Stray cat tests positive for rabies in Central Brevard

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – State health officials issued its second rabies alert this month after a stray cat tested positive, News 6 partner Florida Today reported. 

Monday, the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County said the cat was found on Tucker Lane near Pluckebaum Road in central Brevard. That's just west of Interstate 95, south of State Road 520. 

A raccoon found in the county tested positive earlier this month, state health officials said. Overall, five animals, including a bat and two other raccoons, have been detected with rabies this year in Brevard. 

Rabies is transmitted through exposure to the saliva and nervous tissue from a rabid animal through a bite, scratch, or other contact with fluid from its eyes, nose, or mouth. The disease can be fatal, health officials said. All wildlife contact should be avoided, particularly raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats, and coyotes.

The recommendations for avoiding rabies include: 
• keep rabies vaccinations up to date for all pets and at-risk livestock
• do not allow your pets to run free
• do not handle, feed, or unintentionally attract wild animals with outdoor food sources such as uncovered trash or litter
• teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly

Anyone who has been bitten or scratched by wild or domestic animals should seek medical attention and report the injury to the health department at 321-634-6337.