You cannot totally negate the fact that it is not risky. Since you say you had cuts in the mouth, and that it’s a stray cat, it’s always best to take the vaccine. No harm in taking anyway. Don’t ignore!

Hi I get why you’re feeling tense about this, rabies thoughts can get really scary really fast. But honestly, in this situation the risk is almost zero. Rabies spreads through direct fresh saliva entering the body, like a bite or saliva going straight into an open wound. Here, the plate was already washed, even if briefly, and any saliva if it was there would have been diluted and exposed to air. The virus does not survive like that outside the body. Indirect contact like eating from a washed plate is not considered a real transmission route, even if you have small cuts in your mouth. What’s happening right now is more anxiety filling in the gaps with what if thoughts rather than an actual medical risk. If this were a genuine exposure, doctors would clearly recommend vaccination, but this kind of situation does not fall into that category. Try to gently ground yourself, your body is safe, and this is your mind trying to protect you but overshooting a bit.

The risk is extremely negligible.

It's risk is negligible.. Almost zero