Do feral cats in Hawaii have rabies?

Risk in Hawaii

Hawaii is the only state in the United States that is free of rabies and all dogs and cats entering the state must follow import rabies quarantine requirements.

How likely is a feral cat to have rabies?

Rabies in cats is extremely rare. According to the CDC, domestic animals, including pets, accounted for only 7.6% of reported rabies cases in the U.S. in 2015, the last year for which statistics were available. There has not been a single confirmed case of cat-to-human rabies in the U.S. in the past 40 years.

Can feral cats transmit rabies?

Cat to human transmission of rabies is rare.

The last confirmed cat to human transmission of rabies occurred more than 35 years ago. While it's possible for feral cats to become infected with rabies, feral cat colonies themselves do not generally serve as a source of the disease.

Are cats safe in Hawaii?

The majority of wild and feral cats throughout the Hawaiian Islands tend to hunt certain protected species of wildlife; plus, they spread disease. Experts at Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) are cautioning visitors against interacting with the cats.

Do feral cats carry diseases?

Free-roaming cat populations have been identified as a significant public health threat and are a source for several zoonotic diseases including rabies, toxoplasmosis, cutaneous larval migrans because of various nematode parasites, plague, tularemia and murine typhus.

Hawaii's Feral Cat War

How do you know if a feral cat has rabies?

Direct testing of the brain is the only way to diagnose rabies for sure. The best protection against rabies in cats is a regular rabies vaccine. Speak to your vet about making sure your cat is up to date on their rabies shots.

How can you tell if a stray cat has rabies?

In this stage, a rabid cat may become nervous and vicious. They may also excessively cry out and experience seizures and a loss of appetite. At this point, the virus is attacking the nervous system and prevents them from swallowing, leading to the classic sign of excessive drooling or foaming at the mouth.

Is feeding feral cats illegal in Hawaii?

A new rule bans feeding and abandoning feral animals at small boat harbors statewide. Governor David Ige approved the rule in December 2018 in an effort to help protect native and endangered species being threatened by feral animals.

Can you feed stray cats in Hawaii?

If you are no longer able to care for your pet, please surrender the cat to a local animal shelter so that it has a chance of being adopted. Do not feed feral cats. On O'ahu humane cat traps are available for loan from the Hawaiian Humane Society.

Can I pet a feral cat?

However, generally it is not advisable to tame a feral cat, and it is usually not possible to tame an adult one. Feral cats are not used to human contact, and it's likely they'll never be as docile and friendly as a domesticated cat.

Do I need a rabies shot after a cat bite?

If a dog, cat, bat, or other mammal you might suspect has rabies has bitten you, get to the doctor. The first dose of the vaccine should be administered within the first 24 hours after exposure.

Should you vaccinate a stray cat?

Since the lifespan of feral cats is typically much shorter than pet cats, a vaccine with 3- year immunity may be reasonable and is certainly better than no vaccine at all. Efforts can certainly be made by caretakers to re-trap and vaccinate any community cats as they are able.

Why are there so many stray cats in Hawaii?

European colonists originally brought cats to the islands, after using them as natural rodent-control systems on shipboard. The earliest documentary evidence attesting to the presence of wild cats in Hawaii is a passage in the writings of explorer William Breckenridge dating to 1840.

What do feral cats eat in Hawaii?

Feral cats are avid hunters of Hawaii's native wildlife and eat native birds and insects, including the endangered Hawaiian petrels, Newell's shearwaters and Koloa ducks.

What is considered a feral cat?

A feral cat is an unsocialized outdoor cat who has either never had any physical contact with humans, or human contact has diminished over enough time that she is no longer accustomed to it. Most feral cats are fearful or people and are not likely to ever become a lap cat or enjoy living indoors.

Why are there so many cats in Maui?

Cats are one of the predators that were introduced by humans to the Hawaiian Islands. The State of Hawai'i Department of Health estimates that there are 500,000 cats on the island of Maui. Thousands of these are feral, non-domesticated animals left to hunt and capture prey in the wild.

How did cats get to Hawaii?

Domestic cats (Felis catus) were first brought to Hawai'i aboard sailing ships of European explorers and colonists. The job of these predators was to control mice and rats on the ships during the long voyages.

How many cats can you own in Hawaii?

Answer: There is a Honolulu County law that limits dog ownership to no more than 10. For cats there is no definitive limit.

What happens if a stray cat bites you?

Whether the bite is from a family pet or an animal in the wild, scratches and bites can carry disease. Cat scratches, even from a kitten, can carry "cat scratch disease," a bacterial infection. Other animals can transmit rabies and tetanus. Bites that break the skin are even more likely to become infected.

Can a vaccinated cat still get rabies?

A currently vaccinated dog, cat, or ferret is unlikely to become infected with rabies. When an exposure has occurred, the likelihood of rabies infection varies with the nature and extent of that exposure. Under most circumstances, two categories of exposure — bite and nonbite — should be considered.

Can a friendly cat have rabies?

No cat-to-cat rabies transmission has been recorded, and no feline strain of rabies virus is known. However, cats are the most commonly reported rabid domestic animal in the United States. The virus is present in the saliva of rabid cats, and people have developed rabies after being bitten by a rabid cat.

Can you shoot feral cats in Hawaii?

Hawaii law expressly permits the killing and destruction of both these animals by methods not otherwise prohibited by animal cruelty laws. Trap-neuter-release programs (TNR) provide an alternative and arguably more humane way of managing feral cats than eradication.

Are feral cats invasive species in Hawaii?

Feral cats are known to be an invasive species all around the world, and are especially impactful in island ecosystems like Hawaii. Feral cats on islands are responsible for at least 14% of global bird, mammal, and reptile extinctions and are the principal threat to almost 8% of critically endangered species.

What is culling a cat?

Many scientists in government agencies and private research institutions argue for a cull: a coordinated effort to trap and euthanize as many feral cats as possible.

What vaccines should a feral cat get?

Rabies and FVRCP vaccinations are considered a standard and valuable element of TNR—a program that is extremely successful at stabilizing populations of community cats, also referred to as feral or outdoor cats. The program is also called Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR).