Rabies-Frenzied Cats Invade Texas

Middle-aged women are the most likely to be bitten by cats. And while getting gentle nibbles from your kitties while playing, a cat bite can be very serious and needs to be treated accordingly.

If your cat is outdoors from time to time, or if you try to catch a feral cat to take it to a safer place, and you get bitten in the gist of it, it’s important for you to get immediate medical help in case you got rabies or any other type of infection.

A Mayo Clinic study shows that 1 out of 3 cat bites that happen on a person’s hand lead to hospitalization. Out of those people, two-thirds of them require a type of surgery.

If you get bitten by a cat who may have rabies, the first thing to do is to report the bite to animal control, and for the animal to be quarantined for 10 days for rabies observation. The cat may not like it, but it is better than the other option of euthanizing it to then analyze its brain tissue.

The symptoms of rabies in humans may seem similar to those of the flu: general discomfort, a headache, and fever. There is also an itching sensation in the area of the bite. Then symptoms increase to anxiety, delirium, confusion, and agitation. The acute period of the disease lasts from 2 to 10 days. It is almost always fatal once these symptoms appear.

So, it is crucial to take all the steps possible to avoid contact with the disease. According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, 614 animals were tested for rabies in February and 11 of them came back positive. The animals in Texas considered to be at high risk of transmission are cats, coyotes, raccoons, and bats.

If encountered with a feral cat, or any other animal that could possibly carry rabies, it is important to wear gloves while handling them and get them a rabies vaccine afterward.