By Associated Press, 8/8/2001 08:24

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Tests have confirmed that a cat that bit and scratched a 10-year-old girl in Portland was rabid, state officials said.

Nancy McAdam is being treated for the disease, and officials fear that others in the North Deering neighborhood may have been infected by the rabid animal.

People who suspect that they may have been exposed to rabies were urged to call their doctor. Anyone with an animal that may have come in contact with the gray cat with white paws should consult a veterinarian.

McAdam's mother, also named Nancy, expressed concern that other animals in the neighborhood may be infected.

''That cat didn't just have rabies,'' she said. ''It got it from somewhere.''

She said the cat attacked several other people, including her husband and a neighbor. It also attacked at least one neighborhood dog.

Maine recorded 139 cases of rabies in 2000. Rabid cats are fairly rare, and cats did not account for any of last year's cases.

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