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luv furbabies

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WHAT DO I DO?? Our 1 yr old cat Levi just attacked my 14 yr old daughter.

He scratched and locked his teeth to her arm. There are serious scratches but none in need of stitches...

What do we do with the cat?? She is afraid and wants to get rid of him..

If I call the humaine society, they will put him to sleep, right?

what do we do? I read about cat scratch fever I have washed and wrapped her with gause.

Any suggestions??

Please help me to either get rid of Levi or train him.

Melissa
 

carolina

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Did he only scratch her, or he also bit her? There is a BIG difference...

If the kitty bit her, and broke her skin, you need to take your daughter to the ER.

Scratches are easier... Clean them well with peroxide, bactine and put some neosporin on it.
I did have a bite and treated it with Colloidal Silver, it was fine... HOWEVER: Bites can be very dangerous, and since this is a child we are talking about here please make sure those were only scratches... if it was a bite and broke the skin TAKE her to the ER. Do not play around with a cat bite.

No, humane society will not put her to sleep... Is Levy up to date on his shots? Take the certificate with you, the ER needs to report the incident by law.
If he is not Up to date on the shots, then it is a problem.
Levy will be named a dangerous cat though, and if another incident is reported, them he will be put to sleep.
 

sharky

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First take her to the dr if needed... In my state cat attacks are NOT reported ... YES most HS would put a cat down if it were brought in and someone said the cat liked to bite or had attacked...

I taught all mine NOT to bite and claw as soon as I got them .... for scratching playing with paws is what I use
 

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How long have you had him? Has he done this before? My Billy is a bit temperemental, I have 5 cats, 4 are girls and Billy obviously a boy, he does scratch and bite if you do something that annoys him, or sometimes just when you are petting him, my kids tend to leave him alone. I am sorry that he has done this to your daughter, maybe speak to your vet nabout his behaviour. x
 

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I am so sorry your daughter was injured. Other posters are right, take your daughter to a doc now to be checked out. Every cat is different, I would definitely talk to a vet about his behavior, I am wondering if this is out of character for him? My two cats get tunnel vision when they see another cat, and if I'm not aware of it they will attack me if I try to mess with them at that time. Sorry your daughter was hurt!
 
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luv furbabies

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thank you everyone for answering my need...

He DID bie her and draw blood, the scratches are pretty severe, none needing stiches.

I called the shelter and they WILL put him down because of this incident.

He has always been more aggressive than any other cat we have ever had. But this is too much. Jessica is 14 and has never been in this type of situation.

She was holding him and trying to take a picture with her extended arm and her cell phone. He latched on and scratched from arm pit to wrist. She says he bit her too and she was actually dripping blood.

It has stopped, I cleaned and dressed the wound without ointment per literature on scratches and bites.

She is at the lake now but I will take her to the ER as soon as she returns home. Do I just open the door and hope for the best for him. I live on a busy street and don't want him ran over.

Or do I do what is best for everyone and have him put down.

I am scared and don't want her to be infected with anything bad...

OMG this is heartbreaking....

He is sleeping on the chair like life won't change for him in the next few hours... WHAT DO I DO?????

Melissa
 
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luv furbabies

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Originally Posted by Ruthyb

How long have you had him? Has he done this before? My Billy is a bit temperemental, I have 5 cats, 4 are girls and Billy obviously a boy, he does scratch and bite if you do something that annoys him, or sometimes just when you are petting him, my kids tend to leave him alone. I am sorry that he has done this to your daughter, maybe speak to your vet nabout his behaviour. x
We have had him for 1 year and he has always been more agressive than most. I do think that she made him mad by holding him for a picture and he attacked her extended arm and did actually bite her.....


I am so sad. He was fixed and had kitten shots but that is it..

UGH... and he is sleeping like a baby now..
 
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luv furbabies

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Originally Posted by Carolina

Did he only scratch her, or he also bit her? There is a BIG difference...

If the kitty bit her, and broke her skin, you need to take your daughter to the ER.

Scratches are easier... Clean them well with peroxide, bactine and put some neosporin on it.
I did have a bite and treated it with Colloidal Silver, it was fine... HOWEVER: Bites can be very dangerous, and since this is a child we are talking about here please make sure those were only scratches... if it was a bite and broke the skin TAKE her to the ER. Do not play around with a cat bite.

No, humane society will not put her to sleep... Is Levy up to date on his shots? Take the certificate with you, the ER needs to report the incident by law.
If he is not Up to date on the shots, then it is a problem.
Levy will be named a dangerous cat though, and if another incident is reported, them he will be put to sleep.
It was both a scratch and a BITE.. he did draw blood with both. She is 14 yrs old and was trying to take a picture and he attacked the extended arm.

I think he knew what he was doing but didn't mean to hurt her as bad as he did... I just don't know what to do next.....
 

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Well, my first thought was is he fixed and is this the first time he acted out like this? Is there any possibility that your daughter didn't notice warning signs from him while she was taking the picture? I'm not saying this is her fault, or that your daughter's safety isn't of the utmost concern, but just trying to get a feel for whether this is a one-time incident and your cat was so frightened he was lashing out without realizing what was going on - my boy has nipped at me coming out of sedation for a dental, but it wasn't his fault, in my mind.

But, if you end up feeling you simply cannot keep him, and you cannot rehome him, please take him to your vet and put him to sleep. Don't just let him out the door and let him take his chances. Let him go to sleep peacefully. This has to be a terrible decision for you, but I think you'll feel even worse if you just let him out and don't know what happens to him - and chances are his fate would be kinder at the hands of your vet.

I hope your daughter is ok - this must be a terrible day for her. I'd get her back from the lake and get to the acute care or ER now, though, if possible.
 

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Originally Posted by darlili

Well, my first thought was is he fixed and is this the first time he acted out like this? Is there any possibility that your daughter didn't notice warning signs from him while she was taking the picture? I'm not saying this is her fault, or that your daughter's safety isn't of the utmost concern, but just trying to get a feel for whether this is a one-time incident and your cat was so frightened he was lashing out without realizing what was going on - my boy has nipped at me coming out of sedation for a dental, but it wasn't his fault, in my mind.

But, if you end up feeling you simply cannot keep him, and you cannot rehome him, please take him to your vet and put him to sleep. Don't just let him out the door and let him take his chances. Let him go to sleep peacefully. This has to be a terrible decision for you, but I think you'll feel even worse if you just let him out and don't know what happens to him - and chances are his fate would be kinder at the hands of your vet.

I hope your daughter is ok - this must be a terrible day for her. I'd get her back from the lake and get to the acute care or ER now, though, if possible.
PRONTO!!!!! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO MESS WITH!!

Wow. I don't know what to tell you about Levi. If this behavior was never properly corrected then it is probably quite deeply ingrained. I did convince a foster I took in that communicating with me with his teeth was NOT acceptable, but I am no genius. It took months. And YES he bit me - twice - and required powerful antibiotics.
 

kwren

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honestly?

i think you should tell your daughter not to pick up and hold the cat when he doesn't want to be held.

if your daughter had been walking by and minding her own business not doing anything to bother the cat and then he attacked her hard enough to draw blood THEN i would be thinking about re-homing the cat. but that is not the situation. if you have a cat you know is temperamental why on earth would you be picking him up and holding him while you were taking pictures?

if he is aggressive enough that he needs to be put to sleep immediately it is rather hard to believe that she did not know him scratching her was a likely outcome. a 14 year old is old enough to know better - i have a 15 year old myself. if poor levi is not normally aggressive to this point i sure as heck wouldn't be talking about putting him down.

i will say it: when my kids get bitten or scratched it is usually their own fault. not the cat's.
 

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First thing - get your daughter to a Dr.

Second - let's look at Levi's behaviors. To get to the bottom of this, more information is needed. We'll do our best to help you through this.

1) How old was he when you got him?
2) At what age was he neutered?
3) When did you first notice he was more aggressive?

Depending on the answers - I would most definitely talk to your vet. Get him in for an exam & full work-up, as there may be something wrong causing him to lash out.

Sometimes weird things can trigger a response in cats, is it possible he saw another cat/pet he dislikes (either outdoors or another pet in the home)?
Is he afraid of anything in the home that could have caused him to freak out?
Can you think of any "common denominator" in all the instances in which he has shown aggression?
 
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luv furbabies

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

First thing - get your daughter to a Dr.

Second - let's look at Levi's behaviors. To get to the bottom of this, more information is needed. We'll do our best to help you through this.

1) How old was he when you got him?
2) At what age was he neutered?
3) When did you first notice he was more aggressive?

Depending on the answers - I would most definitely talk to your vet. Get him in for an exam & full work-up, as there may be something wrong causing him to lash out.

Sometimes weird things can trigger a response in cats, is it possible he saw another cat/pet he dislikes (either outdoors or another pet in the home)?
Is he afraid of anything in the home that could have caused him to freak out?
Can you think of any "common denominator" in all the instances in which he has shown aggression?
1. he was 11 weeks old when we got him
2. he was neutered by the time he was 3 or 4 months.
3. he has always been "playful" NEVER mean with the growl she is describing happend today.

We can't figure out WHAT happend or why. we are NOT putting him down NOW. We are going to try and see what happens in the next few days

Thanks to everyone who has helped me today.
 
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luv furbabies

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I took Jessica to the ER within 2 hours of the bite/scratch incident.

She was given a Tetnus shot, placed on Clindamycin for the extensive injury to her arm.

There were more than 37 puncture/claw marks identified today.

4 complete sets of paws from her wrists to her arm pit and various other probably warning injuries that were immediately prior to the attack. It took 15 seconds for her to free herself from his teeth by putting her fingers in his mouth to make him release her arm.

She is wrapped up and resting as we speak.

Levi has been weird since we have been home, probably sensing us acting weird to him. I have called for him to come to me and he has and layed on my arm as usual and even licked my face. SCARY.

I am using DOG WHISPERER tools of facing anxious animals. I don't know if cats are enough like dogs for this to work. But we love Levi and want to give him a chance to redeam himself, with caution; of coarse. I will keep you posted

Thanks for everything

Melissa
 

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You keep mentioning the scratches.. .believe me, they don't matter. Those heal.
I still have some scars from a similar incident myself years ago.

You also said her bite bleed a lot. Good! Maybe that will help.

You said you've had this cat for a year? Exactly how long ago did he get his kitten shots? If you have any paper work at all listing his last rabies vac, dig it out and have it handy. Try to get in touch with your vet as soon as you can. If they try to make you get him in quarantine see if it can be done at your vet's, and have them make sure nothing is wrong with him while he's there.
 
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luv furbabies

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

You keep mentioning the scratches.. .believe me, they don't matter. Those heal.


You also said her bite bleed a lot. Good! Maybe that will help.

You said you've had this cat for a year? Exactly how long ago did he get his kitten shots? If you have any paper work at all listing his last rabies vac, dig it out and have it handy. Try to get in touch with your vet as soon as you can.
The ER Doctor thought the same with the bleeding and was satisfied that when Levi was fixed at our local animal shelter about 1 year ago now, he has the proper shots. We are just being careful and trying to express love from our actions, not touching unless he comes to us...
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Luv Furbabies

The ER Doctor thought the same with the bleeding and was satisfied that when Levi was fixed at our local animal shelter about 1 year ago now, he has the proper shots. We are just being careful and trying to express love from our actions, not touching unless he comes to us...
I suggest you either read through posts on anxious cats or ask for more tips to help. Get some feliway diffusers going.

I hope she heals up ok. My wrist and arm swelled a lot even through I was on antibiotics, it was very painful. I don't know if they sent her home with anything for the pain, but it might be ok to use tylenol if it doesn't interact with anything else she takes.

Do they want her back in Monday to see her regular doctor?
 

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Was the flash on while taking the pictures? I know my cat is scared to death of the flash on the camera and I have to turn it off if I'm trying to take a picture of her.

I'm glad to hear you got your daughter to the ER and they got her all fixed up, cat bites can become infected very very easily.
 

stephanietx

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I'm glad your DD is okay and on the mend.

I also would recommend getting the Feliway diffusers and using them. That might help him calm down some. Does he have playmates in the house?

I wouldn't pick him up anymore than absolutely necessary since he doesn't seem to like that.
 

krz

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I am glad that your daughter is okay. My grandson was bitten by my cat and had to be in the hospital for 2 days. He was little and the bite did not bleed and it became infected.

I still have the cat that bit him, she can be very loving and sweet but when she wants to be left alone, we just let her alone. She does not like to be picked up but she loves to be petted. She ALWAYS gives us a warning when she is agitated. We have had no other incidents because we pay attention to her warning signals.

The doctor made a special point to tell us not to blame her, but to be careful of little children with her. We are and things have been fine.

I hope that things will resolve and Levi will be able to stay with you. Talking with your veterinarian may also help.
 
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