Three people have been treated for rabies exposure after coming in contact with a stray cat that recently was confirmed as having contracted raccoon rabies, the regional health board for the South Shore of Montreal said Thursday.
On Wednesday, Quebec confirmed the first case of the disease in a cat in Godmanchester, in Quebec’s Montérégie region, prompting officials to urge pet owners to keep their animals’ vaccinations up to date.
A day later, Santé Québec Montérégie-Centre confirmed to CTV News that three people received post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the disease — which can be fatal in humans if left untreated — from developing.
‘This cat lunged at me’
One of those people was Elizabeth Doyle, a local resident who was bitten by the stray cat on July 16.
“Out of nowhere, this cat lunged at me, latched onto my left leg, bit, and scratched,” she said in an interview on Friday.
When Doyle tried to pull the cat away, it bit her hand, too.
After calling 911, an ambulance arrived, but before the cat was captured, she says it bit one of the paramedics as well. Both received emergency treatment.
A week later, test results confirmed the cat had rabies. Despite finishing her treatment, Doyle says she’s still recovering from the event.
“I’m a little leery on my own. I haven’t been outside just by myself,” she said.
Rabies is life-threatening
Santé Québec Montérégie-Centre said rabies exposure should be treated immediately given how life-threatening it is.
“That is why we wish to emphasize how important it is for anyone who has been bitten, scratched, or come into contact with the saliva of a suspected rabid animal to wash the affected skin for 15 minutes and call Info-Santé on 811 without delay so that preventive treatment can be administered,” the health board said in a statement.
The emergency treatment given immediately after exposure is almost 100 per cent effective.
Doyle has now vaccinated her two indoor cats and wants others to do the same. She also hopes her story reminds people that when it comes to rabies, acting quickly can save a life.
Be cautious with unknown animals
Dr. Michael Libman, professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and a member of the Centre for Tropical Diseases at McGill University, said rabies in cats and dogs is quite rare.
“Nevertheless, it’s a lethal disease and it’s probably safer not to play with animals that you don’t know,” Libman said.
“No matter how rare it is, the disease itself is uniformly lethal and there is no treatment. So you have to go and seek out an assessment whether you have a risk or not and then, if it’s judged that you have a risk, then there’s a series of vaccinations that you need to get.”
Santé Québec Montérégie-Centre is urging everyone to avoid contact with wild or unfamiliar animals, even if they appear harmless.
Raccoon rabies has been on the rise in Quebec this year. Since Jan. 1, Quebec has recorded 118 cases of raccoon rabies and four cases of bat rabies. The province recorded 93 raccoon rabies cases for all of 2025.
With files from CTV News’ Max Harrold and Laurence Brisson Dubreuil
