How is rabies in cats

Rabies is a deadly disease that affects all warm-blooded animals, including humans, that causes characteristic encephalitis. For several weeks, the causative agent may linger in the bodies of dead animals. The virus dies when the medium is heated to 100 degrees, and when cooled, it can remain active for a couple of years. It is not resistant to 5% solutions of formalin, alkali or phenol.

Can a cat get rabies?

Yes, any warm-blooded animal is subject to rabies. Among the vectors of the disease are bats, wolves, hedgehogs, foxes and rodents. In urban conditions, these are stray animals.

How can a cat become infected?

The virus is found in the saliva of an animal infected with rabies. A cat can catch a virus by catching and eating a rodent with rabies or being bitten by a carrier. In the same way, a person can become infected. The next way the virus is transmitted is the saliva of an infected animal, which enters the skin with microcracks or mucous membranes in the body.

The incubation period of rabies in cats is determined by the volume of the virus that has entered the cat's body, and also depends on the severity and location of the injury - the closer the bite is to the head, the faster the virus can enter the brain. Usually, the first manifestations of the disease are noted two to three weeks after the injury. But it also happened that several months or even a year passed before the cat became ill. Unfortunately, in cats, rabies virus with saliva is released before the symptoms appear, so the likelihood of infection for the owner and other pets increases significantly.

How does the virus work?

After the rabies virus enters the body, it begins to move to the brain along pathways. Already from the brain, the virus goes to the salivary glands, where its subsequent reproduction begins. This process is poorly studied due to complexity, therefore, it is still unknown how neurons react to exposure to the virus. However, the result is known - a pet infected with rabies dies.

The clinical picture of rabies in cats

In feline, there are three different forms of the course of rabies.

Exuberant
It is characterized by the passage of three stages: the prodromal stage, the stage of manic and the stage of depression. At the first stage, minimal changes in the character of the animal and its habits are noted: the animal takes on the owner, wants attention, licks the skin, rubs its head on the face of the owner and his hands. Sometimes cats are overly excited or, on the contrary, sleep too long and take shelter from daylight. There are difficulties with appetite, a cat sometimes chews inedible things. The animal is disturbed by diarrhea, diarrhea and plentiful salivation. Usually, the site of the injury excites the pet - it can be inflamed and often itchy. This stage lasts from two to four days.

In the next stage, any signs of rabies in cats become significantly brighter. Salivation becomes so abundant that the areas of hair near the mouth and on the cat's neck regularly become wet, crumpled and dirty. The cat is afraid of light and water, the lower jaw slightly droops. The animal does not accept food and water, but sometimes swallows various objects. Habits become devoid of adequacy, a cat can even rush to the owner.It becomes difficult to calm an angry animal, as in a cat infected with rabies, the logic of correct behavior disappears. Paw or larynx paralysis, strabismus may develop. Sometimes cats leave the house, and then they can attack other animals or people.

This stage lasts approximately 3-5 days. And already at the third stage, the cat is constantly in an immobilized state due to paw paralysis, convulsions may develop. As a result, the animal dies, being exhausted or after stopping breathing. This lasts no more than three days.

Paralytic form of the disease
It is characterized by an overly rapid course, the cat's well-being sharply and significantly worsens, which leads to death in literally 3-4 days. The animal tries to hide in places deprived of light, does not eat or drink, the lower jaw quickly paralyzes, subsequently paralysis of the hind and front legs and body. The cat does not show aggression, indifferently and neutrally perceives its owner.

Least of all you can meet the atypical form of this disease. Among the characteristic symptoms of the disease: depression, general weakness and lethargy, excessive drowsiness. The cat loses its appetite, sometimes vomiting or diarrhea, as well as diarrhea, sometimes there is a small tremor of different parts of the body. The total duration of the development of the disease can reach several months. Rabies in kittens, in terms of manifestations and symptoms, is almost completely similar to infection of adults, with the only exception: in kittens, the virus spreads faster and the total duration of the disease is no more than a few days.

Diagnostic process

Alas, it is almost impossible to obtain material for analysis for rabies infection while the cat is alive. A sick animal is isolated for a certain time: usually up to twenty to thirty days. And if the cat dies, they take brain tissue to test for the presence of the pathogen virus in it.

Existing methods for studying the cerebrospinal fluid of a cat and its saliva make it possible to detect the presence of the virus during the life of the animal, but even the absence of a positive result does not indicate that the cat is not sick. Therefore, similar tests are rarely used to diagnose rabies in cats.

Therapy

There are currently no therapeutic procedures for treating rabies in cats. Moreover, if a warm-blooded animal, including humans, showed the first signs of the disease, it dies. In addition, it is forbidden to treat animals in which rabies is suspected, since it represents an object of danger to medical staff.

Therefore, even if rabies are detected in a cat in a timely manner, it will not be possible to save the pet. There are no effective drugs, so the animal is usually euthanized. Such a choice is considered the most humane, as:

1. The further spread of the virus, which can be transmitted very simply, stops.
2. The animal avoids further torment and suffering that will inevitably come.

What to do if a pet suspects rabies:

1. Initially, it will be necessary to expose the cat to isolation (close in a separate room, and in no case contact with the animal).
2. Contact your nearest local veterinary clinic.
3. If cat saliva has got on the skin or the animal has bitten the owner, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the area of ​​the injury in running water using soap (it is best to do laundry because it contains a high alkali content).

It's important to know! If it was determined that the animal was infected with rabies, the owner will need to go to the hospital to conduct a course of special treatment. If you do not use this advice, then this may result in death. Remember that as soon as the first symptoms appear, a person is doomed to a terrible death!

Prevention of rabies in cats

The most reliable way to protect a cat from rabies virus infection is, perhaps, timely and regular vaccination of a pet.

Please note! A pet can be vaccinated against rabies at a municipal veterinary hospital, using a domestic vaccine. This option is accepted as mandatory throughout Russia. Animals that have not been vaccinated cannot, together with their owners, participate in exhibitions, travel around the country and abroad.

For the first time, a kitten is vaccinated at the age of 3 months or after the teeth have changed. An adult must be vaccinated once a year. Vaccination can only be given to a completely healthy animal that does not have parasites. A couple of weeks before the procedure, you must offer the pet a cure for helminths. Also, it is forbidden to vaccinate weak, sick or pregnant cats.

Current vaccines do not have serious side effects and can be well tolerated even by a small kitten. The most common in the Russian Federation are these drugs: Nobivak, Rabikan, as well as Quadricate.

Of course, it is important to prevent any contact of your pet with infected animals and carriers, but with the free keeping of a cat, this is hardly possible.

Rabies is a real threat. Each year, more than 55,000 people die from the rabies virus worldwide. Do not avoid and do not forget about prevention, motivating unwillingness to get vaccinated with a low chance of getting sick. Even in the largest cities in the world, sometimes sharp outbreaks of the disease occur, and the remoteness of the apartment or house from the natural sites of infection does not guarantee that you are completely safe.

Video: why rabies is dangerous