Rabies

Rabies converts your cat's basic attack into a melee attack and prevents equipping face armor. The forced melee basic attack means ranged cats lose their ranged capability on basic attacks, though spells and abilities with range are unaffected. Losing the face armor slot removes defensive options from that equipment category.

Rabies is heritable and can pass from parent to kitten through breeding. It can also be acquired through events or applied with a Disorder Syringe from the Organ Grinder. The melee conversion is only relevant for cats that normally have ranged basic attacks; cats that are already melee see no change. The face armor restriction is similar to certain Sensory Overload variants that may affect the face slot.

Strategically, Rabies is acceptable on cats that are already built for melee combat, since the basic attack conversion does not affect them and the face armor loss is manageable. On ranged cats that rely on their basic attack for safe distance attacking, Rabies forces them into melee range and is much more harmful. The face armor loss is a minor defensive reduction that most builds can absorb. If your cat is melee-focused anyway, Rabies is a mild negative worth replacing but not urgent.