The Disease Rabies in Cats
Posted on August 27, 2008 - Filed Under Pets |
Rabies is a serious disease that may afflict your pet cat. It is important to learn about it and undertake prompt immunization of the felines.
Feline Rabies is a serious disease that is caused by the notorious
Rabies virus that is responsible for the condition in numerous outdoor
animals as well as humans. Transmission is usually through bite of an
infected animal and the incubation period normally lasts for a few
weeks, though occasionally it may extend to months. Once the symptoms
develop, however, there is no cure and the disease in invariably fatal.
It is therefore important to be aware of this potentially lethal
condition that can easily develop in indoor/outdoor pets.
Even as
some regions of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, the
British Isles and parts of Scandinavia are free from this deadly virus,
Rabies continues to prevail in most places. It is in fact endemic in
certain countries. This is largely owing to the widespread presence of
the virus in local wildlife around most urban and rural population
centers. Animals like foxes, coyotes, feral dogs and cats, skunks,
wolves and bats carry the Rabies virus and are frequently the vectors
of this illness when it transmits to our house cats, usually through a
bite. Once the virus enters the bloodstream it moves to spinal cord and
travels across the nervous system to attack brain and cause drastic
neurological and behavioral changes in the infected feline.
There
are three main phases that cats (as well as other rabid animals) go
through once the nervous system is under attack and symptomatology
appears. First is the prodromal phase. In this stage the cat begins to
show signs of abnormal behavior. There is often fever and the felid is
observed licking at the site of the bite. Next is the well known
furious phase in which the cat becomes erratic and shows signs of
aggression, restlessness and hyperactivity. There may be paralytic
attacks in this stage. These attacks become more frequent in the
ensuing paralytic phase. During this stage the disease envelops the
peripheral nervous system. There is paralysis of nerves that prevents
swallowing of even water. Hence the hydrophobia and drooling of saliva.
This is the final stage and its onset in an indication that death is
imminent. Often there is depression and coma just before the poor
animal passes away.
The horror of Rabies is amplified by the fact
that often it is completely insidious before signs of the disease
appear. Therefore it is hard to diagnose and treat effectively. Once
the pathology becomes apparent, there is very little that may be done
to save the cat. Owing to the lethality of the virus, it is a standard
practice in many places to euthanize cats that are suspected to be
rabid. Posthumous study of the infected animal’s brain is the
conclusive test for definitive diagnosis.
It is therefore
important to get prompt vaccination for feline Rabies. Even if an
unvaccinated cat has been exposed to the virus, it is imperative that
the felid be vaccinated immediately. For if the disease has not already
spread , there is a chance that your pet may survive!
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Tags: abnormal behavior, behavioral changes, deadly virus, dogs and cats, felid, feral dogs, incubation period, lethal condition, outdoor animals, outdoor pets, pet cat, population centers, prodromal phase, rabid animals, rabies virus, regions of the world, restlessness, skunks, symptomatology, virus rabies
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