A female cat has tested positive for rabies after attacking two people near the 4300 block of Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross, Gwinnett County officials confirmed this week. The case has prompted health officials to renew warnings for residents to steer clear of animals acting strangely and to keep pets current on their rabies shots.
Gwinnett County reported the new case as part of a wave of rabies confirmations across the metro Atlanta area this year, according to 95.5 WSB. The cat attacked two people in the Norcross area before it was confirmed positive for the virus, per the outlet's reporting, though details on the victims' injuries or medical treatment have not been released.
Gwinnett County health officials are urging residents to stay away from animals showing unusual behavior, the station reports. They also stressed that pet owners should make sure their cats and dogs are up to date on rabies vaccinations, a message echoed in recent rabies scares elsewhere in the state.
A Pattern Playing Out Across Georgia
The Norcross case is far from an isolated incident this year. In late August, the Chatham County Health Department confirmed a cat had tested positive for rabies after being found near Stephenson and Waters Avenues in Savannah, according to the Coastal Health District. Back in May, a dead cat found in Lithonia tested positive for rabies in DeKalb County, with officials there unable to determine whether the animal was a stray or someone's pet, as reported by Atlanta News First.
DeKalb County officials noted at the time that rabies is present in Georgia throughout the year, with the county typically logging several cases annually, the outlet's report states. Further north, a stray cat in downtown Helen tested positive for rabies this year, marking White County's first confirmed case of 2026, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. A similar case unfolded in Forsyth County the year before, when a feral cat trapped near Atlanta Highway and McFarland Parkway in Alpharetta tested positive following its capture overnight on Jan. 29, 2025.
Why Cats Keep Testing Positive
Cats have become the most common domestic animal infected with rabies in recent years, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The AVMA reported 3,834 cases of rabies among animals nationwide in 2024. Rabies is usually transmitted through a bite from an infected animal, or when infected saliva contacts an open cut or a person's eyes, nose, or mouth, the group notes. Because the virus can only be confirmed after an animal's death, through microscopic examination of its brain, officials often can't say with certainty whether an animal is infected until testing is complete.
The uptick in confirmed animal cases mirrors a broader national trend. The CDC reported a 17% increase in rabies-related inquiries during July and August compared with the same stretch in 2025, according to a report from woodtv.com. The same report says use of rabies vaccines climbed 33% this year, while use of rabies immunoglobulins, given to people after potential exposure, rose 76%. Roughly 1.4 million Americans seek medical attention annually after possible rabies exposure, per the CDC figures cited in that reporting.
What Georgia Law Requires
Georgia law requires every cat and dog to be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian, according to Forsyth County. That requirement underscores the advice Gwinnett County health officials issued alongside news of the Norcross case: pet owners should confirm their animals' vaccinations are current, and anyone who spots an animal behaving abnormally should keep their distance and report it rather than approach.
