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VERY bad afternoon..DO NOT EVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN

7K views 75 replies 34 participants last post by  MineAreWorkingline 
#1 · (Edited)
We were discussing this earlier today on another thread and it's not something I have ever experienced, nor is it something I ever want to experience again. I am still in shock.

A couple hours ago I sat down after cleaning all day. Thunder the cat that thinks he can take any dog decided to come all the way down stairs. Apollo got a little rough so I was separating them when I hear a gate come down and Brennan(the youngest golden) makes a beeline for the cat. Brennan is almost 4 and does not have a mean bone in his body, or so I thought until today.. He is an obedient dog, gentle as can be. Furniture is flying and Apollo tries grabbing the cat from Brennan. I get Apollo outside and try to get Brennan to release the cat. I couldn't pry his jaws open, I was squirting water in his face, holding his jaws open, I even smacked him in the head--nothing worked. The cat went limp and I started praying. It took about 6 minutes for Brennan to let go a little bit to get a better grip. I took that opportunity to open his jaws all the way and literally pick him up and throw him in the laundry room. The cat was in a ball and was having trouble breathing at first. I grabbed a towel, threw him in the car and called the vet to let them know I was on the way. I was positive he was dead. He meowed a couple times in the car, I kept telling him hang on(talked to him the whole way and I prayed all the way to the vet. They got me in a room immediately and I got to check him, no blood, no puncture marks. I, on the otherhand am completely scratched and bit up. The vet was more concerned with me. Thunder was giving kisses and purring, I'm thinking this is just crazy. They took xrays--no punctures, no broken ribs or bones, breathing(lungs) clear. I do not know how, this is a miracle.

We are back home and thankfully the cat is fine but I'm not happy with Brennan. The vet thought it was odd and I am bringing Brennsn in for a full check up and blood work. I will never trust him around the cats again. I never expected this, especially from him. He is such a happy pup, loves everything. So it can happen, with any dog, do not let your guard down EVER.

I will let all of this soak in, the house looked like a war zone when I came home. There was blood everywhere and it was all mine, unbelievable. I will see what happens at the vet with Brennan. This is just mind blowing...
 
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#7 ·
Thank you to everyone.

I am quite sore and I have bited and scratches everyehere. If it ain't burning, it's throbbing. I have washed all wounds and started on antibiotics. They gave Thunder pain meds because he will probably be bruised and sore. I have pain meds but I can't take them tonite because I have to watch Thunder.

I will heal and I'm very thankful that Thunder is ok. I would never forgive myself if he wasn't. His life is worth way more then my body being sore.

I do want to thank my three dogs(Misty, Tannor and Robyn) for not jumping in and actually showing concern. Add Midnite to the bunch for when we came home, they were all very concerned with Thunder and kinda looked at Brennan like WTH.
 
#6 ·
so glad the cat is OK....sorry you got bitten!!!! The worst cat killer I have ever known of was a male Golden....he killed several and his owner just shrugged it off.....Hope you get it all figured out and Thunder has learned some caution and boundaries.


Lee
 
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#8 ·
I take this VERY seriously, it will not be shrugged off. I will do everything I can to keep all animals safe.

I do not think Thunder will learn from this, he is just very stubborn and independent. I will most likely have to close the door of the cat room to keep him safe.
 
#9 ·
Glad the cat and you will be fine. Poor little Brennan probably just got wrapped up in the chase and didn't even realize what he was doing. Probably triggered by Apollo and decided he wanted the cat himself. Was the cat running when he grabbed him. My dogs I know will chase the cat but only if the cat runs. If the cat walks casually they ignore it.
 
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#10 ·
I would normally agree but the cat wasn't really running. He made a deliberate calculated beeline for the cat. He has knocked that gate down maybe twice when he was excited before. This was intentional and not something that would be normal behavior for him. He has been around the same cats since he was a puppy. He has never showed any signs of this. He has slept with the cats and even played nicely with them.

This was just very strange.
 
#11 ·
How scary, I'm glad Thunder is ok Take care of those wounds. I just kept imaging that more dogs jumped in as I was reading. I'm glad the rest maintained.
 
#12 ·
But if Apollo had the cat could that have been enough to make him want it? do they jockey for tugs, ropes, toys at all. Sometimes with mine if there are 3 ropes laying on the floor only one is worth having and they will sit and watch until whoever has it releases or forgets they have it then one will jet in to grab it and run away.
 
#16 ·
Apollo and Brennan never play together. They are to close in age and I don't take a chance. They visit each other through the gate, but they each have their own outside time. Brennan is way to jumpy for Apollo. Oddly enough Apollo end up letting Brennan have the cat, it was much easier getting Apollo away from the cat.
 
#14 ·
Well, that must've been a harrowing experience. Glad everyone is ok, mostly. One of my earliest memories is trying to get our dog to accept a kitten. The dog attacked the kitten and my sister yelled at me for trying. I think I was 5 or 6. Try not to hold it against the dog. Dogs are dogs, sometimes they are fine with cats, and sometimes they just aren't.
 
#15 ·
Dogs will feed off of each other. Please be careful.

Maybe Thunder needs a little more attention. I don't have to tell you that cats need a lot of affection. You already know that. :)

Maybe you can confine Brennan to a room or crate so Thunder can be out and about a little more. I think Thunder is trying to tell you something.
 
#17 ·
I agree. Thunder is a very independent cat, he might be mellowing out in old age and now he is looking for attention. The cats have the whole upstairs, I will just make a point of giving Thunder more time. He is my little buddy.
 
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#20 ·
I'm going to have to. In four years this is maybe the third time he did this(knock the gate down) I can just shut the door for now if I have too. Me and him are not on speaking terms right now, he is very lucky he did not kill the cat. When I came home from the vet, I went in there with him to make sure the cat didn't scratch of bite him and he was his happy self.
 
#22 · (Edited)
I'm in alot of pain. My shoulders are hurting from trying to open his mouth and then I picked him up like a bag of pototes. Mostly everything is scratches and some bruising alreadylike on both arms and my legs. There are like three bites, which I think are from the cat. I just put some vetericyn on it, but I can't wrap the worse bite tight because I got bites on the other hand. My next move is ice.
 
#25 ·
This is what pack behavior can lead to. In a large group you only need a small trigger like your gutsy cat, to set off the entire group. It is like with gangs; you meet them as one indivisual and nothing happens. You put them all together in a group and you get trouble.
 
#26 ·
I'm just thankful the rest of the dogs stood back and gave me room to help the cat and no one else jumped anyone. I'm even more impressed how concerned they are about Thunder. They all stood by the gate to the bathroom and I let each one go in and smell him through the carrier. Midnite is the one with this love hate relationship and he sat their crying until he got his turn. When my other cat died last year it was Midnite that alerted me and brought me to the cat. I was in shock back then too. I sat there staring at the cat and Midnite was nosing him and nosing my hand like he was telling me to snap out of it.
 
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#32 ·
So very sorry this happened! I'd be willing to bet that you are beating yourself up over this, but don't, things happen to all of us sometimes that we can't forsee. Thank goodness you were there and able to deal with the situation immediately. I hope you heal quickly and feel better soon!
 
#34 ·
I'm still in shock, the beating up of myself hasn't started yet. I of all people should have been more careful and I'm already pretty careful.

I pray that nothing is wrong with Brennan, even though that would better explain what I witnessed. I thank thd man above for giving me calmness in a very scary situation and guiding me along in order to save Thunder. Most of all I'm thankful that Thunder is alive--I can't stress this enough.

This is a wake up call. I hope that anyone that reads this thread, whether they are a new dog owner or an experienced dog owner understands what can happen in a blink of an eye. Always stay proactive. Don't ever think it can't happen to you and it doesn't matter how gentle or obedient a dog is. They are dogs, they have teeth.
 
#33 ·
I think I would still have a doctor look at those bites. A friend of mine had to have surgery earlier this year due to a bite from her cat. Her hand swelled to triple its normal size after starting antibiotics.

 
#35 ·
I'm watching them carefully. I've had many bites over the years-cats and dogs. This isn't the worse bite, not even close, but where it's at makes it more painful. I promise that if I notice anything I will go to the doctor.
 
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#36 ·
My dogs are fine with my cats, I always say the Bengal, Giza, is actually Csabre's cat...she sleeps beside her, follows her around, will even go in the kennel with her. But every so often when Giza is crossing the room, even Csabre (at 13+!!) will take a few pouncing steps towards her....


just be sure to clean the bites very very very well....I keep betadine scrub/solution on hand for bites....forget peroxide, betadine is the real deal.....I used to have a nasty Bengal x Occicat cross, I swear he was only an F3 at most because he would sit there and let you pet him, then sink his teeth in you with no warning....I learned that bites and scratches will easily get infected and the only way to avoid it was a couple of good applications of betadine.


How is Thunder today??? Still ok??? Let us know what vet says about Brennen.....


Lee
 
#39 ·
I'm sorry your going through this llombardo. Glad Thunder is ok. That is surprising that Brennan was the aggressor. I have had two dogs who were aggressive with cats. I think the combination of Apollo and Brennan together causes an increase in the prey drive. Had a very bad outcome when Daisy and Lucky made through our garage door after a stray. Its the combination of two dogs and one becomes the victor and then doesn't give up.
 
#40 ·
Thunder is doing well. I kept him in the carrier in the bathroom over night and checked him ever hour. I put him in the cat room this morning, with the door shut and locked. I gave him his pain meds and of course I got a couple more scratches out of the deal.
 
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