LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. – A woman found a pregnant cat diagnosed with rabies in Lincoln County and now animal experts are reminding folks to get their pets vaccinated.

• The county has seen three rabies cases this year
• Animal care experts want more people to get their pets vaccinated
• One-year vaccinations are available for $7 to the public

Linsey Robertson never gets lonely. She's surrounded by animals from a dog rescue she works with, but recently she found an animal she wasn't expecting.

“It looked kind of just sick and unhappy,” she said. “I didn't want to touch it at first. I was able to catch it with a sheet and then I rolled it into an extra dog crate I have.”

She says she called a friend who took the cat, who she called Lexi, to the vet where doctors diagnosed the animal with rabies.

This isn't the first stray cat she's found in her backyard. It's why she's neutering them and getting them vaccinated for rabies, which is something animal care experts want more people to do.

Lincoln County Animal Services director Hannah Beaver says they've had three rabies cases this year. She says spotting an animal with rabies isn't always easy.

“You see everything from general sickness to aggression to over friendliness,” Beaver said. “Anything abnormal is worth a call to animal control.”

She also says one-year vaccinations are available for the public for $7. For more information, click here.