Crystal Yamasato returned home on Monday night, but faces more hospital and doctor visits as she recovers from a bobcat attack.
Yamasato, who is 3 years old, was one of two children attacked in Winterville last Friday afternoon. The first victim was a 14-year-old boy whose injuries are unknown. He was transported by his parents to Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital.
Anita Scoggins, Yamasato’s grandmother, said her granddaughter suffered a fractured pinkie finger, multiple wounds on her hand, scratches on her body and a bite mark on her back.
“She’s doing pretty good, but she’s absolutely terrified to walk outside, of course,” Scoggins told The Oglethorpe Echo on Tuesday. “She just keeps crying, ‘the monster kitty’ or “the big kitty.’ She’s had a hard time. The first couple of nights she didn’t really sleep at all.”
The attacks were separate incidents at residences near the intersection of Melton Road and Williams McCurley Road in Winterville.
After the attack, Yamasato was transported by Oglethorpe County EMS to St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, and around midnight, was taken by ambulance to Children’s Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta.
“One of the nurses that has worked there for a very long time said they have never seen anything like this,” Scoggins said.
Yamasato has started rabies shots since the bobcat hadn’t been located as of Tuesday night. She also will be fitted for a cast for her broken finger.
“We don’t know at this time if the bobcat is rabid or not,” said Cody Gibbs, the public information officer for Oglethorpe County Fire & Rescue. “Without having the animal, it’s difficult to make that discovery.”
Yamasato was outside playing with her 13-year-old aunt and another child when Scoggins heard her older daughter — Yamasato’s mother — begin to scream. Yamasato’s mother bolted outside when she saw the bobcat about 20 feet from the house.
“Her mom was in the living room and was looking out the window, and saw it and came running out, screaming at it,” Scoggins said. “(The bobcat) got her halfway under my car by the time (the mother went outside).”
The Beaverdam Volunteer Fire Department, Oglethorpe County EMS and other first responders rushed to the home.
“There were just so many people,” she said. “First responders, volunteers who were at home and just happened to be close enough. We had a yard full, and they were awesome.”
If you spot a bobcat or any other wild animal, the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division suggests keeping a safe distance from the animal and making loud noises in an attempt to appear larger. Securing pets in a fenced-in area and not leaving food out at night decreases the chances of a bobcat approaching.
Oglethorpe County Fire & Rescue urges any attacks be reported by calling 911.
“It was just something you would never think of happening,” Scoggins said. “You think a dog attack, or something, not that that would be OK either. It’s just bizarre the way it happened.”
Staff writer Evan Smoak contributed to this article.