Cat Tests Positive For Rabies In San Marcos

The cat died Sunday, May 7, and the owner took it to the San Marcos Animal Shelter for rabies testing.

San Marcos Animal Protection Services is issuing a rabies alert in the Blanco Gardens Neighborhood after a cat bit its owner and another family pet.

Anyone who has had contact with the cat since Saturday, April 21, is urged to call San Marcos Animal Protection at 512.805.2655 immediately.

The cat was the family pet living both indoors and outdoors and showed progression of symptoms within 24 hours: unusual and erratic behavior, aggression, excessive salivation, vomiting, then death.

The cat bit its owner and a family dog early Sunday morning, May 6.

An Animal Protection officer was dispatched to speak with the owner after she left the emergency room at Central Texas Medical Center.

The cat died later that day, and the owner took it to the San Marcos Animal Shelter for rabies testing. The cat tested positive for the strain of rabies carried by bats.

The dog has begun its 90-day isolation at a veterinary clinic, and the owner is undergoing post-exposure treatment.

Animal Protection Officers are posting flyers throughout the neighborhood to alert residents.

City ordinance requires all cats and dogs over the age of four months to be registered with the City, and state law requires them to have current rabies vaccinations. For more information, contact the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter at 512.805.2655.