AVMA News

CDC warns of rabies risks from feral cat colonies

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An incident involving a rabid feral cat thought to have exposed numerous people to the deadly virus underscores the need to educate the public about health risks associated with feral cat colonies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .

Following a review of the 2024 event, authors of a CDC report concluded that maintaining high rabies vaccination coverage within feral cat colonies can mitigate the disease threat. A better understanding of urban cat ecology and its role in rabies transmission and human exposure is also needed, the authors say in the article, which appeared in the CDC’s August 21 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The incident began in April 2024, when a feral cat collected from an unmanaged colony of approximately 20 cats and kittens in Baltimore County, Maryland, tested positive for rabies. Because the animal had interacted with multiple members of the public, health authorities initially estimated more than 300 individuals might have been exposed. That triggered an extensive contact-tracing effort involving local animal control, Maryland Department of Health officials, and the CDC.

Family of feral cats outside
Veterinarians are well-positioned to educate clients about the importance of rabies vaccination, both for individually owned cats and for colony animals that might otherwise fall outside traditional care systems.

Ultimately, public health workers determined that, fortunately, far fewer people required post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) than originally feared. Additional cats trapped from the colony and surrounding area were tested, and none were found to be infected.

The CDC report noted that while this outcome was relatively contained, the event highlighted the potential for unmanaged feral colonies to amplify rabies risk.

“Unmanaged cat colonies pose public health risks, and extensive resources might be required to prevent negative health outcomes,” the authors wrote.

In the U.S., rabies is most often found in U.S. wildlife species—including raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes—but cats remain the most frequently reported rabid domestic animal. In 2023, for example, 222 rabid cats were identified nationwide compared with 33 rabid dogs. Cats’ prevalence in both urban and rural environments, combined with their tendency to interact with wildlife and humans alike, makes them a key species of concern for public health.

The Maryland case also underscored the disproportionate resources needed when human exposures are suspected. PEP is expensive, requires multiple clinic visits, and can strain health departments when large-scale investigations are triggered by a single rabid animal.

For veterinarians, the CDC report reinforces long-standing responsibilities around rabies prevention. Cats presented through shelters, rescue groups, or trap-neuter-return programs should be vaccinated whenever possible, even if they are not destined for adoption.

The report cautioned that colony management practices lacking a rabies vaccination component may inadvertently heighten risk. “Trap-neuter-return programs that do not incorporate rabies prevention components might inadvertently increase risks for humans and animals,” the CDC wrote.

The AVMA policy on “Free-Roaming Abandoned and Feral Cats” recognizes that, while there is no single strategy for addressing unowned free-roaming cats in every situation, any intervention should include thoughtful consideration of multiple potentially competing factors including but not limited to, the welfare of the cats and wildlife themselves, the ecosystem in which the intervention will be conducted, and public health impacts.

The policy also states that appropriately managed colonies have the potential to significantly decrease risk to public health, wildlife, and ecosystems.