WHEATFIELD — Officials from the Niagara County Department of Health Environmental Health Division report a cat that attacked a woman walking her dog on July 13 on Demler Road in Wheatfield/North Tonawanda has tested positive for rabies.
The cat was humanely euthanized. The woman, who sustained multiple bites and scratches, is undergoing treatment to prevent rabies infection. Post-exposure treatment of immune globulin injection at the site of the bite along with a series of 4 rabies vaccine injections in the arm muscle (deltoid) over a 14 day period is effective at preventing rabies in humans.
Rabies is an incurable, fatal disease caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system. Anyone who may have had contact with this white, grey and black cat (see attached photo) on or before July 13 should call the Niagara County Department of Health Environmental Division at 716-439-7444. Calls made after business hours 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. will be routed through the Niagara County Sheriff’s dispatch to an on-call public health officer. A public health expert will evaluate and advise any caller on a course of action.
The cat was the first positive case of rabies in a domesticated animal since 2010, and tested positive on the same day as a bat from Hartland and a raccoon from Niagara Falls. In total, seven animals (five raccoons, a bat and a cat) have tested positive for rabies virus in 2016: Two of them have been in Niagara Falls; one in Youngstown; one in Royalton; two in Hartland and now one in Wheatfield/NT.
Public Health Director Daniel Stapleton warns, “Avoid contact with all stray domestic animals and wildlife. Do not feed or touch them. Do not feed your pets outside. Cover your garbage cans with tight-fitting lids. I cannot emphasize this enough. Stray and wild animals can carry dangerous diseases, as well as cause serious injuries.” Stapleton further advises, ”Report animals exhibiting strange or sickly behavior to your local law enforcement agency or call the Environmental Health Division at 716-439-7444. Take your animals and children inside when possible or keep them at a safe distance from any oddly behaving animals. Assure your animals are up-to-date with their rabies vaccinations.”
The Niagara County Department of Health Environmental Division offers free rabies vaccination clinics for dogs, cats and ferrets several times a year. The next free clinic is scheduled from 9-11 a.m. Sept. 17 at the Town of Lockport Highway Department,
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