Raccoon rabies continues to spread in Quebec as government reports third infected cat

A raccoon licks his chops in an environment reproducing a Laurentian Maple Forrest during a media event at Montreal's Biodome on Thursday, August 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL — Another cat has been infected with raccoon rabies in Quebec, marking the third confirmed case in a cat this year.

The infection was detected on Sept. 25 in the town of Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu, in the Montérégie region.

The province says the owner and a veterinarian were exposed to the cat’s rabies and treated.

The government’s latest numbers show 313 confirmed cases of raccoon rabies in Quebec this year.

Officials previously reported two cases in cats in late June.

• READ MORE: First case of raccoon rabies detected in a cat in Quebec

The government has run multiple vaccination programs, including vaccine bait distribution and “trap-vaccinate-release” operations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.

Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press