Rabies Case Prompts Nearby Cat Roundup

This story was reported and written by Associate Regional Editor Sherri Lonon.

Cat owners nearby in the Northdale area are being urged to keep their pets inside until further notice as a confirmed rabies case has Hillsborough County on alert.

To prevent further cases, the county has announced it will begin “limited trapping of cats” in the Greater Northdale area “in response to this specific public health concern.” The trapping operation begins the evening of Aug. 2. It is unclear how long it will last.

The potential rabies case was reported to the county on July 26. A test for the disease turned out positive on July 31. The decision to begin the trapping operation was made Aug. 2 after county officials spoke with the Florida Department of Health, a county email to the media stated.

“Any cats trapped will be quarantined,” the email said. “Efforts will be made to reunite any of these cats with their owner at the end of the quarantine period.”

The cat that tested positive for rabies came from the Sand Lake Court neighborhood, the county said.

Trapping strays is not a typical practice in Hillsborough, but rabies is also a public health concern, officials said. 

Rabies is a virus that “infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control website. Early symptoms of human exposure include headaches, fever, weakness and discomfort. The virus is typically spread through bites from a rabid animal.

To help prevent the spread of the disease, the Florida Department of Health recommends residents:

• Keep their pets properly vaccinated.
• Stay away from unknown animals, including dogs and cats, livestock, free roaming foxes, skunks, raccoons and so on.
• Keep pets confined to their own property and provide them with supervision when outdoors.