NEW SCOTLAND (AP) – Authorities say a bobcat that was shot and killed after attacking a couple outside an upstate New York home has tested positive for rabies.

Albany County officials tell the Times Union Friday that the injured husband and wife have already begun receiving shots to prevent them from being infected by the rabies virus, which is usually fatal if untreated.

The county sheriff’s office says the couple was visiting a friend’s home in the town of New Scotland when the woman was attacked Wednesday afternoon by a 22-pound male bobcat in the backyard. The woman had been playing with the friend’s dog.

The husband was bitten when he came to her aid. The friend used a chair to pin the bobcat, then shot it dead.