Will Persi go to jail? Is he truly a vicious animal?

persi & alley

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Everybody that has ever known Persi has remarked on what a sweet disposition he has and how laid back he is. They marvel when I tell him to get on the dryer to be combed and he minds right away. And I brush him roughly and he never complains.

Persi & Alley have been living with us in a small hotel room and they are both a bit stressed over the matter. Today we decided to have the maid come in and clean. I told her that Alley would stay under the bed and I would hold Persi. After a while Persi decided he did not want to be held, very rare for him and started struggling. Since the law requires for maids to have the door open at all times, I was afraid he would head for the door to look for home so I held him tighter. This led to more struggling. I asked DW to go get the carriers out of the car which sounded like the perfect solution to me. Persi kept trying to get away and I put a half Nelson on him where I came up under his armpits and behind his neck and held him out so that he could not scratch me no matter how hard he struggled. It was all I could do to hold him in this position and he broke free and I had to pin him to the floor. About this time DW comes walking in with the carrier. He took one look at that carrier and with supercat strength dug his rear claws into my chest and took a big bite of flesh out of my leg which was uncovered. But instead of heading outside, he headed under the bed with Alley.

I was covered with blood and part of the flesh on my leg had been torn which was bleeding profusely. DW insisted on taking me to the ER right down the road and they cleaned me up, gave me a tetnus shot and put me on some antibiotics. They mentioned that the teeth had sunk to the bone and that they were going to have to file a report with the Dallas Vicious Animal org. I said no, this is MY cat and everything will be all right, he was put into a most stressful situation. But they said they had to file the report.

Well, I am back in he hotel now and me and my Son have made up. My son who I love so much and understand why he did what he did. But I am so scared of just the name Vicious Animal org of Dallas. Are they going to come and quarantine my baby? Does anybody else live in a city with laws like this? What can they do?

Right now I am in between homes. At the ER, we gave them our old adress because our new home is still not done. So, let them try and catch me! Besides, we lived in Plano and our new home is in Farmers Branch. But we are in Dallas now and I know they can find me. I am truly worried.
 

weldrwomn

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I am really sorry to hear about this. I don't know anything about the Vicious Animal thing, but here are vibes that everything turns out alright
 

mrblanche

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My guess is that at the worst they will require you to keep the cat inside, under your complete control for 10 days. Since it's your cat, and you were the one bitten, no one is going to sue you or insist that your cat be killed for a rabies test.

However, I suggest you either get a cage to keep him in when the maid is there, or put them in the carrier before you allow her in.

You should also make sure you have Persi's rabies shot record with you.
 
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persi & alley

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Originally Posted by laureen227

found this on the Dallas website: http://www.dallascityhall.com/code_c..._Services.html
says he'll be quarantined... but since you'll have vet certificates, they might let you do a home stay [house arrest]. & that this will be the case.
Yikes, the people from that 3-1-1 number have already called me but I passed it off as a wrong number. I really had no idea who the 3-1-1 people were but now I do. I wonder if I should return their call or if I will get into more trouble avoiding them. Right now Persi is on the table with me by the laptop looking at me with his loving eyes. I could take him right now and leave him with my sister-in-law but that would implicate her I suppose.
 
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persi & alley

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

You should also make sure you have Persi's rabies shot record with you.
Unfortunately, his records are packed with the rest of our complete household goods sitting in a storage center.

Don't be afraid of Persi, Mike. He will greet you at the door!
 
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persi & alley

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Originally Posted by laureen227

found this on the Dallas website: http://www.dallascityhall.com/code_c..._Services.html
says he'll be quarantined... but since you'll have vet certificates, they might let you do a home stay [house arrest]. & that this will be the case.
Don't be afraid of Persi, Laureen. He is going to greet you at the door!
 

worriedmommy

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I already PM you but I thought I would add that it would be better to call them back and talk to them. If you "run" then they might be harder on you and Persi but if you talk to them and explain then hopefully they will be understanding.
About the records, can you get a hold of the vets (I now it is sunday) to see about them showing the records?
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

Don't be afraid of Persi, Laureen. He is going to greet you at the door!
hey, i'll be fine - i'm not gonna put a wrestling hold on him!
 

brandi

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I know what youre going through...When I was younger around 13 I believe My lab got inside and went after my RB kitty Diamond I picked her up and held her above my head with shadow jumping on me trying to get to her...I was scared to death and she was too...I could feel something sinking into my skin but I wasnt sure what it was I didnt feel any pain at all while she I was holding her up high to protect her. When mom and Justin got shadow back outside I put her down and went to watch TV as soon as I sat down and calmed down my brother said youre bleeding really bad...I looked down and my right index finger and thumb had several puncture wounds 4 total. My fingers were swelling but mom being an RN decided to rinse them out herself with peroxide and iodine wrapped them in gauze and I went to sleep...The next morning my thumb and index finger were double in size and the pain was nearly unbearable...She took me to the Dr I had a bone infection where Diamond had bit through to the bone on both my thumb and index finger. When they asked what happened I told them I was bit by a stray...but mom told them it was Diamond I was so mad at her for that...Mom told them what happened and that I was protecting Diamond but she was scared and biting me to get free. We had to provide proof of her rabies shots and had to quarantine her for 10 days which they allowed us to do at our house Thank God...In the mean time I went through a very painful time a high temp and was out of school for 14 days...I was put on Rozefen(no idea of I spelled that right) and several other antibiotics trying to save my fingers...in the end it turned out fine...but it was very scary for us...I am sending you many that everything will turn out ok...When the dr said I bet you wont save her again....I looked at my hand and told him it was well worth it and YES I would save her again without a doubt...I also told him I had NO regrets whatsoever!!!
 

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Good grief...
you live in a police state.

My Bridge kitty attacked me once...
it was an accident.
I had emergency care...
it was not reported because Mew was my own cat.


I hope you heal quickly.
Be safe Persi.
 
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persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Worriedmommy

About the records, can you get a hold of the vets (I now it is sunday) to see about them showing the records?
Of course, the vet! That just goes to show the condition of my mind right now. How could I overlook something so obvious? Only because I am so worried about this whole stupid affair. BTW, Persi is at this moment laying in close proximity to the very carrier that sent him over the top earlier today.
 

whiteforest

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Ah, this is a crappy situation. I don't know what I'd do.
I hope everything works out for you!! I wouldn't try to avoid the 311 people, but be overly cooperative in their questioning and your explanation and hopefully they will be understanding.
 

worriedmommy

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Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

Of course, the vet! That just goes to show the condition of my mind right now. How could I overlook something so obvious? Only because I am so worried about this whole stupid affair. BTW, Persi is at this moment laying in close proximity to the very carrier that sent him over the top earlier today.
So glad Persi is not harboring bad feelings towards the carrier.
Hopefully you will have a better time of it when the next maid has to come in. Poor guy.
BTW, I do know how to spell "know" correctly. Got to love fast typing.
 

jen

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I was bit by a shelter cat once when I worked there. I went to the doctor bc it was a very deep puncture. They took the report and everything and they called a few times to follow up. I never answered the phone and didn't call back and they only tried me once or twice and that was it. Haven't heard from them since.

As long as your cat had its rabies shot you should be fine. On the other hand, seeing as it was YOUR cat I don't see how it could be a problem in the long run. They might want to quarantine the cat for 10-14 days.
 

larke

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What bothers me is the way they look on cats the same way as if they were rabid pit bulls or something - 'once they draw blood, they'll want more and more' or whatever - which is ridiculous. Cats' motivations are different from dogs', and they don't roam in packs looking for victims. Their 'victims' are casualties of cats' defensive instincts, not their evil vicious ones. Considering what happened to Persi to start out with, it's a wonder he didn't do worse! Of course having had the carriers ready in the room would have been a good idea (and asking the maid to wait outside til the cats were in them also a good idea), but life doesn't always work like that and your 'baby' shouldn't be punished because of it.
 

mrblanche

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I can sympathize with your feelilngs, because I got a bite like that from Wickett when I was helping hold him at the vet. He got me on the wrist, and clear to the bone on both sides. And it did get infected, a little. But so far as I know the doctor never reported it.

What the city is going to want to know is that you are making sure no one else is going to get bitten and that the cat doesn't have rabies. I wouldn't voluntarily call the 3-1-1 people back, but if they call you again, just explain the circumstances to them.

As I mentioned to another person, I can show you a video of what a scared cat can be like, and it's as if you have a chainsaw by the tail.
 

jellybella

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Oh, no! that everything will be OK. I would suggest getting small dog crate for him to be in when the maid comes. It's bigger than a carrier and he can see everything, but still be contained.

I would call them back and tell them you are OK. Usually the major fear is rabies and if you have vet records to show he's been vaccinated you should be OK. There's also no history of him attacking or being aggressive, it was just a stressful situation and an accident.

Of course we will all send you good TCS vibes and prayers!
 
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