Why Do Indoor Cats REALLY Need to Be Vaccinated For Rabies?

Rabies is a disease which is highly contagious to all mammals. Humans are also susceptible to the disease. Even worse, it is almost one hundred percent fatal, once clinical signs develop.

Luckily, it is entirely preventable with a simple vaccine you give your cats and dogs. Though you may only think that your dogs and outdoor cats need the vaccine, the truth is that you should vaccinate all of your pets. 

Here are some reasons why you REALLY should vaccinate your indoor cats for Rabies. 

It is a deadly disease that is preventable, with a simple vaccine. Why would you want to put your family in danger, if all it takes is a vaccine to prevent it? It is much better than losing your family pet or even a family member due to the horrific disease.

Because it can be deadly, most states require all pets to have a rabies vaccine. It is law that you need to vaccinate your pet against the disease, even if he or she never goes outside.

There is no testing for the disease, until it is too late. The only way to test for rabies is by examining the tissue of the brain. This can only be done after the patient has passed or euthanized. It can take a few days to get results. In the meantime, other affected humans may have to go through preventative measures to ensure that they are safe.

Though you may think that your cat can't get exposed to Rabies, the truth is that bats and other wildlife can carry the disease. These can get in the house more often than you think, which makes it dangerous to have a cat that isn't vaccinated against the disease.

Want to go even further when it comes to protecting your pet? Here are some things that you can do to keep your pets safe from rabies (and other preventable diseases)! 

Vaccinate all of your dogs and cats against diseases that they can come in contact with. This includes more than the Rabies vaccine. You should vaccinate dogs for Distemper, Kennel Cough (if they are around a lot of other dogs), Lyme, and Lepto. Cats should be vaccinated against Distemper and Feline Leukemia.

You also need to keep track of when the vaccines are due. You should do your best to overlap vaccines, so that you don't let time lag between when the vaccines are due and when you give them.

Keep cats indoors. Indoor cats live healthier and happier lives. You don't have to worry about them getting hit by cars, being attacked, or who knows what else can happen when cats roam outside.

You may want to keep your dogs indoors as much as possible. Dogs deserve to be safe also, so they shouldn't spend time running around on their own. 

Make sure that rodent and wildlife control is important to you. You may want to work with a pest control company to keep creatures from getting into your home. You should have a cap on top of your chimney and screens on all of your windows.

Do your best to keep wildlife off of your property. Don't feed stray cats or you may soon find your yard full of wildlife that you didn't plan on having!

If a human or pet is ever bitten, they should wash it right away and seek medical care if needed. If the medical provider is worried about rabies, it is important to contact the health department. Rabies shouldn't be something that you ignore. You have to act fast!

Though you may not want to vaccinate all of your pets against rabies, the truth is that you should. It is for everyone in your family's protection. You don't want to lose a family pet (or even someone in your family) because you weren't careful!

All it takes is a bat or other wildlife to get into your home, and rabies is possible. That being said, you can't test for the disease without euthanasia, so you would have to put your pet down to figure out whether or not your whole family needs to be treated preventively!

Besides vaccines, you also should keep your pets inside as much as possible, so that they are safe. You also need to work hard to keep pests and other wildlife out of your home!

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Previously published on Medium and/or Newsbreak.