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Rabies Scare Causes Undue Panic About Cats

Rabies is an acute viral infection of the central nervous system and has been around for centuries. The United States has a very efficient public health system that has kept rabies in humans down to a minimum. Humans have access to post-exposure treatment for prevention; and for domestic animals we have an excellent preventive system for the animals (dogs) who used to be the prime carriers. The control of rabies in wild animals has relied on culling animals to reduce their numbers. These methods are not only inhumane, but also ineffective, as the ecological vacuum created is soon filled by other animals, who may not be as healthy.

A panic broke out recently in Rockland County, New York, when four kittens at the Hudson Valley Humane SPCA were found to have rabies. This was the first case of rabies reported at the shelter since 1891. The Department of Health’s initial reaction was to rule that all stray cats brought into the shelter would have to be held for six months before being adopted. The press added to the panic by printing headlines such as, "More cats suffering from diseases!" and "Owners heartsick as pets are stricken with feline AIDS, leukemia and rabies."

The sensation caused many owners to give up their cats, even those who were strictly kept indoors. One man whose kitten became ill suspected she had rabies and had her euthanized. Yet the rabies test proved negative. A blood test showed she had feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), which is not transmissible to humans, and cats can live with for many years.

To help put an end to the panic, Alley Cat Allies prepared a media release and fact sheet on rabies. If you have a rabies scare in your neighborhood, ask your local media to contact ACA for the facts.

Many innocent animal lives are lost as a result of our own fear and ignorance. There is a sane and sensible way to deal with rabies, as well as other diseases, as long as you understand the facts and take the proper precautions.

According to the latest U. S. rabies figures from the Centers for Disease Control, rabies remains a disease of wild animals. Over 92% of all animals infected with rabies from 1991 through 1995 have been wild. Overall there was a decline in rabies from 1994 by 4.24%, mostly due to the 17.1% decrease in recorded cases of raccoon rabies in the Northeast where rabies in now enzootic rather than epizootic (prevalent but not an epidemic.)

In 1995, four humans died of rabies, all caused by bat viral variants. None of the humans had noticeable bites, following a similar pattern seen during the past few decades. Forty-seven of the 48 contiguous states had reported cases of rabies in bats. If you ever come in contact with a downed bat, the bat should be tested for rabies, or held in quarantine by a veterinarian or wildlife rehabilitator.

Trials of the recombinant rabies vaccine, where the vaccine is placed in baits for ingestion by raccoons, continue in Massachusetts, New York State, Cape May (New Jersey), and Florida.

One of the greatest problems in rabies transmission is the relocation of wild animals from one area to another, usually for hunting purposes, as we saw in the raccoons transferred from Florida to West Virginia, which caused the recent rabies epidemic in the Northeast. Animals in Florida, Montana, and Alabama have been found to have rabies variants previously found only in Texas.