SUMMERDALE, Ala. — If cats truly have nine lives, then the lucky felines (and yes, dogs) at the Baldwin County Animal Control Center Aug. 9 got a 10th life. They and their canine cousins were brought by their owners to the center’s monthly rabies clinic. A few stepped into the shelter office and got “microchipped,” meaning should they become lost, shelter staff will have a way of contacting animal’s owner — even without a collar or tags.

First, let’s talk about rabies.

Rabies is one of the oldest diseases recorded by man. There are accounts going back nearly 2,000 years before Christ of the disease in dogs, and one has to assume people were noticing it in cats as well. According to a Centers for Disease Control Web site, almost any mammal can get the virus. The disease attacks the nervous system, and while there have been isolated reports of humans surviving, even with the most-up-to-date medical care, the disease will kill most people.

That’s why it’s important for people who keep any sort of animal to check with their veterinarian to make sure their pets are properly vaccinated. The CDC has an extensive Web site at cdc.gov/rabies/qanda/general.html.

The BCACC, says Charlotte Plumb, an environmental supervisor with the Baldwin County Health Department, “gets lots ad lots of phone calls” about the monthly vaccination clinics. The health department runs the shelter. The next vaccination clinic will be held at the shelter Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon.

“State law says that all dogs and cats three months of age or older be immunized against rabies every year,” said Plumb.

Plumb added that the shelter’s monthly clinics, which have been offered at the BCACC for the past “three or four years,” are popular, drawing dozens each month.

“It is an easy thing to do, and a good way for people to protect their pet,” said Plumb.

The clinics are just for dogs and cats and Plumb adds that the shelter depends on a group of dedicated veterinarians to administer the injections.

“We could not have these clinics without them,” said Plumb.

That was a good thing for Jenny and Don Tudor’s cats, a pair of classic tabbies named “Luke” and “Angel.” The Tudors live in Loxley, and according to Don Tudor, “Angel came out of nowhere, and started rubbing against my leg.”

It didn’t take long for the Tudors to learn that Angel had a young family. They found homes for all the kittens but decided to keep Luke. Both cats have been altered.

“We’re grateful to the shelter for having the clinic,” said Jenny, adding that the $10 per animal charge for a vaccination is a “Godsend.”

Every other month, the BCACC administers “microchips,” tiny capsules that send information to a special reader when passed over a microchipped animal. Shelters and other animal care professionals use the information to find a lost animal’s owner. Owners are given a number to call should their address or phone number change, and stickers are sent to the animal’s regular vet so information about the chip can be placed in its records.

“We started microchipping in February,” said Plumb. “It’s so important and so much easier to find the owner.”

The chip, about the size of a big grain of rice, is typically injected just under the skin between the shoulder blades of an animal, said Plumb. It costs $10 to “chip” an animal at the shelter. The chip, according to Plumb and the 24PetWatch Web site, lasts for the life of the animal. 24PetWatch makes the chips the shelter uses.

“That’s a nominal fee,” said Plumb, adding that the shelter does subsidize some of the cost. That could be a “wash” for the shelter.

“We check every animal that comes in for a microchip. If you can call the owner and have him or her come right away, you eliminate a lot of the cost of caring for a lost animal,” said Plumb.

The chipping process takes about a minute, and with a few exceptions, seems painless.

“Sam,” a 12-week old white German Shepherd, stood quietly as Jon Long, an Animal/Vector Control technician injected the chip. A wave of the shelter’s “reader,” proved the device was working properly.

“He’s all set,” said Long

Even one of the shelter’s permanent residents, “Mamma Kitty,” has been chipped.

“She likes to go out,” explained Plumb. “If she gets lost, we want to be sure she has away home.”