Viral Video Shows Man Throw a Bobcat Across His Yard After It Attacks His Wife

A video purporting to show a man throwing a bobcat after it attacks his wife has gone viral, but people on the internet have mixed emotions about the intense 46-second clip. The video, recorded by a home security camera, begins with a man waving to a passing jogger before remarking that he needs to wash his car. As he opens the car door, his wife appears in the lower-left corner before what sounds like a cat yowl can be heard and she screams, “Run! Run!”

The bobcat appears to grab her backside before the man runs to help her, grabbing the bobcat and tossing it away from himself as the jogger from the beginning of video runs back to check on the neighbors. “A bobcat!” the man yells, tossing the animal about 10 ft. before it lands in a nearby lawn. “Get out! Get out! Get out!” the man yells as the jogger joins the effort to scare away the animal. “I’ll shoot that f—er!” he shouts as the animal runs back from where it came. He warns a neighbor to watch out, explaining, “It’s a bobcat that attacked my wife!”

The original video was uploaded to TikTok by user [keithmcgeax], according to the New York Post, but was removed due to violence. TMZ reports the attack happened in North Carolina, and that the bobcat tested positive for rabies after its death, although they did not clarify if the man shot it. The video had been viewed close to 10 million times on Twitter as of Friday afternoon and elicited strong feelings on either side of the issue:

Others were upset to see the bobcat treated the way it was, with one person commenting, “Am I the only one disturbed by the way he threw the cat?” Another person replied, “Not happy about how he treated that animal. No need for that,” and a different person agreed, “Even if it’s rabid, shouldn’t they had called a professional to take care of it? Shooting it in a frenzy puts other neighbors’ lives in danger.”

Bobcats typically don’t approach humans, but ones that are sick or rabid can become violent, according to wildlife experts, especially if triggered by running or a person turning their back on them. Back away slowly if you see a bobcat in your neighborhood and contact animal control authorities.