Cat in Hilton neighborhood tests positive for rabies after biting a person

Hilton, N.Y. (WHAM) - Cheryl Bogner of Hilton is in disbelief.

“I’m totally in shock that this has happened,” she said.

Bogner just learned someone was bit by a stray kitten on Hazen Street in Hilton on Monday.

That person brought the feral animal to the Hilton Veterinary Hospital, where it tested positive for rabies.

Dr. Dannie Shemanski was working that day.

“The front of the carrier was covered in blood, and it was from the person who got bit,” she said.

According to the veterinarian, it's possible other feral cats on the street could have contracted the disease.

“This Good Samaritan just felt sorry for the cat and wanted it to get some attention,” Dr. Shemanski said. “It’s scary. You know, someone’s heart is in the right place. It’s harsh when something like that happens, but it does.”

Bogner can sympathize. She lives on Hazen Street, where she said she's been feeding the strays for almost 10 years. She said she's now going to stop.

“I feel sorry for them,” Bogner said. “There’s been cats around here for several years. A lot of the people around here feed the cats here, and now we’ve got a problem.”

The possibility of more feral cats is a cause for concern for another neighbor, Vinny Lotta, who said he's seen the stray cats hanging around raccoons - a common carrier of rabies.

“I'm more worried about my kids because they like to play out in the back by the woods, and there’s always cats wandering around,” said Lotta. “That’s not safe.”

Dr. Shemanski said if an infected wild animal does bite a person or pet, there is a 10-80 percent chance they will get the disease. Animals to be most concerned about are skunks, raccoons, bats, and fox.

To keep your pets safe, she said make sure they're vaccinated. If a person is bit by any wild animal, Dr. Shemanski said to immediately go to the doctor, and call the county health department, or local animal control.

“Anytime anyone gets bit by any wild animal, whether the animal is neurologic or not, it’s important to get checked out, go through the shots, report it to the state veterinarian and the health department,” she said.

According to the Hilton Veterinary Hospital, that person who was bitten by the rabid cat should be okay. The cat was humanely euthanized.

The spokesperson for the Monroe County Health Department Ryan Horey said there have been 13 positive rabies cases among humans and pets this year.