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A second cat has contracted rabies in southern Quebec
Three people received preventive rabies treatment after contact with the infected cat as Quebec urges pet vaccinations and avoidance of unfamiliar animals.
On Monday, Quebec health officials reported a second cat infected with raccoon rabies in the Montérégie region, discovered on July 31 in St-Anicet, approximately 70 kilometres southwest of Montreal.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food reported the province's first confirmed raccoon rabies case in a domestic cat in Godmanchester last month, establishing a pattern of geographic spread.
Three people received preventive rabies treatment after potential contact with the animal, as Santé Québec warns that rabies is "always fatal in both animals and humans once symptoms appear."
A wildlife rabies vaccination blitz is currently underway for Quebec wildlife, including nine Montreal-area parks, to establish a defensive barrier against urban spread.
Residents can contact Info-Santé at 811 or use provincial online forms to report suspected rabies cases, as officials urge avoiding contact with unfamiliar or wild animals.
Health Québec announced that another cat would have contracted rabies, this time in Saint-Anicet, two weeks after another case was reported in Godmanchester.