do cat's feces carry rabies?

Question

Hi!

My dog was so stupid that she ate a cat's feces today, looked she ate quite a lot, I am not very sure what is the cat's status, but I am sure my dog is a clean and healthy dog.  I am very worried whether my dog can get rabies by eating the cat's stool?  Do animals' feces carry rabies virus?  Maybe I am overreacted, but I am very worried, please ease my mind.

Thank you very much in advance!

Ghilly · Accepted Answer

Whose cat was it?  Was it an indoor cat or an outdoor cat?  Did you know the cat?  The reason I ask is because if you did not know the cat and or see the cat leaving the feces (in the event that it was an outdoor cat) it might not have been cat feces at all, but raccoon feces or some other wild animal.  If this happened indoors or if you know the cat, there's not really anything to worry about.  Dogs LOVE browsing through cat boxes, they think they're in a deli!  I know it's disgusting, but the taste buds of dogs and cats are a lot more sensitive than ours are and cat food tastes very sweet to dogs, therefore the feces taste sweet to them.  It's like a delicacy to them.  

The best way to stop them from eating the feces is to either keep them on a leash when they are outside, or keep the litterbox clean in the house so that there is nothing in there for them to grab.  If you have a fenced yard where you let your dog run, patrol the yard daily to make sure no other animals have left "gifts" there for your dog to find.  

Just keep an eye on him, but I truly doubt that you have anything to worry about following this one incident.

Ghilly

Rach001 · Answer

thanks guys for the long typing!! I appreciate it! I was just over-reacting.  It was from my friend's cat, so should be no problem. :)

marksme · Answer

Cleaning the cat box may help this from happening?

Misfits4Me · Answer

I agree with Tony.....All dogs love cat poop and it gets eaten frequently!!!!!

I don't believe Rabies can be transmitted through poop.....You might try to google that!  Has your Dog been vaccinated against Rabies?  This would be your key to safety......  Karla

tonyb286 · Answer

This behaviour is not as uncommon as you might think. A quick look around the internet proves many dogs eat cat faeces and it can be a big problem for those that have both dogs and cats as part of their household. For whatever reason, some dogs like the taste, even though as humans we find it quite disgusting. Of course, in the wild, dogs are the ultimate scavengers and will eat almost anything, so perhaps we shouldn't be quite so surprised by it. Generally speaking there's not too much to worry about, though it would be a good idea to worm your dog (just in case the cat had worms, which would have been released into the faeces). Other than that, just keep a close eye on your dog for a few days to see if there are any changes to their normal behaviour. Oh and although rabies can be acrried in the stools of cats, I am assuming your dog has been vaccinated, so this shouldn't be a problem. The most likely danger is the cat could be carrying salmonella bacteria, which would almost certainly be in the stools and would likely be passed on to your dog - hence why I suggest keeping a closer eye on your dog for a few days. Tony

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