ROANOKE, Va. – After the Virginia Department of Health confirmed a case of rabies in a kitten in Roanoke County, they are urging pet owners to take precautions.
VDH Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts spokesperson Christie Wills said the stray was wandering around the Mount Pleasant and Cave Spring areas.
“Whenever a stray animal is caught, it’s observed, and in this case, the kitten got progressively more sick,” Wills said.
Wills said rabies levels have been normal in the area so far this year. They’ve tested more than 50 animals and four came back positive. Most of those animals were wild, including a fox and skunks.
“That’s a good reminder that even kittens and puppies can get sick from rabies,” Wills said.
If you suspect you’ve been bitten by an animal that may have rabies, get to an ER where you’ll get a series of rabies of vaccines.
Also, animal experts urge you to make sure your pets’ rabies vaccinations are up to date.
Puppies and kittens can start being vaccinated for rabies at 12 weeks old. After that, you’re going to want to do it once a year and eventually every three years.
“It’s extremely important,” Angels of Assisi Executive Director Lisa O’Neill said. “If your animal is bitten by another animal that has rabies, it’s a death sentence. So, the animal has to be quarantined, euthanized, once they’re euthanized it’s a pretty ugly process to determine if the animal does have rabies or not.”
Angels of Assisi offers a low-cost option for owners. It’s about $50 for an exam and the rabies vaccine.
“You can make an appointment or on Saturday mornings we do a walk-in clinic,” O’Neill said.