A family in Hamlin says they were given the runaround and attacked by a rabid cat.
Laura Haruby and a few friends were hanging out one Saturday evening when a cat suddenly crossed her yard. She says the cat looked sick.
“It was like don’t come near me,” says Laura Haruby. “Don’t touch me. Don’t look at me it was foaming. The hair was up. The teeth were up. It couldn’t stand up on it’s legs. It was falling over it was wobbling.”
They immediately called 911. Haruby said they were then advised to contact the DEC. But the DEC said they only pick up wild animals and cats are considered domestic pets.
After a few phone calls, Haruby’s friend Doug Keiner stepped in.
He tells us, “I told Laura, ‘Give me a pair of gloves and I will pack this cat up and put it in the cage and do what they said to do and quarantine it for ten days.'”
Keiner says that advice came from the Monroe County Department of Health. But, the DOH tells News 8 they would never give that advice if they had known it was a rabid cat.
They sent this statement: “The DOH encourages all residents to refrain from touching stray animals, to report any incidents involving aggressive animals to law enforcement, and to always heed any advice offered by public health officials.”
The family says Keiner and his son were attacked by the cat and needed treatment for rabies, but they are doing fine now.
