Sick Cat question & Cat attack

[Mischief007]

When I arrived at my parent's place on Saturday, I couldn't find our cat. My mom told me she was hiding in the basement underneath the bed. She was puking all day already that day and all day Friday as well. Before that she was outside. Also our cat never strays outside our property.

For some reason our cat also knows that it is wrong to throw up so that's why I think she went into hiding.

Anyways. My mom says she may have been poisoned or something to that effect. When I kept checking with our cat on an hourly basis, she was definitely more relaxed (was purring) and leaned on my hand when I put my hand beside her. She also looked up at me and looked like she was better. Since then though I haven't talked to my mom, so I don't know how she is now but I assume better.

What could have caused this?? Fear or was she really poisoned by something. My dad does have a lot of construction crap in the backyard. Who knows, but I was just curious.

Second question; Can you call Animal Control when someone elses cat jumps onto a small child (as in attack)?

[Lesley]

It's very possible she got into something she shouldn't have but don't count on her not having left the yard. Cats do tend to wander, it's their nature. That aside, she's hiding because she's sick, not because she's feeling guilty. Again, that's pretty normal cat behaviour. If they're really upset about something (a vet visit or moving to a new home etc) or if they're ill they will find a place to hide until they're over it. When a pet is vomiting for an extended period a vet visit is a good idea, she could at the very least end up dehydrated. If she's eating and drinking ok and using her box then she will probably be ok, it's likely she's over the worst of it.

You can call animal control but before doing so I'd find out what happened. Small children can be very hard on cats and unless it's been provoked a cat isn't likely to attack anyone, they'll usually run in the opposite direction. If the child cornered the cat or hurt it that may be the reason it attacked. This is a case where you have to look at the big picture, was the child being supervised while with the cat, was the cat backed into a corner and panicked etc etc. For the most part healthy, well adjusted dogs and cats will avoid or endeavor to escape from situations before attacking. Sorry to be long winded but I've had cats for years, with kids around and the only time anything happened is when my son and his friend were taking turns dropping one of our cats on each other's backs and ended up getting scratched. I considered it to be a good lesson in what not to do. Small children MUST be supervised around pets at all times, even family pets. Toddlers and preschoolers don't have a lot of common sense where animals are concerned which is why they get bitten and scratched. Unless the cat in question was sick or injured I just can't see it spontaneously attacking anyone.

[Cat person]

I've also had cats for years and never, ever saw a cat attack a person for no reason. The only times I have seen them attack is when they were provoked. Cats are NOT toys for children to play with! :)

[reiver]

Two good reasons to keep your cat indoors.

As for your animal control question, if the cat's scratch or bite breaks the child's skin, you must report the incident to your local Health Unit, Animal Control should have the number if you can't find it. If it's known where the cat lives it will be quarantined for 10 days to clear any suspicion of rabies. If the cat is a stray then attempts will have to be made to catch it. If the cat can't be caught, then the child is going to endure the painful experience of rabies shots.

Hopefully this is a hypothetical question, if it isn't then get your ass in gear, this is not something to fool with.

[Mischief007]

The cat attacking actually happened to my sister last week. My mom didn't seem too alarmed so I'm guessing no scratches or bite marks. My sister has been bitten by our cat OFTEN though but she's had her shots and all. There's not much I can do because I'm in Kitchener and they are in London. I'll check this weekend to see exactly what happened. My mom has a tendency to not tell the truth but I thought I'd ask since I haven't had cats all the time and don't know how they behave at all times.

[Fezzik]

I've also had cats for years and never, ever saw a cat attack a person for no reason. ...SNIP
Obviously, you've never met my cat!

Fezz

[Mouse]

It's obviously after your top-knot. :)

[Mischief007]

As an update. I was in London today for my doctor's appointment. Well she's really sick now. She felt better after my mom took her to the vet on Tuesday. She started acting normal and was a bit dehydrated. Nothing the vet couldn't fix. Well today she had a stuffy nose and the house looked like someone was murdered. A lot of blood. When I left today, my mom took her to the vet and they started testing her blood since the vet didn't know why there was so much blood. She also started vomitting on the way there. She's still a young kitten but she's had a really rough week. I'll know more by either today or tomorrow when I go back to London. Vet thinks her blood is infected because of the bite she had 2 months ago.

That's if you folks are interested and I know there are animal lovers on here.

[Cat person]

Please let us know how she is! I hope all is well and she's better soon. :)

[Lesley]

Has she been spayed (fixed)? If she's around 6 months old she could be in heat. I've never lived through it with any of my female cats but I understand it can get messy. I hope it's as simple as that. Poor girl, it's hard for them to be sick, they don't always understand when whe're trying to help.



As an update. I was in London today for my doctor's appointment. Well she's really sick now. She felt better after my mom took her to the vet on Tuesday. She started acting normal and was a bit dehydrated. Nothing the vet couldn't fix. Well today she had a stuffy nose and the house looked like someone was murdered. A lot of blood. When I left today, my mom took her to the vet and they started testing her blood since the vet didn't know why there was so much blood. She also started vomitting on the way there. She's still a young kitten but she's had a really rough week. I'll know more by either today or tomorrow when I go back to London. Vet thinks her blood is infected because of the bite she had 2 months ago.

That's if you folks are interested and I know there are animal lovers on here.

[Mischief007]

She's definitely fixed. First thing that was done. She's over a year old now.

When my mom tried to put here into the travelling case, she tried to run away, her mouth was open because she couldn't breathe through her nose. Another 12 hours and I'll find out for sure what it is. My parents are leaving for Europe on the 7th, so the vet is trying his best. Good doctor.

[Lesley]

A lot of cats have a hard time with a carrier. If we're just taking one to the vet we put a harness and leash on her and one of us will hold her. Always a risk of getting scratched of course but the option of crawling up under a sweater and yowling seems to help.

I hope it all works out well. Thanks for the updates

[Mischief007]

Well turns out it was rat poison. She's getting Vitamin K and water right now on a regular basis. The vet will keep her for the weekend. She's a lot less stressed out now and the blood flow is gone. He's also keeping out on blod clots just in case since you never know what the potency of rat poison is these days. Her bite wound from some time showed that it opened up a bit but in general she looks like she is getting better. One thing that disturbed is when the vet said that this can persist for up to one month with medication before it is totally gone.

[Mouse]

Your Mom is not on Coumadin, is she???

It's Warfarin-based, which is rat poison.

[Mischief007]

Coumadin??

[Mouse]

It's a blood thinner.

[Lesley]

Interesting. I'm glad you finally found out what the problem was. It warms my heart to know there are people will go to the wall to help their cats.

[Mischief007]

MouseMeat, we are talking about our cat here and not our mom.

Well Lesley, she is still a young and very playful kitten and doesn't deserve being poisoned. Doctor thinks she touched or grabbed a dead mouse. Imagine if a child did that. Some people who use rat poison really don't care about anything else. As much as you said that cats wonder, she doesn't. She does stay in our immediate area. I think she's too scared to go anywhere else. Our rabbit is the same way. Stays inside our property and doesn't go out of it. Our animals seem to pick up our smarts.

[Dr.Dan]

MouseMeat, we are talking about our cat here and not our mom.
I think he might have meant that your mom, if she takes anything like this, may have lost a pill and the cat found it... on the floor.... and eat it.

It's just another possibility.

I know people put out rat poison around the house to keep mice away from getting into the house... and any animal (mouse, squirrel, racoon, etc) can and will eat it. :(

[Lesley]

That's what I was thinking too. I've dropped pills and scrambled around to find them because when the cats hear them hit the ground it's a race to see who can get there first.



I think he might have meant that your mom, if she takes anything like this, may have lost a pill and the cat found it... on the floor.... and eat it.

It's just another possibility.

I know people put out rat poison around the house to keep mice away from getting into the house... and any animal (mouse, squirrel, racoon, etc) can and will eat it. :(

[Mischief007]

Then I misunderstood. In that case no, we don't have any type of medication that would do that.

[Lesley]

She's on the mend, that's the most important thing now. You'll have to post a pic for us Mischief007, we love cat pictures.

[Mischief007]

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/7240/luna12zg.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna12zg.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9517/luna20gd.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna20gd.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/7933/luna36jq.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna36jq.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9772/luna40sc.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna40sc.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1918/luna58wh.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna58wh.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/4562/luna60xp.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna60xp.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2447/luna77qy.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna77qy.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2773/luna82lm.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna82lm.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5239/luna91ro.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna91ro.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5479/luna107pr.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna107pr.jpg)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/7421/luna117pd.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luna117pd.jpg)

[Mouse]

I guess that's why you call yourself Doctor, Dr. :)

[Cat person]

She's a lovely cat! :)

[Lesley]

She's beautiful, thanks for the pics Mischief

[Mischief007]

You're welcom. Once I know more info on her status, I'll definitely pass it on.

[Mischief007]

I got an email from my brother. Luna (our cat) is home again after being at the vet for 3-4 days. She still won't eat or drink (she's a lot thinner than before) but is much happier to be home. My sister is forcing her to eat which tells me that she must have bitten a rat or something which scared her from eating and drinking. My sister is also administering shots to the back of her neck which I suppose is the medication to fight the rat poison and blood clotting.

[Lesley]

I'm glad to hear she's home and doing better. Did the vet say anything about her not drinking? It would be good to know if she was drinking or eating at the vets.

I have to pill one of our cats every day, that's difficult enough some days. I can't imagine giving any of them shots.

[Mischief007]

He was force feeding her when I talked to the vet last Saturday. So I'm assuming my sister is goind the same until the cat can get her confidence back that not all food is poisonous.

[Mischief007]

She started eating on her own yesterday. Little but at least she is starting to eat on her own.

[Dr.Dan]

That's a great sign Mischief :xcc:

[Cat person]

Sounds like she's on the mend now! :)

[Mischief007]

Looks like she is starting to come around. I might go down to London on Tuesday, my day off, and see how she is doing.

[Mischief007]

She's much more playful now. She's eating but she is very thin and very light before she was sick. But it looks like she is getting her weight back.

[Cat person]

It'll probably take awhile before she's back to normal as far as weight goes, mine took about a month after his last illness. Glad she's getting better and hope she has enough sense not to eat rat poison again. :)

[Mischief007]

She already has escaped the house on numberous occasions. Looks like it didn't even phase her. She's still sneezing though.

[Lesley]

One of our cats sneezes a fair bit, maybe she's got allergies. I'm really happy to hear she's up and about and bouncing around like the healthy young cat she is. :)

[Mischief007]

She's even better now when I was in London today. Much more playful and it looks as though it is almost over for her medication. She's getting her weight back as well.

[reiver]

I know people put out rat poison around the house to keep mice away from getting into the house... and any animal (mouse, squirrel, racoon, etc) can and will eat it. :(

Unfortunately, people also put rat poison out to "take care" of troublesome cats in their neighbourhood. Anyone one with an outdoor cat should take care...

[Mischief007]

^ Our cat is not troublesome. She's already been attacked by another cat.

She's fixed and just wants to go outside. Can't blame her for being locked up all the time. There is a cat in our neighbourhood that is troublesome though.

You never know how humans will react.

[Lesley]

A cat belonging to the niece of a friend has just gone through this, someone poisoned him. I saw him on Friday after $1000 of treatment at the local animal hospital. He's a beautiful orange tabby. He's one the road to recovery now but it was touch and go for the first few days. Apparently someone in their condo complex poisoned a dog as well and it died. There are some seriously sick people out there. Just to save some negative typing, the cat got out by accident and the dog was on a rope but someone cut it and let him go. Even the most cautious pet owners run into problems no matter how careful they are.

[Mischief007]

Yep. Ours is recovering very well. She's back to her old self again :).

[Yogi]

There are some seriously sick people out there.
Yep, and may they all be served with a healthy dose of arsenic with a tuna sandwich at some point in their "life" :mad:

[Cat person]

Yep, and may they all be served with a healthy dose of arsenic with a tuna sandwich at some point in their "life" :mad:

Even when the law catches those responsible the judges let them off too easy. If I had my way these "people" would have the same done to them as they did to the poor animals. My cat never, ever goes outside without his collar and leash on and me at his side.

Glad your cat is better Mischief! :)