What outside animal bit my cat? (pics)

[katec]

My cat came in from spending the night outside yesterday with a bie mark. It is on his side about where his shoulder is, which is an unusual place for a bite on a cat. All the hair was removed (I'm guessing at the time of the bite, at least it was gone when I first saw it.) and it looks like a full impression of teeth. Like the top half of a human bite mark from canines in (definitly not human but general form) about an inch to an inch and a half in size. I have never seen anything like it or anything resembling it online. Does anyone have any idea what bit him? We live in a suburban neighborhood of Richmond, VA

2013-06-16_20-12-38_41.jpg

• katec
• Jun 17, 2013

2013-06-17_13-59-30_366.jpg

• katec
• Jun 17, 2013

 

[ritz]

Sorry your cat got bitten?  How is he acting, feeling?

I have no idea--any chance it was a dog bite?

In any case (yeah, you knew this was coming):  he should be checked out by a vet to make sure no diseases were transmitted and to clean out the wound thoroughly.

On second thought:  call first, ask if they would quarantine a dog who had been bitten by an unknown animal.  I ran into this situation when I took a cat from my feral cat colony to be neutered and get a rabies shot.  The wound was healing in his case, but when I asked the receptionist to ask the vet to check his bite, she said "I am going to pretend I didn't hear you ask that.  Unless you can prove he's up to date on his rabies, we'll have to quarantine him for six(?) months.

Is his rabies vaccine current?  

 

[tulosai]

Sorry your cat got bitten?  How is he acting, feeling?

I have no idea--any chance it was a dog bite?

In any case (yeah, you knew this was coming):  he should be checked out by a vet to make sure no diseases were transmitted and to clean out the wound thoroughly.

On second thought:  call first, ask if they would quarantine a dog who had been bitten by an unknown animal.  I ran into this situation when I took a cat from my feral cat colony to be neutered and get a rabies shot.  The wound was healing in his case, but when I asked the receptionist to ask the vet to check his bite, she said "I am going to pretend I didn't hear you ask that.  Unless you can prove he's up to date on his rabies, we'll have to quarantine him for six(?) months.

Is his rabies vaccine current?  

This might sound uncaring of me but if his rabies isn't current he probably should be quarantined.  

Other than that I definitely think the advice is sound... you should see a vet, ASAP.

 

[ritz]

Yes, actually, that is a good point:  for his own protection/ease of pain, he should be quarantined.

 

[catsallaround]

What I have done in past is quarantine with out telling anyone. It has only happened few times.  If only pet in house then just keep him in and keep it to the bare minimum of people interacting with him for some time.  I did a bedroom with just me in the room doing chores.

I have had a vet hospital insist on testing if a kitten was euthanized.  She was euthanized for other issues and tested(negative).  Had she lived she would have needed to be examined a few times over the months.

 

[Willowy]

Are those actual puncture wounds? They don't look deep but it's hard to tell from a picture.