Woman Stabs Rabid Mountain Lion to Death During Attack on Campers

A woman stabbed a rabid mountain lion to death with a kitchen knife after the 60-pound animal attacked a party of campers, including her husband, who lost his thumb.

Chuck Strehl and Troy Winslow wrestled the cat off of Strehl’s wife, Kathleen, then held it down as Winslow’s wife, Robin, killed it with a double-pronged, 12-inch serrated kitchen knife.

“None of us screamed, none of us panicked, to tell you the truth,” Robin Winslow, 48, said. “But we moved swiftly.”

Tests on the animal’s brain tissue confirmed that it was rabid, Bill Clark of the state Fish and Game Department said Wednesday.

Mendocino County health officials said they were trying to reach everyone who came in contact with the cat and recommend that they undergo rabies vaccinations.

Winslow, who lost his left thumb, was listed in good condition Wednesday at a hospital. Kathleen Strehl, who suffered a 4-inch puncture wound in her left forearm, was treated and released. Chuck Strehl was shaken but unscathed.

Concern about attacks by mountain lions in state wilderness areas has increased since April, when a 40-year-old woman was killed by one while jogging.