RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A fox captured after terrorizing a Raleigh neighborhood has tested positive for rabies. People who were attacked are now undergoing treatments and receiving vaccinations.
Police chased after the animal for more than five hours Tuesday. The fox darted in and out of yards along Courtland Drive.
Two women were bitten. ABC11 spoke with one of the victims. She didn't want to show her face on camera and wouldn't say her full name.
"It happened so fast. It just scared me. I couldn't believe it was happening. But, by that time, he was already latched onto my leg," said the victim. "I expected him when I screamed, like any other fox, to run off, but he didn't."
She was able to fight off the fox with a trash can.
"I took the trash can and smacked him with it, and he ran off," she said. "It scared me because I knew he probably had rabies and I was like 'Oh my gosh, what's going to happen next.'"
The woman has wounds on her leg and has started medical treatment. She's already had 14 shots, which she said were excruciatingly painful, and she needs to go back for another round of vaccinations.
"My husband saw him run through our yard with a dead animal in his mouth, and I just kept, as I got each shot, envisioning that," she said.
The fox not only bit her, but a number of pets in the Mordecai neighborhood. Gayle Lowry's cat Eva was attacked in the backyard.
"Her hind foot is pretty badly mangled," said Lowry.
The cat was taken in for emergency surgery and Lowry now owes the vet $500 for treatment.
"She's just lucky to still be running around," said Lowry. "She's going to have a different life from now on because she's going to be confined to the porch and the house."
Lowry won't allow the cat to go out in the yard. Just the same, the victim ABC11 spoke with isn't going to let her dogs roam free. She is on edge.
"It didn't matter if it was a squirrel or a bird, it made me jump," she said.
Officials are concerned there are other aggressive and potentially diseased animals nearby. Authorities are urging everyone to be alert. Concerns about animals in Raleigh should be reported by calling (919) 831-6311.
Wake County health officials are also reminding residents not to approach animals that they do not know and to ensure their pets have a current rabies vaccination.