one more thing for me to freak out about...

Two rabid cat attacks confirmed in town. (2 cats - actually several attacks) The most recent right down the street at Jack's bus stop - corner of Lincoln and route 116.

From Masslive.com -

Rabid cat bites 2 in South Hadley

By JEANETTE DeFORGE
jdeforge@repub.com

SOUTH HADLEY - A cat which bit a man and a girl Thursday has tested positive for rabies.

This is the second cat which has attacked people and pets in the past two weeks, said Health Director Sharon D. Hart said.

Thursday the man and girl reported a small dark-gray cat came out and attacked and bit them in the area of Newton and Lincoln streets and Roosevelt Avenue, she said.

"We caught the cat and sent it to the state (rabies) lab and the cat was positive for rabies," she said.

The two people are receiving rabies prevention treatment. The disease is usually fatal once people begin to show symptoms, Hart said.

After the first cat attack was reported, a number of other people came forward to say they or their pets had been bitten or scratched by the same cat. Four people and three dogs are being treated from those incidents and the dogs are begin quarantined, Hart said.

Anyone who may have had contact with the either cat should contact the Board of Health, she said.

The first cat, which was also captured, killed and sent to the lab to be tested, was a stray. Hart said she suspects the second is as well but no one is sure.

She is also uncertain if the two incidents are connected, especially since they happened in different parts of town. The first cat attacks were on Cote Boulevard, Wellington Avenue, Hillside Avenue and Granby Road.

"It is unusual," she said. "They could have been getting near wild animals."

Incidents of rabid cats do happen but they are not as common as those with raccoons, bats or skunks, said Patricia Cabral, the bio security and educational specialist with the division of animal health with the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resources.

"There are a certain amount of rabies in a feral colony," she said. "Any time you don't know an animal and you are approaching it, it could be a problem."

Along with staying away from strange animals, Hart said it is important to ensure pets' vaccinations are up to date because a dog or cat could tangle with a rabid animal and then infect the owner.