There is a cat here in my neighborhood who seems a little off. I've noticed this cat before and have even thought to myself how cute it was. But the other day it was near the side of our car before we headed out to buy groceries. It has never really hung around or acted particularly friendly. It has never "talked" to us. But on this day, the cat was making the ugliest "meow" sound I'd ever heard. It was crackled and pathetic. Mark said, "Don't get too close, I think there's something wrong with it," which of course sent me into a minor panic and I swooped Amaris up (who was very interested in making friends with a new cat) and told Mark to chase it off. It was rubbing up against the car and looked sort of sickly now that I was really paying attention.

And then, it walked across the street. But even it's walk was weird. Like it moved both front feet but sort of hopped with the two back feet.

We left. We came home. We went on with life and honestly I sort of had forgotten about it. In the car after it had jumped off, I asked Mark what he thought was wrong with it. He didn't really say. So I started quizzing him. I wanted to give the cat the benefit of the doubt. I said, "Well, I don't think it had rabies." Mark disagreed gently. I suggested that it may have been in heat. Again, Mark disagreed. Then I realized that aside from the movies, I'd never seen a rabid animal, and really had no idea how they behaved. I said, "Pfft. Where would it have gotten rabies from? A skunk?? I don't think so." Mark shrugged.

A few minutes ago, I was sitting here on the couch and heard loud and horrible cat crying sounds coming from outside. The mystery cat crossed my mind. And then I thought, "No way."

I got up and opened the blinds in the kitchen window, and saw it sauntering down my driveway in that same strange walking pattern. Left, right, hop. Left, right, hop. It crossed the street and disappeared alongside the vacant house there.

So I started feeling weird. And I googled rabies behavioral symptoms.

I found this, which was really the first thing to catch my eye:

Animals that Carry Rabies
Skunks and bats are the most common wild animals found to have rabies, though any mammal can carry the virus. Livestock, like cattle and horses, may be vaccinated against rabies, but may have to be tested if suspected to be rabid.

Skunks! Oh no! I never would have known! And bats! I don't know why, but I always thought rabies was usually in animals like possums and rats and such.

And then I remembered every scary movie I'd ever seen, where the rabid animals always look vicious and are foaming at the mouth and biting everything. And I somehow reassured myself that this little kitty couldn't possibly be sick like that. So I searched further down the page and found this information on the two different "styles" of rabies:

Furious Rabies
Behavior is aggressive and excitable. The animal can suddenly attack when approached.

Dumb Rabies
Unusually shy or approachable, sluggish, confused, and/or depressed

Shy, approachable, sluggish, confused, depressed! Oh no!

Now I'm afraid to take out the garbage. Why is it having to hang around my house??