Here’s an alert to the residents in the area of 44th and Pine Streets.

A person went to the emergency room for treatment this morning after being bitten by a large, possibly rabid raccoon, according to a neighbor report. The attack happened this morning in the backyard of a home on the South side of Pine, closer to 44th, according to an email sent by a neighbor and local animal/pet advocate, Linda Lee, to the UCNeighbors listserv.

The person who was attacked found their roommate’s cat fighting with the raccoon in the backyard and was bitten while trying to separate them, according to the report. The ER doctor, who treated the injured resident, believes the raccoon may be rabid, based on the description of the event. The cat was taken to the vet.

“It’s a little unusual to see raccoons during the day, so be careful when in your yards and on porches,” writes Linda. “Possibly the same raccoon that brushed up against my husband’s back this morning while he was sitting on the porch steps. He assumed it was a neighbor’s cat, until it walked around him and went onto the next porch!”

There was also a daytime sighting of a raccoon walking around Pine Street near 52nd St. last week.