YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - On October 24, 2022, an owned cat was found playing with a live bat on the ground in the vicinity of the 1400 block of Inglewood Court in Yuba City.

Sutter Animal Services Staff responded and collected the bat. Sutter Animal Services Authority submitted the bat for rabies testing through the Sutter County Health Department, and it was found to be rabid.

One cat had contact with the bat and will undergo a strict thirty-day quarantine.

The Center for Disease and Control (CDC) states, “Avoid contact with wild animals. Put screens on all windows and use chimney caps. Place draft guards beneath doors to ensure that all doors to the outside close tightly. Do not keep doors or unscreened windows open, especially if people are sleeping. Evacuate any room with a live bat and close the door.”

Contact Sutter Animal Services Authority (SASA) at 530-822-7375 immediately if there is an alive or dead bat inside or outside your home. Never touch bats, especially if appearing sick or dead. Keep your pets’ rabies vaccinations up-to-date.

For more information on rabies, see the California Department of Public Health website at archive.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Pages/rabies.aspx.