Pet cats can also transmit rabies, have caused deaths: Doctors explain

In the past few days, three children have died in Kerala from rabies, despite being vaccinated against the disease. So far this year, 13 rabies deaths have been reported in the state, while it was 22 in the whole of 2024.

Experts point out that children are at greater risk of dog bites due to their size. As per records, most of the fatalities are due to stray dog bites. However, pet dogs, foxes, and wild cats have also caused rabies deaths in the state.
Many also worry about contracting rabies infection from their pet cats. Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, convenor of the IMA research cell, explains:

Why are cats dangerous?
While pet cats are kept indoors and not allowed to roam outside in many countries, that’s not the case in Kerala. Here, they are mostly community cats. This means they roam around, go away for long periods, though they return, and we can’t predict their behaviour. We often don’t know where they are going or what their activities are.

They can sit under cars, travel for miles, fight with other cats, and get infected with rabies in all these spaces. As cats have a habit of licking their nails, the virus can naturally enter their salivary glands. Also, the virus would be present on the tips of their nails. We can’t predict their behaviour. However, when they undergo hormonal changes or pregnancy, they can be aggressive.

They can move fast and scratch people. Their nails, as sharp as injection syringes or fishing hooks, can penetrate skin and inject the virus into our tissues. Cat scratches should be treated just like stray dog bites. Kerala has had rabies deaths due to cats and therefore, it should be treated seriously,” says the doctor.

How to stay safe?
According to Dr Soorej K of Cochin Pet Hospital, unlike dogs, it’s impossible to predict whether a cat is infected with rabies. “Cats tend to hide when unwell. Moreover, you can’t spot symptoms like salivation or aggression if at all they are infected,” he says. However, if we are interacting with cats, it’s important to be as careful as we are when interacting with a stray dog, he explains.

As for rabies, dogs and cats belong to the same category. "Rabies is infectious in all mammals. If your pets are not protected, the risk is equal. They should also be vaccinated, just like the dogs. And if you get any scratches or bites from cats, treat them like a dog bite,” explains the doctor.

Milwaukee Protocol
As per reports, until a few years ago, the Milwaukee Protocol, an experimental treatment in which a patient was induced into a coma, after which antiviral drugs were given to protect the brain, was attempted to treat rabies. Certain prominent hospitals in India have also tried it, but as it often leads to neurological complications and deaths, it’s no longer recommended. Experts emphasise the importance of wound cleaning, vaccination and rabies immunoglobulin medicine for instant protection as an effective approach to treating rabies.