Health managers in the south of Jersey warn that a litter of Port Norris kittens could have been exposed to rage.
The County County Health Department said June 13 that kittens came from North Avenue near Main Street, and that at least one of the animals was tested positive for rabies.
Other kittens of the same litter have already been brought home by people from the community, so that anyone who recently obtained a kitten from the North Avenue region is asked to contact the health service.
The kittens and all the other animals with which they came into contact may need to be monitored for rabies, said the Ministry of Health. Humans who have spent time around cats should also be checked for symptoms of rage exposure.
To protect animals and people from your home, the health service recommends keeping pets vaccinated, avoiding contact with wild or wandering animals, reporting bites and scratches and obtaining medical help immediately if you think you have been exposed.
Here is an overview of some of the symptoms of rabies in cats and dogs, according to VCA Animal Hospitalles:
- Agitation, nervousness and irritability
- Muscle spam that prevent swallowing
- Excessive saliva
- Paralysis
- Agitation, nervousness and irritability
- Attack, becoming very excitable
- Signs of depraved appetite (eat and chew stones, garbage, etc.)
- Paralysis, distortion of the face and difficulty swallowing
- Weakness, discomfort, fever or headache
- Itching on the site of the bite
- Anxiety, confusion, insomnia, delirium
- Hallucinations
- Fear of water
- Seizures