A dead bat in Pasadena tested positive for rabies, the city’s first confirmed case since 2019, and local health officials used the moment to remind residents that rabies, while rare, is nothing to shrug at. Here is the part that gets lost in the alarm: the thing that actually protects your dog or cat is not vigilance or luck. It is a routine vaccine you probably already know you’re supposed to keep current, and a handful of bat-specific rules most pet owners have never been told.
So, no need to panic. But it is worth a few minutes to get the basics right, because rabies is one of the few diseases where “mostly careful” and “fully protected” are very different outcomes.
Why one bat is worth a warning
Bats are the animal that quietly matters here. In Los Angeles County, they are essentially the only wildlife known to routinely carry rabies, and their numbers spike exactly when this story broke: rabid-bat activity peaks in summer and fall, with August and September the busiest months. County estimates have put the share of bats that come into contact with people or pets and test positive at roughly 14 to 15 percent, far higher than the tiny fraction of bats in the wild that carry the virus, because a sick bat is the one most likely to end up on the ground where a curious pet finds it.
This is not only a Los Angeles problem. In recent summers, rabid animals have turned up across the country, in Colorado, Ohio, New York, and beyond, in everything from bats to beavers to puppies. Wherever you live, the same short playbook applies.
The one habit that does the heavy lifting
Vaccinate your pet, and keep it current. That is the whole ballgame.
“People want a complicated answer, and there isn’t one,” says Dr. Ravi Mehta. “A dog or cat whose rabies vaccine is up to date is protected in almost every realistic scenario. The pets who end up in trouble are almost always the ones who lapsed, or who were never vaccinated because they ‘never go outside.’”
In most of the U.S., vaccinating dogs against rabies is required by law, and for good reason: it protects your pet, and it keeps them from becoming a danger to other animals and people. Puppies can start the vaccine once they hit three months, and from there the shots repeat at one-to-three-year intervals set by the specific vaccine and your local law. Cats need it too, indoor cats included, since a bat can get inside a house far more easily than most people assume.
If cost is the barrier, you have options beyond a full-price clinic visit. Rabies vaccine drives at shelters and schools, clinics at pet stores, mobile units, and community health practices all offer lower-cost routes. Your local animal shelter is usually the best first call for finding one.
Know what a sick bat looks like
Healthy bats avoid you. A rabid one often can’t. A sick bat tends to behave wrong: out in daylight, sitting on the ground, or lingering for long stretches somewhere obvious, like the face of a wall. One that can’t get airborne, or that lets you walk right up, may well be infected.
If you spot one that looks off, call animal control to collect it for testing instead of handling it yourself. If a dead or motionless bat needs to be contained, drop a bucket over it, and never make contact with a bat using bare hands under any circumstances.
When to get help fast
Rabies passes when an infected animal bites, or scratches with a tooth, and through saliva reaching the eyes, mouth, nose, or a break in the skin. It does not spread through blood, urine, or feces. A bat bite can be so shallow it leaves no visible mark, which is why any close encounter with a bat is taken seriously even when you’re not certain anything happened.
For people, the CDC is blunt: if a bat bites or scratches you, rinse the spot thoroughly using soap and water, then get medical care immediately, and if bat saliva or tissue gets into your mouth, nose, eyes, or a wound, seek help urgently. The same urgency applies to your dog or cat. A pet who may have been exposed should see a veterinarian even if fully vaccinated, so the wound can be cleaned, the case reported to the local health department, and a booster given if needed. Once symptoms appear, rabies is nearly always fatal and no longer treatable, which is the entire reason the response is so aggressive up front.
Symptoms to know, should exposure ever go unnoticed: behavioral changes, paralysis, trouble swallowing, seizures, and coma. If any of these appear in an animal that may have tangled with a bat, treat it as an emergency.
What’s new since this was written
The single Pasadena case turned out to be an early note in a much bigger season. By the end of 2024, Los Angeles County reported one of its highest rabid-bat totals on record, with August alone accounting for more than 20 confirmed cases and roughly one in three resident-reported bats testing positive that month. The trend continued into 2025, when the county confirmed dozens more rabid bats and again urged people never to touch a bat or let pets near one. The specific numbers change year to year, but the takeaway has not: keep the rabies vaccine current, give downed bats a wide berth, and call your vet after any possible exposure.
This piece covers a public-health topic. It is general information, not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or doctor about a specific exposure.
References
- The Humane Society of the United States: Understanding Rabies.
- County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Veterinary Public Health: Rabies and Bats.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rabies and Bats.
- City of Pasadena Public Health Department: rabies and bat-contact guidance.
