June 16, 2005

A 17 year old boy and his own pet cat were scratched by a rabid cat that was reported to have bit three other people in a Shaler supermarket, Allegheny County Health Department officials said Wednesday.

Pittsburgh,PA,USA

The rabid cat was caught after it had wandered into the Shaler Shop 'n Save on Butler Street and bit three people on the 8th of June. The cat was destroyed to confirm that it had rabies, health department spokesman Guillermo Cole said.

Cole said that the three people bitten and the 17 year old were going through treatment and should be in no danger.

He also said the boys pet cat, which had already received its rabies vaccination, was given a booster shot and is not expected to be in danger but is in quarantine for 90 days as a precaution.

"Both cases happened in the days before the Shop 'n Save incident and within walking distance of the store," Cole said.