PHIPPSBURG — After a rabid fox attack in Phippsburg forced a family to euthanize their cat, the Phippsburg recreation department announced it will hold a free rabies vaccination clinic for pets.

The free clinic is at the Phippsburg fire station on Saturday, Feb. 29th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Animals from outside Phippsburg can be vaccinated for a $10 fee. Donations also will be accepted.

Offering free rabies vaccinations for pets is part of Phippsburg’s effort to stop the spread of rabies the southern Midcoast has seen over the past year and a half.

Last week, Phippsburg Selectmen decided against partnering with the US Department of Agriculture to set wildlife traps, a path Bath city councilors unanimously voted to take at an estimated cost of $26,000.

“That $26,000 bill Bath is paying is not in our budget right now, but we know we need to do something right now to keep our people and animals vaccinated and safe,” said Lisa Wallace, Phippsburg’s tax collector, treasurer and clerk.

According to a Feb. 13 report from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Sagadahoc County has seen five confirmed cases of rabies this year, all in gray foxes. Phippsburg had one confirmed case, and neighboring Bath and West Bath saw three and one, respectively.

Earlier this month, a rabid fox attacked two people and multiple pets in Phippsburg before it was killed. According to Norm Warner, Phippsburg’s animal control officer, the fox attacked one family’s cat which needed to be put down because it wasn’t vaccinated.

“If contact with a rabid animal does happen and the pet hasn’t been vaccinated, it’s too late,” said Warner. “They need to have immunity on board, so if they are bitten, the worst that can happen is they get a booster shot treatment. There is no after-bite treatment for animals like there is for humans.”

Rabies is a viral disease that infects the nervous system of mammals, making the infected animal unusually aggressive. It is transmitted primarily through bites and exposure to saliva or spinal fluid from an infected animal. Vaccines are 100 percent effective in combating the disease in humans. Rabies is fatal if left untreated.

“Rabies is a disease only in mammals and humans are mammals … if your animal becomes infected they can bite you and infect you,” said Ray Schlotterbeck, an animal control officer for Lisbon. That town saw one case of rabies in 2019 and three in 2018.

Warner said a pet can contract rabies without the owner knowing because infected animals might not display symptoms for two weeks to six months. Once an animal begins showing symptoms of rabies, it’s too late to administer treatment for the disease and the animal will die.

State wildlife experts have urged people to take measures to protect themselves, such as keeping an eye out for animals acting strangely, carrying a stick or pepper spray, and not leaving out food that could attract the animals.