Cats, Bats, Rabies And The Carolinas

Take it from someone who reads a lot of news on a daily basis, stories like this do not usually happen very frequently or as relatively close together geographically. So it is something to be a bit wary of. A couple from McCormick, South Carolina are being treated for exposure to rabies after picking up a stray cat.

A man and woman who picked up a stray cat in McCormick recently are undergoing treatment to prevent rabies, state health officials said Friday.

The woman was holding the cat when she was bitten and scratched, while the man was exposed through saliva in existing cuts as he petted the cat, said Clair Boatwright, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The cat died Aug. 1, and DHEC confirmed it was rabid Friday, she said.

Meanwhile, another item, this time from Cornelius, North Carolina, says that a cat and its human owner are being treated for exposure to rabies after the cat picked up a stray bat.

A Cornelius teenager thought he was doing the right thing, but now he needs rabies shots.

His cat brought home a dead bat and dropped it on the patio. The teen picked it up by its wing, carried through the house and put it in a garbage bag so health officials could test it for rabies.

The Centers for Disease Control normally runs such tests whenever bats pop up where they aren’t supposed to be.

The two towns are not real close together, approximately 140 miles as the rabid bat flies. But having two stories this close together could indicate that there is a bit of a rabies problem in that region. Something to be aware of if you happen to live down that way. So do not touch any dead animals and you really might want to curb your enthusiasm for rescuing strays as well.