Dozens Get Rabies Shots After Contact With Kitten

Dozens of people are undergoing rabies shots after coming into contact with a stray kitten that had the deadly viral disease.

At least 60 people were known to have touched the animal, which wouldn’t have attracted so many admirers if it hadn’t been so cute, said James Delano, a veterinarian at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center, where the 3-month-old feline was euthanized.

“Everyone loves a kitten,” Delano said.

The kitten was found Oct. 11 and taken to a home, where it was kept as a family pet. The next day, the family took the kitten to Bishop Ranch for a checkup.

The animal had worms and was slightly dehydrated, but was otherwise OK, said hospital administrator Margaret Urquhart.

About a month later, the family returned because the kitten had a fever and was acting strangely.

“While it was in the hospital, it started exhibiting more and more neurological signs,” including difficulty walking and becoming easily agitated, Urquhart said.

Hospital employees decided to euthanize it Nov. 20 and send its brain to Contra Costa County health officials for an analysis. The rabies test came back positive.

Humans can get rabies if they come in contact with an infected animal’s saliva -- usually from a bite, and more rarely if the animal licks open wounds and the saliva gets into mucous membranes in the eye, mouth or nose.

Rabies is rare in domestic animals. Last year, 184 animals in California tested positive for rabies, mostly bats and skunks. Only two cats and one dog had the disease.

County health officials decided 35 people at the veterinary center should receive rabies shots, including one who was bitten by the kitten.

At least 26 people, identified by the family, were also getting shots, said Sirlura Taylor, the county’s communicable disease program manager.

Taylor added that anyone else who had contact with the kitten and wants to get shots should do so.

“We understand that people get really frightened,” she said.