Should Cat Pets Be Allowed To Feed On Rats Which May Be Infected With Rabies?

1. 77

   ngurecoposted 14 years ago

   Should Cat Pets Be Allowed To Feed On Rats Which May Be Infected With Rabies?
   
   My Cat Seems To Be Very Proud And Intelligence. It Will Never Feed On Such Things As Rats, Raw Meat, Raw Milk And Vegetables. But This Cat Has No Problem Feeding On Cooked Meat Or Boiled Milk. When It Sees A Rat, It Will Just Look At It As If It’s Admiring It In A Manner Likely To Suggest They Can Be Good Friends. Should I Continue Keeping This Cat?

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2. 78

   Nick Bposted 14 years ago

   Not all cats seem to see everything as prey and our cat is like yours, not into raw meat. It is however fond of yoghurt (any flavour), cheese and the occasional small bird or rodent.
   
   It doesn't touch larger birds such as pigeons and I don't think I've ever seen it anywhere near anything as big as a rat as far as rodents are concerned.
   
   We have no intention of getting rid of our cat, but as for you keeping yours, well that depends upon what you want the cat for, doesn't it?
   
   If it's supposed to catch rats, then probably not the best cat to have, but if it's a pet, then why not?
   
   With regards to the title of this question, if a cat likes rat and wants to eat one, there's not really anything you can do about it short of keeping the cat indoors for the rest of its life.

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3. 60

   patdmaniaposted 14 years ago

   This sounds like a dumb question.  Only if you want your cat infected with rabies as well.  You should always keep your pets.  Just because its not a great hunter doesn't mean you should get rid of him.  Rescue another cat from the humane society that could possible be a hunting cat.

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4. 64

   TigerLillyRoseposted 14 years ago

   Domestic rats and cats do make good friends sometimes.  If you love your cat as a pet, be glad it doesn't want to eat rodents.  Outside of the fact they could have rabies, they DO have parasites. The parasites get eaten right along with the rodent, now your cat has them too.  If the vermin has been poisoned once your cat eats it, it too will die an agonizing death. Rats and mice that have been into poisoned bait are very tempting targets for cats. Rat bites are particularly likely to get infected, and the rat doesn't always lose the fight.  Not to mention avoiding those little love gifts of a partially eaten creature in your slipper in the morning.
   
   If you really love your pet, I suggest you don't let it roam outside at all.  It's life span will increase enormously and the vet bills will go down. If however you just want a ratter, give this cat to a very good family who will appreciate it and buy some rat traps. 
   
   Cows milk is not good for cats, even though they may love it.

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5. 84

   Doc Snowposted 13 years ago

   Your cat should be vaccinated for rabies, especially if, like ours, it has free access to the outdoors.  The biggest danger of contracting rabies, I would think, is not in the eating of the rat but in the killing of it.  Rats are strong and agile, and may well get in a bite of their own--and that would pose a rabies danger if the rat is infected.

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6. 85

   SallyTXposted 13 years ago

   Well, of course you should keep your cat! Unless it's a barn cat, there's no need for it to catch rats and mice, and if there are rats hanging around your house enough that your cat has plenty of occasion to see them and speculate as to whether or not they might make good friends, you have a whole 'nother problem that you need to deal with, and it doesn't have anything to do with your cat!
   
   As far as whether or not cats should be allowed to eat rats that may be infected with rabies. Well, if you know they're infected with rabies, NO! If they are your typical barn rats, they may or may not have come in contact with all manner of illness. Be sure your barn cats' rabies shots and other shots are up to date, just in case.

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7. 88

   Jackie Lynnleyposted 13 years ago

   If you have your cat as a demouser or in this case a deratter, it will not do you much good. My cat is almost 17 (indoor-outdoor cat) and she kept my Moms house and then mine free of these plus snakes (still does) and never got rabies so depending on where you live I don't think you have to worry about rabies from a rat and if you do you might want to move, especially if you have children.

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8. 71

   pestcontrolproducposted 11 years ago

   Answering your headline question, rats typically aren't infected with rabies, and when they are, they typically become docile, hiding rather than inteacting with other animals. If your cat has been vaccinated, and it should be, this is not even an issue.
   
   But in general I would not want my cats feeding on rats, even though they may do it anyway. Rats carry a variety of parasitic infections, and unless your kitty fricasees its rat before eating it (and to be perfectly clear, this never happens), there's nothing to prevent other disease problems from being transferred from rat to cat.

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