THIS is why you want to be sure your cats have been vaccinated against rabies, even if you can't imagine that they would ever be at risk.
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MURPHYSBORO - Animal control authorities are reminding residents of Jackson County to keep their pets up to date on vaccinations, this after two cats were euthanized over contact with a rabid bat.
Mark Tincher, an employee of the Murphysboro Police Department, said he was alerted of the incident Monday and sent the bat for testing. When it tested positive for rabies, the owner did not know which cat had actually carried the bat and had both put down.
"Those cats would not have been destroyed or anything if they had their rabies shots," Tincher said. "It's something I've been pushing pretty hard. I don't want to see any animal put down because of it."
This week's incident isn't an isolated one, either, he said. At least two rabid bats were found in the county last year. State law says that if an animal comes into contact with a rabid animal, it must either be put down or held at a veterinarian's office for six months, which Tincher said can become expensive
(snip)
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Needless tragedy. Where's my "throwing the computer across the room" smilie when I need it?
