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My cat killed a mouse. Can she get rabies if she's not vaccinated?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 8 years and 9 months old | 8 lbs

Hello. My cat just killed a mouse in my NYC apartment. I don't bel ieve she has had a rabies vaccination- is she at risk for rabies from the mouse?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 7th, 2018

Hello. There is no need to worry about your cat getting rabies from a mouse. Rabies must be transmitted through a bite wound & it is very unlikely that the mouse was able to bite your cat before being killed. In addition, the rate of rabies in a mouse in NYC is almost zero. If you are at all concerned, please schedule to have Seelie vaccinated, but please do not worry about this at all. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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