CNN news

Hi all. I just read on CNN that Petsmart has had to stop cat adoptions in the middle of the country because one of their adopted cats had rabies. The initial case was in Greenbelt, MD.

If you are wanting to adopt, you may want to ask questions about where the cat has been before it got to the store.

Originally Posted by KittenKiya

Hi all. I just read on CNN that Petsmart has had to stop cat adoptions in the middle of the country because one of their adopted cats had rabies. The initial case was in Greenbelt, MD.

If you are wanting to adopt, you may want to ask questions about where the cat has been before it got to the store.

Click to expand...

I was just reading the same thing on yahoo news!

From CNN story on PetsMart:

"The infected kitten and its five littermates were euthanized, she said. Even though pets are vaccinated before they are adopted, rabies has an incubation period in which it isn't detectable".

Last month I was bitten by a foster cat. I checked the record and Animal Control had given the cat a rabies vaccine just a few days before I was bitten. If the cat had been rabid, (but not showing signs), couldn't I have been at risk?

What is the incubation period in which rabies is not detectable?



Elise

that's sad... I would sincerely hope that Petsmart will not stop adopting out animals... that could happen to anyone anywhere... any shelter, or even pet stores... and it would be extremely unfortunate for the cats who could've been adopted.

My local Petsmart has a black adult male that is so adorable!!! He is the friendliest cat EVER and he had been there forever!!!

I wanted to adopt him, but hubby said four black cats (and a white cat) are enough. He is hoping that I save some energy just in case we decide to have a baby in the next five years.

I'm ashamed at the media for jumping on this and blowing it way out of proportion. Rabies from the time of infection until animals are symptomatic is a matter of a few weeks. I'm questionning 1) the accuracy of this report and was it really rabies (since if they got it from mom she would be symptomatic or dead by now) and 2) The reaction to this to shut down all adoptions for an isolated incident.

Either way, let's hope that this doesn't incite some sort of panic where people are dumping their pets off for fear of rabies or people start panicing and racing to the hospital thinking they have rabies.

I am not a big fan of televised news in general. They always tend to sensationalize things in order for people to wait through commercial breaks (which are so frequent and so short you can't have any time to pee. Holding a full bladder for the next "breaking news" is so not worth it).

Sometimes the commercial "previews" for the news program are actually more helpful than the actual news program itself.

I listen to NPR and I read all the Houston Chronicle articles. I believe radio and newspapers are better sources of information.

According to the report I read, they are not shutting down all adoptions. Only 22 stores in Maryland and Virginia will be shutting down adoptions and only temporarily.