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BACKGROUND: Vaccination of domestic animals, including cats, is an important component of human rabies prevention. Most feline rabies vaccines are licensed for cats ≥3 months. Although Kansas does not have a statewide law, nine of 105 counties require cats to be vaccinated against rabies. Feline rabies vaccination compliance is not well understood. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) was utilized to evaluate factors associated with household-level feline rabies vaccination compliance in Kansas.
METHODS: The following questions were added to the 2012 Kansas BRFSS survey: 1) number of cats ≥3 months of age currently kept in or around the household and, 2) of those cats, number currently vaccinated against rabies. A household was considered compliant if the responding adult reported 100% of cats in or around the household were currently vaccinated. County type, education, and socioeconomic status were assessed in addition to number of cats and vaccination compliance. All results are presented as weighted estimates and calculated using SAS 9.3.
RESULTS: Almost one-third (30.4%, CI: 28.8-31.9) of adults reported at least one cat in or around their household. The percentage of adults with all cats currently vaccinated was significantly higher in households with one cat than those with ≥2 cats [Prevalence Ratio (PR): 1.34, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.23-1.46). The percentage of adults with all cats currently vaccinated was higher for those who lived in a rural county (PR: 1.19, CI 1.03-1.36), had >high school education (PR: 1.26, CI: 1.10-1.47), or median income <$50,000 (PR: 1.25, CI: 1.09-1.44).
Households in counties with a feline rabies vaccination law were compared to counties without a law. There was a higher percentage of compliance for adults living in households with one cat in counties with a law, but it was not significant (PR: 1.24, CI: 0.95-1.61). However, there was a significantly higher percentage of compliance for adults living in households with ≥2 cats in counties with a law (PR: 1.76, CI 1.37-2.25). Furthermore there was a lower percentage of compliance for adults living in households with ≥2 cats in counties without a law (PR: 1.33, CI: 1.18-1.51).
CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be a positive association between the presence of a county vaccination law and percentage of adults that have all cats currently vaccinated against rabies. A statewide mandatory rabies vaccination law could increase the number of cats currently vaccinated, decrease the number of rabid cats, and reduce the potential transmission of rabies to humans.