Cat attack help

[matese]

So the mighty hunter went out on the deck and found a young kitten hiding under the covered swing and attacked it. Thank GOD he is trained to LEAVE IT after screaming to the top of my lungs numerous times. I checked his face / eyes immediately, there is a tiny scratch near the corner of the lower eye lid, thank you GOD his eye didn't get scratched. Just a little blood from a small scratch. These are feral cats, they roam the woods, kill, eat whatever. I called my vet, of course you never get to speak to the vet. The receptionist couldn't get a tech to tell me what to put on the scratch, they were all busy but will call me when one is free.
My concern is infection setting in while I wait for this call. I cleaned it with just water, it's to close to his eye to use soap. I don't have Bacitracin in the house because I use a prescription antibiotic for cuts, I don't know if Bacitracin is safe for dogs especially so close to the eye.

Can anyone suggest something I can use until I get this call back which could take hours.

[Bluebells]

Flush the wound out well with saline solution if you have it. If you don’t have saline solution, flush with water.

I think betadine is also safe, but around the eyes I would dilute it rather than using full strength.

[Bluebells]

I found this on google

https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2015/05/f...-wound-as.html

[matese]

Originally Posted by Bluebells

I found this on google

https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2015/05/f...-wound-as.html

Thanks for this link, now it's off to the pharmacy for Betadine.
Don't ya know, just 10 minutes ago, we're back on the deck, my deck is two sections that can be gated, where he got the kitten I had gated. My back was turned away, I hear this ruckus, the killer wants more action, before I could reach him he got that gate open and was off like a crazed animal, it was the momma cat, big cat, not afraid of ppl, she and I have had our go arounds. Thankfully she leaped over the railing then sat on a stone glaring at Cody in a teasing way.

Now he will stay inside until I check both decks for cats and frogs. Off to the pharmacy I go.
In all the years I have had dogs I never had one that got into a cat fight, or any fight for that matter.

Thank you again

[nanajoy]

We have a huge feral cat population here. Lots of reasons, including snowbirds who have a "pet", then abandon it when it is time to return north. Infuriating! My next door neighbor had a yorkie that he would let roam in their yard while they were gardening and she was badly injured by a feral cat years ago. He called the animal warden, who came and trapped her. Two days later I was left raising her litter of four tiny babies who stumbled out of a bush by my side window, lol.

So glad that Cody wasn't seriously injured!

[matese]

Well I'll tell ya, all this battling was taking place under a covered swing, I didn't know what he had, I heard weird animal noises while I was trying to pull the cover up to see what animal he had, screaming all the time to LEAVE IT, my heart racing like a locomotive. There's a 5 inch space between that deck and the house, I see a kitten maybe 3, 4 months old wedged on it's back between the house and deck, front paws, nails out swatting at Cody's face. I screamed his name, the entire community must have heard me, that scream got his attention and I got him to the other deck and closed the gate. Yes, it could have been really bad, he could have lost an eye, that scratch was a millimeter from his eye. Training to "leave it" is sooooo important. This is the 2nd animal he has gotten. Towards the end of winter in the evening he caught a possum on the deck again screaming "leave it" finally getting his attention. This dog is going to give me a heart attack lol. Catching these animals and not being able to kill them has driven his prey drive sky high. The vet tech called back just as I was about to leave, she said just clean it with soap and water, use nothing else. That was a battle lol. Every hour I have been checking that eye.

I can't get the vision of that poor kitten out of my mind.

[Bluebells]

How is Cody?

And ... I hate to ask ... but do you know whether the poor kitten survived the attack?

[matese]

Thank you for asking.

Cody is good, the tech called as I was just about to leave for the pharmacy, she said just wash the wound with soap and water which I did but I am still watching that eye.

I didn't see the fight, only heard it, I am sure Cody never got close enough to bite it. That poor kitten was horrified, I never saw a cat with eyes as big as this poor kitty had. As soon as I got Cody to COME, I checked his face, I never saw how that kitten got off the deck but it was gone. This past week I have seen this one and one the same color but a bit bigger at the front of my house close to my bird feeders. I hope this kitty's experience keeps it off my deck, my dog came to close to losing an eye.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Just saw this thread. So GLAD little Cody is okay. There is no horror as awful as hearing your tiny terrier snarling/growling/fighting away and you don't know what he's cornered or how horribly he's injured, which of course, you imagine is everything from eyeballs scratched out to huge, tearing bites/lacerations all over that precious little face or even worse. Your mind just goes wild with terrors until you get them up and examine those eyes with lights and magnifying glasses, part every hair on their body looking for any type perforation, scratch or injury to even opening their mouths to see what killer damage has taken place in there!

All kidding aside, we all know where your mind went until you discovered little Cody was fine, thank the Lord! Thankfully, you finally got him to "leave it" as trained. That's impressive. Even the best-trained toy terrier is hard to get through to in the heat of battle as your words just don't get through all that focused prey-drive for ages. Sadly, we've all been there or we will be on more than one occasion due to the fact that our little troublemakers ever live to hunt and beard their lions any time they scent a nearby critter - and all too frequently find them. Life with a terrier is not an easy one for poor mom/dad!

Just so relieved Cody is okay! Whew! Close call. Any time Tibbe or any of my Yorkies encountered a cat or squirrel or whatever critter, I was certain he/she was half dead until I got to them and finished all the exams. And oh, how right you were about the shot of prey-drive adrenalin they just got blasted with during the fight keeps them amped the rest of the week! Takes forever for them to refocus and stop hunting that last foe! Hang in there, Joan, it doesn't get any easier!

[matese]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Just saw this thread. So GLAD little Cody is okay. There is no horror as awful as hearing your tiny terrier snarling/growling/fighting away and you don't know what he's cornered or how horribly he's injured, which of course, you imagine is everything from eyeballs scratched out to huge, tearing bites/lacerations all over that precious little face or even worse. Your mind just goes wild with terrors until you get them up and examine those eyes with lights and magnifying glasses, part every hair on their body looking for any type perforation, scratch or injury to even opening their mouths to see what killer damage has taken place in there!

All kidding aside, we all know where your mind went until you discovered little Cody was fine, thank the Lord! Thankfully, you finally got him to "leave it" as trained. That's impressive. Even the best-trained toy terrier is hard to get through to in the heat of battle as your words just don't get through all that focused prey-drive for ages. Sadly, we've all been there or we will be on more than one occasion due to the fact that our little troublemakers ever live to hunt and beard their lions any time they scent a nearby critter - and all too frequently find them. Life with a terrier is not an easy one for poor mom/dad!

Just so relieved Cody is okay! Whew! Close call. Any time Tibbe or any of my Yorkies encountered a cat or squirrel or whatever critter, I was certain he/she was half dead until I got to them and finished all the exams. And oh, how right you were about the shot of prey-drive adrenalin they just got blasted with during the fight keeps them amped the rest of the week! Takes forever for them to refocus and stop hunting that last foe! Hang in there, Joan, it doesn't get any easier!

Thank you Jeanie

This is the 2nd time he got another animal, I knew I would never break through that focus of his drive to kill, I was absolutely shocked on both occasions when my shouting got through to him and he came on command to me. That is not to say I know in the future if this happens again he's going to "leave it" on command. Now I have him stay in the house until I check the deck area especially under covered swings and BBQ grills. Now every 10 minutes he wants out, I ask, you have to make pee pee, he wags that lil stump, but nooooo, he doesn't make, he's looking for trouble lol. I know what life with a yorkie is like Cody is # 5 for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way, I just love the yorkie breed even if they do keep us on our toes. So I do what must be done to keep him safe, check my deck now for frogs and cats, I'm just so thankful he didn't lose his eye.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Yes, cats and dogs' eyes just dont' mix for me. I could never have a cat around a terrier just in case. Thought maybe a female yorkie, my Jilly, would be different but if anything she was a freak when it came to critters, would dive into anything and everything, including rushing an oncoming 65 lb. Dalmatian with snarling teeth! Our first walk after she healed from the attack, out for her first long walk, there she was bare-teeth going at a huge GSD through the Cox fence of the house at the end of the block! She'd been bitten several times by the Dalmatian who picked her up in his mouth like a squirming piglet, required surgery, antibiotics, etc., and rehab thanks to the Dalmatian and there she was, 6 weeks after, all 3 lbs. of her viciously going for a German Shepherd 8 times her size, whose snarl sounded like a lion's and hers like a hamster's! He tried to eat you every time you passed his yard during a speed walk, thought he might try to come over the fence - GSD's can easily get up 12 ft.+ walls. Jilly thought she was as big and bad as he was! These Yorkies have prey-drive in place of judgment and they think they can do anything! Don't know why, but that spirit, that determination, that fire, so appeals to me in a dog the size of a purse. Just another reason I love Yorkies!

[matese]

Part of my deck is gated off from the section where this kitten was, and that is where he wants to go. I have just been watering my flowers, 10 / 15 minutes and I'm finished, that's all the time I have let him have and he's under the swing cover looking for trouble lol. I had 4 females raised them from when they were 8 weeks old, I socialized them as soon as they had their last vaccines at 5 months old, they loved all animals including my niece's ferret lol but they were hunters as well. One of my girls managed to get a baby bird but dropped it immediately when she realized she had actually caught what she went after, her little muzzle was covered in downy feathers lol. They were all tom boys but so sweet, I miss them so much. Cody is completely different from my girls but, I didn't raise him from a wee lil puppy. But he's a perfect little boy and trained fast because he is very food motivated. He would take anything on, he doesn't see size lol. What happened to your Jilly was horrific, that is my greatest fear with Cody because he is not dog friendly. I took him to a 12 session obedience class (12 weeks) all he learned from it was to lunge at other dogs which he never did before.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Lunging with bared teeth and snarling is what got Jilly attacked, I think. The big Dalmatian was suddenly almost on us out of no where, maybe just to check us out, but his tail was carried very high and Jilly took that as a threat, I guess. She was on lead, lunged out to the end of the lead snarling and in the blink of an eye, the Dalmatian had her whole tiny struggling body up in his mouth and I came to myself hitting him over the head with my walking stick - the first time I'd ever taken it along as my brother in law had been seriously accosted by a big dog earlier that week when out walking and barely escaped injury by shouting and raising his arms, picking up a small limb and making himself appear bigger, more intimidating, though the dog followed him a bit.

Thankfully their little Yorkie wasn't with Bill or he probably would have lunged at the big dog too as it showed intense interest, likely causing the same outcome. If I hadn't brought along a big walking stick, who knows what could have happened?

When I started jabbing him with one end of the stick around his eyes, it hit home and the Dalmatian dropped Jilly but kept trying to get at her, though she acted as if she were going into a seizure. On the way home she did seize, eyes rolled back, froth at the mouth and her muscles caused her neck muscles to arch her head backward so that it was almost resting on her upper back, her body shaking violently, her legs stiff, outstretched. I was certain she was breathing her last! Kept telling her to calm down, Jesus would help her over and over in as calm a breathless voice as I could and still walk fast as I could manage over blocks and blocks. That blocks-long walk home to the car was horrible. Didn't take a chance to call first, just drove to the vet clinic which thankfully was still open.

Staff reported the attack to the cops while the vet got to work prepping her for surgical repair of her lacerations then, sent me home, anesthetized her, went to work irrigating, cleaning her wounds and suturing each closed, kept the IV running to be sure she maintained a glucose, electrolyte level and give her antibiotics and pain medicine. Thankfully she never got septic and recovered uneventfully, was discharged home and I rehabbed her there myself after a short instruction course.

After that, I began carrying the auto-open, heavy duty, huge black umbrella whose deployment always discouraged those big dogs from all further interest in her. Oh, how I wished I had it for that horrible walk!

So, Yorkie owners beware, Those with high prey-drive have that instead of judgment and act in a moment's notice before you know what's even happening and the fight is on. After that day, I'd just deploy the suddenly swooshing open huge black umbrella to intimidate approaching big dogs who started to focus in on Jilly and were never threatened again. It was a pain to carry along but saved us more than a few bad times I'm certain. I tell this story every so often to hopefully enlighten new Yorkie owners what they will likely be up against whenever their tiny baby sniffs or sees a nearby critter. Don't ever trust them not to go for any critter and even if you think to say it over and over, 'leave it' takes a while to reach their totally focused brains and institute a proper reaction.

[matese]

OMG how horrifying for you and lil Jillie, jabbing at the eyes was a wise choice. A sight that can never be forgotten. Thank GOD Jillie survived.

There have been members that suggested those big black umbrellas, I can see that working for a dog approaching someone.
Agree, never, ever depend on a terrier leaving it once they are focused on what ever it is, they are so focused they can't hear you, I was shocked that Cody heard me.

[Lovetodream88]

Yikes sorry I missed this. I hope Cody heals without issues. In my vet assistant classes they said how cat bites and scratches can get infected so easily but hopefully that doesn’t happen. When we first moved here NotMaryland but the house we are in now we had a lot of neighbors who let their cats roam and one kept coming into our fenced in yard on our deck but luckily we didn’t have any issues but I was always concerned about it. I don’t know if this is still true but my instructor told me feral cats were the worst in Maryland about spreading rabies. I’m a fan of tag and release but I’m not a fan of feeding them it just keeps the populations going.