Thursday, September 7, 2000 Older Editions

Avoid stray cat's strut: Officials monitor rabies in Shawsheen

By Neil Fater

After discovering that a stray cat in the Shawsheen area had rabies, health officials are warning people to avoid contact with outdoor cats and all wild animals.

The kitten, which was hit by a car in the Riverina Road area and died, was reported as positive for rabies by the state last Wednesday, after the Townsman went to press.

A woman who had fed the animal suspected it might be sick, says Everett Penney Jr., Andover health director.

"She brought the cat to the vet and explained she had an exposure to the cat from handling it," said Penney.

The cat's remains were sent to a state lab and the cat was found to have rabies.

The woman and two other people who had been bitten or scratched by the cat are receiving rabies-prevention treatment, says Penney.

"Because this one tested positive, we have a concern there might be other positive animals that interacted with this cat," he says. "We're going to take an aggressive approach to round up any stray animals."

The Andover Health Department will be working with Richard Lindsey, animal inspector, and Wayne Nader, animal-control officer, to verify the vaccination status of stray animals.

Unvaccinated strays will be watched for 10 days. If there is no problem, they will be available for adoption. But if the animals are sick, they will be killed, says Penney.

Penney says that anyone exposed to an animal with rabies should begin treatment as soon as possible and that "'within 10 days is the optimum time."

All domestic cats are required to be vaccinated for rabies. Discovering a feral cat with rabies is "fairly uncommon, but becoming more of an increasing problem. People normally think of dogs as carrying rabies, but we have a very strong licensing program," says Penney. "But cats, we don't have a licensing program for, and people don't always think of them as carrying rabies."

Penney says that two years ago the state declared that rabies was "endemic" in all raccoons.

"What happens is outside cats are real susceptible into getting into fights with those outside animals like skunks and raccoons," says Penney. "We have relatively high reports of dogs getting into fights with skunks and raccoons, but it's usually not a problem because the dogs are immunized."

Questions about animal safety can be directed to Wayne Nader at 475-0411, Ext. 49, or to the health department at 623-8295.