10/15/2025
Hagrid is a community cat who lives in my neighborhood. I trapped, neutered, ear tipped, and vaccinated him and provide food and shelter for him on my property. He is feral and doesnāt want anything to do with me but I love him anyway. Recently my husband saw him playing with a cat toy outside. Butā¦it wasnāt a cat toy. It was a dead bat!! Luckily, Hagrid is vaccinated so heās safe. I disposed of the bat.
Rabies is rare in our state but it does happen. In 2015, a 2 year old indoor-only cat in Chimacum was euthanized after becoming aggressive and biting family. She must have caught and eaten a bat that had made its way inside the house. Multiple people ended up having to undergo post-exposure treatment after coming in contact with the unlucky cat.
While vaccines should be tailored to a catās lifestyle, age, and health, all cats should be considered for rabies vaccination as there is no treatment for the virus and it is universally fatal and transmissible to people. Are your kitties up to date on their vaccines? Call us at 564-225-0450 to schedule an appointment if they need a booster!
