Just two weeks after a rabid stray cat attacked four people and three dogs near Granby Road in South Hadley, another infected animal came into this yard on Roosevelt Avenue and attacked a little girl.

"A gentleman had taken the cat off a child to shoo it away and it also bit the gentleman," says Sharon Hart, South Hadley's Director of Public Health.

The family called animal control and officers were able to catch the cat. Officials aren't sure if it is a stray, but the animal was euthanized and tested positive for rabies. Hart says she's never seen a case of cat rabies in her five years in office, and to have two in two weeks is alarming.

"We don't know if these are the only two cases, we suspect maybe not," says Hart.

News that concerns residents like Joan Hopkins, who often keep pets outside in the summer months.

"I have a dog that we allow to be out in the yard," says Hopkins. "He is a golden retriever and he loves cats, so the first thing I worry about is the dog getting bit or scratched by the cat."

But Hart says, "As long as they are vaccinated they should be alright."

Hart recommends avoiding unfamiliar animals, and checking your pets for open wounds. But the most important tool to protect against this potentially fatal disease is proper vaccination for you and your pet.