Will you get rabies if you are bitten by a cat? Do you need a rabies vaccine?

Pet     9:43am, 30 June 2025

Will you get rabies if you are bitten by a cat? Do you need to get rabies vaccination? Sometimes it makes you so angry that it arouses the cat's fighting spirit, and you will inevitably be bitten. If you get rabies by a cat, you will get rabies? This is a question that many people are concerned about. The details depend on the situation, let’s take you to analyze them one by one.

1. What is rabies? Will you get rabies if you are bitten by a cat?

Rabies, also known as waterphobia, is an infectious disease caused by rabies virus. It is transmitted by biting between animals, and the source of infection is mainly diseased canines and felines. The clinical symptoms are similar to a cold in the early stage, with low fever, loss of appetite, and fear of wind, water, and difficulty breathing in the middle stage. In the later stage, the limbs will become limp, incontinence, and vomit with high fever.

2. Will you get rabies if you are bitten by a cat? Do you need to get rabies vaccination?

It depends on the bite. If it is slightly bitten, there will be no skin breakage. Wash with saline or soapy water and then wash the affected area with clean water without the need for rabies vaccine.

In addition, domestic cats that have taken good vaccine measures have very low chances of carrying rabies virus. If they are bitten, they only need to be disinfected and there is no need to get rabies vaccine. If the cat bites, the wound area is large and it has bleeding. It is recommended to rinse it with soapy water and then disinfect it with alcohol. After squeeze out the serum of the bite site, go to the hospital in time. Regardless of whether the cat carries rabies virus or not, there are bacteria in its saliva.

But in fact, cats carrying rabies virus will die within 3-5 days after the onset of rabies. Will they get rabies if they are bitten by cats during this period? The answer is yes, but it was not contagious before.

So, once you are bitten and not dealt with in time, will you get rabies if you are bitten by a cat? If the cat does not die within 10 days after biting, it means it is not in the contagious period.