829 Rabies (1/2)

Rabies had a mortality rate of more than 99 percent; people turned pale with just the mention of its name. Yet, their subconscious mind also felt that the terrible, infectious disease was too far from them, and that it was impossible for their own pets to contract the disease.

In fact, according to inaccurate statistics, at least tens of thousands of people worldwide died from rabies every year. Once they became ill, it was almost certain that they would die.

In the midst of all the noise, Zhao Qi asked, ”Rabies? Are you sure?”

Zhang Zian shook his head. ”I'm not too sure, but from the symptoms of this cat, there's at least a 90 percent chance of it being rabies.”

As a result of his statement, customers who were close to the cat bag took a few steps back. They wanted to stay as far away as possible, as if the cat bag contained a time bomb.

”Big Sister Wenying, you need to calm down first––don't panic. There's no use panicking. Since there's no open wound on your arm, the chances of you contracting rabies is not that high, but the vaccine still has to be taken,” Zhang Zian said slowly. ”I'll ask you a few questions, and you can give them some thought.”

Liu Wenying took a few deep breaths. Her face was very pale, and she stiffly nodded.

”First of all, are you sure that Yue Yue has not been scratched or bitten? And what about your husband?” Zhang Zian asked again because Liu Wenying was obviously in a state of shock after hearing the word ”rabies.” It was like she had lost her soul––nothing went into her ears.

Liu Wenying looked at Yue Yue. She tried her best to recall, and after a few seconds, she answered with difficulty, ”No, no, I just gave her a shower last night, and if she had any injuries, I would definitely have noticed. My husband usually doesn't play with the cat… I'll call him a little later and ask.”

”That's great then,” Zhang Zian also breathed a sigh of relief. ”Second question… Has your cat been scratched or bitten by other cats or dogs recently?”

Liu Wenying's cat was a Siamese cat, and the Siamese cat was known as the ”dog among cats.” She would often take it downstairs to play like she was walking a dog.

There were many households in the community who raised cats and dogs. In the past, the owners never used a leash, but after several incidents of dogs scaring or wounding people, a new rule was made in the community that dogs must be leashed when they were brought on a walk. Gradually, almost nobody walked their dog without a leash.

As for cats, there were very few people who would bring their cat down to play. The only one who would leash and walk their cat was Liu Wenying. She was often teased about this by the other owners in the community.

”I don't think so…” Liu Wenying hesitated, and then her face changed. ”Ah! My husband took Fluffy downstairs to play some time ago, and after he came back, Fluffy's hair was a mess, and there was a wound on its body. My husband mentioned that a dirty stray cat had appeared out of nowhere and started a fight with Fluffy, but it was immediately scared off by my husband… because it didn't bleed, I didn't really pay much attention.”

Zhang Zian frowned. It was a stray cat again…

”Seems like this is the problem… The stray cat may have been a carrier of the rabies virus, and it has transmitted the virus to your cat,” he speculated.

Liu Wenying's legs trembled. Grabbing onto the last line of hope, she asked, ”Cats can also transmit rabies? Aren't they all transmitted by dogs?”

”They are all infectious, and in theory, as long as they are warm-blooded animals, they may be carriers of the rabies virus. When dogs bite people, they must be vaccinated––everyone has this common knowledge. It is said that cat-infected rabies accounts for only three percent of the total number of rabies infections, and it is precisely because the cases are scarce, so they are often ignored. Although the probability is very small, the danger is always there,” Zhang Zian explained.

After hearing Zian mention that everyone was susceptible to the danger, customers who were still choosing their pets or were checking out with their selected pets suddenly thought twice about raising pets.

Zhang Zian quickly added, ”But it's impossible for a clean cat that has been raised at home to infect and spread rabies. It's okay to be scratched or bitten by such a cat… All of you can rest assured. What you all need to pay attention to are the cats that had physical contact with a cat or dog outside or a cat that has slipped out of the house and returned with a wound. If you're scratched or bitten by such a cat, it's best to be vaccinated for your own safety. Don't lose something more because of something so small.”

Hearing that, everyone was finally relieved.