LOCKPORT, N.Y. — The Niagara County Department of Health announced on Thursday that a confirmed case of rabies was discovered in a kitten earlier this week in the City of Lockport on Prospect Street.
According to officials, the approximately 4-week-old kitten was taken in by a nearby family when it started displaying aggressive scratching behavior.
The family took the kitten to a local veterinarian, where it was later discovered that it was positive for rabies.
Individuals who had direct physical contact with the animal were evaluated for possible post-exposure rabies vaccination.
According to the Public Health Director, animal rabies remains a significant public health concern in Niagara County.
The Department provided a few reminders for county residents to prevent exposure to rabies from wildlife and domestic animals and can be read below:
- Do not feed, touch, or adopt wild animals, stray dogs, or feral cats.
- Be sure your dogs and cats are up to date on their rabies vaccinations.
- Keep family pets indoors at night. Do not leave them outside unattended or let them roam free.
- Do not attract wild animals to your home or yard.
- Encourage children to immediately tell adults if they are bitten or scratched by any animals.
- If a wild animal is on your property, let it wander away.
- If your pet has been in a fight with another animal, wear gloves to handle it. Isolate it from other animals and people for several hours. Call your veterinarian. Your vaccinated pet will need a booster dose of rabies vaccine within five days of the exposure. Unvaccinated animals exposed to a known or suspected rabid animal must be confined for six months or humanely euthanized.
The NCDOH also offers free rabies clinics. For more information on the clinics, click here.
