Rut roh - Rabies

I didn't think rabies was really something to worry about, especially here in the Jersey 'burbs, but according to an article in the March 7 Bergen Record a raccoon was found to have the deadly viral disease. I didn't know this, but apparently there have been more than 5,000 rabid animals identified in NJ since the late 80's.

Rabies, without treatment, is 100% fatal. It is not joke, and as far as I know, only one person in history survived rabies without treatment. Rabies can be transmitted to humans through biting, scratching or direct contact with saliva from an infected animal and so it is important to be aware of animals that are behaving in an unusual manner. (Chillin' raccoon in the picture is more typical behavior!)

For example, in the article, a man was trying to put his car in the garage and he spotted this infected raccoon. He stomped his feet to shoo it off, but instead of leaving, the raccoon attacked the person and actually scratched his leg. This, is unusual behavior for a raccoon!

The happy ending is that the man luckily was not infected.

So why is this on a blog about cats? Well, for some reason, people still think that it is OK for them to let their cats wander about outside. Well, it isn't. If you have a cat as a pet, that cat should be kept indoors. Period. Nothing good can come of a pet cat allowed to roam about outside, especially around here where getting run-over is also a real possibility. Cats, like dogs, should be under the constant control and supervision of their human keepers, end of story!