Chemung County health officials are asking for the public’s help locating a cat suspected to be rabid.
The Chemung County Health Department is also seeking anyone who may have been bitten by the gray and white cat Aug. 12 in the vicinity of Herrick, Franklin and Jefferson streets on Elmira’s Southside.
The cat has not been seen since Thursday, Aug. 13, but is presumed rabid because it was “unusually aggressive,” health officials said.
Anyone who was bitten or scratched by that cat or if one of their pets was bitten or scratched is urged to contact the Chemung County Health Department immediately at 607-737-2019 during business hours, or 607-737-2044 after hours for evaluation.
If exposure to the rabid cat did occur, treatment should begin quickly.
Humans can get rabies from a bite, scratch, or contact with spit from a rabid animal. Rabies is almost always fatal, unless it is treated before symptoms appear.
Treatment for rabies exposure in humans involves a series of four vaccinations administered over the course of two weeks as well as one dose of Rabies Immune Globulin.
Symptoms of an animal actively shedding rabies include changes in behavior, such as aggressiveness or unusual friendliness, staggering, convulsions, spitting, choking, frothing at the mouth, and hindquarter paralysis.
Health officials also remind people to avoid wild and unknown domestic animals, and to ensure their pets are up to date on their rabies vaccinations.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Chemung County health officials seek potentially rabid cat in Elmira
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
