Signs of rabies in cats

Rabies is a particularly dangerous disease of domestic and wild animals and humans, which occurs with the defeat of the cells of the central nervous system of the diseased organism. Cats, just like other animals, are ill with this ailment. Domestic cats, accustomed to the street, have the opportunity to contact a variety of animals, including those with sick rabies. This should be borne in mind and constantly monitor the health of your pet.

The signs of rabies in cats depend on the nature of the disease itself and are divided into three arbitrary forms - atypical, mild and violent. Atypical form of the disease manifests atypical for rabies signs, and sometimes is not accompanied by virtually none at all. An animal can have vomiting, diarrhea, spotting from the mouth. With this form of flow, it is very difficult to determine rabies.

In a mild form, the clinical manifestation of the disease is also not completely characteristic of rabies. Typical signs of rabies in cats with this form are also practically absent. A cat is affectionate and playful. Suddenly, paralysis of the pharynx may occur, which leads to the impression that the cat choked with something. A person can become infected by trying to examine the pharynx of an animal or when trying to get a foreign object out of it. After the paralysis of the pharynx, there are some signs characteristic of rabies, this is a profuse salivation, hanging of the lower jaw, hydrophobia and paralysis of the extremities.

The first signs of rabies in cats with a violent form can be such: lethargy, loss of appetite, excessive fearfulness and irritability. In the future, they develop into a pronounced aggression. The animal at the same time grabs and gnaws inedible objects, sometimes breaking his teeth, strives to attack any moving target. A particularly characteristic sign of rabies is considered hydrophobia.

Fever is a sign that is very characteristic of rabies. It does not occur in any other disease. Even if there are no other signs of rabies in a cat, but there is a hydrophobia, the diagnosis can be unambiguous. If you splash on the animal with a small amount of water, the patient has an absolutely inadequate reaction - a fright bordering on hysteria.

No less characteristic feature of rabies is the desire for progress. A sick animal can run several dozen kilometers a day, biting and scratching everyone on its way.

It should be remembered that with any form of the disease in the saliva, rabies virus appears 10 days earlier than any other signs of the disease. Thus, when a person bites a seemingly healthy animal, infection with rabies is not excluded. In the following days, the cat should not have any characteristic signs of rabies, in addition, the animal must not disappear, since the desire for running will be developed at the subconscious level under the influence of the disease.

Since signs of rabies in cats may or may not be present, in any cases of inadequate behavior of the animal, it is necessary to conduct its veterinary examination in order to exclude the disease by rabies. This must be done in view of the extreme danger of the disease for a person. As well as animals, medical assistance to a bitten person can be provided only during the incubation period of the disease, that is, before the appearance of the first signs. After their detection, the disease does not respond to treatment, therefore, the outcome will always be lethal.

When the cat returned from the street, an examination of her body revealed traces of bites or scratches? This is an occasion to apply to the veterinary clinic for taking urgent measures that can protect the appearance of signs of the disease. Transmission of the pathogen from the sick animal to the healthy occurs in most cases through bites. It is possible to transmit the pathogen via saliva, in the event that the sick animal injures with claws, but from its mouth the saliva gets on the injured skin.

Laboratory diagnosis of rabies is difficult, and this is due to the difficulties of virological research. As a rule, rabies research takes several weeks, and in some cases - months. Therefore, you can not wait for the results of laboratory studies. Waiting can take away valuable time, which is very limited and must be spent on medical activities.