Can a stray cat have rabies but not show any signs for months?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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  Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

  Veterinarian

  Published on September 3rd, 2018

  Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If a cat has the infectious form of rabies it is in their salivary gland. The virus is only in the salivary gland at the end of the disease and the animal will show symptoms (act crazy, neurologic, dumb or die) with in 10 days of it being in the salivary gland. The virus is spread through the saliva so via a bite through the skin, saliva in the eye or the gums or a scratch in the skin in cats because they groom themselves. If there was no direct contact with the cat it can't spread rabies. It can NOT spread rabies if the virus isn't in the salivary glands, which means in the early phase of the disease. If a cat bites you, the cat needs to be quarantined for 10 days. If it doesn't die or show symptoms it couldn't give you Rabies. I hope this helps!

  

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  Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

  Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

  Published on March 20th, 2017

  I'm afraid it's hard to say, as animals infected with rabies can take months or even years to show symptoms. If your cat was potentially exposed to rabies (meaning a bite wound from an infected animal) and is not vaccinated, there may be laws in place that would dictate what to do - in the US, normally a 6-month quarantine would be required if there is serious risk of exposure. You may want to contact your local public health department for instructions if you think your cat may have been exposed. You can also post another question with more details about what happened, if you wish - we can try and help you determine if there is a serious risk or not.

  

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  Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

  Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

  Published on November 21st, 2016

  Symptoms of rabies can show up anywhere from a few weeks to months or even years after exposure to the disease. Most commonly, a few weeks would be expected. Symptoms would be neurologic problems like acting drunk or disoriented, abnormal aggressive behavior, seizures, or paralysis. A bite from an infected animal is the only way to get rabies, so if your cats have never been bitten by a suspect animal, there is no chance at all that they could have it.

  

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