Rabid Bat Specter Raised in McHenry County

The McHenry County Health Department raised the specter of rabid bats biting cats in its attempt to pass the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax.

The problem with the proposal, which, in more than just my opinion, was nothing more than a way to raise more tax money to pay for a new animal control facility, was that outdoor cats were exempt from the tax and the requirement to be inoculated against rabies.

I repeated asked on McHenry County Blog whether a house cat or a barn cat was more likely to encounter a bat.

The department veterinarian could not, however, point to one instance of a McHenry County cat having been bitten by a rabid bat.

Friday, the health department issued a press release including the words “rabid bad” and “cat.”

I’d put it on McHenry County Blog, if it were on the county web site in Micro Soft Word, but I’m not about to to-type it from the pdf format.

The bats were found inside the home’s attic.

“As a precaution, the family will receive treatment for rabies,” the press release says.

The department got a

Rabid bat found in McHenry Co.

headline in Elgin’s Courier-News Saturday.

The article says,

“The bat didn’t come in contact with humans, but officials are looking into possible exposure to a pet cat, according to a news release from the health department.”

After I typed the above, I went back and read the press release again. I don’t see anything in it about a cat living in the home.

OK, I’ll copy the body of the press release and if you click on it you can read it yourself.

Where did the Elgin paper get its headline, plus the paragraph I have quoted above?

I can’t even find anything in the press release that says a cat was in the home.

The health department does strongly suggest not to touch a bat, because rabid ones have been found in nearby counties.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *