Be carefull cat owners. Dumb thing I did.

[Sigarms]

Think you guys are missing the bigger picture...

Whenever you have a pet that is under your care, you need to ensure that the pet has had it's rabbies vaccination.

My neighbors dog (which I can love like my own because he spends so much time at our place), once tagled with a raccoon. Neighbor called animal control on the racoon, and I asked him if his dog had his rabbies vaccine. Utlimtately the answer was no. I pointed out to him that if he though he had a rabid racoon on his property during the day and his dog fought / killed that racoon and that dog wasn't vaccinated, he's (my neighbor) has opened up a big can of worms that animal control could not ignore.

Bottom line, any animal in your home or that you care for, get it vaccinated for rabbies.

 

[MossRoad]

So here's the thing about rabies.... it's statistically 100% fatal.

A couple years ago, we had a bat in the house on Christmas night. No big deal. None of us got bit. The cats are vaccinated, so I caught the bat and let it go outside.

Three days later, we took one of the cats (a kitten), to the vet for it's scheduled 6 month appointment. Mention the bat incident. They check the records and the kitten hasn't ever had rabies vaccination. We thought it did, but it didn't. So now the vet is required by law to report it to the health department.

We don't know how long the bat was in the house. We don't know if the kitten had gotten ahold of it and been bitten. Me, my wife, and our two children had been playing vigorously with the kitten for at least three days after the bat incident, and all 4 of us had been bitten and scratched by the kitten.

Again, rabies is statistically 100% fatal. So all 4 of us had to get globulin and rabies shots. That was not mandatory, but the Vet, our Doctors, the health department, me and my wife all agreed that why take a risk on your children's lives, and your own lives? It's just not worth it, because once it's detected in a human, there IS NO CURE! It's statistically 100% fatal. And it's a slow, horrible death. Hopefully they will sedate you until you die.

By law in our state and county, we had to quarantine the kitten for 6 months! Yes, 6 months. I was the only one allowed to handle him, his food and water, his litter box, etc...

To add salt to the fire..... it happened at the end of the year, so we had to dump a huge deductible, AND since the shots take about 28 days to administer, it went into the next year, so we had to dump another deductible!!!

So, to summarize....

A. Always have your pets' vaccinations current and documented.
B. Always assume a wild mammal has rabies.
C. Never let a wild mammal go that has bitten or scratched a human or one of your mammal pets/livestock.
D. Capture it and hold it for your local humane society, health department, etc... that handle rabies in your locale.

Try not to kill it if at all possible. Let the authorities euthanize it and get it's brain examined.

It's not something to mess around with. Get to your doctor and get your shots ASAP. There is no cure if they detect it in you. Good luck.

 

[MossRoad]

And just so you don't feel bad, between 30,000 and 60,000 people are treated with rabies shots each year in the U.S. You are not alone. I've had them. My wife and two kids have had them.

It's not that bad, not at all like it used to be. The globulin shots are kinda uncomfortable because they give you one in each thigh and one in each butt cheek. It's a one time deal. It's based on body weight, so I got a nice big dose! :laughing: The rabies vaccination shot is similar to a flu shot in your arm. Small tiny needle and no pain at all. It's a 4 or 5 shot series. My kids and I had the 5 shot series, so we had to get one on the 1st day, 3rd day, 7th day, 14th day and 28th day. My wife's was only a 4 shot series, so she got one less.

 

[jbrumberg]

I agree that all pets should be vaccinated. My dog was lucky. All his shots were up to date.

 

[Sigarms]

I agree that all pets should be vaccinated. My dog was lucky. All his shots were up to date.

The reality is if your pet isn't vacinated, and it (the pet) has been documented to be in contact with a animal that could of have had rabbies (and in turn, you had contact with your pet), you have two choices, the pet will be quarantined or the pet will be put down.

My neighbor still hasn't vaccinated his dog even after his dog's run in with the daylight coon. Dog's are like kids, they don't get to choose what family they're in.

Just vaccinate your pet. Even if rabbies is hogwash, having a documented pet that is vaccinated is a lot easier than having a documented pet who isn't vaccinated if a rabid animal is thrown into the picture.

 

[jbrumberg]

".... Dog's are like kids, they don't get to choose what family they're in."- Sigarms

Sad, but true. Some individuals are incapable of being responsible parents and/or pet owners.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Around here, cats (and coons) are self propelled targets... Problem solved!

SR

 

[MossRoad]

It's also recommended that even if you or your pet are already vaccinated for rabies and you or your pet tangle with a rabid or unknown condition wild animal that you and/or your pet get rabies boosters immediately.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I once thought it would be cute to introduce my cat to my friends, friendly, visiting Lab. That cat chomped down on my finger, causing the veins in my arm to bulge out, a semi-permanent IV in my arm to which I had to be connected, several times in one week for anti-biotics. Plus health department inquiries. Yes, just plain stupid behavior!

 

[mapper]

Even if your cat or dog is vaccinated for rabies, if they tangle with a coon it can be serious, coons have sharp claws and teeth which can be very dirty. They will leave some deep punctures that can result in some nasty infected abscesses, especially in cats whose skin heals faster than the underlying tissue. This will result in another large vet bill.