Rabid skunk bites kitten
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Staff report
The Rowan County Animal Control reported the 11th case of rabies.
A Salisbury woman’s kitten was bitten by a skunk in late September.
According to a release, Jane Nichols, of Hildebran Road, told an officer she witnessed a skunk chasing her cats through her yard.The skunk and one of the kittens ran under an outbuilding and when the animals reappeared, her son shot and killed the skunk.
The incident occurred Sept. 26.
The skunk bit the kitten and the mother cat licked the kitten’s wounds. Neither cat was current on its rabies vaccinations and both were held in quarantine at the animal shelter pending notification of test results.
The skunk was submitted for rabies testing.
The specimen was shipped off for testing Monday and results on Tuesday revealed the skunk tested positive.
The cat and kitten were euthanized per the owner’s request.