Traps Set In Cobb County After Rabies Discovery

MARIETTA, Ga. — Animal control officers have set traps in a Marietta neighborhood where a rabid kitten bit a child.

Animal control officers told Channel 2's Tom Regan the child was bit near Whitlock Avenue and MacDonald Street when a family took in a stray kitten.

The family later took the cat to the veterinarians office and found out the animal had rabies, according to Cobb County animal control.

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Officers set traps in the neighborhood on Thursday, hoping to round up additional stray cats, according to Regan. The cats will be quarantined and checked for symptoms of rabies.

"Any animals we catch in the traps, we're going to bring in here and hold them for the quarantine period. If they don't show any signs of being ill they will be put up for adoption," said Tom Flynn with Cobb County animal control.

Animal control officers told Regan that humans can be infected with rabies after exposure to the animal's saliva through a bite or scratch. If that infection goes untreated, it's nearly always fatal.

The infected kitten has been euthanized.

The family that was exposed to the kitten has received vaccination shots.

WSBTV