Rabies in a dog or cat

[Steeler Chick]

I was wondering if a stray cat could give a dog rabies by scratching the dog and breaking the skin. My dog has had her rabies shot, but I didn't know if a cat was capable of doing this or not. Thanks for any responses I can get.

[mesaana]

Rabies is transmitted by saliva, so no, that's not really possible. A bite, though, that's another story.

[coppperbelle]

Arkansas Department of Health
Web Site for Rabies Information
I found this. Hope it helps.

How is Rabies transmitted?

Worldwide, more than 35,000 humans die of rabies each year. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of such cases result from bites inflicted by rabid dogs. In the United States, transmission from dogs is becoming a rarity due to successful dog vaccination programs. Although rabies is nearly always transmitted by a bite, transmission can result from contact between infected saliva and nervous tissues, open wounds, or mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth. Careless handling is the primary cause of rabies transmission from bats. Rabies virus has not been isolated from bat blood, urine or feces, and there is no evidence of air-borne transmission in buildings. No transmission from bats to dogs is known to have occurred, although rare cases of transmission to cats have been documented. Transmission from person to person is theoretically possible since the saliva of an infected person may contain virus, but this has never been documented.