KCAS confirms 14th rabies case of 2024

Kerr County Animal Services has confirmed the county’s 14th case of rabies this year.  KCAS was called on Sunday, August 11, with a report of a sick kitten that had bit a property owner in the 3000 block of TX-27 (Memorial Boulevard).  Officers collected the specimen and sent it to the lab the same day for testing.

KCAS received the lab results on Wednesday, August 14.  “My office received the results this afternoon that the cat was indeed positive for rabies,” said KCAS Director Reagan Givens.

The person who was bitten was notified of the dangers related to the transfer of rabies, a deadly neurological disease, from mammals to humans and advised to seek immediate medical attention.

So far, Kerr County has posted 14 cases of rabies in 2024, with the most recent case before this one being at the end of May.  The viral disease has been found in 8 skunks, 2 raccoons, 2 foxes, and one dog.  “It should be apparent from our high number of cases this year and the locations of where they have been found that it isn’t unusual for these infected animals to be encountered in our neighborhoods – even inside city limits,” Givens said.

Anyone who spots an animal that is behaving abnormally or appears to be sick is asked to make a note of its physical description, its exact location and which direction it seems to be heading before calling that information into KCAS at (830) 257-3100.  If the call is after regular business hours, people can call the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office at (830) 896-1216.