Three months after the third case of rabies was reported to Sampson County Animal Control comes the fourth one — confirmed after a raccoon attacked a kitten late last week.

A 38-year-old Turkey woman reported to authorities that on Thursday, Aug. 9, around 10:30 p.m., she heard animals fighting outside of her home, located in the 800 block of New Hope Church Road. What she found was a raccoon attacking her kitten. The woman, who is employed at a local animal hospital, had her husband shoot and kill the raccoon. Since she knew the proper procedure in such an attack, the woman put on gloves and placed the raccoon in a cooler.

Animal Control officials came out the next morning and sent the raccoon to Raleigh to test for rabies. The kitten was forced to be quarantined until test results returned.

The test came back positive and the kitten had to be put down.

Just three months ago, a Columbus Lane resident reported that three of his dogs were attacked by a raccoon that got into the yard. The dogs had up-to-date vaccinations and suffered only minor injuries during the attack.

On April 5, a 6-year-old Shepherd mix fought and killed a rabid raccoon and had to be put down because the dog did not have a rabies shot; and on April 12, there was another reported case, that of a Labrador, who also killed a raccoon, but the dog had been vaccinated and remains in healthy condition.

State law mandates dogs, cats and ferrets have their rabies shots at 4 months of age, and it can only be done by a licensed veterinarian. The animal will need to go back to get a booster shot in a year and then every three years after that.

The rabies booster shot costs less than $10.

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or email to sisports@heartlandpublications.com.