Three people treated for exposure to rabid cat

Key takeaways:

A cat from a feral cat colony tested positive for rabies after exhibiting aggressive behavior.

Three people exposed to the cat were identified and given rabies postexposure prophylaxis.

Three people were treated for rabies exposure after being attacked by a rabid feral cat in Maryland last year, according to an MMWR report.

In August 2024, the Maryland Department of Health was notified of an aggressive cat from an unmanaged feral cat colony that had bitten or scratched two people outside of a hotel. After local animal control captured and euthanized the cat, state laboratory testing revealed that the cat’s brain tissue tested positive for rabies, according to the report.

An aggressive cat, determined to be part of a feral colony of roughly 20 cats and kittens, bit or