ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 26, 1996 TAG: 9605280060
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER STAFF WRITER
A RABID RACCOON may have infected a stray cat during a fight. Now Ferrum-area felines must be confined at home.
Felines of Ferrum, beware.
Franklin County officials fear a stray black cat - one of many stray black cats in the area - might be carrying the rabies virus.
Claude Webster, the county's director of public safety, said a rabid raccoon bit a cat during a fight last week. The cat is still at large.
A resident who noticed the raccoon acting strangely - venturing out during the day and walking with an unusual gait - shot the animal, Webster said, but the cat got away before he could catch it. Tests confirmed the raccoon had rabies.
As a precaution, county officials have ordered a quarantine of all cats in the Ferrum area, he said. Cats must be kept indoors or in a cage where they can't come in contact with other animals.
The stray black cat belongs to a pack of 40 to 50 strays that are fed by a Ferrum woman, Webster said. Twenty-five to 30 of those cats are black.
Even cats that have been vaccinated could be at risk because the vaccine is not 100 percent effective, he said. Vaccinated cats may have to be quarantined for up to 90 days, while those who haven't received shots might wait six months to regain their freedom.
The quarantine does not apply to dogs yet, but that could change if officials think it's necessary, Webster said.
Residents should not approach strange animals, or even their own pets if they start to behave strangely, Webster said. Anyone who sees a strange animal should call the Sheriff's Office at 483-3000.
"We don't want to cause an alarm," he said. Officials just want to protect the pet and human populations from rabies, a potentially deadly disease, he said.
"We know responsible pet owners are going to take care of little Fluffy," Webster said.
It's the stray animals the county is worried about, he said.
"We're going to do a roundup of anything on the street that hasn't been taken care of."
LENGTH: Short : 47 linesby CNB