Answer: Regrettably, once clinical signs of rabies are present in a cat, or in man, no treatment is effective and disease is always fatal. (there is one recorded case of a child recovering but in this instance there was some doubt about the diagnosis.)
Because rabid cats cannot be cured and represent such source of danger to the human population, their destruction is necessary as soon as possible. Furthermore, if a cat exhibiting typical signs has bitten someone, it is important that its brain be examined as soon as can be arranged to enable the diagnosis to be confirmed, and thereby establish whether or not the bitten individual should undergo a course of rabies vaccination. Any suspected rabies case should not be handled bur confined to an enclosed area from which it cannot escape and the public heath authorities or police informed.
Because of the inherent dangers, those engaged in job where they are likely to encounter rabid animals, e.g. in quarantine kennels, are routinely vaccinated.
In some countries, such as the United States, what happed to a cat that has recently been bitted by an animal known to be rabid depends largely on whether the cat has previously been vaccinated or not. In both instances, treatment with antiserum or vaccine can be given but the World Health Organization strongly recommends that all unvaccinated cats should be put to sleep immediately because of the risk they represent. If a cat’s owner is unwilling to allow this , the unvaccinated animals, whether treated or not, must be isolated and observed for the onset of rabies signs for at least six months. Vaccinated cats, however, are usually re-vaccinated and isolated for only ninety days.
