Four more cats from the Pennyroyal Road area are being checked for rabies.
Officials with Georgetown County Environmental Services said they borrowed traps from the St. Frances Animal Center and captured several animals Wednesday that might have been exposed to the potentially fatal disease.
The cats, taken from the home of Crystal Bone, were being readied Wednesday for testing, said Jay Cox, director of Georgetown County Environmental Services.
The Bone family helped coax the cats into the traps.
“These were ones that they had basically noticed around the one that died,” Cox said.
It could be several days for the test results to come in, Cox said.
Stray issue
Meanwhile, Bone said she is frustrated with the number of stray cats that have collected around her house.
Her children are remaining inside, since any of the stray cats could scratch or bite — causing her children to need the painful series of rabies shots.
Her 10-year-old daughter, Alexis, was bitten last Thursday, her mother said.
She is now receiving multiple, painful shots in her arm and hand.
Bone said in an E-mail to the Georgetown Times that environmental services told her they will not trap any more stray animals around her house.
The department does not have the equipment to trap multiple stray animals, including cats, Cox said.
“We’re not getting any more cats,’’ Cox said. “We don’t have the capability to do that.”
The cats that were taken from the home had injuries or appeared to have been exposed to another sick cat, Cox said.
The family has been told to watch any remaining cats for signs of illness.
Signs and fliers were posted around the Pennyroyal Road area this week, asking resident to watch for signs of rabies in domestic or wild animals.
Environmental services will help pick up animals that have already been trapped or assist residents with getting equipment to trap possibly sick animals, Cox said.
The Georgetown County animal control ordinance deals primarily with dogs, and does not require cats to stay inside or on a leash.
“We don’t have traps,’’ Cox said. “The best we can do is try to help them get a trap. If they catch something, we’ll pick it up. If it hasn’t bitten anybody, we normally quarantine an animal.”
Cox said he recommends residents call professional animal control experts to remove nuisance animals.
Feral problems
Animal rescue officials recommend that residents do not leave a food source outside, in order not to attract stray animals.
Animal rescue organizations in Georgetown County said they are overwhelmed with the number of stray cats they take in each week.
At least 350 cats were lodged at Coastal Animal Rescue this week. The facility was full, as were other cat rescue locations in Horry and Georgetown counties.
“I could take in about 100 feral cats a week,’’ said a volunteer with a local animal rescue mission, who asked not to be named.
“Right now, it’s a losing battle. Unless you trap them and get them fixed, you’re going to be overwhelmed with cats.’’
Cox said he said gets several calls a month about feral cats. Most of his calls are about raccoons, he said.
A bat and a raccoon tested positive for rabies earlier this year, he said.
There have been no cases of domestic animals with rabies in the past 10 years.
“We can’t save them all,’’ the animal volunteer said. “People are the cause of the problem because they are not getting their pets spayed and neutered.’’