--- title: "Second cat in Quebec tests positive for rabies as cases rise in Montérégie" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/health/second-cat-in-quebec-tests-positive-for-rabies-as-cases-rise-in-monteregie" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/second-cat-in-quebec-tests-positive-for-rabies-as-cases-rise-in-monteregie" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/health/second-cat-in-quebec-tests-positive-for-rabies-as-cases-rise-in-monteregie.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/second-cat-in-quebec-tests-positive-for-rabies-as-cases-rise-in-monteregie" category: "Health" published: "2026-08-11T00:25:25.531Z" source_reported: "2026-08-10T23:35:15.000Z" updated: "2026-08-11T00:25:25.531Z" trust_score: 74 critic_score: 58 hype_score: 26 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-11T01:15:44.682513+00:00" --- # Second cat in Quebec tests positive for rabies as cases rise in Montérégie *Three people received preventative treatment after contact with the infected animal in Saint-Anicet* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 74 of 100, higher is better. 11 digests corroborate a second cat with rabies. - Craft 58 of 100, higher is better. Only one full report provides specific details. - Hype 26 of 100, lower is better. Headlines are factual, without sensational language. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A second cat in Montérégie, Quebec, tested positive for rabies on 31 July 2026, the second case in the region in under two weeks. - Three people received preventative rabies treatment after contact with the infected cat in Saint-Anicet. - Santé Québec has recommended that pet owners vaccinate their animals as raccoon rabies cases rise in Montérégie and Estrie. - Rabies is fatal in humans and animals once symptoms appear, but preventative treatment can stop the disease if administered quickly. A second cat in Montérégie, Quebec, has tested positive for rabies, Santé Québec announced on 10 August 2026. The case was reported in the municipality of Saint-Anicet. Three people received preventative rabies treatment after contact with the animal. This is the second rabies case in a cat in Montérégie in less than two weeks. The first was reported in Godmanchester. Santé Québec has recorded 139 cases of raccoon rabies in the region since the start of 2026. The agency has urged pet owners to vaccinate their animals and to avoid contact with wild or stray animals. Rabies is fatal in humans and animals once symptoms develop. Preventative treatment, administered soon after exposure, can prevent the disease from progressing. Santé Québec advises washing any bite wound with soap and water for 15 minutes and contacting health services immediately. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated digests mentioned the total number of raccoon rabies cases recorded in Quebec in 2026. The Montreal Gazette digest, the only right-rated report, also omitted this figure. The unrated digests from 24 heures, Le Journal de Québec, lokalo.de, echo-online.de and observer24.com.na did not include the number of people treated or the total cases in 2026. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 71% (5) - Centre: 15% (1) - Right: 14% (1) 5 of 12 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-11T01:15:44.682513+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 5 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-11T01:30:32.136Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The five left-rated digests all reported the second rabies case in a cat in Montérégie and the preventative treatment given to three people. Radio-Canada, TVA Nouvelles, La Presse and Zeit Online led on the new case, while APTN News framed its report around the first case in a cat, which it described as the first of its kind in Quebec. None of the left-rated digests mentioned the total number of raccoon rabies cases recorded in 2026. ### Centre - L’actualité, the only centre-rated report, led on the second cat testing positive for rabies in Montérégie. It reported that the case was discovered on 31 July 2026 in Saint-Anicet and that three people received preventative treatment. The report included the total number of raccoon rabies cases in 2026 (139) and noted the previous case in Godmanchester. It also detailed symptoms of rabies in animals and advised pet owners to vaccinate their animals. ### Right - The Montreal Gazette digest reported that three people "had to receive preventative rabies treatment" after contact with the infected cat. It did not mention the total number of raccoon rabies cases in 2026 or the previous case in Godmanchester. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 6 - unknown: 5 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Radio-Canada](https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2274671/deuxieme-chat-rage-monteregie-sante-quebec) — A Second Cat Contracted Rabies in Montérégie - [APTN News](https://aptnnews.ca/reportages/un-premier-cas-de-rage-du-raton-laveur-chez-un-chat-au-quebec) — A First Case of Raccoon Rabies in a Cat in Quebec - [L’actualité](https://lactualite.com/actualites/un-deuxieme-chat-a-contracte-la-rage-en-monteregie-rapporte-sante-quebec) — A Second Cat Contracted Rabies in Montérégie, Reports Santé Québec - [Montreal Gazette](https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec-rabies-cat-monteregie-st-anicet) — Rabies reported in second cat in Montérégie region - [TVA Nouvelles](https://tvanouvelles.ca/2026/08/10/un-deuxieme-cas-de-rage-chez-un-chat-detecte-au-quebec) — A Second Case of Rabies in a Cat Detected in Quebec - [24 heures](https://24heures.ca/2026/08/10/un-deuxieme-cas-de-rage-chez-un-chat-detecte-au-quebec) — A Second Case of Rabies in a Cat Detected in Quebec - [La Presse](https://lapresse.ca/actualites/sante/2026-08-10/monteregie/un-deuxieme-chat-atteint-de-la-rage-a-ete-identifie.php) — Montérégie: A Second Rabies Cat Has Been Identified - [Le Journal de Quebec](https://journaldequebec.com/2026/08/10/un-deuxieme-cas-de-rage-chez-un-chat-detecte-au-quebec) — A Second Case of Rabies in a Cat Detected in Quebec - [lokalo.de](https://lokalo.de/artikel/425297/rlp-tollwut-bei-fledermaus-nachgewiesen) — RLP: Rabies Detected in Bat - [Zeit Online](https://zeit.de/news/2026-08/10/tollwut-bei-fledermaus-nachgewiesen) — Dwarf Bat: Rabies Detected in Bat - [echo-online.de](https://echo-online.de/lokales/rheinland-pfalz/tollwut-bei-fledermaus-nachgewiesen-6004521) — Rabies Detected in Bat - [observer24.com.na](https://observer24.com.na/rabies-case-confirmed-in-ondangwa) — Rabies case confirmed in Ondangwa – Windhoek Observer ## Questions **How many people received preventative rabies treatment after the second cat case?** Three people received preventative rabies treatment after contact with the infected cat in Saint-Anicet, Quebec. Santé Québec reported the case on 10 August 2026, following the animal's positive test on 31 July. **How many rabies cases have been recorded in Montérégie in 2026?** Santé Québec has recorded 139 cases of raccoon rabies in Montérégie since the start of 2026. The figure was reported by L’actualité, the only outlet to include it in its coverage of the second cat case. **What should you do if bitten by an animal suspected of having rabies?** Santé Québec advises washing the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes and contacting Info-Santé 811 immediately. Preventative treatment can prevent rabies if administered soon after exposure, as the disease is fatal once symptoms appear. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/health/second-cat-in-quebec-tests-positive-for-rabies-as-cases-rise-in-monteregie. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Second cat in Quebec tests positive for rabies as cases rise in Montérégie", https://mediabias.news/health/second-cat-in-quebec-tests-positive-for-rabies-as-cases-rise-in-monteregie