LODI-

Patricia Sherman, the president of Animal Friends Connection Humane Society in Lodi, stresses it is a small minority but there is the possibility that some cats in San Joaquin County could have rabies.

“There are a lot of feral cat colonies in our county, and many other counties, but yeah that’s a serious issue,” Sherman told FOX40.

The San Joaquin County Public Health Services issued a warning this week, after it found a kitten with rabies in a rural part of Stockton. It’s the first case in the county since 2011.

Sherman says everyone should be careful when approaching strays.

“You don’t want to just reach out and touch that feral animal because then you could be treated for the rabies as well,” Sherman said.

If you must capture one, Sherman suggests using a cat trap, and wearing leather gloves.

And she said there are warning signs to tell if they have rabies.

“If they’re drooling a lot and they’re just acting strange. Again, the most tell-tale sign that I’ve been told is if a feral animal is coming to you, it’s because it’s sick,” Sherman told FOX40.

Lastly, Sherman says it’s important to be sure that pets are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations, otherwise rabies will spread.

“Your everyday house cats and your pets, more than likely are not going to have rabies, but it does happen. We do have rabid bats occasionally in our county,” Sherman said.