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Bats are known to be one of the most common animal drivers or rabies. (Seattle King County Public Health)
A Thurston County cat caught the second rabid bat found in West Washington this year.
The owner of the pet did not touch the bat with her bare hands and therefore does not need to be treated. The cat was already up to date with its rabies vaccinations.
Meanwhile, a King County woman is receiving medical treatment after becoming tangled with a rabid bat. It had bitten through her gloves when she tried to remove it from the courtyard of her Sammamish home.
King County’s first rabid bat of the year identified in the Sammamish yard
Last year, 45 bats that had contact with King County residents were tested for rabies, five of which tested positive.
Bats are known as one of the major animal vectors of rabies in Washington and can transmit it to humans through skin contact or saliva. Public Health cites data from 1988 to 2018 that showed that of 517 animals that tested positive for rabies, “almost all” were bats.
King County receives between 70 and 100 reports of exposure to rabid bats each summer.
