How do cats eat when they have rabies? - briefly
Cats with rabies often experience difficulty eating due to paralysis of the throat and jaw muscles, leading to excessive drooling and an inability to swallow.
How do cats eat when they have rabies? - in detail
Cats with rabies exhibit significant behavioral and physiological changes that directly impact their eating habits. Rabies, a viral disease affecting the central nervous system, progresses through distinct stages, each influencing the cat’s ability to consume food. In the initial prodromal phase, subtle changes may occur, such as reduced appetite or difficulty swallowing due to throat muscle spasms. As the disease advances into the furious phase, the cat may become hyperactive, aggressive, and disoriented, often neglecting food entirely due to heightened agitation and fear. The paralytic phase, the final stage, brings severe muscle weakness, paralysis of the jaw and throat, and an inability to swallow, rendering eating impossible. Additionally, excessive salivation, a hallmark of rabies, further complicates eating as the cat struggles to manage the saliva, often leading to drooling and choking. The virus’s impact on the brain also disrupts normal feeding behaviors, causing confusion and aversion to food or water, a condition known as hydrophobia. Ultimately, rabies severely impairs a cat’s ability to eat, contributing to rapid deterioration and death.