Rabid Cat Found in Mahopac

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY —Putnam County Health Department officials are urging people in the Tanager Road-Wright Road neighborhood of Mahopac who may have come into contact with a gray cat to contact them immediately. The cat had been seen earlier in contact with other cats in the area,

The State Health Department has confirmed that the cat had rabies.

Since rabies can spread through the saliva of an infected animal, other cats may be infected as well. Any person or pet who may have had physical contact with this cat, or other cats or wild animals in the area, should contact the Health Department immediately at 845-808-1390.

“Rabies is a potentially fatal disease, but the only way to get it is through a bite from a sick animal or saliva in an open wound,” interim Commissioner of Health Michael Nesheiwat, M.D., said in a press release. “All animal bites or contact with wild animals should be reported promptly to the Department of Health. To reduce your risk for rabies exposure, it’s best to avoid going near wild or stray animals and keep pets up to date on rabies vaccination.”

Rabies is a deadly disease. When an animal sick with rabies bites a person or another animal, the disease can spread through the animal’s saliva. Without treatment a person infected with the rabies virus will usually not survive. When warm weather arrives, the chance of infection rises because people spend more time outdoors.

In New York State, more than half of the rabies cases in wild animals are in raccoons, followed by bats, skunks and foxes. As of June 1, 2017, three raccoons in Putnam County have been tested and found to have the rabies virus. Domesticated animals, such as cats and dogs, can also become sick with rabies. Regular pet vaccination can protect them.

Safety around animals should include teaching children to avoid all wild and stray animals and telling an adult about any contact with an animal, including an unfamiliar pet. Children and adults alike should resist the urge to touch or pet a wild or stray animal, including new litters of baby animals.

“While wildlife and feral cats account for a number of required rabies treatments, the number- one reason for treatments in Putnam County remains bats,” Nesheiwat said recently Bats are more likely to get into homes and are more active in spring when they return to the local area.

“If you find a bat in your home, capturing it safely is best,” Nesheiwat said. “We can test it for rabies and you can avoid the two-week series of shots if it’s not infected.” To safely capture a bat, watch the popular demo from the New York State Department of Health (see below).

Other programs to reduce the chance of spreading rabies include the PCDOH pet vaccination clinics and the Feral Cat Task Force. Free vaccination clinics are usually held three times a year—in March, July and November. The next event will be held at Hubbard Lodge in Cold Spring on July 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. The Feral Cat Task Force has captured, neutered, vaccinated and returned 622 cats, and adopted or fostered 128 of them in Putnam County since 2012. For people interested in volunteering or making a donation in support of this program, please contact the Health Department at 845-808- 1390 ext. 43160.

All animal bites or contact with wild animals should be reported promptly to the Department of Health at 845-808- 1390. After hours or on weekends/holidays report the incident by calling the Environmental Health Hotline at 845-808- 1390 and press “3.” A Health Department representative will promptly return your call. The Health Department will test a wild animal for possible rabies after an incident involving human or pet contact. If a family pet encounters a wild animal, avoid immediate handling of your pet, or use rubber gloves and call the Health Department.