Raccoon Crawls Through Cat Door, Attacks 8-Year-Old

Channel 9 has learned about a very strange animal attack in the Goldenrod area of Orange County. A raccoon crawled in the cat door at a home just off of University and Lake Mirage Boulevard, went inside, up the stairs and into the bedroom of an 8-year-old girl.

During the daylight, raccoons seem fairly harmless.

"I was screaming, and I couldn't even shut my door," said 4-year-old Abby Kuczajda.

At 6:30 in the morning, in pitch black, it's a different story.

"My sister was too afraid to even run over to my mom's bedroom," Abby said.

Abby's big sister Megan didn't know what happened, that a raccoon had come in the cat door and inside their house.

"Coming in through a doggy door, or a cat door, it's not something we see every day," said Vanessa Bouffard, Animal Control

Before she even had a chance to react, the raccoon had dragged its sharp little paws the entire length of Megan's little face.

"When she screamed, I thought it was the cat. We have a cat. I thought it was the cat that scratched her," her mom, Jackie, said.

Mom chased the critter away with the first thing she could grab, a computer keyboard. And, as a precaution, because Animal Control couldn't catch the raccoon, Megan had to get a series of rabies shots."

To date, the Orange County Health Department has had 34 wild animals that have tested positive for the disease. It has also issued two rabies alerts, so stay away from them and don't give them a chance to get near you.

According to the Orange County Health Department, it has had to administer rabies shots to 108 people so far this year. That compares to 89 people last year.