Cat versus Hardware Cloth!

[K0k0shka]

Well kitty is going to the pound, I’ve had enough. He tried to follow me inside this morning and my own cat, Willow, had an episode of redirected aggression on my foot as I was trying to slip inside. I’m currently in a doctor’s waiting room. So, super fun morning and my coworkers are having to deal with a busy day without me there.

Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. Yes, definitely time for him to go find better owners. We had this problem at our previous house, which had french doors opening out to the back yard. A neighbor refused to keep his unneutered male cat inside and the cat would throw himself at the glass doors at our spayed indoor female cat, yowling that piercing cat fight yowl and banging his whole body against the glass (it's a surprisingly loud sound, especially in the middle of the night!) And our poor cat was always on edge and agitated, yowling and throwing herself at the glass, too. Our bedroom was on the same floor and it was hard to sleep at night. We put heavy curtains on the glass doors, but our cat would just push through them to look out. We tried spraying deterrent on the outside of the door. Running out and chasing the other cat away. Nothing helped. Ultimately it wasn't our responsibility to have to bend over backwards to deal with this problem cat. Lucky for us, we moved soon after, but if we'd stayed longer, I would've had to trap that cat. This is completely unacceptable, and if the owner refuses to solve the problem, then nobody can blame you for taking charge yourself.

 

[Tervuren]

Thought I type out an update. My mom was kind enough to drive me and Mister Orange Tabby to the shelter, since my right foot was too tender for driving. He wasn't super thrilled about being in a kennel for the car ride, but wasn't aggressive about it. He did not have a chip, and the ladies at the shelter cooed over him. I've been checking the website and he still has not been picked up, and should go up for adoption on Monday. If you're in Idaho and looking for an overly friendly kitty go pick him up!

In terms of my cat bite, the doctor took it pretty seriously. I got 10 days of antibiotics, and 3 days off work (I'm on my feet all day, and he wanted me to have my foot elevated to improve blood flow). Just to tie this into chickens; cat bites carry a TON of bacteria, so if your poultry are ever attacked by cat, you will need to treat with antibiotics to prevent infection. Cats carry a bunch of gross bacteria in their mouths. Even though they're our cuddly companions, they can very much harm us and other animals.

Editing to add photos of Mister Orange Tabby at the shelter and my kitty, Willow, who redirected onto me. Got to fulfill the cat tax!

 

[K0k0shka]

Thought I type out an update. My mom was kind enough to drive me and Mister Orange Tabby to the shelter, since my right foot was too tender for driving. He wasn't super thrilled about being in a kennel for the car ride, but wasn't aggressive about it. He did not have a chip, and the ladies at the shelter cooed over him. I've been checking the website and he still has not been picked up, and should go up for adoption on Monday. If you're in Idaho and looking for an overly friendly kitty go pick him up!

In terms of my cat bite, the doctor took it pretty seriously. I got 10 days of antibiotics, and 3 days off work (I'm on my feet all day, and he wanted me to have my foot elevated to improve blood flow). Just to tie this into chickens; cat bites carry a TON of bacteria, so if your poultry are ever attacked by cat, you will need to treat with antibiotics to prevent infection. Cats carry a bunch of gross bacteria in their mouths. Even though they're our cuddly companions, they can very much harm us and other animals.

Editing to add photos of Mister Orange Tabby at the shelter and my kitty, Willow, who redirected onto me. Got to fulfill the cat tax!

I’m glad that you are being taken care of, and that the friendly kitty will get a chance at a better owner! Both of them are adorable.

Cats’ mouths are full of bacteria, but not much worse than other animals. Human mouths are a lot worse when it comes to bacteria actually! What makes cat mouths especially dangerous is their teeth. Unlike dog teeth (even on dogs the size of a cat), cat teeth are narrow, pointy and very sharp. They pierce and drive the bacteria very deep. Dog teeth are meant to crush rather than pierce, so dog bites aren’t as deep. The wound is harder to clean out if the puncture is narrow and deep, so it’s more likely that some bacteria will remain and will cause an infection. So yes, cat bites are more dangerous than other animal bites, but it’s because of their teeth, not the bacterial load.

 

[Folly's place]

Part of the problem with cat bites is that some cats carry Bartonella, a very serious bacteria that can cause major issues.
I've had nasty bite infections twice from cat bites, once involving a hospital stay for IV antibiotics. Not so fun!
Glad you went right in for help, and realize that your cat will do this again, given the right circumstances.
Mary