MONSEY (VINnews/Sandy Eller) – Three days after three Orthodox Jewish Monsey residents were attacked by a cat, the Rockland County Department of Health announced that the animal tested positive for rabies, advising anyone who might have been scratched or bitten to seek immediate medical treatment.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The first known incident took place just after 8 AM on the morning of July 12th in New Hempstead, with a Barrie Drive man using his tallis bag as a shield as he was repeatedly attacked by a gray cat. Both the Ramapo Police Department and animal control were called to the scene but were unable to locate the cat, which had run off into the woods.
Seven hours later, Chaverim of Rockland received another cat-related call from a distraught woman living just a short distance away who said that her children had been attacked by an aggressive cat.
Hearing children screaming in the background, Chaverim coordinator Yossi Margaretten contacted Hatzolah and the Ramapo Police Department, in addition to dispatching members to the Union Road home for a potential emergency.
“She said she couldn’t get the cat away,” Margaretten told VIN News. “We had members there in a minute and a half because we gave this out as an emergency call, not like someone who needed help with a flat tire.”
Chaverim members were able to restrain the cat quickly using special equipment. The animal was sent to the High Tor Animal Shelter for 10 days of observation, with the Department of Health issuing its warning on Friday morning after the cat showed signs of illness and was confirmed to be rabid.
Rabies is a virus that infects the central nervous system and is transmitted primarily through bites, although it can also occur through when scratches or an open wound are exposed to the saliva of an infectious animal. Without medical treatment rabies is a fatal disease, making immediate treatment for anyone who was exposed extremely important.
Anyone living in the Union Road, Grandview Avenue, Brick Church Road, Barrie Drive or Patricia Lane area who suspects they may have been bitten or scratched by a solid gray short hair cat early this week should call the Rockland County Health Department immediately at 845-364-2594 during business hours, or at 845-364-8600 after hours or on weekends.
That cat should be euthanized, as an aggressive wild and rabid cat such as that will go on attacking and infecting people, until it is put down.
Moshe keep up the good work
Any Rabid animal dies within a couple days and if scratched or bitten by a stray cat you should always go to the ER immediately
Pasteur’s rabies cures were never proven – in fact, according to his diary, he killed the placebo sheep to buttress the presumably positive results. Herbalists and other traditional healers use remedies such as chicory, dropwort, plantago and St. John’s wort for rabies symptoms. These have been known to help animals suffering from rabies symptoms as well.
I highly doubt this story.