# Cat Caught a Bat: What to Do and Rabies Risk If your cat caught a bat, assume the bat may have been rabid and treat the event as a serious exposure. Do not touch the bat with bare hands, do not let your cat lick or groom itself freely, and call your veterinarian and local animal control right away. This article is educational and is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or treatment. ## Quick Answer - Separate your cat from the bat immediately and put your cat in a closed room or carrier until you get instructions. - Do not handle the bat with bare hands. Use thick gloves, a shovel, or a container, or wait for animal control to collect it. - Call your veterinarian the same day. Rabies is fatal once signs appear, so timing matters [1]. - Call your state or local health department about the bat. Testing the bat is the fastest way to know whether your cat needs treatment. - Keep your cat's rabies vaccination record handy. Even a vaccinated cat may need a booster after a bat exposure. ## What a Bat Encounter Looks Like and What Is Normal Cats are hunters. A bat on the ground, in a garage, or on a porch is an easy target. Many owners never see the catch happen. They find a dead or injured bat later, or they notice the cat playing with something in the yard. It is normal for a cat to bat at, pounce on, or carry small prey. It is not normal for a bat to be inside your home or within your cat's reach. Bats that are active during the day, lying on the ground, or unable to fly are more likely to be sick. A bat that a cat caught should always be treated as a possible rabies exposure until testing says otherwise. Cats are the most commonly reported rabid domestic animal in the United States, and reported cases in cats have outnumbered those in dogs every year since 1990 [1]. That does not mean every bat carries rabies. It does mean the risk is real and the response should be fast. ## What to Do If My Cat Caught a Bat: Step by Step ### Step 1: Move your cat away Close the door or move your cat into a carrier or a small room. Do not try to pull the bat out of your cat's mouth with your hands. A frightened cat can bite you, and a bite from a cat that just had a bat in its mouth is a human rabies exposure. ### Step 2: Protect yourself Put on thick gloves before you go near the bat. Never pick up a bat with bare hands, even a dead one. Rabies virus is present in saliva, and a bite or scratch from an infected animal can transmit it [1]. ### Step 3: Contain the bat without destroying it If the bat is alive, cover it with a box or bucket and slide a piece of cardboard underneath. If it is dead, use a shovel or gloves to move it into a sealed container. Testing the bat is the only way to know for sure whether your cat was exposed to rabies. A bat that is thrown away or buried cannot be tested, and your cat may then need the full post-exposure protocol. ### Step 4: Call your veterinarian and your health department Call your vet the same day. Call your state or local health department too. They can arrange bat testing and tell you what to do next. If you were bitten or scratched by your cat during or after the encounter, call your doctor right away. ### Step 5: Keep your cat confined Keep your cat indoors and away from other pets and people until you have clear instructions. Do not let it roam, and do not let it groom you or sleep in your bed. If your cat was not vaccinated, or its vaccine is overdue, this step is even more important. ## Main Causes and Risk Levels The table below covers the common situations owners describe. The urgency column tells you how fast to act. | Cause | Typical clues | How urgent | |---|---|---| | Cat caught or killed a bat | Dead or injured bat found nearby, bat in the house, cat drooling or pawing at mouth | Emergency. Call vet and health department now | | Cat bit or mouthed a bat | Bat with bite marks, cat with bat saliva on fur or face | Emergency. Assume exposure | | Cat played with a bat | Bat moving oddly, cat batting at it, no visible wound | Urgent. Same-day vet call, bat testing needed | | Bat in the home with no known contact | Bat found in a room, cat was alone in that room | Urgent. Treat as possible exposure | | Cat hunted a bat outdoors weeks ago | Owner remembers a bat weeks later, cat now acting sick | Emergency. Any neurologic sign is an emergency [1] | Rabies can sit in the body for weeks or months before signs appear [1]. That long silent period is why a bat encounter from last month still matters today. ## Red Flags That Make This an Emergency Call an emergency veterinary hospital right away if your cat shows any of these signs after a bat encounter: - Sudden behavior change, aggression, or unusual friendliness - Trouble swallowing, drooling, or a dropped jaw - Wobbling, weakness, or paralysis in the legs - Seizures, circling, or pressing the head against walls - Confusion, staring, or not responding to you Once signs of rabies appear, the disease is fatal [1]. There is no treatment that reverses it. This is why every bat exposure is handled as an emergency even when your cat looks completely fine. A paralytic form of rabies has been described in people exposed to bat bites, with weakness starting in the legs and progressing upward [2]. Cats can show similar neurologic signs. Do not wait to see if your cat "gets better." ## Safe Things You Can Do at Home While Waiting While you wait for your vet or animal control, you can take these steps: - Confine your cat in one room with food, water, and a litter box. - Wash your own hands well if you touched the bat area, and wash any skin that had contact with your cat's saliva. - If your cat has a visible wound, do not apply ointments or human medications. Cover it loosely with a clean cloth if it is bleeding. - Write down the time and place of the encounter, what you saw, and whether your cat has a current rabies vaccine. - Find your cat's vaccination certificate. Your vet will want the date of the last rabies shot. - Do not let anyone in the household kiss, cuddle, or share food with the cat until you have guidance. If your cat vomits after the encounter, that alone is usually not a rabies sign, but repeated vomiting or vomiting blood needs its own evaluation. See [Cat Vomiting: When to Worry and What to Do](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/online-vet-and-care-costs/cat-vomiting-when-to-worry-what-to-do) and [Cat Vomiting Blood: What to Do Right Now](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/vet-visit-decisions/cat-vomiting-blood-what-to-do) for those situations. ## What Your Veterinarian Will Check and Test Your vet will start with a full physical exam. They will look for bite wounds, scratches, and saliva on the fur. Small puncture wounds can hide under long hair, so the exam is often more thorough than it looks. Your vet will ask about vaccination status and the date of the last rabies shot. They will also ask what happened to the bat. If the bat was captured, the health department can test its brain tissue for rabies virus. That test result often decides the next step. There is no reliable blood test to diagnose rabies in a living cat before signs appear. Diagnosis in a live animal is based on history, signs, and ruling out other causes. Confirmation requires testing of brain tissue after death [1]. If the bat cannot be tested, or if it tests positive, your vet will follow state and local public health rules. Options usually include a rabies booster and strict confinement, or quarantine, depending on your cat's vaccination history and local law. A case report from the Netherlands described a cat infected with a bat lyssavirus after the owners found a dead bat the cat had caught. Nine people exposed to that cat received post-exposure treatment, and four animals in the home were quarantined [3]. That case shows how far one bat encounter can reach. Your vet may also treat wounds, give pain medication, and update other vaccines. If your cat is not current on rabies vaccination, this visit is the time to fix that. ## Prevention and Monitoring After a Bat Encounter Prevention starts with vaccination. Keep your cat's rabies vaccine current, even if your cat lives indoors. Cats are the most commonly reported rabid domestic animal in the U.S., and rabies in cats is described as an emerging and underrecognized threat across the Americas as dog rabies declines [1][4]. Many rabies programs still do not include cats in routine surveillance or vaccination, which makes owner action more important [4]. Other steps that help: - Keep cats indoors, especially at dusk and dawn when bats are active. - Seal gaps in attics, eaves, chimneys, and screen doors. In a study of rural homes, 67% had unsealed openings and bat presence was reported in 46% of households [5]. - Never handle a bat with bare hands. Call animal control for bats inside the home. - If you find a bat in a room where your cat sleeps, treat it as an exposure even if you saw no contact. - Watch your cat for at least several weeks after any bat encounter. Rabies can take weeks or months to cause signs [1]. Households with pets had significantly higher levels of bat contact in one rural study, with cats specifically linked to more contact [5]. That finding fits what vets see in practice. A cat that hunts bats is a bridge between wildlife and your family. If your cat scratches you during or after the encounter, read [Can You Get Rabies From A Cat Scratch](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/clinical-methods/can-you-get-rabies-from-a-cat-scratch) and [Cat Scratch: When to Worry About Infection or Rabies](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/skin-allergy-and-ear-care/cat-scratch-infection-risk). If your cat gets stung or bitten by an insect while hunting, see [Cat Stung by Bee: What to Do and When to Worry](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/skin-allergy-and-ear-care/cat-stung-by-bee). ## Limitations and When to Contact a Veterinarian This article cannot tell you whether your specific bat carried rabies or whether your cat was actually exposed. Only a veterinarian and your local public health team can do that, using the bat test result, your cat's vaccine history, and local rules. Individual cases need a veterinarian. Contact your veterinarian the same day if: - Your cat caught, killed, bit, or played with a bat - You found a bat in a room your cat had access to - Your cat has any wound, drooling, or behavior change after a bat encounter - Your cat's rabies vaccine is overdue or you are not sure Go to an emergency veterinary hospital now if your cat has seizures, paralysis, trouble swallowing, extreme aggression, or sudden collapse. These signs can have many causes, and rabies is one of the most serious. Call your doctor the same day if you were bitten or scratched by your cat after the bat encounter, or if bat saliva touched your eyes, mouth, or an open cut. Human rabies prevention is time sensitive. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What if my cat killed a bat and ate part of it? Treat this as a rabies exposure and call your vet and health department right away. Eating a bat can expose your cat's mouth and gut to infected saliva and tissue. Do not wait for symptoms, because rabies is fatal once signs start [1]. ### What if my cat bit a bat but has no visible wound? A bite with no visible wound is still an exposure. Cat teeth make tiny punctures that can close over quickly and hide under fur. Your vet and the health department will decide whether testing the bat or a rabies booster is needed. ### What if my cat was playing with a bat and seems fine? A cat that seems fine can still be incubating rabies, since the virus can stay in the body for weeks or months before signs appear [1]. Call your vet the same day and try to keep the bat for testing. Do not assume "no symptoms" means "no risk." ### Can my cat give rabies to me or my other pets? Yes, a rabid cat can transmit rabies through its saliva, usually by a bite [1]. No cat-to-cat transmission has been recorded, and there is no feline strain of the virus, but an infected cat can still pass the virus to other mammals, including people [1]. Keep the exposed cat away from everyone until your vet gives clear instructions. ### Does my cat need a rabies booster after a bat encounter? Often yes, even if your cat was vaccinated on schedule. The exact plan depends on your cat's vaccine history, the bat test result, and state law. Your veterinarian will tell you whether a booster, confinement, or quarantine is required. ## Related Articles - [Cat Scratch: When to Worry About Infection or Rabies](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/skin-allergy-and-ear-care/cat-scratch-infection-risk) - [Cat Stung by Bee: What to Do and When to Worry](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/skin-allergy-and-ear-care/cat-stung-by-bee) - [Can You Get Rabies From A Cat Scratch](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/clinical-methods/can-you-get-rabies-from-a-cat-scratch) - [Cat Vomiting: When to Worry and What to Do](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/online-vet-and-care-costs/cat-vomiting-when-to-worry-what-to-do) - [Cat Vomiting Blood: What to Do Right Now](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/vet-visit-decisions/cat-vomiting-blood-what-to-do) - [Cat Coughing: When Should You Worry?](/knowledge/veterinary-medicine/parasitic-diseases/cat-coughing-when-to-worry) ## References 1. [Rabies in Cats - Cat Owners](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/brain-spinal-cord-and-nerve-disorders-of-cats/rabies-in-cats). Merck Veterinary Manual. 2. [Paralytic rabies outbreak mimicking guillain-Barré syndrome in French Amazonia](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41911281/). PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2026. 3. [A case report of a cat infected with European bat lyssavirus type 1, the Netherlands, October 2024](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40084421/). Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin, 2025. 4. [Perceptions and Barriers Regarding Rabies in Cats in the Americas: An Approach From the One Health Perspective](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41913454/). Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH, 2026. 5. [Perceptions and public health risks of the bat-human interface in households from fragmented rural landscapes in southern Chile](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42406763/). PloS one, 2026. ## Further Reading - [American Veterinary Medical Association: First Aid Tips for Pet Owners](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/emergencycare/first-aid-tips-pet-owners) - [Merck Veterinary Manual: Cat Owners](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners) - [Cornell Feline Health Center: Health Information](https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information)