{"id":3515,"date":"2026-06-15T17:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T17:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3515"},"modified":"2026-06-15T17:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T17:35:00","slug":"rabid-stray-cat-attacks-5-people-1-puppy-in-lakeland-pcac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3515","title":{"rendered":"Rabid stray cat attacks 5 people, 1 puppy in Lakeland: PCAC"},"content":{"rendered":"<div> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>LAKELAND, Fla.<\/strong> &#8211; <\/span>A rabid stray cat terrorized a north Lakeland neighborhood, biting five people and attacking a puppy before dying under a home, according to reports from Polk County Animal Control.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3514\">Winter Haven man cuts off ankle monitor, steals golf cart before leading police on chase in the woods: WHPD<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The state laboratory in Tampa confirmed the animal had rabies on June 12, prompting health officials to urge all victims to seek immediate medical treatment.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Lakeland Stray Cat Attack<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>What we know:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Residents in the Glen Road area of north Lakeland contacted animal control officers during the first week of June after a roaming cat began attacking people unprovoked.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Investigators discovered the rabid animal was one of many cats being named and fed by 31-year-old Angelica Perez.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The animal control report details a string of violent encounters across the neighborhood:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>A 29-year-old man was bitten on his legs while at Perez\u2019s home.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>A 33-year-old woman was attacked in a neighbor&#8217;s yard, where the cat jumped into her lap, bit her finger, and later charged her legs, forcing her to defend herself with a baseball bat.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>A 16-year-old girl was bitten on the knee while trying to play with the cat.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>A 9-year-old girl was bitten on the leg by the cat outside her home.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>A 13-year-old boy was ambushed by the cat at the end of his driveway while taking out the trash.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>A 4-month-old puppy was attacked by the cat outside Perez&#8217;s home while a neighbor watched.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Officers initially set multiple traps but captured 10 unrelated stray cats, which were segregated into kennels.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>On June 11, a homeowner reported a foul odor, leading officers to find the deceased cat under a Glen Road home.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3511\">Florida AG sues TikTok, alleging violations of state child safety law<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Perez was cited for allowing cats to roam, failing to vaccinate the animal, and negligence resulting in injury.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Her personal dog has also been placed in quarantine due to rabies exposure.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Health Department Investigation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>What we don&#8217;t know:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Officials have not yet confirmed whether any of the victims have begun showing symptoms or if they have successfully completed their post-exposure medical treatments. It remains unknown if any of the other 10 trapped stray cats have been infected or if they will eventually be euthanized.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Feral Overpopulation Danger<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Why you should care:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office warns that feeding roaming animals creates a severe threat to public safety. Feral domestic cats are considered an invasive species that carry zoonotic diseases transmissible to humans, including ringworm, cat scratch disease, hookworms and rabies.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Sheriff Judd Statement<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>What they&#8217;re saying:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This unvaccinated roaming stray cat with rabies attacked and bit five people, and that speaks for itself,&#8221; Sheriff Grady Judd said.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Animal Control Guidance<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>What you can do:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The sheriff&#8217;s office reminds the public to never feed or interact with outdoor animals unless they are certain the pet is spayed, neutered and vaccinated. Individuals wanting to care for a stray should humanely trap it, have it vaccinated and altered, provide parasite protection, and register the animal with animal control.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3507\">Canes to celebrate Stanley Cup victory Saturday in Raleigh<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --> <!-- --> <!-- --> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A rabid stray cat terrorized a north Lakeland neighborhood, biting five people and attacking a puppy before dying under a home, according to reports from Polk County Animal Control.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,232],"tags":[153,233],"class_list":["post-3515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pets-and-animals","category-polk-county","tag-pets-and-animals","tag-polk-county"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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