Family attacked by rabid cat falls through gaps in animal control system
sungazette.com••health
Key Points:
- A Berks County family faced significant challenges in managing a rabid cat bite due to Pennsylvania's fragmented animal control system, which divides responsibilities among multiple agencies with no clear, unified response for domestic animals like feral cats.
- Perry Township and Berks County lack dedicated animal control services for rabies cases, leaving residents to navigate a confusing network of state and local agencies, often resulting in costly and stressful decisions such as euthanizing and testing animals themselves.
- Nonprofit organizations like the Animal Rescue League provide some support for trapping, euthanasia, and testing but cannot replace the need for consistent municipal or county-funded animal control services, placing an unfair burden on residents and nonprofits.
- Pennsylvania reports high numbers of rabies cases annually,
