09 June 2014

Monday Mischief #34 - Mr. N gets attacked by a cat

Mr. N and I were out for a walk (on leash) last week when suddenly this cat comes flying towards us. She starts attacking Mr. N so I yank him up by his harness and then the cat swipes at me. She jumps up towards Mr. N and is almost at face level with him and tries to claw him again.

I'm yelling and eventually this woman comes over and gets the cat. In the meantime, her son(?) is asking if he can pet the puppy. I tell her that her cat tried to attack Mr. N and me and she replies that Mr. N probably startled her cat. WTF?

He didn't even see that cat before it attacked us. The house next to theirs has a tall fence and bushes so our view of their yard was blocked. So he couldn't have seen the cat. Not to mention I know what he looks like and acts like when he spies a cat. He did not see that cat. 

And how is that an excuse for your cat attacking strangers/dogs off your property without any cause? If Mr. N bit someone/a dog/a cat and drew blood, there would be consequences. Not to mention that cat was bigger than Mr. N and cat bites and scratches tend to get infected more easily so it's not like cats can't wreck havoc. 

I called animal control but they only come out for aggressive dogs after hours. Nor do they take reports about other things then. 

I did a cursory check after we left and I didn't see any marks so I thought the cat missed him. I was bleeding slightly above my ankle but I didn't think it was too serious and Mr. N had energy to burn so we continued our walk for an hour or so and then went home. Once we got home, I re-examined him more closely and found blood and scratches by his groin area. 


I called animal control back the next day and filed a report but I doubt anything will come of it. It sounded like they would most likely just get a verbal warning. 

Why can I not walk in my own neighborhood with Mr. N without having to worry about him being attacked? We had two scary encounters with pit bulls last year and now this. I normally carry a citronella spray (but I forgot it that day plus I don't know if I had time to fish it out of my purse) but it seems inadequate.

*Don't forget to enter our giveaway: http://tenaciouslittleterrier.blogspot.com/2014/06/bw-sunday-43-primalpuppy-giveaway.html

21 comments:

  1. Poor Mr. N! Emily was an attack cat... and when I found out she became an indoor cat. I used to sit on my ground floor apartment porch with her but when she went darting after a pair of doberman's (and bit me in the arm when I chased her, caught her and scooped her up before the doberman's turned on her) that ended. It had never occurred to me that she could hurt a dog (until Tynan came to live with us) I was mostly worried about her getting killed! Responsible pet ownership extends to cats too!!! Some people shouldn't have pets...

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    1. That was actually part of the reason why I called. To see if you had advice about cat scratches. And yes, some people shouldn't have cats or dogs or even plants.

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  2. Bad experience ,may be no socialisation to dogs

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  3. Mr N seems to be pretty nonchalant about it, if he still had energy to burn and walked for an hour afterwards. Good for him. As for the cat,maybe he/she should be become an indoor cat--but you don't have control over that. I'd say bring your citronella spray with you, but keep it in your hand the next time you walk by that area. If you so much as see the cat, spray it. I bet you'll be left alone after that.

    --Wags (and purrs--from nice cats) from Life with Dogs and Cats

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    1. He has a pretty high pain tolerance. Either that or he's stoic. The vet techs usually marvel at how good he is for his shots. The cat's family is moving soon, I think but I'll definitely be carrying the spray.

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  4. Good grief, how scary. I 'm glad you are both OK, maybe pepper spray would be better.

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  5. Yeah we have a few aggressive cats that wander the neighborhood. Not a fan of the outdoor cats that end up causing problems in your neighbor's yard.

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  6. Poor Mr. N :( Those darn outdoor cats! Hope those scratches feel better soon!

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  7. Wow...why aren't cats that attack given the same punishment as dogs...seems unfair. I hope Mr. N. is okay and recovers from this.

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    1. Seriously. If Mr. N gets in trouble, I'm pretending he's a cat. He's a little more on edge when he sees cats but with counter conditioning, he's doing quite well.

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  8. Poor Mr. N! It's always the days that the spray gets left at home that you need it the most, huh? When Barley got attacked by the dog in our neighborhood, I had forgotten the Spray Shield and my own pepper spray at home! I'm glad you were able to reach down and pick him up before things got too serious! I wish I could say that I'm surprised the woman made excuses for her cat's behavior, but I've learned that in other people's eyes it's never the off leash creature's fault when things get ugly. I've read so many stories about off leash dogs, and now this cat, lately that I wish it was possible for all of us who get it to just pick up and have our own neighborhood where we can walk without that stress! Hope Mr. N (and your ankle) heal quickly.

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    1. We're both healing nicely, thanks. I was more worried about infection than anything else. And indeed, it's always those days.

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  9. Poor Mr. N :( It's unfortunate when you follow the rules, but horrible things still. I hope he feels better soon!

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  10. Hope Mr N is better soon. Slimdoggy has nominated you for our guest blog spot Share it Sunday. You don't have to do anything just email the post you'd like us too showcase and we will do the rest. You also get to choose the next nomination so just send us a link. We are at mollyDOTthewallyATbtinternetDOTcom.
    Have a terrific Tuesday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  11. Oh no Mr N, I hope you're ok buddy!

    That was pretty sneaky hiding behind the bush and then attacking you, I knew Cats were tricky which is why I'm always on high alert around them, Mum says I'm over alert, whatever that means.....

    Get well you and your Mom,

    Wags to all,

    Your pal Snoopy :)

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  12. That is awful! You'd think attacking cats would face the same consequences as an attacking dog. A cat can do a lot of damage! Poor Mr. N. Hope you're both okay.

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  13. I am catching up. How scary and a crazy cat no less! Too bad brown dawgs weren't closer. They would help out Mr. N. :)

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    1. Mr. N would love to have the brown dawgs on his team any day!

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  14. That's a scary cat. Donna has only been slapped by a cat once as a warning, but your encounter sounds so terrifying. I hope Mr N is ok and no lasting effects on him! :) Have a better week ahead!

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