A rabid Little Brown Bat was a cause for excitement on Saturday, June 4, when it flew into an Airdrie resident's car and bit her.

The critter was caught by Airdrie Bylaw and sent to the Heartland Veterinary Clinic to be humanely euthanized before being sent to Lethbridge for testing.

Angela Ancelet, an animal health technologist with Heartland Veterinary Clinic, said Alberta Health Services alerted them to the situation.

"Bylaw brought the bat into us. So what had happened, is we actually heard from the Alberta Health Services, first, saying that there had been an incident and that, if the bat could be captured, they'd be bringing the bat into us."

Ancelet added the bat had to be euthanized in order to be tested.

"Rabies actually affects the neurons, so the nervous system, so the only actual test to say yes or no, this animal or human has rabies is to actually test the brain."

In 2015, there were only 4 cases of bats having rabies in Alberta.

In order to avoid the spread of rabies, Ancelet is encouraging all pet owners to get their cats and dogs vaccinated.

"Just making sure that their rabies vaccination is up to date. Most clinics are using a 3-year rabies vaccine, so as long as they've had one previous vaccine, the rabies is good for a full three years."

Typically, rabies do not have any physical symptoms, although animals and humans with rabies have been known to excessively salivate and have a behavioural change.