5 people exposed to feral cat with rabies in Wake Forest neighborhood

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WTVD) -- Five people in Wake County were exposed to rabies during contact with a feral cat.

Wake County Animal Services said a woman called 911 on Tuesday to report a tortoiseshell cat acting aggressively. The cat had come on the woman's porch, scratched her and bit her.

Animal Services rushed to the house, trapped the cat and placed it in quarantine. The cat died later the same day. It later tested positive for rabies.

While investigating, Animal Services learned the cat had approached four other neighbors and one dog. The five people immediately began rabies treatment, and the dog was given a rabies booster shot.

This all happened in an area off Great Woods Road in Wake Forest, near Durham and Creedmoor roads. The cat is believed to have been part of a feral cat colony living behind a nearby grocery store off Old Creedmoor Road.

Anyone who has had contact with those cats should immediately call Wake County Health & Human Services Communicable Disease Program at 919-250-4462.