GIBSONTON, Fla. — Hillsborough County is trying to locate anyone who may have been exposed to rabies after a neighborhood cat in the Gibsonton area tested positive.
The cat in question lived around E. Bay Rd and was a grey tabby domestic shorthair cat.
This cat exposed at least one adult, one child, and one domestic dog. The cat also recently gave birth to several kittens who will be tested for rabies.
Now the Florida Department of Health is trying to locate anyone else who may have been exposed.
The county says the two people with confirmed exposures have begun rabies post-exposure vaccines.
The dog exposed received a booster for rabies as a precaution and will be quarantined for 45 days.
All homes within a 500-foot radius where the cat was found will be notified. Anyone who has been bitten, scratched or exposed to the cat is asked to report it to DOH Hillsborough.
In 2018, Hillsborough County has identified five rabid animals (three cats, one bat, and one raccoon) that exposed 13 people and two domestic dogs to the disease. It's clear that there are rabid animals living throughout the county and state.
