1. < Infectious Diseases

am i at risk for rabies?

Posted by aeiou12345 @aeiou12345, Oct 24 1:01pm

a cat i own that spends a lot of time outside scratched me enough to break the skin, and i'm rather worried. they've not shown any signs of rabies, but i've heard that the signs aren't always visible. the cat in question isn't vaccinated, i can't afford it, and there's a colony of raccoons in the area. am i at risk?

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Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Oct 26 5:46pm
In reply to @daisy17 "I found this on-line: https://vetexplainspets.com/can-i-get-rabies-from-a-cat-scratch/ The article says: "According to the Centers for Disease Control and..." + (show)
@daisy17

I found this on-line: https://vetexplainspets.com/can-i-get-rabies-from-a-cat-scratch/
The article says: "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is possible to contract rabies from a cat scratch, but it is extremely rare. Rabies is most commonly spread through the bite of an infected animal, as the virus is present in the saliva. However, in rare cases, the virus can also be present in the saliva of an infected animal and transmitted through a scratch or open wound."

Several years ago I lived in an area where there were a lot of bats flying around at night. I was outside at dusk and bent down to pick up something. When I stood up, a bat flew into my hair at the nape of my neck. It took about 30 seconds for me to use my hand to get it out of my hair. I saw my Dr immediately who suggested I get rabies shots since the bat may have scratched me and they are known carriers of rabies. I had to get several shots over a period of a few days, into a muscle. The shots were not painful. I would see your Dr. Personally, I would treat this seriously since rabies is fatal.

Also, I was at my vet's after this event and a lady came in and said she was bitten by a stray cat and was worried about rabies. The vet told her the only to determine whether the cat had rabies before showing symptoms would be an autopsy of brain tissue.

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@daisy17 Excellent information. It is better to exercise caution if there is a chance of contact, and I understand that a person may not feel a bat bite them. That is why they tell people if they were asleep and a bat was in the room, assume they have been bitten. Thank you for sharing your experience and validating that with related information.

REPLY
gently | @gently | Oct 26 6:22pm
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@aeiou12345 Please understand that a public discussion like this is read by many people who do..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@aeiou12345 Please understand that a public discussion like this is read by many people who do not post on Connect, and the conversation is beneficial to everyone. When discussions get longer, members may not see the entire conversation, and that's OK when responding to a post. As volunteers, members are taking the time to provide information that they feel is important and I thank them for that. Talking about rabies is a serious discussion, and I'm glad you asked the question. I always tailor my comments to be inclusive to everyone. It's your choice what you do in your situation. I have asked questions with a state health department and they were very helpful in understanding how much risk is involved regarding a possible encounter regarding rabies. There is no charge for asking questions there, and doctors do recommend making the call if you are concerned. You can describe the details and they can make a recommendation.

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Jennifer, the mentors offer valuable service in many ways, including cautioning us when we get close to the edge. But, I don't think any of us forget that those asking questions are usually anxious, a little frustrated, and many times on tropic medications.
I appreciate your gentleness with this young, clearly frightened Mayo connector.

REPLY
aeiou12345 | @aeiou12345 | Oct 26 7:01pm
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@aeiou12345 Please understand that a public discussion like this is read by many people who do..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@aeiou12345 Please understand that a public discussion like this is read by many people who do not post on Connect, and the conversation is beneficial to everyone. When discussions get longer, members may not see the entire conversation, and that's OK when responding to a post. As volunteers, members are taking the time to provide information that they feel is important and I thank them for that. Talking about rabies is a serious discussion, and I'm glad you asked the question. I always tailor my comments to be inclusive to everyone. It's your choice what you do in your situation. I have asked questions with a state health department and they were very helpful in understanding how much risk is involved regarding a possible encounter regarding rabies. There is no charge for asking questions there, and doctors do recommend making the call if you are concerned. You can describe the details and they can make a recommendation.

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i appreciate that you all are trying to help, but please understand that i cannot afford the vaccine, as it costs roughly $4.5k, and i only make around $650 a MONTH. but i'm not only unsure if my medicaid would help cover it, but also if it would cover ENOUGH of it to not deprive me of food for the next month and change.

also, i have checked in with a nurse(who also happens to be my aunt), and she has told me i should be fine. as have several other people, some of which in this very conversation. lastly, for the sake of clarification, had i the money, time and capability to go to a doctor, i would have simply done so and not made a post here with an obvious throwaway account.

REPLY
2 replies
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Oct 26 8:05pm
In reply to @aeiou12345 "i appreciate that you all are trying to help, but please understand that i cannot afford..." + (show)
@aeiou12345

i appreciate that you all are trying to help, but please understand that i cannot afford the vaccine, as it costs roughly $4.5k, and i only make around $650 a MONTH. but i'm not only unsure if my medicaid would help cover it, but also if it would cover ENOUGH of it to not deprive me of food for the next month and change.

also, i have checked in with a nurse(who also happens to be my aunt), and she has told me i should be fine. as have several other people, some of which in this very conversation. lastly, for the sake of clarification, had i the money, time and capability to go to a doctor, i would have simply done so and not made a post here with an obvious throwaway account.

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@aeiou12345, I understand that you are concerned about a scratch from your cat that spends a lot of time outdoors. You've come seeking tips about what to do, perhaps looking for medical advice. Connect is an online community of people sharing their health issues. I see many members have shared several options, however, these may not be possible for you given financial constraints.

No one here can give medical advice if that is what you are looking for. Let me know using this form if you would like to delete your account https://connect.mayoclinic.org/contact-a-community-moderator/

I encourage you to look up "My Help Navigator" https://myhelpnavigator.auntbertha.com/ It is a social care network that connects people and programs — making it easy for people to find low cost to no cost services in their communities, including health services.

REPLY
daisy17 | @daisy17 | Oct 27 12:30pm
In reply to @aeiou12345 "have you read the whole conversation, or just the main post? because if you'd read the..." + (show)
@aeiou12345

have you read the whole conversation, or just the main post? because if you'd read the whole conversation, you'd realize i'm not in a good financial situation atm. and to add a new detail to the conversation, i cannot drive, so even if i DID have the money, i can't go to the doctor without the aid of my father, who usually works long hours during the week.

to summarize: i not only cannot afford the shots, i also cannot go to the doctor unaided. i MIGHT be able to afford the shots in a few days... if i don't mind going hungry for the next MONTH.

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I am sorry if I seemed to not care about your financial situation. I just did a google search and while I didn't find anything about Medicaid coverage, I found Medicare.org which says Medicare Part B covers the rabies vaccine, but a deductible applies. Maybe a local Dr's office can answer the question on whether the vaccine is also covered by Medicaid, or if they can give the vaccine free or low-cost based on need. Also, maybe they know if your county offers free transportation to clinics for those with low-incomes. I am sorry the health care system in our country makes it difficult for people to get the medical care they need.

REPLY
jenatsky | @jenatsky | Nov 4 6:56pm

@aeiou12345 if you washed the scratched area with soap and water after you were scratched and the wound is not open you should be OK. If you’re concerned go somewhere to be seen by a medical professional that is covered by Medicaid. You most likely are fine so don’t go down a rabbit hole worried about a vaccine when you aren’t ever close to that. If you by chance do become infected by rabies it’s a public health issue and you might be covered in that manner too.

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football84 | @football84 | Nov 5 7:24am

Just tell a friended or neighbor to get uou to th er if you start to have symptoms like fever bad decisions ertc

REPLY
cdbkrm | @cdbkrm | Nov 6 9:50am
In reply to @aeiou12345 "i appreciate that you all are trying to help, but please understand that i cannot afford..." + (show)
@aeiou12345

i appreciate that you all are trying to help, but please understand that i cannot afford the vaccine, as it costs roughly $4.5k, and i only make around $650 a MONTH. but i'm not only unsure if my medicaid would help cover it, but also if it would cover ENOUGH of it to not deprive me of food for the next month and change.

also, i have checked in with a nurse(who also happens to be my aunt), and she has told me i should be fine. as have several other people, some of which in this very conversation. lastly, for the sake of clarification, had i the money, time and capability to go to a doctor, i would have simply done so and not made a post here with an obvious throwaway account.

Jump to this post

Rabies is a public health issue and would be covered at no cost to you.

What you can do is keep the cat contained indoors for 10 days. If the cat is alive and well after 10 days it almost certainly does not have rabies. If the cat dies for any reason within 10 days your local county health department will test it for rabies for free for you. It can't be tested while alive.

REPLY
dovelandgriff | @dovelandgriff | Nov 6 12:57pm

I would also get your cat and any other pets vaccinated for rabies. Any mammal that goes or lives outdoors should be vaccinated for rabies. There are low cost rabies clinics; the vaccine should be anywhere from free, where there are grants, to $20. She also needs monthly flea preventative and occasional worming if she goes outdoors.

REPLY
football84 | @football84 | Nov 7 7:06am

Make sure the raccoons are not urinating in your attic or other places where you can injest or experience a cut that exposes you to a lower grade viral infection that may or may not result in Rabies or other serious health problems that may include brain damage, organ damage, respiratory problems, psychiatric problems, and possibly millions of other health conditions that are not understood well enough to correctly identify the causes and conditions and symptoms to the point where the meager immune response can correctly identify and prevent serious health issues and medical science is still in the junk science phase as civilization continues to develop during this era and hopefully more people can understand the complexities of certainty greater than a couple of sigma of significance in the future

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