3 people treated after potential rabies exposure in Quebec's Montérégie region
Three people in Quebec's Montérégie region are receiving preventive rabies treatment after a stray cat tested positive for the virus. This marks the first instance of raccoon-variant rabies in a stray cat in the province, prompting health officials to urge public caution.
Why it matters
Rabies is a fatal disease, and the emergence of the virus in domestic or stray animals poses a direct public health risk, necessitating swift medical intervention and community awareness.
A stray cat, not pictured here, tested positive for rabies in Quebec's Montérégie region. Officials are urging vigilance as more than 100 rabies cases have been confirmed in Quebec wildlife this year. (Frank Eltman/The Associated Press - image credit) A Godmanchester, Que., woman says she was outside her home on July 16 when a cat suddenly lunged at her.
"I came up my laneway, nothing on the laneway, and then out of nowhere a cat latched onto my leg," Mary Elizabeth Doyle said. "It was biting and scratching."
She said she tried to pull the animal away with her hand, but it bit her again.
"I hit my hand against the Jeep to dislodge the cat," she said. "I called 911."
Doyle said the cat attacked a second time after paramedics arrived, biting an ambulance driver before it was restrained.
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