BOSTON -- A Westford, Mass., great-grandmother is receiving rabies treatments after being attacked by a raccoon in her driveway as she tried to protect her cat.

Patty Lavelle, 73, spotted a raccoon walking across her yard about 7 a.m. on Sunday. The wobbly animal was following her cat, Toby, reported WCVB-TV in Boston.

She said the raccoon went under a truck in her driveway, and when she crossed in front of the truck, the animal jumped out at her and bit her.

"He was on my leg. So I reached down ... and pushed his head against the ground. Tried to choke him, or stop his breath or something. And then he grabbed my hand," Lavelle said.

"He still had my finger. I kind of, like, dragged him off to the woods there, thinking he'd run off into the woods," Lavelle said.

That is exactly what the animal did, but it was later shot and killed by a police officer.

Raccoon attacks on humans are rare but dangerous, Westford animal control officer Meg Mizzoni said.

"They act crazy sometimes. They'll just go after you for no reason at all," Mizzoni said.

Lavelle said despite the attack, she felt lucky because later in the day her lakeside house was filled with family and children.

"If he had gotten a hold of one of those kids ... what would they do?" she said.

She is now getting rabies shots. In the meantime, experts said to discourage raccoons, residents should avoid leaving food outside and always secure all garbage cans.