Brant County Health Unit asking residents to be on the lookout for rabid cat

Brantford, ON –– The Brant County Health Unit is asking anyone who may have lost, abandoned, fed, or came in contact with a grey adult male cat in the area of Alberton, from south of Highway 403 into Brant County, between August 10 and August 20 to contact the Health Unit immediately.

Public Health’s most important role in these instances is to determine if people have been in contact with the animal, in this case, a cat. We will investigate the exposure and advise you on next steps, including receiving appropriate medical care if needed.

Brantford and Brant County residents can call 519-753-4937 and City of Hamilton residents can call 905-546-CITY (2489). Phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ‎

 As always, we encourage residents to:

• Keep a safe distance from wild and unknown animals. Rabies can make animals aggressive or make them appear sick, scared, or friendly.
• Avoid contact with dead animals.
• Not feed, help, or relocate any wildlife or keep them as pets.
• Keep your pets supervised at all times.
• Vaccinate your pets against rabies, and keep rabies vaccinations current to protect them, and prevent any spread to people.
• If you think your pet or livestock has been in contact with a rabid animal or dead animal, contact your veterinarian.

For more information about rabies please visit: www.bchu.org

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