{"id":17580,"date":"2026-02-26T12:05:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=17580"},"modified":"2026-02-27T10:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:36:12","slug":"stray-black-cat-tests-positive-for-rabies-in-hopewell-city","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/stray-black-cat-tests-positive-for-rabies-in-hopewell-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Stray Black Cat Tests Positive for Rabies in Hopewell City"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>February 24, 2026<\/h2>\n<p><strong>For More Information Contact<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact: <\/strong>Toinette Waldon, <a href=\"mailto:Toinette.Waldon@vdh.virginia.gov\">Toinette.Waldon@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact: <\/strong>RaShel Charles, <a href=\"mailto:Rashel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov\">Rashel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Stray Black Cat Tests Positive for Rabies in Hopewell City<\/h1>\n<p>HOPEWELL, Va &#8211; The Crater Health District has received confirmation that a stray black cat has tested positive for the rabies virus. The cat was involved in multiple incidents of bites and scratches near the 2400 block of Oaklawn Blvd and Crestline Blvd during February 21 &#8211; 22, 2026. The cat is described as a female black cat with missing fur on the top of its head, weighing 6-8lbs. The Hopewell Health Department\/Crater Health District and the Hopewell Animal Service Unit encourage animal owners to confirm that all pet vaccinations are current and report any stray animals.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone with information regarding this animal&#8217;s exposure (bite, scratch, or contact with saliva by open wound or eyes, nose, or mouth) should contact the Crater Health District Environmental Health Office, at 804-863-1652. Exposures include direct contact between a child or pet and the rabid animal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease notify public health officials or animal control immediately if you live near either the 2400 block of Oaklawn Blvd or Crestline Blvd and think you, your child, or pet(s) had contact with the infected cat. The community\u2019s safety is our priority. Make sure your pets are vaccinated, especially against rabies, \u201csaid Crater Health District Director Alton Hart, Jr., MD, MPH, MDiv.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRabies is a preventable disease. Vaccinate your pets, avoid contact with wild animals, and seek immediate care if bitten, \u201csaid Toinette Waldon, Environmental Health Manager, Crater Health District.<\/p>\n<p>The Health Department strongly advises that people take the following steps to prevent families and pets from being exposed to rabies:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vaccinate all cats, dogs, and ferrets against rabies and keep them up to<\/li>\n<li>Avoid contact with wild animals or stray cats and<\/li>\n<li>Report stray animals to your local animal control<\/li>\n<li>Enjoy wildlife from a distance \u2013 don\u2019t feed or encourage wild animals or stray cats and dogs to visit your premises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/animal-contact-human-health\/rabies-control\/\">Rabies<\/a> is linked to a virus that attacks the nervous system and can be deadly if not properly treated. If you are bitten by a wild or stray animal, wash the wound(s) thoroughly with warm soapy water and contact animal control, your healthcare provider or the Crater Health District.<\/p>\n<p>To report a stray and\/or suspicious animal, please contact Hopewell Animal Services Unit at (804) 541-2204. If you have concerns about exposure to rabies, contact your healthcare provider immediately. For more information on protecting your family from rabies, call 804-863-1652 or visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/animal-contact-human-health\/rabies-control\/\">the VDH Rabies webpage.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em># # #<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 24, 2026 For More Information Contact Media Contact: Toinette Waldon, Toinette.Waldon@vdh.virginia.gov Media Contact: RaShel Charles, Rashel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov Stray Black Cat Tests Positive for Rabies in Hopewell City HOPEWELL, Va &#8211; The Crater Health District has received confirmation that a stray black cat has tested positive for the rabies virus. The cat was involved in multiple [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[372,1140,691,555,34,1219],"class_list":["post-17580","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-crater-health-district","tag-dr-alton-hart","tag-hopewell-health-department","tag-rabid-animal","tag-rabies","tag-toinette-waldon"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stray Black Cat Tests Positive for Rabies in Hopewell City - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/stray-black-cat-tests-positive-for-rabies-in-hopewell-city\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stray Black Cat Tests Positive for Rabies in Hopewell City - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"February 24, 2026 For More Information Contact Media Contact: Toinette Waldon, Toinette.Waldon@vdh.virginia.gov Media Contact: RaShel Charles, Rashel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov Stray Black Cat Tests Positive for Rabies in Hopewell City HOPEWELL, Va &#8211; The Crater Health District has received confirmation that a stray black cat has tested positive for the rabies virus. 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