Rabid cat lived in Rehoboth, not Barrington
Cat went missing in mid-February, returned days later with wounds
A Barrington family wants to set the record straight about a rabid cat.
Last week, the Barrington Times reported that a Lorraine Street resident's cat had tested positive for rabies, a deadly disease.
But on Thursday, March 23, the resident said in an interview that her daughter's boyfriend's family in Rehoboth, Mass. owned the cat, and the animal had spent almost all its time in that town.
Neighbors began approaching the Lorraine Street woman and her family, as concerns surfaced about whether the cat had come into contact with Barrington residents.
"The cat was always in Rehoboth," the woman said. She added that the cat did travel to the Lorraine Street residence on one occasion, but it was just for about 15 minutes.
The Lorraine Street resident said the family in Rehoboth had not vaccinated the two-year-old male cat. The cat was allowed outdoors and in mid-February it had gone missing and did not return to the house for about four days.
When the cat did resurface, it was badly injured. The cat had wounds on its feet and legs.
The Lorraine Street resident's daughter, a 23-year-old woman who lives in Narragansett and attends URI, took the cat to an emergency animal hospital in Massachusetts, where it was treated.
They were told the cat — his name was "Black Kitty" — was to be put on a four-month rabies quarantine, although officials at the animal hospital reportedly believed the cat "might have crawled up into a car one night because he was cold and when the engine turned on the next morning was when he got his wounds."
Photos of Black Kitty show him with casts on two of his legs.
The Lorraine Street resident's daughter brought the cat back to the Massachusetts animal hospital to have its bandages changed, and later made an appointment at a Barrington animal hospital. (It had been suggested that the treatment costs would be less expensive at a non-emergency clinic.)
The cat was brought to the Barrington animal hospital and his wounds were reportedly healing, but on Sunday, March 12, the cat began acting strangely. Normally calm and quiet, the cat began acting aggressively toward the Rehoboth family's dog. The cat also began making a strange noise.
On Monday, March 13, the cat was brought to the Barrington animal hospital for an examination.
It was reportedly suggested that the cat be brought to the Massachusetts animal hospital where it could be kept under 24-hour observation.
The owners did so; staff at the Massachusetts animal hospital where it was first treated reportedly changed the cat's bandages, took a chest x-ray, removed some stitches from a wound and then sent the cat back home to Rehoboth. During the visit, the cat reportedly bit the Lorraine Street resident's daughter on the hand. She said a technician at the Massachusetts animal hospital witnessed the incident.
"We even said my boyfriend's mom was really concerned the cat might have rabies," she added.
On March 15, the cat's condition worsened — he was lethargic, moaning and one of his legs began twitching.
A day later, the owners brought the cat to the Barrington animal hospital where he was euthanized. The hospital sent the cat to the Rhode Island Department of Health where it was tested for rabies — the test results came back positive for the deadly disease.
Shortly thereafter, the state began notifying people who had come in contact with the cat, telling them that they needed to seek treatment immediately. The state department of health said a total of 33 people had been exposed to the animal.
The Lorraine Street resident's daughter said her first round of treatment consisted of more than a half-dozen shots.
