POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies in Polk County said a stray cat that attacked five people and a puppy has tested positive for rabies.
The animal attacks happened in the Glen Road area north Lakeland during the first week of June 2026.
The violent feline was found dead on June 12 and its body tested positive for rabies.
Deputies said the cat was one of many stray cats being fed by 31-year-old Angelica Perez, who told investigators she regularly names and feeds stray animals in the area.
Perez was later cited for allowing her cats to roam, not vaccinating the cat and for injury to a person as a result of her negligence.
The rabid cat is known to have attacked five people and a 4-month-old puppy”
A 29-year-old man was bitten on his legs without provocation while at Perez’s home.
A 33-year-old woman was attacked at a neighbor’s house, where the cat jumped into her lap, bit her finger and then ran from under the home to attack her legs as she attempted to wash the wound.
A 16-year-old girl was bitten on the knee when she tried to play with the cat.
A 9-year-old girl was approached by the cat and bitten on the leg while outside her home.
A 13-year-old boy was attacked by the cat on the leg while taking out the trash at the end of his driveway.
In addition to the human victims, a four-month-old puppy was attacked by the cat outside Perez’s home, witnessed by a neighbor.
All victims were urged to seek medical treatment following the rabies confirmation.
Polk County Animal Control officers placed several traps in the area to capture the diseased cat.
During this effort, 10 other stray cats were trapped and subsequently segregated in kennels at Animal Control.
On June 11, 2026, a resident on Glen Road reported detecting the odor of a deceased animal from under their home.
Animal Control officers responded and found the cat believed to be responsible for the attacks.
Sheriff Grady Judd of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office commented on the incident, saying “This unvaccinated roaming stray cat with rabies attacked and bit five people and that speaks for itself.”
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reminds citizens not to feed or interact with at-large, roaming cats unless they are certain the animal is vaccinated and spayed or neutered.
Doing so can contribute to the serious problem of unvaccinated feral and roaming cat overpopulation, which leads to exposure to multiple diseases for both animals and humans.
Individuals who wish to take responsibility for a cat should humanely trap the animal, ensure it is spayed or neutered and vaccinated, provide ongoing protection from parasites, register it with Animal Control and ideally have it microchipped.
Feral and outdoor free-ranging un-owned domestic cats, or “Felis catus,” are considered an invasive species.
They pose an increased risk of various diseases for cats, other animals and humans.
These diseases include toxoplasmosis, bartonellosis, salmonellosis and several feline viral illnesses. Zoonotic diseases transmissible to humans from cats include common infections like toxoplasmosis, ringworm and parasitic issues such as roundworms, hookworms and Giardia, often spread via feces or direct contact.
Bacterial infections like Cat Scratch Disease, Salmonella, Campylobacter and even rabies or plague caused by Yersinia pestis can also be transmitted via infected fleas, bites, scratches, or contact with infected rodents or fluids.
Polk County Animal Control said it continues to work closely with the Health Department regarding the multiple rabies exposures.
Animal Control officers have placed more traps in the area to reduce the stray and feral cat population roaming in the neighborhood.
Perez’s dog has been quarantined due to being exposed to a rabid animal.
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