Possibly rabid cats worry New Milford neighborhood

[depakid]

wo women from the Sunny Valley Townhouses are receiving rabies vaccine treatment after being attacked by a feral cat carrying the disease, town officials said.

The attacks happened Wednesday at the 32-unit complex at 38 Sunny Valley Road. One woman was bitten in the leg while standing on her back patio. A second woman was attacked later in the day after apparently going outside to stop two cats from fighting.

The same cat is responsible for both attacks.

It was captured Wednesday night. New Milford Health Department officials issued an urgent warning Thursday saying the cat had rabies. They urged homeowners in the area to keep their pets indoors and to stay away from any feral animals.

"People should stay away from any of those wild cats. If they've had close contact with them, they should seek immediate medical attention and report the incident to us," said Michael Crespan, the town's health director.

Health department officials estimate there is anywhere from six to 12 cats living wild in the community.

Rabies spreads easily from animal to animal, so officers from Regional Animal Control placed six traps at spots throughout the property Friday. The traps were checked every hour. By midday, officers captured one cat while another ran away.

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_10214427
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[kestrel91316]

1. This sort of fiasco is one of my big public health concerns

about the large feral cat colonies we have here in the San Fernando Valley. We have a large population of bats and they turn up rabid with alarming regularity.