Corrie and I spent a nice day in the Bronx this past Sunday, visiting first the Bronx Zoo and then Linda's old stomping ground in Morris Park, finishing the day purchasing "the best bread in America" from the Bronx's own (true) Little Italy, centered along Arthur Avenue, from the eponymous Arthur Avenue Bread.
The bread was fresh from the oven (we got the semolina variety), and it was absolutely fantastic. But this post isn't about the Zoo or the Morris Park neighborhood in the Bronx--those will come later with pictures (of exotic animals behind bars anyway), this post is about something nailed to a wooden lightpost outside of Marc and Linda's place. We saw it on a walk of their dog Simba.
The paper was of the salmon-pink variety color, and the main mug, the main visual element of this Wanted Poster was a drawing (albeit very accurate) of a black and white cat.
"Rabies Alert" in all caps rings out above the picture, making the unassuming feline seem like some kind of public menace, which, unfortunately, is probably what he is. "We used to see that kitty all the time," Linda told me as I was reading the poster, "right up until that date on there."
The date to which she referred was the date that the cat had a fight with a raccoon and disappeared. The paper goes on to say that anyone who believes that they, or their children, or their pets have had any contact with the cat should call the Westchester County Department of Health immediately to, and this got me, "assess his or her need for life saving rabies treatment."
The last two lines are ominous at best and underscore how little I really knew about rabies, the extent of my knowledge being dogs foaming at the mouth and shooting Ol' Yeller:
"When administered early enough, before symptoms develop, the treatment is 100% effective. However, once symptoms occur, in humans or animals, the disease is fatal."
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