Rabid Kitten Bites 2 Workers At Local Animal Shelter
NEW KENSINGTON (KDKA) -- Two attendants who work at a no-kill animal shelter in Westmoreland County were bitten by rabid kitten over the weekend.
The kitten was euthanized after it tested positive for rabies.
The incident happened at the Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley shelter in New Kensington.
Earlier this month, the shelter took in a stray kitten. After its wounds were treated, it was quarantined.
This past weekend, the kitten started to show aggressive symptoms and bit a veterinary tech and her assistant.
The technician, Lindsay Joyce, had a pre-exposure vaccination, but the assistant did not and will get a series of shots for rabies.
The cat wasn't eating, sleeping and had trouble swallowing.
Dr. Becky Morrow, the shelter's veterinarian, said the kitten was immediately isolated and did not spread the virus to other animals.
"She was isolated from the shelter," she said. "She was not in the shelter at any point she was shedding virus. We had her specifically in isolation and only being cared for by two people and minimized any exposure."
It's the second time in 13 years she's seen a case of rabies at the shelter.
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