Cat that bit Atlantic County 'Santa' wasn't a bobcat

Professional Santa Jonathan Bebbington can relax: the feline that bit him last weekend at an Atlantic County pet store is neither rabid nor a wild bobcat.

Bebbington, 47, of Vineland, was working at a charity photo event in Mays Landing when the cat bit him, sparking concern over whether Santa would need rabies shots.

According to Atlantic County Health officials and the cat's owner, the animal was a pixie-bob, a domesticated cat distantly related to the bobcat.

Bebbington was posing with animals at a fund-raiser for Penny Angel's Beagle Rescue when Christine Haughey of Egg Harbor brought her large cat into the store on a leash and harness.

"There were dogs around, and the poor thing was terrified," said Bebbington, who picked up the cat to try to calm it. Bebbington, a locksmith with the state Department of Corrections, has five years' experience playing Santa to dogs and cats.

"It was a beautiful animal," he added.

Just after a photographer snapped the picture, the cat sank its teeth into Bebbington's hand and wrist several times, drawing blood. It happened so fast that Haughey was gone before anyone thought to ask her whether the animal had a current rabies shot.

Initially, Bebbington worried that he would have to undergo a series of five rabies vaccinations and postpone his holiday vacation. But after Bebbington appeared Tuesday on NBC10, Haughey came forward.

Though bobcats are illegal to own as pets, the state veterinarian said pixie-bobs are domesticated "hybrid" cats. They are larger than typical house cats and have shorter, stubbier tails, giving them a slight resemblance to bobcats.

Atlantic County health officials said Haughey told them she bought "Benny" as a kitten from a breeder. He had received all the necessary vaccines, she said, including a rabies shot.

As a precaution, state health officials said they asked Haughey to keep the cat inside for two weeks to make sure he does not show signs of disease.

Meanwhile, Bebbington's bites are healing nicely.

"I'm just glad it's all turning out for the better," he said.