Rabid Cat That Terrorized Lakeland Neighborhood Linked To 5 Bites, Puppy Attack

LAKELAND, FL — A stray cat that attacked five people and a puppy in the Glen Road area of north Lakeland tested positive for rabies, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.

Polk County Animal Control began receiving reports about a roaming cat that had attacked and bitten several people during the first week of June.

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The cat was one of many being fed by 31-year-old Angelica Perez, who told investigators she names and feeds stray cats that roam in the area.

Perez, who was not among the bite victims, was cited for having roaming cats, not vaccinating the cat and for injury to a person as a result of her negligence, the sheriff’s office said.

Her dog has also been quarantined after being exposed to a rabid animal.

The reported victims included:

• a 29-year-old man who was bitten while at Perez’s home,
• a 33-year-old woman who was attacked at a neighbor’s house and used a baseball bat to defend herself,
• a 16-year-old girl who tried to play with the cat,
• a 9-year-old girl approached by the cat outside her home, and
• a 13-year-old boy who was bitten while taking out the trash.

A 4-month-old puppy was also attacked outside Perez’s home, the sheriff’s office said.

Animal Control officers set several traps while trying to capture the cat and trapped 10 stray cats, according to the sheriff’s office.

The agency said those cats were kenneled and segregated at Animal Control, but none of the animals was the one believed responsible for the attacks.

A Glen Road resident reported the odor of a dead animal coming from under a home on June 11.

Animal Control officers responded and found the cat they believed attacked the victims, the sheriff’s office said.

Its body was sent to the state laboratory in Tampa, and on June 12, the state confirmed the cat was positive for rabies. All victims were urged to seek medical treatment.

Animal Control continues to work with the Florida Department of Health on the rabies exposures and has placed more traps in the area to reduce the stray and feral cat population.

“This unvaccinated roaming stray cat with rabies attacked and bit five people, and that speaks for itself,” Sheriff Grady Judd said.

The sheriff’s office also warned residents not to feed or interact with at-large cats unless they know the animals are vaccinated and spayed or neutered.