Man attacked by possibly rabid bobcat outside home

Scott Jackson had quite a surprise when he heard a grow coming from under his car a couple of weeks ago.

He and his wife had just returned from the grocery store when Scott Jackson came back out of his home. He saw his chickens running from his car.

Jackson heard the growl and saw a bobcat under his car, right where he had to go to get his groceries.

He told WTVD that he slowly backed away and then turned around.

That’s when he crawled on me and took me down on the carport,” Jackson told the station.

The attack happened about noon on June 4, The Pilot reported.

The cat was on Jackson’s back but he fought back, twisting the animal’s paw until it let go.

“I couldn’t tell you how long it all lasted. I’d say five seconds, at the most, but it was a scary five seconds,” Jackson told WTVD.

The bobcat ran away, but not before damaging Jackson’s back and shoulder, leaving scratches and a bite mark.

Animal control officers told Jackson to be treated for rabies at the hospital as a precaution. He said he had to have at least a dozen shots, The Pilot reported.

One doctor told Jackson it was a close call.

“Even the doctor in the ER said, ‘If he had been up closer to your jugular, you would’ve been done for,’” Jackson told the newspaper.

Later that same night, a person a few miles away shot and killed a bobcat. Jackson believes it was the same cat.

Moore County Sheriff’s Office thought the bobcat that attacked Jackson was rabid, WTVD reported.

The state’s wildlife website said that it is rare to see a bobcat, but rabies can cause them to act differently and they can be seen in the daytime more frequently than normal, The Pilot reported.

The cat that had been killed did test positive for rabies, but the authorities can’t confirm the two cats were one and the same, WTVD reported.

But the sheriff’s office said attacks don’t happen in the area and that there weren’t any attacks on record.

Jackson didn’t need stitches but is done with his rabies vaccinations.