand this, the bat is was able to fly off? You mentioned bats in the attic? Would calling pest control do anything? I fully admit I am out of my depth here as I am not in an area where there is any bat activity; I think that the usual course of action is to get bats to leave as opposed to trapping them? Could a pest control company catch one for you?

 

[etrinity90]

He is a strictly indoor only cat, we think the bat came from the attic since that’s the only explanation. We do have pest control coming next Thursday but they said they might be able to get us in sooner. We’re going to ask pest control to catch one if they find one in our attic. We do plan on putting stainless steel wool in spots of the attic after pest control comes down since bats can’t chew through it per my dad. I’m just more fearful for him than anything else

 

[fionasmom]

Rats usually cannot chew through steel wool and I have used that in a pinch. I am no home repair expert, but if there are entry points try to get them sealed up.

If pest control can get a bat, it does give you one more piece of information. If they can get out sooner, the better.

 

[gitabooks]

In Ohio bite quarantine is 10 days for dogs and cats. Is it 45 days in California? Would it be okay to keep the cats together if the others are vaccinated?

 

[etrinity90]

In Ohio bite quarantine is 10 days for dogs and cats. Is it 45 days in California? Would it be okay to keep the cats together if the others are vaccinated?

Idk i think it may be 14 days in California because that’s what my friend the technician told me to do. But my vet is going by the cdc which is 45 days of just being fed and watered and that’s it basically. I live in illinois and I think that’s their procedure out here but I plan on quarantining for 14 days since my cats are vaccinated and he is and just got another rabies shot honestly just a monitoring game now but unfortunately it riskier if he’s around the other cats bc it’s passed by saliva but idk my friend thinks it’s stupid and he’s fine bc his cats in the past has messed with raccoons and such and have been fine it’s all just different everywhere and everything you hear too

 

[fionasmom]

The 14 day quarantine for a cat or dog is if they are the ones who actually did the biting. (LA County) The vet tech you spoke to may be referring to this aspect of confinement. Law specifically refers to this animal by using those words.

The quarantine for the bitten animal is not specified because it is determined by the public health department.

Other CA counties have different regulations, all of which allow for determination by the public health department. In two northern CA counties, the bitten animal can be confined up to 6 months.

This makes the CDC guidelines sound lenient. Their wording on transmission says that an vaccinated animal is unlikely to get rabies. No vaccine is 100% guaranteed. This goes back to the reason that some foreign countries require a rabies vaccine and a 30 day titre test in addition before an animal is allowed entry.

 

[etrinity90]

From what happened last night it didn’t seem like he got bit or scratched there’s was no noise from him the bat was faced down and curled up and not moving when I saw it. Floki did bite the bat bc I heard a squeak but he immediately I think brought it to me because I was sitting on the stairs and I didn’t heard any noise of a fight upstairs. I think he could’ve landed on it since it was such a large thud when he jumped or he jumped down with it to bring it for me. Ik that they have tiny teeth and the vet did a really good job at looking him over and I did right after it happened. And usually if a cat is bitten or scratched they tend to lick the area that was attacked but he hasn’t been doing any of that so I truly don’t think he was bitten or scratched at all

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. This is just what I would do if it was my cat. I would have them run a rabies titer to see if he had enough immunity from previous vaccines, which he probably does. And I would vaccinate for rabies right away.

The above is only if I had the extra money to spend on piece of mind. If not I would just figure he is still immune. This is provided he has had at least his initial kitten rabies and one booster.

I work with horses and live in CA. A large animal vet was treating a horse I was holding and he joked about how his cats had caught a bat and were playing with it in the backyard.When I asked if they were vaccinated he said not recently or they were overdue. He found the entire situation amusing.

I think I would be more towards that vets attitude than the quarantine 45 days attitude. I am certainly not telling you to not followyour vets advice. I would hate to read about an outbrake of rabies in your area and it seems you have more rabid bats there than in CA. But, there is no way I would be able to keep my cat separate for 45 days and I wouldn’t ever quarantine at a facility.

I am not a veterinarian and I am not licensed in any way. So take this with a grain of salt. It’s just what I would do. I am not telling you to ignore your vets advice. Just that if it was me, I would.
On the other hand, I would be keeping all cats inside. I would limit people visiting ( just in case) but I would get that vaccine today and make sure it is given in the back leg as opposed to the scruff.

 

[etrinity90]

Hi. This is just what I would do if it was my cat. I would have them run a rabies titer to see if he had enough immunity from previous vaccines, which he probably does. And I would vaccinate for rabies right away.

The above is only if I had the extra money to spend on piece of mind. If not I would just figure he is still immune. This is provided he has had at least his initial kitten rabies and one booster.

I work with horses and live in CA. A large animal vet was treating a horse I was holding and he joked about how his cats had caught a bat and were playing with it in the backyard.When I asked if they were vaccinated he said not recently or they were overdue. He found the entire situation amusing.

I think I would be more towards that vets attitude than the quarantine 45 days attitude. I am certainly not telling you to not followyour vets advice. I would hate to read about an outbrake of rabies in your area and it seems you have more rabid bats there than in CA. But, there is no way I would be able to keep my cat separate for 45 days and I wouldn’t ever quarantine at a facility.

I am not a veterinarian and I am not licensed in any way. So take this with a grain of salt. It’s just what I would do. I am not telling you to ignore your vets advice. Just that if it was me, I would.
On the other hand, I would be keeping all cats inside. I would limit people visiting ( just in case) but I would get that vaccine today and make sure it is given in the back leg as opposed to the scruff.

he had all his kitten shots and boosters he was due in February just for his next yearly shots he was given his fvrcp scruff and his rabies in the hind yesterday at 1:45pm so it was only maybe 15-20 hrs apart from the bat incident. I plan myself to get the rabies vaccine when my clinic opens on Monday just because I don’t plan on doing the 45 day quarantine where he is by himself he will at least have me by his side, he is away from my other cats and they’re all strictly indoor and never go outside at all. But I’ve taken the time to consider everything and I know if it was me and I had to be quarantined for 45 days by myself I’d go crazy and depressed so i’ll take the risk and stay with him since he’s like a son to me. I also appreciate everyone’s posts on this matter it has definitely been helpful

 

[Caspers Human]

Get on Google and search: "<YourTown> <YourCounty> <YourState> Bat Rabies Map"

Most counties in the US keep records on the numbers of animals found with rabies, the date, location and number of cases reported.
Generally, they post the data on the internet and, often, you can see a map of some kind that shows where rabies was found.

This might not help you in the sort term but it will certainly give you some information on how prevalent rabies is in the area where you live and, from that, you can understand how careful you have to be.

I looked up my information (Pennsylvania) and found that, even though there have been about 100 cases of rabies in PA during 2023, there have been ZERO cases in my county.

This doesn't guarantee that, if I found a bat inside my house, it wouldn't have rabies but it does tell me that, if I'm reasonably careful, I don't have much to worry about.

If your situation happened in my house, I'd take precautions just as you did, and get rid of the bat. I'd probably carry it outside, kill it then bury it out back in the weeds, some place. I would certainly take the cat to the vet and make sure he's got his shots up to date and, probably, get a booster just to be safe. Given that there have been zero cases of rabies in my county, I probably wouldn't worry much, beyond that.

If there had been rabies in my area, I would also get myself a rabies booster, I'd take the bat in for testing and I'd quarantine the cat until the test results came back negative.

I'm not trying to say that you have nothing to worry about but, still, the chances of you or your cat getting rabies are probably low unless you live in an area where rabies is prevalent.

Just be objective. Don't panic. Do what common sense tells you to do.

Keep your cool and everything will likely come out okay.

 

[etrinity90]

Get on Google and search: "<YourTown> <YourCounty> <YourState> Bat Rabies Map"

Most counties in the US keep records on the numbers of animals found with rabies, the date, location and number of cases reported.
Generally, they post the data on the internet and, often, you can see a map of some kind that shows where rabies was found.

This might not help you in the sort term but it will certainly give you some information on how prevalent rabies is in the area where you live and, from that, you can understand how careful you have to be.

I looked up my information (Pennsylvania) and found that, even though there have been about 100 cases of rabies in PA during 2023, there have been ZERO cases in my county.

This doesn't guarantee that, if I found a bat inside my house, it wouldn't have rabies but it does tell me that, if I'm reasonably careful, I don't have much to worry about.

If your situation happened in my house, I'd take precautions just as you did, and get rid of the bat. I'd probably carry it outside, kill it then bury it out back in the weeds, some place. I would certainly take the cat to the vet and make sure he's got his shots up to date and, probably, get a booster just to be safe. Given that there have been zero cases of rabies in my county, I probably wouldn't worry much, beyond that.

If there had been rabies in my area, I would also get myself a rabies booster, I'd take the bat in for testing and I'd quarantine the cat until the test results came back negative.

I'm not trying to say that you have nothing to worry about but, still, the chances of you or your cat getting rabies are probably low unless you live in an area where rabies is prevalent.

Just be objective. Don't panic. Do what common sense tells you to do.

Keep your cool and everything will likely come out okay.

thank you for the kind response I appreciate it. There has been no rabies cases found in my county. The closest one was 1 bath found in a county about an hour from me.He’s up to date and boosted and I’m a lot less stressed now but still will be monitoring him. I know the chances are very low and sadly enough I don’t have the bat to get tested but if another is found in my attic I will be capturing it to go get tested. So far he is still his usual self and luckily enough no other bats have found their way inside. I appreciate all of ya’lls responses to my post it definitely does help

 

[Caspers Human]

It's good to know that there are no reported cases of rabies near you.

You're doing what I would do. Just keep an eye on the cat for a while until you are sure he's okay.

Unless you have another run-in, I don't think you have a lot to worry about.