Six bats have tested positive for rabies in DuPage County this year, with four confirmed in a single week in mid-August, and officials say many of the infected animals were found inside residents' homes.

DuPage County Animal Services reported the spike on Instagram on Aug. 16, warning that even indoor-only pets are at risk if a bat enters a home. Days later, DCAS administrator Laura Flamion underscored the threat at the agency's Tuesday, Aug. 18 budget committee meeting, calling rabies prevention the department's core focus. DCAS serves Downers Grove, Woodridge and Westmont among other DuPage communities.

"Pet owners are often left with euthanasia of the pet as their only available option," Flamion told the committee, explaining that most veterinary hospitals will not board an animal for the 45-plus days required to complete a rabies observation quarantine.

Quarantine rules are strict. A dog or cat with a current rabies vaccine faces a 45-day quarantine after potential exposure. Without a current vaccine, the quarantine jumps to six months of total isolation from humans and other animals.

82 residents advised to seek treatment after possible exposure

The DuPage County Health Department reported in a July 29 press release that 82 county residents had been advised to receive preventive treatment after possible rabies exposure in 2026. Bats are the primary source of rabies in Illinois, the department said.

Finding a bat in your home may count as an exposure even without a visible bite, particularly if you were asleep, children were unsupervised, or the bat was near someone unable to communicate clearly.

Health officials urge residents who find a bat indoors not to kill or release it. Instead, place a bucket or container over the bat, close the door to the room and call DuPage County Animal Services at (630) 407-2800.

All possible human rabies exposures must be reported to the DuPage County Health Department at (630) 221-7553, or after hours at (630) 682-7400.

What to watch for

Signs a bat may be rabid include being active during daylight, being found on a lawn or inside a home, or being unable to fly. The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association notes that 93 to 97 percent of bats test negative for rabies but advises treating any bat as potentially rabid until testing proves otherwise.

The last human rabies case in Illinois was reported in 2021, the first in the state since 1954.

Adoption event Aug. 29

Separately, DuPage County Animal Services is hosting a feline adoption event on Saturday, Aug. 29, at its Wheaton shelter, 2255 Manchester Road. Adult cat adoption fees will be waived and kitten adoptions will be 50 percent off. The shelter had 172 cats and kittens on hand as of Aug. 11, about 70 more than it can comfortably house, according to a Chicago Tribune report. The shelter received 30 percent more kittens in 2026 than in 2025.

Flamion set a goal of adopting out at least 30 cats at the event. The shelter is also accepting donations of wet cat food, kitten food and unscented cat litter.