Update (12-22-15): The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office issued a press release on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015 saying that a secondary test conducted by the Center for Disease Control found that the domestic cat had a false-positive for rabies and was not infected.
YCSO said "all lab testing has a margin for error and the results of the initial test were reported to the community promptly in light of public safety and awareness."
The victim has been notified and plans to continue the rabies treatment as directed by medical staff.
Original story:
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office is reporting its first rabid domestic cat case since the 1950s.
On Dec. 3 a domestic cat was hit by a car and killed near Sunset Lane and Prescott East Highway in Prescott Valley.
The roommate of the cat's owner tried to help the animal and was bit in the process, according to the release. The bite got infected and the roommate went to the hospital where the case was reported to Yavapai County Animal Control.
The cat was picked up the next day and tested. Eight days later--Dec. 11--the cat was confirmed to have been infected with rabies.
This is the first case of domestic cat rabies since the 1950s in the area, according to a YCSO media release.
The roommate has since been contacted and undergone treatment. They also contacted his family and friends and quarantined a second cat in the home who had reportedly been in a recent fight with the infected cat.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms are similar to the flu and include general weakness, discomfort, fever or headache. Severe symptoms include delirium, hallucinations and insomnia.
Once clinical signs appear, the result is typically death, according to the CDC.
