Be carefull cat owners. Dumb thing I did.

[ultrarunner]

^^^^^
OOOPS. We lost a cat when I was a kid in a similar manner; except it apparently got trapped in the crawl space under the neighbors house when they banked it with snow to hold the cold out.

It took me a minute how your neighbor's car got hidden in your storage space; but as I read on I saw the error.
You gotta love that spell chekc!

I did write CAT... honest. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

First, thanks so much for the tip about the styrofoam boxes. I get medication delivered in very high quality styrofoam, and the boxes would make great cat boxes. I had everything but the idea.

Now the rabies. Raccoons can be asymptomatic carriers of rabies. Get your *** to the doctor yesterday.

 

[Jstpssng]

Thank goodness you did not whack him on the head and kill him. Then you would have no choices. He can be quarantined and the results can be determined in ten day or so. Hang in John - you are doing the right thing. Especially since he exhibits the "balding" spot where you initially whacked him. The Health Dept will be able to advise you of further actions.

I'm not sure why so many think that would matter. As long as you don't shoot it in the head they can still be tested.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm not sure why so many think that would matter. As long as you don't shoot it in the head they can still be tested.

If you kill the animal in any fashion and don't get it to a testing facility before the brain starts rotting, they cannot detect the brain lesions caused by the rabies virus. That's why you want to capture the animal live if at all possible, and have the health department, humane society, trained veterinarian, etc... whoever is responsible for rabies testing prep in your area be the one to euthanize the animal if at all possible.

 

[MossRoad]

Update on coon. Tried to call animal control officer, no luck and health dept. Finally called sheriff dept and he said hold the coon and call health dept Mon. I got the coon out of the trap and put him in a larger cage. Got a chance to look at it real good and I am very certain it is the same coon. I think I mentioned that I gave him a very hard whack with a base ball bat right over the front shoulders. There is a spot about 4"x4" with the fur missing in that spot. Now I feel bad about whacking him. We are not running a cat condo as mentioned by one poster. We just happen to have 5 very fine cats that are tame and loving and well fed and cared for. We didn't ask for them, some city people come out to the country and dump them. We had a small kitten show up that someone had poured lighter fluid and set him on fire I spent $100 taking it to a vet only to be told there was no hope. We live in the country and a recycling near us and farmers cornfields. We keep all of our trash secure and usually put the cat food away at dusk, still I have to trap and kill probably 6 or 7 coons each year. I have been told that it is illegal to trap and dump a coon (relocate it) and if you do relocate a coon many times they will find their way back of starve to death trying and other coons will not accept them in their clan and will fight them. This was the first time I had seen one in a cat box. We have one cat that is over 10 years old and been in a accident and had her pelvis broken and got hit and another time had something fall on her during a violent wind storm and damaged her mouth and lungs (bleeding out her mouth) She is the one that rides to work with me every day and goes with me on service calls in my big truck. I have a heating pad in her box and turn it on during cold weather. It was cold that night and this coon did what I would do on a cold night, find a warm bed. As far as the cats killing birds, very seldom do we see one with a bird, We had to quit feeding the birds, not because of the cats but because of the hawks. They get way more than the cats and cats are always taking care of the mice and moles.

Good luck with it being the same racoon. You're being penny wise and pound foolish with your life. I hope it works out for you. The odds are in your favor. Would you play the same odds if it were your child?

 

[two_bit_score]

Good luck with it being the same racoon. You're being penny wise and pound foolish with your life. I hope it works out for you. The odds are in your favor. Would you play the same odds if it were your child?

I'm with Moss on this one. I understand the temptation to dismiss the possibility of a horrific death from something like that as it might be a long shot that it would actually occur.

But even taking it as 99 out of 100 chance you have to remember that it's 100% fatal if you do get it it and don't get treatment until the symptoms appear in you.

But it's your life; live it like every day is your last.

TBS

 

[oosik]

I have every expectation that the Dr that John sees today will tell him the same thing as Moss Road in post #55. The odds are long that the coon is carrying rabies but, unfortunately, they aren't zero.

He is, now, aware of the situation. However - the ultimate decision is still his to make.

What would we all be saying if the Government stepped in and FORCED him to take the shots?

 

[MossRoad]

....
What would we all be saying if the Government stepped in and FORCED him to take the shots?

Well, first off, the government is us.

I'd say this is what happens when enough reasonable people who think their fellow citizens will do the right thing, yet time and time again, they do not. People get fed up, lobby their government reps, pass a law, and then it's required.

Yes, you have the right to personal freedom. No, you don't have the right to walk around with an infectious disease like rabies, where, let's say, you are in Walmart and sneeze in someone's eye, nose or open mouth. Your wet saliva has now contacted their wet systems and off you go.

It's no different than septic system laws. Too many people put in poorly designed systems, or didn't maintain their systems. Enough ground water got effected by someone else's poop, the people had enough, laws were passed, and now you have health laws regarding septic systems.

 

[oosik]

Well - Moss Road. Unfortunately - the current government/political system is NOT me. They have simply moved too far off the beaten track to represent my basic desires. There is just too much emphasis on special interest groups. Too much allegiances to the almighty dollar.

 

[ArlyA]

Tell you a story about rabies which makes me very careful when around that virus. I come from the AG industry and many of us in the area raised stock cattle. Neighbors had a ill heifer, so they brought her in to the stock yard where the kids feed her via bucket, since it was quite docile. It didn't really improve but at least she was getting feed, so they called the vet. He shows up and gets out of his truck, only knew they have an ill heifer, takes one look across the stock yard and exclaims "she's got rabies". Since the kids had been feeding her by hand and saliva is how this virus is transmitted, they all got vaccinated. YRMV!

Arly,,, Mr careful?,,,, A