Bobcat strangled by Florida man it attacked

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Dale Rippy says he was acting on instinct when a rabid 25-pound bobcat attacked him on his porch in this Central Florida town.

Rippy, 62, endured the bobcat's slashes and bites until it clawed into a position where he could grab it by the throat.

Then he strangled it.

Rippy said it was clear the crazed bobcat had to be stopped.

"I was bleeding everyplace," the Vietnam veteran said of the May 30 attack. "If that cat had attacked a child, it would've been really bad."

Tests on the dead bobcat showed it had rabies. Rippy was treated for exposure to the disease, and for several bites and cuts.

Authorities praised Rippy for clear thinking under pressure.

"We give this guy a lot of credit for what he did," said Pasco County Animal Control Manager Denise Hilton. "The man was definitely using his head ... . If he let the cat go, we could have had more victims."

Wesley Chapel is about 25 miles northeast of Tampa.