Rabid Kitten Comes into Contact with Manalapan Residents

A rabid kitten came into contact with fifteen people from four Manalapan families, who are all currently undergoing rabies treatments, Manalapan Township Health Director David Richardson said Tuesday. 

The kitten came from a cat colony at a work site in Perth Amboy. An employee of the work site brought the kitten, and its sibling, to his home in Manalapan. The man brought the kitten to a local veterinary hospital because it began to act fatigued and it eventually progressed into paralysis. The vet euthanized the kitten and prepared it for rabies testing, according to Richardson. 

The second kitten is currently in a restricted six-month quarantine in a Freehold home where it has limited human interaction. The kitten shows no signs of illness currently, Richardson said. 

The Perth Amboy Animal Control and Middlesex County public health authorities are examining the area where the kitten was found. They are not aware of other human exposures to rabies at this point. 

Richardson said that this situation is a time to remind residents to be cautious of wild animals, including stray cats and kittens. “Rabies is still present and circulating in wild animals, notably raccoons and bats,” Richardson said in the press release. This kitten in particular did not have any wounds and was adopted because the feline looked thin.  “Though well intentioned, this situation has evolved into a dangerous, potentially life threatening situation, costing tens of thousands of dollars to properly manage and prevent human rabies disease,” Richardson said. 

For more information about rabies control activities please contact your local health department.