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Kitten with Rabies



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 7th 06, 09:33 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default Kitten with Rabies

Hello. I e-mailed someone who suggested I join this group to get my
question answered. I will give as many details as possible and would
greatly appreciate any advice. We took in a kitten when it was about
eight weeks old. Supposedly, the mother was healthy and had her shots
etc. We brought the kitten into our home and had it here for two or
three months. It was mostly inside but got outside a few times. I
believe she got left outside all night once - accidentally. Anyway, we
had another kitten that had an abcessed eye (we were treating her) -
then we noticed Callie's eye had clouded over. We assumed that she got
it from the other kitten. We also noted that every once in awhile,
Callie seemed slightly unsteady. She didn't fall or anything like
that, but she sort of had an odd gait that looked like one of her hind
legs might not be functioning properly. Even though she was eating,
she started losing weight. We brought her to the vet, and at
approximately six months of age, she weighed 2.3 pounds (this was in
November). We had also noted that there were small spots of urine on
the floor that had an orange/red tint, and we thought she was doing
that. (Now we aren't sure because one of our adult male cats started
doing the same thing so it could have been him all along, but we were
pretty certain it was Callie). We started giving her antibiotics. She
saw the vet on Thursday, and she seemed rather lethargic on the
weekend. Sunday morning, she was out eating her dry cat food. She
jumped up on the counter where the food was and ate at least some.
Later that day, I heard a terrible yowling and crying coming from under
my bed. She was in a storage box under my bed having what seemed like
seizures. She was shaking and trembling, and she was soaking wet. My
husband said she had a terrible odor as well. He picked her up, and
she was mostly limp. We put her in the carrier and brought her to the
vet's immediately. On the ride to the vet's, she laid on her side and
was mostly quiet except for those times when she would cry out for a
minute or so. The vet thought she had distemper and treated her with
fluids, warmth, antibiotics etc. The following morning, she died. Now
I am wondering - what are the chances that she could have had rabies?
There have been documented cases of rabies within a mile of our house.
I have a friend whose daughter had been here around early November, and
she is concerned about her daughter and wondering whether or not she
should get treatment for rabies exposure. (My children and I are
already being treated for exposure to a stray cat w/ rabies). I had
not considered rabies at the time, but now I am very concerned about
the possibility. I do not know enough about rabies to be able to
determine this. I know that noone can be certain because the cat was
not tested. This is causing incredible stress and trauma, and I would
welcome your advice and opinions. Thanks. Rie

  #2  
Old December 7th 06, 10:24 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
-L.
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 521
Default Kitten with Rabies


wrote:
Hello. I e-mailed someone who suggested I join this group to get my
question answered. I will give as many details as possible and would
greatly appreciate any advice. We took in a kitten when it was about
eight weeks old. Supposedly, the mother was healthy and had her shots
etc. We brought the kitten into our home and had it here for two or
three months. It was mostly inside but got outside a few times. I
believe she got left outside all night once - accidentally. Anyway, we
had another kitten that had an abcessed eye (we were treating her) -
then we noticed Callie's eye had clouded over. We assumed that she got
it from the other kitten. We also noted that every once in awhile,
Callie seemed slightly unsteady. She didn't fall or anything like
that, but she sort of had an odd gait that looked like one of her hind
legs might not be functioning properly. Even though she was eating,
she started losing weight. We brought her to the vet, and at
approximately six months of age, she weighed 2.3 pounds (this was in
November).


At six months??? Anfd you couldn't figure out that something was
terribly wrong with this cat before this?


We had also noted that there were small spots of urine on
the floor that had an orange/red tint, and we thought she was doing
that. (Now we aren't sure because one of our adult male cats started
doing the same thing so it could have been him all along, but we were
pretty certain it was Callie). We started giving her antibiotics. She
saw the vet on Thursday, and she seemed rather lethargic on the
weekend. Sunday morning, she was out eating her dry cat food. She
jumped up on the counter where the food was and ate at least some.
Later that day, I heard a terrible yowling and crying coming from under
my bed. She was in a storage box under my bed having what seemed like
seizures. She was shaking and trembling, and she was soaking wet. My
husband said she had a terrible odor as well. He picked her up, and
she was mostly limp. We put her in the carrier and brought her to the
vet's immediately. On the ride to the vet's, she laid on her side and
was mostly quiet except for those times when she would cry out for a
minute or so. The vet thought she had distemper and treated her with
fluids, warmth, antibiotics etc. The following morning, she died. Now
I am wondering - what are the chances that she could have had rabies?
There have been documented cases of rabies within a mile of our house.
I have a friend whose daughter had been here around early November, and
she is concerned about her daughter and wondering whether or not she
should get treatment for rabies exposure. (My children and I are
already being treated for exposure to a stray cat w/ rabies). I had
not considered rabies at the time, but now I am very concerned about
the possibility. I do not know enough about rabies to be able to
determine this. I know that noone can be certain because the cat was
not tested. This is causing incredible stress and trauma, and I would
welcome your advice and opinions. Thanks. Rie


It could be a number of things - encephalitis, reaction to the
antibiotics, FIP - you just don't know. Why didn't the cat have its
rabies vaccination? They can be given at 12 weeks.

-L.

  #3  
Old December 7th 06, 11:39 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Wendy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 398
Default Kitten with Rabies

No it sounds like panleukopenia (distemper) which is what the vet said it
was. I hope you have vaccinated the rest of your cats for this as it's very
contagious and very difficult to clean up after. The panleukopenia virus can
live in the environment (off the cat) for up to a year and requires a 32:1
water to bleach solution to clean it up.I believe Phil P. said the
trifectant will kill the virus as well. Household cleaners and disinfectants
will not work.

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/heal...eukopenia.html

It doesn't matter if the mom was vaccinated or not. Each cat/kitten should
have a series of distemper shots starting at around 8 weeks of age (I think
6 weeks is the earliest) and a rabies shot at 12 - 16 weeks. After the
initial kitten series they need to go back for shots the following year and
then in many places they are giving shots that are effective for 3 years
after that.


W


wrote in message
ps.com...
Hello. I e-mailed someone who suggested I join this group to get my
question answered. I will give as many details as possible and would
greatly appreciate any advice. We took in a kitten when it was about
eight weeks old. Supposedly, the mother was healthy and had her shots
etc. We brought the kitten into our home and had it here for two or
three months. It was mostly inside but got outside a few times. I
believe she got left outside all night once - accidentally. Anyway, we
had another kitten that had an abcessed eye (we were treating her) -
then we noticed Callie's eye had clouded over. We assumed that she got
it from the other kitten. We also noted that every once in awhile,
Callie seemed slightly unsteady. She didn't fall or anything like
that, but she sort of had an odd gait that looked like one of her hind
legs might not be functioning properly. Even though she was eating,
she started losing weight. We brought her to the vet, and at
approximately six months of age, she weighed 2.3 pounds (this was in
November). We had also noted that there were small spots of urine on
the floor that had an orange/red tint, and we thought she was doing
that. (Now we aren't sure because one of our adult male cats started
doing the same thing so it could have been him all along, but we were
pretty certain it was Callie). We started giving her antibiotics. She
saw the vet on Thursday, and she seemed rather lethargic on the
weekend. Sunday morning, she was out eating her dry cat food. She
jumped up on the counter where the food was and ate at least some.
Later that day, I heard a terrible yowling and crying coming from under
my bed. She was in a storage box under my bed having what seemed like
seizures. She was shaking and trembling, and she was soaking wet. My
husband said she had a terrible odor as well. He picked her up, and
she was mostly limp. We put her in the carrier and brought her to the
vet's immediately. On the ride to the vet's, she laid on her side and
was mostly quiet except for those times when she would cry out for a
minute or so. The vet thought she had distemper and treated her with
fluids, warmth, antibiotics etc. The following morning, she died. Now
I am wondering - what are the chances that she could have had rabies?
There have been documented cases of rabies within a mile of our house.
I have a friend whose daughter had been here around early November, and
she is concerned about her daughter and wondering whether or not she
should get treatment for rabies exposure. (My children and I are
already being treated for exposure to a stray cat w/ rabies). I had
not considered rabies at the time, but now I am very concerned about
the possibility. I do not know enough about rabies to be able to
determine this. I know that noone can be certain because the cat was
not tested. This is causing incredible stress and trauma, and I would
welcome your advice and opinions. Thanks. Rie



  #4  
Old December 7th 06, 11:54 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Gail
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 328
Default Kitten with Rabies

I agree.
Gail
"Wendy" wrote in message
. ..
No it sounds like panleukopenia (distemper) which is what the vet said it
was. I hope you have vaccinated the rest of your cats for this as it's
very contagious and very difficult to clean up after. The panleukopenia
virus can live in the environment (off the cat) for up to a year and
requires a 32:1 water to bleach solution to clean it up.I believe Phil P.
said the trifectant will kill the virus as well. Household cleaners and
disinfectants will not work.

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/heal...eukopenia.html

It doesn't matter if the mom was vaccinated or not. Each cat/kitten should
have a series of distemper shots starting at around 8 weeks of age (I
think 6 weeks is the earliest) and a rabies shot at 12 - 16 weeks. After
the initial kitten series they need to go back for shots the following
year and then in many places they are giving shots that are effective for
3 years after that.


W


wrote in message
ps.com...
Hello. I e-mailed someone who suggested I join this group to get my
question answered. I will give as many details as possible and would
greatly appreciate any advice. We took in a kitten when it was about
eight weeks old. Supposedly, the mother was healthy and had her shots
etc. We brought the kitten into our home and had it here for two or
three months. It was mostly inside but got outside a few times. I
believe she got left outside all night once - accidentally. Anyway, we
had another kitten that had an abcessed eye (we were treating her) -
then we noticed Callie's eye had clouded over. We assumed that she got
it from the other kitten. We also noted that every once in awhile,
Callie seemed slightly unsteady. She didn't fall or anything like
that, but she sort of had an odd gait that looked like one of her hind
legs might not be functioning properly. Even though she was eating,
she started losing weight. We brought her to the vet, and at
approximately six months of age, she weighed 2.3 pounds (this was in
November). We had also noted that there were small spots of urine on
the floor that had an orange/red tint, and we thought she was doing
that. (Now we aren't sure because one of our adult male cats started
doing the same thing so it could have been him all along, but we were
pretty certain it was Callie). We started giving her antibiotics. She
saw the vet on Thursday, and she seemed rather lethargic on the
weekend. Sunday morning, she was out eating her dry cat food. She
jumped up on the counter where the food was and ate at least some.
Later that day, I heard a terrible yowling and crying coming from under
my bed. She was in a storage box under my bed having what seemed like
seizures. She was shaking and trembling, and she was soaking wet. My
husband said she had a terrible odor as well. He picked her up, and
she was mostly limp. We put her in the carrier and brought her to the
vet's immediately. On the ride to the vet's, she laid on her side and
was mostly quiet except for those times when she would cry out for a
minute or so. The vet thought she had distemper and treated her with
fluids, warmth, antibiotics etc. The following morning, she died. Now
I am wondering - what are the chances that she could have had rabies?
There have been documented cases of rabies within a mile of our house.
I have a friend whose daughter had been here around early November, and
she is concerned about her daughter and wondering whether or not she
should get treatment for rabies exposure. (My children and I are
already being treated for exposure to a stray cat w/ rabies). I had
not considered rabies at the time, but now I am very concerned about
the possibility. I do not know enough about rabies to be able to
determine this. I know that noone can be certain because the cat was
not tested. This is causing incredible stress and trauma, and I would
welcome your advice and opinions. Thanks. Rie





  #5  
Old December 8th 06, 03:12 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default Kitten with Rabies

Thanks to those who have helped so far. but I feel a little like I
have to defend myself here. The cat had a rabies shot. She also had a
distemper shot but that was just a couple of days before she died. All
of our other cats are up to date on rabies and distemper vaccines, and
we got the two youngest boostered again for distemper just because the
vet was pretty sure that was the problem. I noted that the kitty was
losing weight and was quite thin, but honestly, she didn't seem sick
other than that. I had tried several things to get her weight up from
changing her food to giving her a seperate food dish to feeding her in
a seperate room. I had given her eyedrops for her cloudy eye, and we
thought it was because of the other cat who had been to the vet's
several times for her eye. We probably should have followed up on that
more. This was not over months and months here so it isn't like I let
her get continually sicker over time and didn't do anything to help
her. When I wrote to a web-site about my question, that woman said
there were many knowledgeable people her who could probably give me
some indication about the rabies issue etc.
Wendy wrote:
No it sounds like panleukopenia (distemper) which is what the vet said it
was. I hope you have vaccinated the rest of your cats for this as it's very
contagious and very difficult to clean up after. The panleukopenia virus can
live in the environment (off the cat) for up to a year and requires a 32:1
water to bleach solution to clean it up.I believe Phil P. said the
trifectant will kill the virus as well. Household cleaners and disinfectants
will not work.

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/heal...eukopenia.html

It doesn't matter if the mom was vaccinated or not. Each cat/kitten should
have a series of distemper shots starting at around 8 weeks of age (I think
6 weeks is the earliest) and a rabies shot at 12 - 16 weeks. After the
initial kitten series they need to go back for shots the following year and
then in many places they are giving shots that are effective for 3 years
after that.


W


wrote in message
ps.com...
Hello. I e-mailed someone who suggested I join this group to get my
question answered. I will give as many details as possible and would
greatly appreciate any advice. We took in a kitten when it was about
eight weeks old. Supposedly, the mother was healthy and had her shots
etc. We brought the kitten into our home and had it here for two or
three months. It was mostly inside but got outside a few times. I
believe she got left outside all night once - accidentally. Anyway, we
had another kitten that had an abcessed eye (we were treating her) -
then we noticed Callie's eye had clouded over. We assumed that she got
it from the other kitten. We also noted that every once in awhile,
Callie seemed slightly unsteady. She didn't fall or anything like
that, but she sort of had an odd gait that looked like one of her hind
legs might not be functioning properly. Even though she was eating,
she started losing weight. We brought her to the vet, and at
approximately six months of age, she weighed 2.3 pounds (this was in
November). We had also noted that there were small spots of urine on
the floor that had an orange/red tint, and we thought she was doing
that. (Now we aren't sure because one of our adult male cats started
doing the same thing so it could have been him all along, but we were
pretty certain it was Callie). We started giving her antibiotics. She
saw the vet on Thursday, and she seemed rather lethargic on the
weekend. Sunday morning, she was out eating her dry cat food. She
jumped up on the counter where the food was and ate at least some.
Later that day, I heard a terrible yowling and crying coming from under
my bed. She was in a storage box under my bed having what seemed like
seizures. She was shaking and trembling, and she was soaking wet. My
husband said she had a terrible odor as well. He picked her up, and
she was mostly limp. We put her in the carrier and brought her to the
vet's immediately. On the ride to the vet's, she laid on her side and
was mostly quiet except for those times when she would cry out for a
minute or so. The vet thought she had distemper and treated her with
fluids, warmth, antibiotics etc. The following morning, she died. Now
I am wondering - what are the chances that she could have had rabies?
There have been documented cases of rabies within a mile of our house.
I have a friend whose daughter had been here around early November, and
she is concerned about her daughter and wondering whether or not she
should get treatment for rabies exposure. (My children and I are
already being treated for exposure to a stray cat w/ rabies). I had
not considered rabies at the time, but now I am very concerned about
the possibility. I do not know enough about rabies to be able to
determine this. I know that noone can be certain because the cat was
not tested. This is causing incredible stress and trauma, and I would
welcome your advice and opinions. Thanks. Rie


  #6  
Old December 8th 06, 03:56 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Cheryl
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,355
Default Kitten with Rabies

On Thu 07 Dec 2006 09:12:10p, wrote in rec.pets.cats.health+behav
roups.com:

Thanks to those who have helped so far. but I feel a little
like I have to defend myself here.


Please don't feel like you have to defend yourself. You are here
to learn more, so maybe it doesn't happen again. I sure do know
the feeling. It's sad, and it's a helpless feeling when you don't
know if you should have done something different, or if you found
out something *after* the fact that no one could know before a
little life dies. I'm so sorry for your loss. They can be so
fragile when they're young. My little girl, now about 2-1/2 years
old, was a sickly kitten, and even at about 6 months of age I
thought I was going to lose her. She had a recurring herpes virus,
and I even had to keep delaying her spay surgery because she just
couldn't get well. Her brother (littermate) was sickly early,
too, but he outgrew it earlier than her, and grew huge very fast.
His neuter surgery was on-time, but my female went into heat
before being spayed, and it was scary to have it done when she was
still in and out of illness. She even had complications after
surgery, and even now when I look at pictures of her at that age,
I'm amazed that she lived through it.

Please don't defend yourself, and please don't doubt yourself.
It's so very easy to do that after a death, but know that you can
learn from it, and we aren't born knowing everything. What we do
learn to do is trust our instincts. If something seems wrong,
something probably is. And we have to act on it.

Be kind to yourself.

--
Cheryl

  #7  
Old December 8th 06, 05:07 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Wendy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 398
Default Kitten with Rabies

Why would you be worried about rabies if the cat had been vaccinated for
that? When did the kitten receive the rabies shot? Was it at the same time
she got her panleukopenia shot or before?

W

wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks to those who have helped so far. but I feel a little like I
have to defend myself here. The cat had a rabies shot. She also had a
distemper shot but that was just a couple of days before she died. All
of our other cats are up to date on rabies and distemper vaccines, and
we got the two youngest boostered again for distemper just because the
vet was pretty sure that was the problem. I noted that the kitty was
losing weight and was quite thin, but honestly, she didn't seem sick
other than that. I had tried several things to get her weight up from
changing her food to giving her a seperate food dish to feeding her in
a seperate room. I had given her eyedrops for her cloudy eye, and we
thought it was because of the other cat who had been to the vet's
several times for her eye. We probably should have followed up on that
more. This was not over months and months here so it isn't like I let
her get continually sicker over time and didn't do anything to help
her. When I wrote to a web-site about my question, that woman said
there were many knowledgeable people her who could probably give me
some indication about the rabies issue etc.
Wendy wrote:
No it sounds like panleukopenia (distemper) which is what the vet said it
was. I hope you have vaccinated the rest of your cats for this as it's
very
contagious and very difficult to clean up after. The panleukopenia virus
can
live in the environment (off the cat) for up to a year and requires a
32:1
water to bleach solution to clean it up.I believe Phil P. said the
trifectant will kill the virus as well. Household cleaners and
disinfectants
will not work.

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/heal...eukopenia.html

It doesn't matter if the mom was vaccinated or not. Each cat/kitten
should
have a series of distemper shots starting at around 8 weeks of age (I
think
6 weeks is the earliest) and a rabies shot at 12 - 16 weeks. After the
initial kitten series they need to go back for shots the following year
and
then in many places they are giving shots that are effective for 3 years
after that.


W


wrote in message
ps.com...
Hello. I e-mailed someone who suggested I join this group to get my
question answered. I will give as many details as possible and would
greatly appreciate any advice. We took in a kitten when it was about
eight weeks old. Supposedly, the mother was healthy and had her shots
etc. We brought the kitten into our home and had it here for two or
three months. It was mostly inside but got outside a few times. I
believe she got left outside all night once - accidentally. Anyway, we
had another kitten that had an abcessed eye (we were treating her) -
then we noticed Callie's eye had clouded over. We assumed that she got
it from the other kitten. We also noted that every once in awhile,
Callie seemed slightly unsteady. She didn't fall or anything like
that, but she sort of had an odd gait that looked like one of her hind
legs might not be functioning properly. Even though she was eating,
she started losing weight. We brought her to the vet, and at
approximately six months of age, she weighed 2.3 pounds (this was in
November). We had also noted that there were small spots of urine on
the floor that had an orange/red tint, and we thought she was doing
that. (Now we aren't sure because one of our adult male cats started
doing the same thing so it could have been him all along, but we were
pretty certain it was Callie). We started giving her antibiotics. She
saw the vet on Thursday, and she seemed rather lethargic on the
weekend. Sunday morning, she was out eating her dry cat food. She
jumped up on the counter where the food was and ate at least some.
Later that day, I heard a terrible yowling and crying coming from under
my bed. She was in a storage box under my bed having what seemed like
seizures. She was shaking and trembling, and she was soaking wet. My
husband said she had a terrible odor as well. He picked her up, and
she was mostly limp. We put her in the carrier and brought her to the
vet's immediately. On the ride to the vet's, she laid on her side and
was mostly quiet except for those times when she would cry out for a
minute or so. The vet thought she had distemper and treated her with
fluids, warmth, antibiotics etc. The following morning, she died. Now
I am wondering - what are the chances that she could have had rabies?
There have been documented cases of rabies within a mile of our house.
I have a friend whose daughter had been here around early November, and
she is concerned about her daughter and wondering whether or not she
should get treatment for rabies exposure. (My children and I are
already being treated for exposure to a stray cat w/ rabies). I had
not considered rabies at the time, but now I am very concerned about
the possibility. I do not know enough about rabies to be able to
determine this. I know that noone can be certain because the cat was
not tested. This is causing incredible stress and trauma, and I would
welcome your advice and opinions. Thanks. Rie




  #8  
Old December 8th 06, 06:04 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 52
Default Kitten with Rabies

Well, the obvious answer here is to get the recommended kitten shots at
the recommended kitten ages - not months later. Getting an intial
distemper vaccination at just about six months of age - especially with
a young kitten who gets outdoors and is exposed to other cats - is a
problem - and would have been a problem had the kitten not caught
distemper - feline leukemia would also have been a large risk for an
unvaccinated kitten. If you got the kitten at 8 weeks, the kitten paid
a high price for not getting the needed vetinary care for several
months.
I'm sorry for your loss ...

  #9  
Old December 9th 06, 09:00 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
MaryL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,779
Default Kitten with Rabies


wrote in message
ps.com...

I am wondering - what are the chances that she could have had rabies?
There have been documented cases of rabies within a mile of our house.
I have a friend whose daughter had been here around early November, and
she is concerned about her daughter and wondering whether or not she
should get treatment for rabies exposure. (My children and I are
already being treated for exposure to a stray cat w/ rabies). I had
not considered rabies at the time, but now I am very concerned about
the possibility. I do not know enough about rabies to be able to
determine this. I know that noone can be certain because the cat was
not tested. This is causing incredible stress and trauma, and I would
welcome your advice and opinions. Thanks. Rie


I doubt if your cat had rabies, but the only way to have a definitive answer
is to have the brain tested. I think it is highly unlikely, but this is a
question to ask your vet. That is something that I think your vet would
have immediately considered if he or she saw any of the typical signs,
especially since you say that there have been documented cases of rabies in
your area.

Did you have a necropsy (autopsy)? This is very important when there are
other cats in the household. Also, all of your cats should have their shots
up-to-date, especially since your cats occasionally get outside.

I am also concerned about what sounds like a considerable delay in getting
your cat to a vet. She should have been treated at the first signs of
illness, not after so much time elapsed that she could not be helped. In
the future, please do not delay. This group can be very helpful, but we are
not substitutes for veterinary care -- and even a vet cannot be of much help
if the illness is allowed to progress too far.

MaryL


  #10  
Old December 10th 06, 04:29 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 806
Default Kitten with Rabies


wrote:
Hello. I e-mailed someone who suggested I join this group to get my
question answered. I will give as many details as possible and would
greatly appreciate any advice. We took in a kitten when it was about
eight weeks old. Supposedly, the mother was healthy and had her shots
etc. We brought the kitten into our home and had it here for two or
three months. It was mostly inside but got outside a few times. I
believe she got left outside all night once - accidentally. Anyway, we
had another kitten that had an abcessed eye (we were treating her) -
then we noticed Callie's eye had clouded over. We assumed that she got
it from the other kitten. We also noted that every once in awhile,
Callie seemed slightly unsteady. She didn't fall or anything like
that, but she sort of had an odd gait that looked like one of her hind
legs might not be functioning properly. Even though she was eating,
she started losing weight. We brought her to the vet, and at
approximately six months of age, she weighed 2.3 pounds (this was in
November). We had also noted that there were small spots of urine on
the floor that had an orange/red tint, and we thought she was doing
that. (Now we aren't sure because one of our adult male cats started
doing the same thing so it could have been him all along, but we were
pretty certain it was Callie). We started giving her antibiotics. She
saw the vet on Thursday, and she seemed rather lethargic on the
weekend. Sunday morning, she was out eating her dry cat food. She
jumped up on the counter where the food was and ate at least some.
Later that day, I heard a terrible yowling and crying coming from under
my bed. She was in a storage box under my bed having what seemed like
seizures. She was shaking and trembling, and she was soaking wet. My
husband said she had a terrible odor as well. He picked her up, and
she was mostly limp. We put her in the carrier and brought her to the
vet's immediately. On the ride to the vet's, she laid on her side and
was mostly quiet except for those times when she would cry out for a
minute or so. The vet thought she had distemper and treated her with
fluids, warmth, antibiotics etc. The following morning, she died. Now
I am wondering - what are the chances that she could have had rabies?
There have been documented cases of rabies within a mile of our house.
I have a friend whose daughter had been here around early November, and
she is concerned about her daughter and wondering whether or not she
should get treatment for rabies exposure. (My children and I are
already being treated for exposure to a stray cat w/ rabies). I had
not considered rabies at the time, but now I am very concerned about
the possibility. I do not know enough about rabies to be able to
determine this. I know that noone can be certain because the cat was
not tested. This is causing incredible stress and trauma, and I would
welcome your advice and opinions. Thanks. Rie


It doesn't sound like rabies to me. And anyway; had a small cat been
exposed outdoors to a rabid animal, it would have had visible marks (or
probably have been killed). Your vet is likely aware of the rabies
problem there, and would have recognized the symptoms.
I think MaryL had an excellent suggestion for you or anyone else who
can't really determine a cause of death. (if something like this
happens again) Basic necropsy is around $40 with additional charges for
specific lab work. It really is worth the peace of mind if you have
other cats.

Sherry

 




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