Early County Bobcat Attack

Chad Chapman, of Blakely, was attacked by a rabid bobcat inside his carport on December 26. The terrifying event happened a few minutes after dark.

“I was coming home from skinning a deer,” said Chad. “My wife parks in the driveway, and I park on the side of the house.”

Chad’s sidekick, a Jack Russell Terrier, rides shotgun with Chad and was with him the night of the attack.

Ouch! The bobcat sunk its teeth in just above Chad’s left knee.

“There were no lights on, it was dark,” said Chad. “We live out in the country.”

Chad walked inside the carport on the driver’s side of his wife’s Ford Expedition. Bending down to take his shoes off, he heard a loud scream. When Chad looked up, he could see the dark outline of a big cat in mid-air heading for this left leg.

“I feel like the cat was in front of the Expedition and maybe felt trapped,” said Chad.

Immediately the cat grabbed on to Chad’s leg and sunk its teeth through a pair of camouflage pants and blue jeans right into his skin above his left knee.

“I grabbed the back of the cat’s neck, and then I started punching it in the face,” said Chad. “I think I punched it twice.”

Chad’s 18-lb. Jack Russell, who had been in the yard when the cat attacked, quickly ran into the carport after hearing the commotion.

“He jumped up and grabbed one of the cat’s ears,” said Chad.

With the dog in the fight, it allowed Chad to free himself from the cat’s grasp.

“Him and the cat were into it, sitting there fighting,” said Chad.

It took Chad several attempts to separate the dog and cat, but finally Chad was able to grab a shovel and break the cat’s neck.

Chad headed for the Early County hospital to get his wounds cleaned.

Several days later test results from the Center For Disease Control verified that Chad’s bobcat had rabies. At presstime he was still going through a series of shots.

“I’ve still got four fang marks in my left leg above the knee and a hole in the back of my calf where his claws dug in,” said Chad.

Chad’s dog is fine, but it has been quarantined for 60 days at a local veterinarian’s office.