LEWISTON – In Greene, a stray cat attacked and bit a resident who required treatment for rabies. The animal was captured and later tested positive for the disease.

Across the state, in Norridgewock, a normally placid house cat began acting strangely before turning on its owner, who was bitten. That animal also tested positive for rabies, and the owner submitted to shots.

Those two attacks, both reported earlier this month, are the only known incidents so far this year involving cats with rabies in Maine. That number is down from six found last year, but health officials are still concerned.

“We are seeing rabies among domestic animals more often, particularly in cats,” said Dr. Dora Mills, state health officer and director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the Twin Cities, Animal Control Officer Wendell Strout said he had not seen a cat show positive for rabies until he took the stray from the Greene attack to be tested. In that incident, the animal did not appear to be sick until it attacked a woman who had come across it.

“It walked up to her, started rubbing against her leg like cats do and then it bit her,” Strout said.

Strout said in the Lewiston-Auburn area, rabies is more commonly found in wild animals. Recently, a skunk in the area of Pettingill Street in Lewiston tested positive as did a raccoon found in the same area. On Wednesday, he captured a pair of skunks, one in Auburn and one in Lewiston, to be tested for the disease. The results of those tests were not known Wednesday night.

Health and animal experts are using the latest incidents to remind people of two important things: strange acting animals, even beloved pets, should be considered potentially dangerous. And Maine law requires that all dogs and cats be vaccinated.

“It’s important to keep your pets vaccinated for rabies,” Mills said. “Residents can also report stray cats to their local animal control officer or bring them to their local animal shelter.”

Mills and others are trying to dispel the misconception that house pets are not at high risk for the potentially fatal disease. By nature, Mills said, dogs and cats are hunters that often come into contact with wild animals that carry rabies.

Livestock owners should also consult with veterinarians about vaccinating their animals for rabies, officials say. According to Don Hoenig, state veterinarian with the Maine Department of Agriculture, there are approved vaccines for horses, cattle and sheep.

Any bite, scratch or other exposure to an animal’s saliva may put a person at risk of rabies, Mills said. It is recommended that the biting animal be captured and the incident reported to an animal control officer.

Strout adds to that advice by suggesting that people instruct their children to keep away from wildlife and keep trash bins and barbecues covered so as not to attract critters.

More information about rabid animals may be found at the Maine CDC Web site: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/ddc/rabies_surveillance.htm