Michael Neibauer is reporting via Twitter that a cat that was picked up after it bit someone has tested positive for rabies. Here's what he said:
# DOH says the feral cat, with gray patches and white markings, was picked up last Wednesday after it bit a resident. about 4 hours ago via web
# ALERT!!!!! Rabid Cat Found on 1700 Block of Lyman Pl. NE about 4 hours ago via web
According to the original press release DOH wants to talk to anyone who may have had contact with the cat, especially if anyone ever fed the cat.
17 comments:
When is the city going to start taking the ferral cat problem in this city seriously? And when are some residents going to stop feeding them which in turn helps them survive to spread diseases and feeces everywhere?
Hey, chicken sh@t anon, (I.e., get a handle or no one will take u seriously). U r not in Ohio or indiana, or whatever. It's a problem we have in most larger states.. Uh sorry.. Districts. Oh wait there is only one! If u have a problem with ferals, do something about it.
It's your problem. Do something. And quit hiding behind anonymous handles. Doing that only verifies what a dork you might be.
The Internet: a veritable pool for idiots to " dip their toes". Do something or go back to Iowa. Thanks.
Oh, and glad to have u here for the three years that you've been here. Won't miss u when u r gone.
Wow, going off the deep end aren't we? What more do you want me to do? I have asked the guy who still feeds the cats to stop. I have trapped several and taken them to a shelter. Yet, there are constantly more due to the idiot who thinks they are his pets and the large amounts of trash they eat in the alleys. I'm not going to kill them as I would likely be arrested if anyone found out and its not my style.
The city does not cite people for leaving exposed trash in the alley and does not do anything to try to capture the cats either. These cats are nothing but a vector for disease. Their only benefit is they help keep the rat population down. In your many years here in the state, sorry, District, what have you seen the city do to help in this problem?
If this were Iowa, I would likely grab a .22 off my wall and take care of the problem once and for all. But, now that I's got me an education and moved in with all you big city folk, I's try to be all civilized.
And why would I fear posting an opinion about wild, rabid cats? I simple don't have a handle. Not to mention it is ludicrous to think that "I'm counting the idiots" gives any clue to your identity.
@ I'm counting the idiots:
Anon 8:43 had a perfectly reasonable comment. You sound like you huffed some glue before posting.
@I'm counting the idiots: When were you bitten? It may not be too late to get your rabies treated.
i'm guessing that "@I'm counting the idiots" is the guy who is feeding the feral cats.
He's probably also one of those people who thinks Michael Vick should never touch a football again.
I actually think the District should be importing MORE rabid, feral and/or radioactive cats (preferably outfitted with laser gun headgear) in order to counter the city's out of control sewer rat population. Only problem is we'll need to up the rabid atomic dog population once the feline situation becomes unmanageable. What to do? What to do??
Dude, seriously, relax. Why do people have issues with ferals. They really arent dirty. And diseases? really? radies is like the only think they can transfer to humans. 1 rabic cat in a city with thousands of ferals isnt a big deal.
I prefer the trap, spay/neuter, vaccinate and release.
Also, I would like to re-affirm that there are like few diseases that can transfer from cats to humans. Feral cats are simply not a major disease vector. feral cats should just be left alone to try to survive. Trapping them and taking them to the pound is simply a death sentence with a nicer name.
The Washington Humane Society does have a program to address the issue of feral cats in the District: Cat Neighborhood Partnership Program or CatNiPP. Cats are trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and returned. The tip of one of the cat's ears is also cut off so these cats can easily be identified at a distance. If you see an "ear-tipped" cat, you will know that cat has been vaccinated against rabies and thus not a vector.
Contrary to what Anon #1 said, feeding the feral cats does not exaccerbate the problem. Cats that are fed regularly -- and who have been spayed or neutered -- are healthier and thus less susceptible to disease and less likely to cause a nuisance for neighbors. I have 5 feral cats living next door to me and they haven't caused any problems since they were spayed and neutered.
If you simply remove the cats (and let me remind gun-toting anon, that shooting feral cats or causing them harm is a crime in DC) more cats will move in. Spaying/neutering stabillizes the population and is the most effective way to address the situation.
You can read more about this at http://support.washhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=programs_communitycatresources_catnipp
Although WHS performs these services for free, the actual trapping is done primarily by volunteers and in response to residents contacting the shelter about feral cats in their neighborhood. You can help by volunteering (I do!) or by informing CatNiPP about your local alley cat population.
I'm happy to help Frozen Tropics readers trap the feral cats in their immediate area or answer any questions you might have about this.
From the CDC. The following are diseases can be transmitted by cats or cat related in your environment. Some are rare. Some are more common. Some are transmitted by numerous animals.
Campylobacter Infection (campylobacteriosis): A bacterial disease associated with cats, dogs, and farm animals.
Cat Scratch Disease (Bartonella henselae): A bacterial disease associated with cat scratches and bites.
Coxiella burnetti Infection (Q fever): A bacterial disease occasionally associated with cats.
Cryptosporidium Infection (cryptosporidiosis): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs, and farm animals.
Dipylidium Infection (tapeworm): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and fleas.
Hookworm Infection: A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and their environment.
Leptospira Infection (leptospirosis): A bacterial disease associated wild and domestic animals including cats.
Plague (Yersinia pestis) Infection: A rare bacterial disease associated with rodents and cats and fleas.
Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii): A bacterial disease occasionally associated with cats.
Rabies: A viral disease associated with various animals, including cats.
Ringworm: A fungal disease associated various animals, including with cats.
Roundworm: See Toxocara Infection.
Salmonella Infection (salmonellosis): A bacterial disease associated with various animals, including cats.
Tapeworm (flea tapeworm): See Dipylidium Infection.
Toxocara Infection (toxocariasis, roundworm): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and their environment.
Toxoplasma Infection (toxoplasmosis): A parasitic disease associated with cats and their environment.
Just FYI.
haha, those are parasites and infections you can get from swimming in lakes or digging in dirt. Frankly, I'm more scared of stuff i might pick up on the bus.
face it anon, i think you just hate cats.
dcjaded-
you'd be singing a different tune if you were to get scratched or bitten by one of these "cuties". My wife just got bit by a feral kitten the other day. she waited a day to go to emergency and it had gotten infected (even with ample antibiotic topical and peroxide). Had she not gone when she did, nurse said she wouldve had to have been admitted for IV antibiotics. what say you now? oh, and you forgot to mention where your DVM is from and where you are a licensed to practice. Oh wait...yeah, thought so
I wish all the supposed long time residents would pack it up and go back to southern VA and NC where their family came from in the 1950's.
feral cats...time to get the pellet gun out
About two years ago, I adopted a feral cat who was living under parked cars on my street. He was terrified of me at first. However, he has come to a very loving, sweet and exceptionally well-behaved pet who, though still scared sometimes, now will sometimes hop on the couch next to me, seeking to be petted, and likes to sleep with me during the night.
Don't write off the feral cats.
I'm more worried about the rabid humans infesting our neighborhood than the typically dormant cats.
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