HELP! Cat attacked our yorkie

[Jbj23]

Thank you for all the messages. Yes we are new to yorkies but it took us about 1 hour to fall for him. Our family, which includes myself, my husband and three kids, ages 11, 9 & 7 LOVE him to pieces. Our collie, LOVES Joey too. They because fast BFF's.

Joey, had been left gated in our kitchen while we were gone at my sons basketball tournament. He is usually kenneled but I knew this would be longer than he could hold it and I wanted him to have his potty pad.

We came home and found him upstairs (he had escaped from the kitchen, which he has never done). My daughter carried him down stairs. I hadn't noticed the blood right away on his neck but he was really out of it and whimpering. When I noticed the blood on his neck and the puncture wounds, I knew the cat had gotten him. The ER vet said that Joey must have passed out and the cat let go.... It was horrible. I felt like I failed Joey. Can't even imagine how scary that was for him. He is such a lover.

The cat has not been near Joey since. Yes, the cat has been part of our family longer but he has crossed the line. Jasper, our cat, will be going to a new home tomorrow (one with out small dogs). Our family is so sad, my kids are devastated as we all LOVE our cat. But we will not have a cat in the house that puts our yorkie at danger.

I sincerely appreciate all your posts. I am new to yorkietalk and it feels so good to have gotten so many honest responses so quickly. THANK YOU.

I hope my next posts are not so dramatic. This picture is of our three year old collie, Finley and her new BFF, Joey (4 months old)

[Jbj23]

Forgot to update on Joey's condition. His puncture wounds are healing well, he is antibiotics for infection purposes. He is acting normal today for the first time and yesterday he finally made his little noises again. The follow up appt. yesterday went great, vet sees no reason he won't make a full recovery.

for people asking about our cat- He has never been outside, always been an indoor cat......

[Cherie6446]

You just never know with cats and dogs. I had two cats when I got Gina. My hunting cat never paid any attention to her but my playful boy cat wanted to play with Gina all the time. One day out in the yard the boy cat grabbed Gina with all fours and started doing the two back legged dig to her tummy. I yelled at him and swatted his behind and he let go. No harm was done but I never trusted him with her again. Luckily, that was the only bad experience I had. I agree with others here - one of them needs to be rehomed. So sad.

[SirTeddykins]

I, for one, disagree that one pet needs to be rehomed. There are cat trainers out there who can teach you to train your cat so that attention is not on the dog. I think people underestimate the ability of a cat to learn correct behavior. If you can't be bothered with cat training, can't afford it or genuinely are not interested in training the cat, then re-home it. However, cats are affectionate and love humans just as much as dogs do. Therefore, it seems a shame just to give up on a beloved pet out of desperation when there are potentially different options.

Glad to learn that Joey is ok, though. That must have been a very stressful experience.

[ironmike86]

I disagree. When a cat see prey you can't retrain that. Behavior problems yes. But not instinct.

[gdaly]

Originally Posted by SirTeddykins

I, for one, disagree that one pet needs to be rehomed. There are cat trainers out there who can teach you to train your cat so that attention is not on the dog. I think people underestimate the ability of a cat to learn correct behavior. If you can't be bothered with cat training, can't afford it or genuinely are not interested in training the cat, then re-home it. However, cats are affectionate and love humans just as much as dogs do. Therefore, it seems a shame just to give up on a beloved pet out of desperation when there are potentially different options.

Glad to learn that Joey is ok, though. That must have been a very stressful experience.

I agree I couldn't just give up my cat that easily. I would look into finding a trainer. But I'm glad you found a home for your cat and the puppy is doing better.

[matese]

That is a beautiful picture of Finley and Joey, Mutt & Jeff lol, so very cute together.

[Jbj23]

Just to be clear, not trying to sound bitchy either, but we are not "just giving up our cat that easily..." This has been a horrible 4 days and I am sickened by the events that have taken place. Sickened that I need to make a decision between two pets who I love completely and so so saddened by our decision. I LOVE our cat. My kids LOVE our cat. We have cried for 4 days..... and our hearts are broken. It is one thing to try to train a cat and if it we have slips, no big deal. If our cat "slips" our 4 pound helpless yorkie will be killed. No one saw what we did and saw the poor shape that Joey was in.... I completely understand everyone has an opinion and I truly appreciate each one. I just want everyone to be clear that this has been a horrible incident and a horrible decision to have to make. I hope none of you are faced with that.

Thanks for the support and your advice & opinions. I really appreciate all of it. I hope my next post is much less intense. Like maybe some grooming questions. . . I have ordered several brushes and combs already . . . Thanks again.

[lisaly]

I'm sorry you are faced with such a heartbreaking decisions. I honestly don't know enough about cat behavior to comment whether they can safely stay together in the same home. I understand your need to protect Joey, though. I hope Jasper finds happiness in his new home. Finley and Joey are both beautiful, and they look so cute together. All of my Yorkies through the years quickly stole my heart. I had two collies as a teenager, and they are also very special dogs.

[gemy]

I am so happy to hear that Joey is doing well - but I am very sorry you needed to re-home your cat. I owned a Maine Coone through 4 sets of puppies over the years - one a Yorkie - but he was an indoor cat - and very kind and calm.


I never allowed either one to play a game of chase with each other - and puppies will always want to chase the cat...lol But I do agree cats are much more close to feral than dogs and for me I could never have allowed the cat n puppy together again.


I am so sorry such a hard decision you needed to make. I hope that your cat thrives in their new home!

[MauiGirl]

I am sorry that you had to rehome your cat, but honestly, I think I would have made the same choice in this type of situation. You would never forgive yourself if there was another attack on Joey, and I don't know how you could ever trust the cat after this.

Joey is adorable, and I am so happy he is recovering. Good that you are looking out for him, even when it is difficult.

[LunarBerry]

I think rehoming is the right thing to do. If it was a minor thing like a little scratch or scuffle that's one thing, but like you've said, another slip could mean the yorkie baby's death. I wouldn't dare risk it and at least you're doing the responsible thing and finding another good home for the kitty. That poor sweet baby I'm glad to hear he's doing better ; ;

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Jbj23

Just to be clear, not trying to sound bitchy either, but we are not "just giving up our cat that easily..." This has been a horrible 4 days and I am sickened by the events that have taken place. Sickened that I need to make a decision between two pets who I love completely and so so saddened by our decision. I LOVE our cat. My kids LOVE our cat. We have cried for 4 days..... and our hearts are broken. It is one thing to try to train a cat and if it we have slips, no big deal. If our cat "slips" our 4 pound helpless yorkie will be killed. No one saw what we did and saw the poor shape that Joey was in.... I completely understand everyone has an opinion and I truly appreciate each one. I just want everyone to be clear that this has been a horrible incident and a horrible decision to have to make. I hope none of you are faced with that.

Thanks for the support and your advice & opinions. I really appreciate all of it. I hope my next post is much less intense. Like maybe some grooming questions. . . I have ordered several brushes and combs already . . . Thanks again.

The bottom line is , worse case scenerio, cat sees a trainer, gets "trained", you are gone one day, pup gets loose again and prey drive in cat kicks in and you come home to find your Yorkie dead. I can appreciate people having love for a cat (not a condition I am afflicted with since I was attacked by a rabid cat when I was 2 years old!) but you have no reason to feel guilty about your decision. One of them has to go, or they must not ever be allowed to cross paths again. You love your cat, but you have to do what is best for both animals....you have found a wonderful home for the cat.....and your Yorkie will be safe. There are some life lessons we do not get a do over....the first encounter/event is a tragic one. You do not want to risk your Yorkie again....you are fortunate you didnt loose your Yorkie....dont tempt fate again now that you are fully aware of the issue at hand.....I think they call that little game "Russian Roulette".

[matese]

Being a big animal lover I know the decision to re-home the cat had to be horrific, especially since you had kitty longer, and there are children's emotions involved. I have to agree with others, keep the kitty and
"what if"!!!! To big of a chance to take. You made the right decision, as I see it, the only decision for the safety of the puppy, and a happy contented life for kitty. (((HUGS)))

[gdaly]

Originally Posted by Jbj23

Just to be clear, not trying to sound bitchy either, but we are not "just giving up our cat that easily..." This has been a horrible 4 days and I am sickened by the events that have taken place. Sickened that I need to make a decision between two pets who I love completely and so so saddened by our decision. I LOVE our cat. My kids LOVE our cat. We have cried for 4 days..... and our hearts are broken. It is one thing to try to train a cat and if it we have slips, no big deal. If our cat "slips" our 4 pound helpless yorkie will be killed. No one saw what we did and saw the poor shape that Joey was in.... I completely understand everyone has an opinion and I truly appreciate each one. I just want everyone to be clear that this has been a horrible incident and a horrible decision to have to make. I hope none of you are faced with that.

Thanks for the support and your advice & opinions. I really appreciate all of it. I hope my next post is much less intense. Like maybe some grooming questions. . . I have ordered several brushes and combs already . . . Thanks again.

I'm sorry that I made you feel that way. I'm sure it was a very hard decision to make. I'm happy that you were able to find a new home for your cat and your puppy is making a recovery.