The Allegheny County Health Department has issued an alert after a rabid cat bit a person in Bethel Park on Friday.

Officials are urging anyone who may have been in contact with the long-haired, black stray cat with white chest markings in the Gardenville Road area to contact the health department at 412-687-2243.

The cat tested positive for rabies after biting one person on Friday, when the animal was captured, killed and submitted to the health department for testing.

The person bitten is being treated with anti-rabies vaccine as a precaution and is not expected to develop rabies, the department said.

"We're encouraging anyone else who may have been bitten or scratched by this stray cat to come forward, so they can be evaluated and treated without delay," said Dr. Bruce Dixon, the department's director.

Other stray cats have been reported in the same area. Officials said people should avoid contact with these strays and notify 911 or the local animal control service.

Rabies exposures typically occur through a break in the skin that comes in contact with an infected animal's saliva. The disease is almost always fatal when left untreated.

The stray cat is the seventh rabid animal reported in the county this year. The others were four raccoons, a groundhog and a gray fox.