Scratching

[s-starsgard]

Well, my brother's friend was being an idiot playing Nintendo Wii with us, and he lost control of the Wiimote and hit Mr. Stripes with it. When he went over to check Mr. Stripes, he was still for a moment but then he got angry and scratched my brother's friend's hand up pretty bad.

Now the jerk is saying he is going to get animal control to put Mr. Stripes down. This isn't fair because Mr. Stripes is usually a very gentle cat, he was just hurt and scared so he lashed out. It was his fault for hitting Mr. Stripes in the first place. Can he legally do this anyway? I know that dogs that bite are put down, but this is different.

[Willowy]

Is he up-to-date on his rabies shot? If so, there should be nothing to worry about. Most Animal Control agencies will not do anything about an aggressive cat, unless it's out on the streets attacking people who walk by. If he's not UTD on rabies shots, you should expect some trouble. Don't let them tell you you HAVE to put him down----quarantine is always an option.

[mismaris777]

Well, I would think that legally they can do whatever they deem necessary. Logically, however, they will probably say "hey, it's a cat. That's what they do sometimes." And I highly doubt that the cat went looking for this dummy and seeked him out and attacked him. I'm assuming that he was provoked by your brother's friend (by provoking, I mean he went over to him and got on his level, and after an event like that he should've known that that cat could do it, it's common sense, even to non-cat savvy people like him). I can almost guarantee that they will not put Mr. Stripes down, he didn't threaten this guy's life. And when a dog attacks a human and is put down, it is usually because a judge or someone feels that the dog is literally a threat to society. Is he UTD on all his shots/vetting?

Technically, to me, he abused Mr. Stripes (even though it may not have been intentional) therefore the cat was fearful, and reacted as a lot of cats would. Did he need to go to the hospital for his injury? That may be a factor as well, if it weren't bad enough for medical treatment it would be stupid and pointless to report it. But he can legally report it- but what is he going to say? My friend's cat scratched me? That in and of itself sounds pretty dumb, doesn't it? No one will go for that lol .

I'm on Mr. Stripes with this one- I would've done the same thing in his "paws"!

[s-starsgard]

He is completely up to date on his rabies shots, thankfully.

However, there was one previous incident, about three years ago, when Mr. Stripes was inside the mailbox. The mailman was opening the mailbox to put in mail and Mr. Stripes felt threatened and basically shredded his hand. However it was agreed by Animal Control at this time that Mr. Stripes was provoked, and due to his age (He was a kitten) then, there was no problem. But I am concerned this incident may play a role in this later claim.

[mismaris777]

Originally Posted by s-starsgard

He is completely up to date on his rabies shots, thankfully.

However, there was one previous incident, about three years ago, when Mr. Stripes was inside the mailbox. The mailman was opening the mailbox to put in mail and Mr. Stripes felt threatened and basically shredded his hand. However it was agreed by Animal Control at this time that Mr. Stripes was provoked, and due to his age (He was a kitten) then, there was no problem. But I am concerned this incident may play a role in this later claim.

They may tell you to make sure that Mr. Stripes remains strictly an indoor cat, so he's not a possible threat to anyone. (I assume he goes out because of the mailbox incident, unless you have one of those slot-in-the-door things, but since he was in it that doesn't make sense )

[s-starsgard]

Originally Posted by mismaris777

They may tell you to make sure that Mr. Stripes remains strictly an indoor cat, so he's not a possible threat to anyone. (I assume he goes out because of the mailbox incident, unless you have one of those slot-in-the-door things, but since he was in it that doesn't make sense )

Mr. Stripes is definitely not an indoor cat, he is a bobcat and loves to be outside. When he is outside though, he has never attacked anyone except for one time with the mailman before he was trained. I really hope they don't try to keep Mr. Stripes inside because he is so full of energy and he will not do well to be inside 24/7.