Rabid skunk bites feral kitten in Copperas Cove

COPPERAS COVE, Texas ( FOX 44 ) – Copperas Cove citizens and their pets should be on alert for a rabid skunk in the area.

The Copperas Cove Police Department says an Animal Control Officer was dispatched to the 900 block of Marilyn Drive around 11:20 a.m. Monday in reference to a skunk attacking a feral kitten. The mother feline was able to scare the skunk away.

Animal Control Officers took the injured feral kitten for humane euthanasia before testing could be completed at the Texas Department of Health Laboratory in Austin. The Animal Control Officers were unable to capture the skunk as it departed to the nearby wooded area.

Copperas Cove Animal Control received notification from the Texas Department of Health on Thursday that the kitten was infected with rabies.

Any citizen who believes they, or their pet, or has knowledge of a person or animal having any contact with a skunk, or other wild animal in this area should immediately contact Copperas Cove Animal Control at (254) 547-5584 (after hours contact the Copperas Cove Police Department at (254) 547-8222). The Police Department says you should also contact your physician and/or veterinarian in the case of a possible animal exposure.

According to the Police Department, rabies infection is most common in bats, coyotes, raccoons, skunks and foxes. Signs of rabies infection in a human may include, but are not limited to fever, headaches, fatigue, respiration difficulties, possible paralysis or hyperactivity and/or a coma.

Signs of rabies infection in pets may include fever, chewing at site of infection or bite, erratic behavior, walking aimlessly, general restlessness, skin irritability, sensitivity to light, aggression in animals not normally aggressive, and generally unnatural behavior for that animal.