Rabies vaccine needed?

[Swirlygirl157]

This is the second post as I wasn't sure where it fell.
I have just been to an area of the world where rabies was a massive problems.
I came out of our balcony to see a cat lay on my towel. I didn't think anything of this and had a shower, wiped my face, etc with the towel.
However I had an after thought regarding possibly catching rabies from this.
The cat lives at the hotel, and is quite shy of humans. However I am getting anxious regarding the issue. Is it possible to catch rabies in this way? one of my main concerns was if the cat had licked / bitten the towel and then the saliva entered my eye or mouth.
Do I need to get the rabies shot ( it happened yesterday morning) or is this my anxiety playing tricks on my (I suffer from health anxiety and have for a while now)
Thanks

[mkh9]

Usually they can have symptoms but not always. So in the early states the animal may not have symptoms just like humans but once it goes to the brain there is no treatment. So you can't always tell 100% by symptoms.
mkh9

[NeverAgain127]

I think you're right on the money here, MK.  

Also, wouldn't a rabid cat act strangely?

[mkh9]

Do you have any open cuts on your face? If not I wouldn't worry about it. The main route is saliva getting into a open wound. If the saliva was dry and/or in the sun and there was any rabies in it it will be killed. It gets killed by drying and sunlight. I don't think you had an exposure.  Was there any wet saliva on the towel? Did you get any in your mouth, nose or eyes? If not then you are okay.  If you are still unsure I would talk to a doctor about it.

mkh9