State officials with the Department of Agriculture and Department of Health have confirmed a rabies case in Warren County.

Shannon Powers, press secretary with the Pa. Department of Agriculture, said that the department received confirmation that on Sept. 28 a stray cat in Clarendon had tested positive.

“Two people were exposed,” she said “No animals were exposed.”

“An exposure is considered as bitten, scratched, especially to saliva in any open wounds, or mucous membrane,” Maggi Mumma with the Department of Health said, explaining that “anyone that may have handled/fed the cat with any possibility that they were exposed to saliva” would be considered exposed.

Powers said it’s unclear who captured and killed the cat.

“You can’t do a rabies test on a live animal,” she said. “This was a feral cat.”

“Domestic animals can be quarantined when they have been exposed to a rabid animal, but if they are exhibiting rabies symptoms, they are generally put down and tested.”

Powers added that the last reported rabies incident in Warren County was a rabid racoon in early 2019.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rabies is a virus that infects the central nervous system. Typically found in wild animals, lack of appropriate medical care after a potential exposure can cause disease in the brain, ultimately resulting in death.

Per the CDC, the virus can be prevented by vaccinating pets, staying away from wildlife and seeking medical care after a potential exposure but before symptoms start.