[imagesource: YouTube / Murasame]

What would you do if a rabid bobcat attacked your partner in your own driveway?

Well, one man had to act quickly when this happened to his wife on April 9 in their driveway in Burgaw, North Carolina.

Kristi and Happy Wade said they were preparing to take their cat, Caroline, to the vet at 7:20AM.

They were about to get into their SUV when the cat appeared out of nowhere to attack them.

Via NBC News:

“I heard a horrible growl, and I thought, that’s a very unhappy sounding kitty cat,” Kristi said.

“The bobcat showed its face, went around the front fender of the car that was next to me, and I knew immediately what it was, I knew it was a bobcat, so I took off running and it followed me.”

You can hear her scream as the bobcat tries to climb up her back, with Kristi adding that it tried to bite her three times.

Happy’s thoughts of cleaning his car were rudely interrupted by the vicious cat attacking his wife, which at the time they didn’t realise was rabid.

It’s worth watching this video from start to finish, to appreciate how rapidly things escalated.

There is some strong language:

The video ends before he apparently pulled out a small handgun as the bobcat ran away:

Shortly after the video ended, Happy shot the bobcat once before it was eventually shot and killed by law enforcement.

The Pender County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the April 9 killing of the bobcat, which was sent to a state lab in Raleigh where it “tested positive for rabies.”

The couple had to have 30 shots each to treat any infection of rabies.

Kristi is reported to have had 20 puncture wounds from the cat’s bites and was really grateful for her husband’s quick thinking.

They were clearly in danger, and Wade doesn’t want any of us to take that catapult the wrong way:

“Some people have criticized me because I threw the cat. Well, it’s not a nice kitty, it’s got rabies, it’s out of its mind, it’s in a lot of pain,” Happy said.

“My wife and I love animals, and I didn’t take it lightly that I was shooting this bobcat. To be honest with you, I also wanted to make sure we got the medical care we needed. To do that you have to put the animal down.”

There were no real winners in this showdown.

[source:nbcnews]