Can My Cat Be Forcefully Seized / Impounded? A Healthcare Worker Reported My Cat Scratched Me To A Public Health Official Who Is Now Calling Me. Please Help.

Location: Phoenix, Arizona - falling under Maricopa County, within the United States.

TLDR: lady at urgent care reported my strictly indoors cat for scratching me on accident. Received call from an “epidemiologist calling about a cat bite.” He didn’t even bite me. I can’t afford to have my cat forcefully quarantined anywhere besides my home. He is six months behind on one rabies booster and is being taken to vet tomorrow for a scheduled rabies vaccine. Are we safe? What do I do and what rights do I have?

Hello, everyone.

In just one day, my life has been falling apart because the only thing in existence that matters to me, my cat, is being targeted due to being reported for accidentally scratching me by a healthcare professional. Two nights ago, I was cuddling my cat while we were asleep. I accidentally rolled over onto him, so my little guy got spooked and jumped over to the other side of the bed; he accidentally scratched my hand in the process. Because I was years behind on my tetanus shots? The next day, I decided to go to an urgent care to get one. When I told the front desk lady why I needed it, since she asked, she immediately tried to make me fill out an animal bite form for Maricopa County Animal Control and “Care.” (Like these pet thieves “care” about animals, sure.) I told her it wasn’t a bite, and it was an accident. He is a strictly indoor cat (I am home all the time and know his history) and in the two years I’ve had him? He’s never had a single act of aggression. This horrible woman threatened me, claiming they could seize my cat for this and I left, saying I wasn’t comfortable being seen here anymore. I never filled out the animal bite form and even took the incomplete form home with me. The next day, I wake up to a missed call, and a voicemail saying, “(Name,) epidemiologist. Calling about cat bite.”

I looked up the strict laws and why this happened and now I am terrified. My cat has had rabies vaccines before but he is 6 months behind on a rabies booster; my friend and I are taking him to a scheduled vet appointment tomorrow to get a new, updated rabies vaccine so he will be in full compliance. What my concern is? I don’t start my new job until two weeks from now, so it’ll be a month before I have any money to my name – and I can’t afford to have him taken from me and “quarantined” at some horrible Maricopa pound facility. I can’t get any answers on how much this costs.

If I get him vaccinated tomorrow, will this be good enough to let him stay at my home for the ridiculous 10 day quarantine thing? Can I just refuse to answer them? I did mess up by calling back in a panic and leaving a voicemail stating my name, number and just that I was never bitten by a cat; only a light scratch caused by pure accident and said the cat was fully vaccinated, and said there should be no reason to be calling me about this. What rights do I have? Will they take my cat because I got him a rabies booster a day after he scratched me? Can these public health officials really get animal control to force me into giving them my cat all because my strictly indoors cat lightly scratched me? This is all so confusing and beyond ridiculous – I can’t lose my cat, he is all I have as I have no family or close friends, and he is what keeps me going. He is my best friend and I want to protect him from these people. Thank you for any advice in advance; Google isn’t being much help.