Our family pet is a black cat with green eyes. His name is Ricco and he always looks like he’s up to something. Just last week I stepped on his tail and he bit my foot. Why did he have to do that?! Now I’m scared that I might have rabies. What a scary thought…..rabies. Let me look up the symptoms on the computer.

This site says that two weeks after the bite occurs you will get flu like symptoms. After that…..wait! Flu like symptoms! I had that yesterday! I was running a fever and had a splitting headache. Well, my mom had the flu last week and I was there. Then I took care of my husband while he had the flu and…..hold up! The next symptom listed is a splitting headache! Mine just came back! For goodness sakes…..do I have rabies? OK, I think I’m safe. It says that the animal will start to act weird. My cat is fine. Why just now he is scratching at the door and meowing loudly. What? He doesn’t usually do that. What is wrong with him? Is he acting weird on me now? Oh, wait…..he had to go to the bathroom. Shew! Back to the symptoms……ok, here it says that you may get a cough. I don’t have a cough so I must be ok. Next symptom is abdominal pain. Oh no! I have that one! Just yesterday when I had the flu like symptoms my stomach was hurting! Should I go to the doctor? Is this going to kill me? Anxiety is the next symptom! I have that too! I’m really scared I have rabies! This is so irritating! Oh no! That’s the next symptom listed! Irritability! I have to call the doctor! What is that silly cat doing? He’s climbing a tree. Does he usually do that? He just ate a bird! Aggression is a sign of rabies in a cat. Great! That looked pretty aggressive to me. Now I’m really mad! There goes the irritability again. I think I’d better stop looking at these symptoms and go take a nap. If I get a little sleep maybe I can think better.

I’ve been in this bed trying to sleep for an hour now. It’s impossible. I have too much on my mind–not to mention this anxiety that I have now. Maybe I should check the rest of the symptoms. I’m sure there’s something on there that will show that there is no way I have rabies. Let me check on that silly cat first. Now where is he? Is he hiding? I think I read that shyness in an otherwise friendly pet was a symptom. Let me hurry and check out these symptoms again. OK….flu like symptoms–check. Splitting headache–getting worse by the minute! Anxiety–worse than ever! Next symptom….oh no! Insomnia! I just tried to take a nap and couldn’t! I have insomnia! That’s it, I must have rabies.  I’m calling my husband right now and telling him he has to take me to the hospital for a rabies shot because Ricco bit me last week and he’d better hurry before I start to have the abnormal behavior and hallucinations!

OK, I just got off the phone with my husband. He said Ricco has had his rabies shot and that we are both fine. Thank goodness! My headache is gone and I’m not so stressed now.  No rabies for me! Wait a minute here. What is this? Symptoms of the Black Plague! A fever, splitting headache and chills! Oh no! I’d better read up on this!