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  • tsavo303
    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 suburb.

    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. It wouldn't have quit."

    Rippy's neighbors in this suburb 25 miles northeast of Tampa called for help. tests showed the dead bobcat was rabid. Rippy was treated for exposure to rabies, and 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 when he did that. If he let the cat go, we could have had more victims."

    Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed, except on Gunbroker.
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  • jonk
    Any rabid critter is gonna be a tough one to deal with, but a 25 pound bobcat is a darned sight better than a wolf or german shepard or something.

    Heck, my HOUSE cat weighs 25 pounds- or is it just a furry pig? [:D]
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  • tsavo303
    that is one hell of a housecat!
    Cats, pound by pound, are pretty bad ass!
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  • LaidbackDan
    I couldn't count the times in a typical day when I had to strangle attacking rabid bobcats, just life in the city.

    I finally bought a comprehensive exterminating package that guarantees that if I'm ever attacked again by wild animals, zombies, or space aliens they'll come back out and respray at no cost.
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  • Stink Foot
    A 25 pound cat with a mission will tear you a new one in a heartbeat. If we had more like this old cuss in Nam we might of won. Damn straight.
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  • dongizmo
    quote:Originally posted by Stink Foot


    A 25 pound cat with a mission will tear you a new one in a heartbeat. If we had more like this old cuss in Nam we might of won. Damn straight.

    Nam was lost in Washington, not in Nam.[xx(]
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  • Laredo Lefty
    Hip Hip Horrah for Dale. I have a family of bobcats living in my neighborhood.

    The last thing I would want to do is hand to hand combat with one of them, but I guess he had no choice since it came after him. They can do a lot of damage with their claws even if you have a choke hold on it.
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  • D1
    quote:Originally posted by tsavo303
    that is one hell of a housecat!
    Cats, pound by pound, are pretty bad ass!


    100_0508-1.jpg

    That's a nice one!
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  • Locust Fork
    Laidbackdan....what company is your policy through? When I tried to get Allstate to cover me for space aliens they said NO...but then explained that when the next comet comes by we were all going "home" and then the agent tried to sell me a special pair of ugly shoes. I'm no idiot! I will wait until the comet comes to buy the shoes!
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  • zipperzap
    dog1.jpg
    We used to hunt feral dogs on the border, on horseback, when we were kids.
    We'd see a 'foamer' every once in a while - always worried us if one ever got
    through ... . One never did. [8D]
    dog2.jpg
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  • fugawe
    Originally posted by jonk
    Any rabid critter is gonna be a tough one to deal with, but a 25 pound bobcat is a darned sight better than a wolf or german shepard or something.

    Dogs only bite at one end. Cats bite at the front and all four corners!
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