Rabies Symptoms in Kittens (question)

[catladyky]

I tend to get panic attacks from thinking of diseases... but I also have the habit of adopting stray animals, especially cute furry kittens. And like my name says, I live in Kentucky so there's lots of wildlife that can infect strays unknowingly. And if you know Kentucky then you know that there are tons of people who just abandon cats/kittens anywhere they can (even on highways)... 

My question is;

Can kittens be born with rabies?

If so, are there any unique symptoms that only kittens display?  

How long does it take after birth for them to show signs of the virus?

How long will the kitten live if the mother is showing early symptoms by the time of birth?

I know the general symptoms of rabies in animals, especially cats. But I'm not sure if there's anything else to look out for in kittens (like within 5 weeks old).  Do they get diarrhea or some symptom that is unique to only kittens infected with the virus?  Or do kittens just suffer the same symptoms as any animal?

One more thing, since you only catch rabies when the animal is showing symptoms (drooling, etc) does that mean if the mother cat gives birth before she shows symptoms that the kittens won't be infected (so long as they're separated from the mother)? 

Anyway,

Thank you so much y'all. 

(As someone who tries to save as many strays as I can, I think it's safer to finally get these answers.)

 

[Sarthur2]

stephenq

Would you know anything about rabies in cats?

 

[StefanZ]

Good questions.  I have never heard of the problem, so I hope its non-existent.  But its wise to get answers, once you realize there is the question.   Lets hope StephenQ or someone else, do know.

 

[stephenq]

 

Hi

Other than your general concerns about illness, can you explain why you're asking these questions? Is there a mother cat or pregnant cat you are in contact with that is sick? What are her symptoms?

Rabies in cats is VERY RARE in the USA.  Are you in the USA?

Rabies is so rare that there are in any given year in the US, about 2-3 human cases in the entire country.  That's about 1 case for every 100 million people.

In theory, a pregnant cat that is rabid would give birth to rabid kittens who would die quickly. But in practice this must be very rare.  The mother cat could easily die before giving birth.

Diarrhea is NOT a symptom of rabies. Period.  Symptoms of rabies are essentially all behavioral.  The only non behavioral symptoms are muscle spasms and excessive salivation.

If you are at all worried the best and easiest thing to do is consult a vet who will likely put your mind at ease.  There is also a pre-exposure vaccine that veterinary professionals sometimes get and which you could get too if it helped your fears.

Symptoms below:

From: http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/rabies-in-cats/332

What are the clinical signs of Rabies?

Following a bite or scratch from a rabid animal, the disease progresses through three stages:

1. In the first or prodromal stage, there is a marked change in temperament; quiet cats become agitated and can become aggressive, while active extroverts may become nervous or shy.

2. This phase is then followed by so-called furious rabies  that is by far the most common type in the cat. During this phase, excitement predominates and it is at this stage that the cat is most dangerous, both to other animals and to the owner. The cat becomes increasingly nervous, irritable and vicious. Muscle spasms will often prevent swallowing and there is excessive drooling of saliva.

3. The third stage is the paralytic stage, which usually occurs after about seven days. Ultimately the cat will become comatose and die.

A noted feature of the condition in cats is the widely dilated pupil throughout all stages of the disease.

 

[catladyky]

 

Wow, thank you so much for your reply. I'm glad to know that a mother cat's newborns wouldn't survive very long if they were born with rabies. I thought that since a kitten has a low immune system that the rabies would show different signs, I'm glad to know that's not the case.  I only asked because I heard that sometimes rabies can take a few weeks to show symptoms, so I wasn't sure if the newborn's weak immune system would mean the rabies would spread faster and show different symptoms. I am glad to hear diarrhea is not a symptom. I was never sure about that and in the past, whenever we weaned kittens I always got a little suspicious whenever they'd get diarrhea. So thank you for that help. 

As for why I'm asking. I live in Kentucky, USA, and around here we have a lot of poverty, which leads to abandoned cats and to-be-mothers,  and there's a lot of foxes, coyotes, wolves, raccoons, opossums, etc around here. My sisters and I will try and help every stray we come across and this last stray we took in had kittens a few weeks later (we've had the mother since middle of July, kittens were born on Aug 6th). None of the kittens nor the mother are showing any signs of rabies, though. I was just asking because I never really knew any information about rabies in to-be-mothers and how it could affect the newborns. 

So this was all precautionary, because we will end up saving more strays. I just wanted to know as much about rabies as possible BEFORE we find our next stray to take care of. 

Thank you for all of your help. I really appreciate this so much.

Oh, yeah, this just came into my mind because I saw another site talk about it-- can cats and dogs receive a rabies shot as treatment for a possible infected wound IF it's immediately given after the bite? All of our pets have their shots, but I've heard of horror stories where the shots failed, and I was wondering if the rabies vaccine would save an animal before the virus could spread.

 

[StefanZ]

 
So this was all precautionary, because we will end up saving more strays. I just wanted to know as much about rabies as possible BEFORE we find our next stray to take care of. 

Thank you for all of your help. I really appreciate this so much.

Oh, yeah, this just came into my mind because I saw another site talk about it-- can cats and dogs receive a rabies shot as treatment for a possible infected wound IF it's immediately given after the bite? All of our pets have their shots, but I've heard of horror stories where the shots failed, and I was wondering if the rabies vaccine would save an animal before the virus could spread.

Talking about precautions, as its worrying you, be sure YOU and your rescue co-workers  take the rabies shot, as a precaution. Take also the tetanus shot, and the hepatit shots to be on the safe side...   Also, take the shots against the contagions carried by ticks, whom often follow the cats inside...

Most of these shots are more or less standard anyway, but as you DO work with a security problem, so double guard as much as you can.

Re the other question about extra vaccin for cats, again lets hope someone knows for sure.  Otherwise, your vet is the best source.  After all, it will be probably the vet who must have that vaccine home, and administer it.

 

[stephenq]

 
 can cats and dogs receive a rabies shot as treatment for a possible infected wound IF it's immediately given after the bite? All of our pets have their shots, but I've heard of horror stories where the shots failed, and I was wondering if the rabies vaccine would save an animal before the virus could spread.

I don't know!  But suspected animals will go into a 10 day quarantine because the animal will show symptoms by day 10  allowing time for the human to get vaccinated.

As to your reference again to diarrhea in kittens, it has nothing  to do with rabies and everything  to do with either worms, parasites or food sensitivity.  

 

[Cutiecatkitty]

I tend to get panic attacks from thinking of diseases... but I also have the habit of adopting stray animals, especially cute furry kittens. And like my name says, I live in Kentucky so there's lots of wildlife that can infect strays unknowingly. And if you know Kentucky then you know that there are tons of people who just abandon cats/kittens anywhere they can (even on highways)...

My question is;

Can kittens be born with rabies?

If so, are there any unique symptoms that only kittens display?

How long does it take after birth for them to show signs of the virus?

How long will the kitten live if the mother is showing early symptoms by the time of birth?

I know the general symptoms of rabies in animals, especially cats. But I'm not sure if there's anything else to look out for in kittens (like within 5 weeks old). Do they get diarrhea or some symptom that is unique to only kittens infected with the virus? Or do kittens just suffer the same symptoms as any animal?

One more thing, since you only catch rabies when the animal is showing symptoms (drooling, etc) does that mean if the mother cat gives birth before she shows symptoms that the kittens won't be infected (so long as they're separated from the mother)?

Anyway,

Thank you so much y'all.

(As someone who tries to save as many strays as I can, I think it's safer to finally get these answers.)

 

[Cutiecatkitty]

Hello catladyky .. Kentucky and cats so lucky to have u. More powers and more rescued cats to come

 

[Willowy]

It is recommended to get a pet a booster shot if they are bitten by an animal of unknown rabies status, so all wild animals basically. Or if you don't know what bit them. So it must have some kind of protective effect or why would they recommend it?

I don't believe it's possible for kittens to be born with rabies, but I suppose that if the mother were shedding rabies in her saliva, they could get it from her after birth from her licking them. But she would be dead within 10 days in that case, so you wouldn't have to guess.

Animals can incubate rabies for quite awhile after being exposed to it. But they won't be contagious during that incubation period. They're only contagious when shedding rabies in their saliva, and they will always be dead within 10 days of shedding the virus. So if there are any suspicious deaths, you should have the animal's brain tested for rabies. If they're still alive, it isn't rabies.

Rabies is a brain disease, it does not affect any other part of the body.