Skip navigation

Christmas comes early: No rabies shots for Santa

Owner of cat that bit volunteer has come forward with vaccination papers

Video
  Santa clawed, bitten during photo shoot
Dec. 10: The jolly fat man in the red suit was anything but after being scratched and bitten by a bobcat at a holiday pet photo shoot. Santa tells all to MSNBC's Tamron Hall.

MSNBC

Slideshow
Image: Sunshine International Aquarium Reveals Fennec Babies
  Animal Tracks
From a trio of fennec foxes to a gang of squeaky clean monkeys, find images of animals great and small.

more photos

Slideshow
Bam-Bam Noodle Butt? Wackiest pet names
From Dishwasher to Velvet Elvis, here are the most unusual dog and cat names.
Slideshow
Image: The White House Debuts The Obamas' New Dog Bo, A Portuguese Water Dog
  Who’s a good Bo?
See the Obama family’s frisky new Portuguese water dog pup, Bo, sink his paws into his classy new digs: the White House.

more photos

Video: Pets & animals
  Big dogs get big makeovers
July 1: TODAY’s Jill Rappaport and Richard Gentles from Animal Care and Control of New York City reveal makeovers of four large dogs in need of homes.

.
updated 3:33 p.m. ET Dec. 11, 2008

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. - Santa Claus won't need rabies shots after all.

It turns out that a large kitty that drew blood after biting a volunteer Santa Claus at a charity event in New Jersey had been properly vaccinated.

The cat's owner, Christine Haughey, came forward and produced vaccination records after learning that 47-year-old Jonathan Bebbington, the Santa, might have to receive the shots.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

Bebbington says the cat bit his wrist and hand Sunday after becoming terrified because dogs were nearby at the Santa Paws photo event for an animal-rescue group.

The 25-year-old Haughey left after the attack.

Haughey tells WMGM-TV that her cat Benny is a mix between a house cat and a bobcat.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored links

Resource guide