Recent Rabies Case Highlights Importance of TNVR

The recent rabies event in Hillsborough County illustrates one consequence of abandoning unvaccinated pets. Cats left behind when families move revert to a feral state to survive. To keep pets and the community safe HSTB offers Trap/Neuter/Vaccinate/Return (TNVR), a service that sterilizes and vaccinates feral cats from contagious diseases. TNVR’d cats are vaccinated against rabies and can be identified by a tipped ear. Sadly, the rabid cat in Saturday’s incident, was not eartipped/vaccinated and contracted the fatal illness.