Rabies alert issued in Spring Hill after raccoon attacks cat
A Spring Hill raccoon attack on Norvell Road turned into a confirmed rabies case in an unvaccinated cat, putting a 60-day alert over a busy Hernando corridor.
A raccoon attack on Norvell Road in Spring Hill has triggered a 60-day rabies alert after an unvaccinated cat tested positive, putting residents inside a broad stretch of central Hernando County on notice. The alert area runs north to Elgin Boulevard, south to Spring Hill Drive, east to Barclay Avenue and west to U.S. Highway 19, also known as Commercial Way.
The Florida Department of Health in Hernando County said the attack happened Thursday, June 12, and said it is monitoring rabies among wild animals in the area. County health officials warned that people and domestic animals should avoid any physical contact with wild animals, and said anyone bitten or scratched by a wild or domestic animal should seek medical attention and report the injury right away.
The case lands in a county that has already faced repeated rabies warnings tied to wildlife. In June 2025, health officials issued a 60-day alert after a confirmed rabid raccoon was found in the Spring Lake Highway and Neff Lake area off Frog Lane, with boundaries that included Kenova Street, Hayman Road, Spring Lake Highway and Cobb Road. That same month, a separate rabies advisory followed another confirmed rabid raccoon in the Brooksville area off Ted Road.
State health guidance says the pattern is not unusual for Florida, where raccoons are the wildlife species most often reported with rabies, followed by bats and foxes. Hernando health officials also note that rabid cats have been reported more frequently than rabid dogs since the 1980s, a reminder that pet vaccination is not just a household issue but a community safeguard when wildlife and residential neighborhoods overlap.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease that can be prevented but not cured, and Florida health officials say prompt post-exposure treatment can stop infection if it is given in time. For Hernando County residents, the Department of Health says to report an animal bite or scratch to Joel Crumpton at 352-540-6863. Stray dogs and cats should be reported to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Animal Enforcement Unit at 352-754-6850.
The latest alert underscores a recurring public-safety problem for Spring Hill and the surrounding Hernando neighborhoods: wildlife activity is not confined to woods and retention ponds, and one unvaccinated pet can become the first sign that rabies is moving through a community.
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