PetSmart planned to reinstate pet adoptions in 22 locations in Maryland and Virginia, following a brief ban imposed after a kitten adopted from its Greenbelt store was found to have rabies.
The gray kitten was the second adopted animal in the company’s 17-year history known to be infected with the virus, PetSmart spokeswoman Jennifer Pflugfelder said.
She said adoptions could resume late Wednesday or early today, once results were available for the last kitten in the litter to be tested.
The other kittens, she said, have tested negative.
To be tested, all were euthanized.
“We hope [to open] as soon as possible,” she said.
The kitten tested positive on Friday, according to Prince George’s County health officials.
No other animals from the store have shown symptoms of rabies, Pflugfelder said.
Eight animals have tested positive for the virus in the county this year, according to Dr. Donald Shell, deputy health director for the county’s Health Department.
