Orange County Animal Services shared a release Thursday detailing two local incidents in which animals tested positive for rabies.
In the first incident, which occurred on Apr. 4, a rabid raccoon was found near Chapel Hill’s Dixie Lane. The second, which took place on Apr. 7, involved a cat living near Holiday Park Road in Hillsborough.
OCAS’ communications specialist Tenille Fox confirmed to Chapelboro.com that the cat at the center of the second incident was not a pet, but was being taken care of by a resident while it lived outdoors. She said the cat was not up to date on its vaccinations at the time it tested positive.
Both people and pets were exposed to the rabies virus during these incidents. Tests on the raccoon and the cat conducted by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health confirmed the diagnosis.
These are the second and third cases of rabies reported by OCAS since the start of 2026. In March, a rabid and injured raccoon was identified after a resident attempted to remove it from the street near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Chapel Hill.
As with other instances of rabies in the community, OCAS reminded pet owners that North Carolina law requires dogs, cats and ferrets older than four months to have current and valid rabies vaccination at all times. The department offers low-cost rabies vaccination clinics to the community several times each year, where pets can get one-year and three-year vaccinations. Visit the Orange County Animal Services department’s webpage to learn more.
The North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services’ page on rabies information and statistics can be found here.
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