My cat was bitten by a rattlesnake again. Is it immune to venom?

Question

If my cat was previously bitten by a rattlesnake(3weeks ago), and he was bitten again could he be immune to the venom? Last time his head swelled to about the size of a grapefruit, with bruising. I took him to the vet and he was fine after a couple of days. He was bitten again this morning, I can see fang marks above his eye. But this time the swelling has gone down very quickly, within 12 hours. Is this normal? Could he have developed some sort of immunity? I hope this isn't a silly question. Pet's info: Cat | Siamese | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 5 months old | 8 lbs

Jenny, DVM · Accepted Answer

They do not build up an immunity to snake bites. This one could have been a different type of snake that was not venomous and just caused a small local tissue reaction or if the snake is small and young they do no have good control of the venom, so it could have expelled it before it made contact. It is good that the swelling went down but he could still use veterinary care since there are punctures and he will likely need antibiotics

My cat was bitten by a rattlesnake again. Is it immune to venom?

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