Updated
Updated · tampabay28.com · Jun 15
Polk County Cites Woman After Rabid Cat She Fed Attacked 5 People and 1 Dog
Updated
Updated · tampabay28.com · Jun 15

Polk County Cites Woman After Rabid Cat She Fed Attacked 5 People and 1 Dog

3 articles · Updated · tampabay28.com · Jun 15

Summary

  • Angelica Perez was cited in Polk County for negligence, allowing cats to roam and failing to vaccinate after a rabid stray she fed attacked five people and a 4-month-old puppy in North Lakeland.
  • The cat bit a 29-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, then attacked three children, including a 13-year-old boy taking out the trash; one victim used a baseball bat to fend it off.
  • Animal Control set traps after reports from residents near Glen Road, and the cat was found dead under a home on June 11 before tests confirmed it was rabid.
  • The sheriff's office said Perez had been feeding several stray cats in the area and warned residents not to feed or handle roaming animals unless they know they are vaccinated and sterilized.

Insights

How many more ticking time bombs are lurking in Florida's unmanaged feral cat colonies after this rabid attack?
When a feeder is cited for a rabid cat attack, where does individual responsibility end and community failure begin?
What legal hurdles must victims overcome for justice when an animal's 'owner' was simply a feeder?