topic Re: CAT PROBLEM in Pet Lovers

CAT PROBLEM

fourpaws56 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:05:05 GMT

I am faced with something I never had to do in my life. My friend was attacked by a cat,this cat has been hanging around his house for a few months. The cat is friendly,lets you pick him up and purrs. Well, today out of the blue, the cat launched onto the back of my friends leg and scratched and bit him. I cleaned and took care of the wound but now I have to deal with the cat... if I call animal control the cat will be destroyed....I can't rehome him because of what he did....please advise is appreciated..TIA

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Pebbles9 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:15:25 GMT

I am so sorry this happened, very stressful! Can I ask, do you think the cat is feral? I had this happen, I was feeding a feral cat for about a month but was friendly with me. I was his food source, but when I brought a friend with me, he attacked my friend, wrapped himself around her leg and bit her. This cat was in a bad way, I took him to the vet, he went into a carrier for me and it turned out he had feline leukemia and was pretty sick. I had to euthanize him, I was heartbroken. I am in Chicago so it was bitter cold outside, I feel it was the humane thing to do. Put all of these poor strays, it they are the ones that suffer in the end. Good luck, I wish I could help more .

Re: CAT PROBLEM

fourpaws56 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:29:42 GMT

I think he was a feral cat, not neutered...the cat is huge and looks very healthy. The strangest thing, I kid you not, this cat hangs out with coyotes...my concern is that my Grandchildren will be around my friends home sometimes, I can not take a chance on them being attacked.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

RoughDraft — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:29:53 GMT

Is the cat still on the loose? If I was your friend, I'd be concerned about rabies.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

fourpaws56 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:33:08 GMT

@RoughDraft wrote:
Is the cat still on the loose? If I was your friend, I'd be concerned about rabies.

yes, he fed it and it is sleeping in a bed he made under the porch,,,the cat does not look sick.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

RoughDraft — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:38:48 GMT

@fourpaws56 wrote:
@RoughDraft wrote:
Is the cat still on the loose? If I was your friend, I'd be concerned about rabies.
yes, he fed it and it is sleeping in a bed he made under the porch,,,the cat does not look sick.

Check out info on rabies. Typical incubation period can vary from three to eight weeks.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

fourpaws56 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:44:26 GMT

I just googled it...should I notify animal control and tell them my friend was bitten? It looks really nasty by the way!

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Pebbles9 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:48:09 GMT

Can you get him in a carrier? I would take him to the vet in the morning, if you can. I know you don't want him to suffer if he is truly sick. Your grandchildren are at risk too, be careful, you will do the right thing .

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Pebbles9 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:50:51 GMT

Oops, thought you said the cat looked sick. Your friend should go to an immediate care, cat bites are horrible!!! Hope your friend is okay!!!

Re: CAT PROBLEM

fourpaws56 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 04:56:09 GMT

@Pebbles9 wrote:
Can you get him in a carrier? I would take him to the vet in the morning, if you can. I know you don't want him to suffer if he is truly sick. Your grandchildren are at risk too, be careful, you will do the right thing .

no, the cat seems very healthy...my friends bite looks bad...he won't go to the Dr. But I don;t want an aggressive cat around... and I LOVE cats...have a few of my own..

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Venezia — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 05:18:52 GMT

@fourpaws56 wrote:
@Pebbles9 wrote:
Can you get him in a carrier? I would take him to the vet in the morning, if you can. I know you don't want him to suffer if he is truly sick. Your grandchildren are at risk too, be careful, you will do the right thing .
no, the cat seems very healthy...my friends bite looks bad...he won't go to the Dr. But I don;t want an aggressive cat around... and I LOVE cats...have a few of my own..

Your friend needs to get medical attention IMMEDIATELY. I've had cats all my life and, if this happened to me or someone I know, I wouldn't wait to get it looked at.

Cat bites (puncture wounds) can transmit a lot of serious germs and turn septic. Do your friend a favor and insist he get it checked. Better safe than sorry. Even scratches can produce cat scratch fever; nothing to mess around with.

As to why the cat did this: it could be a memory of a male who abused him or just something that spooked him. If he's a feral cat, he will have the instinct to fight for survival. And, if he's hanging around with wild animals, as you say, he could well have picked up something very nasty.

I wouldn't want to do anything to harm the cat - he's only doing what an animal does - but you need to make your friend see sense.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

fourpaws56 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 05:25:14 GMT

I agree he needs to get the bite checked out, but he won't...my concern is what to do with the cat. I realize he is aggressive because he lives in the wild but I can't have him around my family... I found out a little while ago that he bit the other room-mate a few weeks ago..

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Venezia — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 05:30:58 GMT

@fourpaws56 - in that case, since it seems you live next to this friend who was attacked? I'd find a no-kill shelter and advise them of the problem. They would be used to dealing with this kind of cat and could either trap him or perhaps offer some advice on who else could help.

I agree that, if you simply notify animal control, they will most likely just euthanize the cat. They probably don't have the time or resources to do anything more humane.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

fourpaws56 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 05:34:10 GMT

@Venezia wrote:
@fourpaws56 - in that case, since it seems you live next to this friend who was attacked? I'd find a no-kill shelter and advise them of the problem. They would be used to dealing with this kind of cat and could either trap him or perhaps offer some advice on who else could help.

I agree that, if you simply notify animal control, they will most likely just euthanize the cat. They probably don't have the time or resources to do anything more humane.

I will contact our SPCA in the morning and see if they will help. I do not want to involve animal control,it would break my heart. I have held this cat before, he was so sweet..

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Sweetbay magnolia — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 09:50:30 GMT

Call me redundant, but my next door neighbor suffered a stroke due to infection caused by a feral cat bite. He feeds them still, but his health has been compromised. Those long tapered fangs have the ability to drive germs deeply into soft tissue where they cannot be simply washed away.

I am an animal lover. I hope you can find a rescue group to help.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Cookie2025 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 12:08:31 GMT

@Sweetbay magnolia wrote:
Call me redundant, but my next door neighbor suffered a stroke due to infection caused by a feral cat bite. He feeds them still, but his health has been compromised. Those long tapered fangs have the ability to drive germs deeply into soft tissue where they cannot be simply washed away.

I am an animal lover. I hope you can find a rescue group to help.

A friends husband died when the cat bite went into his blood system. The wound healed but weeks later he got sick, slipped into a coma and died.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

candys mine — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 13:01:40 GMT

Cat has bitten. Anywhere you go will have to give that information to animal control.

Cat will need to be quarentined at best for a rabies watch.

Infection from cat bites is Seriously Dangerous.

Yes this cats feral action IS a concern with your young grandchildren. Cat is guarding HIS territory/food source that you are providing for him.

If you want to distance yourself from cat, STOP feeding cat and block off entrance under porch. He will look for his food and shelter elsewhere.

Your friend really needs to to have that nasty looking bite tended to.

I truely am sorry you are in this situation.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Another new name Sue — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 13:26:29 GMT

Take control of this situation. The bitten person absolutely must be on antibiotics without further delay. Please insist on getting to a doctor or urgent care. This is no joke. I'm a cat lover but this one has to go one way or another. I love animals, but people come first. Please move forward on this serious issue. No more explaining, action.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Ms X — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 13:37:17 GMT

@fourpaws56 wrote:
I agree he needs to get the bite checked out, but he won't...my concern is what to do with the cat. I realize he is aggressive because he lives in the wild but I can't have him around my family... I found out a little while ago that he bit the other room-mate a few weeks ago..

Take the cat to an animal shelter (no kill if possible) and be honest about what happened. They will know what to do. Your friend must call the doctor today. There is a type of bacteria in cat bites that can destroy your kidneys, or so I've been told by the doctor. His primary physician might just call in an antibiotic prescription for him. He should start taking them within 24 hours of the bite.

Re: CAT PROBLEM

Kachina624 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 18:55:56 GMT

Please insist your friend see a doctor. When I got bitten by a cat, at the ER I was told there is a 100% chance of infection without treatment. Heavens knows what this animal has had in its mouth. They also give a tetanus shot for cat bites. Absolutely call animal control... don't you know rabies is 100% fatal? Do you think it's worth taking a chance?