I rescued a cat from the streets this past winter, about 2 months ago. A week ago, I suddenly discovered a wound on his cheek. I thought he had scratched himself open. I did notice a short time earlier that he had an ear problem when I saw him shake his head, and I could tell that his ear was bothering him. Anyway, when I investigated the wound, I discovered that he had developed an abscess. I took him to the vet, and they fixed him for a whopping $750. They also advised me that he might have rabies. I took him home and, a week later (last night), I suddenly noticed his eyes were hugely dilated. Just then, he ran to the bathroom (his box) and vomited and defecated involuntarily. Worst yet, he then collapsed into the vomit and feces. I picked him up and put him in the bathtub. He lay there for an hour, splayed out. His legs were in an obviously uncomfortable position, but he could not move at all. His breathing became rapid and shallow. I thought he was dying right in front of me. After an hour, I picked him up and put him in a chair. He lay there for 3 hours. I went to sleep. When I awoke at 4 in the morning, he had gotten out of the chair and was trying to walk. It looked like he was trying to walk off something. He did this for 3 more hours. He would walk from one end of the room to the other, pausing to stare at the wall and then turning around to do the same thing on the other side of the room. When the vet opened at 8 AM, I took him right in. They said he may have been convulsing due to rabies. They suggested I put him down. I don't want to. I've decided to go for the rabies shots for myself (because he did scratch me once while we were playing) and wait to see how he develops. Does anyone have an opinion what might have happened to him? Please?