Rabies is a serious disease that is caused by a virus. Each year, it kills more than 50,000 people and millions of animals around the world. In the United States, rabies has been reported in every state except Hawaii.
Any mammal can get rabies.
Raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, dogs, and cats can get rabies. Cattle and humans can also get rabies. A virus causes rabies. An animal gets rabies from saliva, usually from a bite of an animal that has the disease. Animals with rabies may act differently from a healthy animal.