Residents on alert after rabid cat found in Fairmount

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Residents in Fairmount are on high alert because of a rabid cat that was found earlier this week.

FOX 29's Brad Sattin spoke with residents and pet owners in the area.

Addie McKenzie's father spotted it while walking their Miniature Australian Sheppard, Blue.

"They sort of saw the cat from a distance and then he tried to come closer, and my dad picked up Blue and ran away," she told FOX 29.

The flyer put up by the city's Department of Public Health warns that while the cat was removed, it may have exposed other animals that could develop rabies in the coming days or weeks.

Surprising in this urban environment, and now, a public health threat. Carla Brown knows a thing or two. She used to work for the Centers for Disease Control.

"Staying vigilant, keeping an eye on our pets, keeping our pets on a leash, particularly in a park that doesn't have boundaries is important," Brown said.

Kimberly Gonzalez spent part of her afternoon with her daughter. She won't stop coming. However, as a pediatrician, she's advising her neighbors to be on he lookout for aggressive or confused wild animals, as rabies can be easily spread.