Cat dies, dog quarantined after rabid raccoon attack in Lakeland

LAKELAND (FOX 13) - A Lakeland man’s cat is dead after a rabid raccoon attack, and his dog will have to be quarantined for six months.

It was a quiet Sunday. Randy and Linda Lippy were hanging out with their dogs watching TV when they heard an awful screeching noise coming from their back patio.

Randy ran outside and saw that their cat, Lucky was in big trouble - being attacked by a rabid raccoon.

"When my dog came out he got ahold of the back end of the raccoon and threw it across the porch, and got it away from the cat," Randy told FOX 13. 

Randy killed the raccoon. He and his wife, Linda took their cat to the vet, but its injuries were so extensive they had to put Lucky down.

"It was very hard to lose her," Linda said.

But their problems were far from over. The Lippys say they had taken Blade, their dog to the vet and thought he had gotten a rabies shot. But he didn't.

So now, even though Blade was not bitten by the raccoon, he will have to be quarantined in the Lippy's house until December.

"We had a vacation planned," said Randy. "That sorta puts a damper on it because we usually take the dogs with us."

Experts say this in an unfortunate reminder that pet parents have to keep track of pets' rabies vaccinations. A rabies vaccination that provides protection for up to three years is now available through most vets.