Live Bats With Rabies Invade Florida County, Freaking Out People And Pets

Live bats with rabies are flying around a county in Florida ... and it's driving locals and their pets more than a little batty!

TMZ has learned that 6 rabies-infested bats have been haunting residents and their cats and dogs in Polk County since March ... and it's only getting worse.

The most recent interaction occurred this week when a woman saw what she thought was a dead mouse on the ground ... but it turned out to be a DEAD BAT!!!

Luckily, no humans have been bitten by the flying rabies carriers ... but some animals haven't been so lucky.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office tells us ... several cats and dogs that interacted with the bats ended up bitten and now have rabies.  

A sheriff's spokesperson said all of the infected animals had to be vaccinated and quarantined at their family homes ... and PCSD published the above photo in a warning to residents.

The spokesperson also told us the bats' carcasses were sent to a Tampa facility for rabies testing, before the little fellas were presumably destroyed.