Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-10-09
CATS AND RABIES
Ah"ng the Dog Which Bites \ P.
the Wrong Thing to H., IL

Do not permit too familiaritr
tween YOUR cats and dogs.
The former are all right and wo.,.
get rabies, unless they are bitten ~
one OF their natural enemies. So :!
least. says DR.. Gibier. chief of tho M
York Pasteur Institute. and whar
talks about hydrophobia other nav
sons are expected to stand from unSe,
The occasion for this assurance =.
the hydrophobic safety Of cat. vos
case which DR.. Giber reeeived -.
Wednesday. in which woman ,bont
80 years old was bitten BY a bet 'C 90,
and came to the physician for treo,
ment. The biting occurred about 70,
days before, and from the woman's do
scriptlon Of the eats action the Doctor
had no question that the animal was
suffering from rabies. In fact the no,
died from them three days after tho
biting.
The patient. whose name is witbbold
by request, described the biting a, bav.
ing occurred while she was ATTENDING
to her homework. The cat, which baS
always been pet, was seized witb
spasm and rushed about the room with
her tail greatly enlarged and the hairs
bristling on her back. She sudd.nl,
stopped, and after crouching on tho
floor sprang at her mistress throat
decorating the latter's shoulder, VERY
severely with her teeth. The wounds
were cauterized.
The cat rushed into closet and 70.
manned three days in rapidly succeed.
ing spasms, dying with every evidence
of hydrophobia.
The victim was of nervous temper.
ament and was FRUSTRATED. When she
called upon DR.. Giber, she had already
reached the dangerous period for the
development of the disease and she was
inoculated with a greater quantity of
the virus than is usual in the first treat
mcnt. Tho patient received other in.
EQUATIONS yesterday morning and
evening and expressed herself as beiny
much quietcr and stronger
The doctor is confident that his
patient will not suffer seriously from
her experience.
asked the doctor on behalf of those
women whose affections can be only
contented with feline, whether there
was danger from cat. contracting
rabies without having been bitter by
dog. He replied in the negative.
dogs are the only animal who actual
" generate the disease" he said. "and
so there need not he any fear Of an
epidemic OF hydrophobia from sll the
cats going mad. Should dog bit.
cat and that cat 60 about biting other
cats, there might be some danger, be-
cause eats are kept more within houses
than are dogs.
The treatment for this case. which
is the first that has been brought to my
attention while in this country. will be
exactly similar to those of dog bites.
The poison is the same in all cases and
the antidotc is the same. Tho patient
will he inoculated for the required
fifteen days, and then will be considered
safe"
DO rabies. rs manifested in cats,
appear differently than in dogs? |
asked
The symptoms, the Doctor replied,
"are generally the same in very inn
portant aspects, but cats are more fierce
and their excitement much greater.
They have fashion Of wagging their
heads, too, when they are dangerous,
and of course show the usual trailing
saliva which the contractions Of the
throat compel to be elected"
Should cat drink milk which a
rabid dog has tasted or had dropped
saliva in, the former might contras
rabies.
The whole thing resolves itself into
this, said the Doctor; without dogs
you won't get h, dtophobia, and so the
best way to stamp out the disease is
for Americans to do rs is done in
Northern Germany-that is, keep the
dogs muzz I'd all he time in the cities
and also in the connlrv. Iheu yOu
can get the rabies The most insane
thing for persons " lao are often to 10
10 TO kill the animal. Ii luo} shoot The
dog how are they to tell whether it has
rabies or not? Let it live, and then If
it dies with hydrophobic symptoms
there is decided reason why YOU should
take all scientific safeguards to save
yourself from similar fate. ~. I.
Herald.