Authorities in France have warned of a possible rabies threat after a kitten died from the disease.
The country had been thought to be rabies-free since 2001.
The two-month-old black and tan kitten was found last Friday in Argenteuil, near Paris. It died three days later.
Five people have been vaccinated as a precaution and the Ministry of Agriculture has issued an urgent appeal seeking anyone who might have had contact with the animal.
"It is extremely important to find all the people, particularly the owner, or any animals that have been in contact with the kitten, its mother and other kittens of the litter," the ministry said in a statement.
France eradicated fox rabies in 2001, but a dog imported from Morocco had rabies and managed to spread it to other dogs in 2008. The rabies-free status was then suspended for two years.
The saliva of an infected animal is transferred to humans most often through a bite. Symptoms of an infection take usually two or three weeks to manifest. The disease can kill humans if not treated.
The last case of infection in a human' in France was in 1923.
An action line has been set up for anyone needing advice about the outbreak. Contact +338 11 00 06 95.
