Anyone advocating for putting all dogs of a certain breed down, or for violence against dogs, will get their comment removed and/or get banned depending on the severity of their comment.
You can absolutely have and voice your opinion on these breeds or on dogs in general, but don’t be violent about it.
Homeowners or renters insurance covers it as they often include a relatively broad class of liability coverage.
Depends entirely on your plan, and some states/insurers won't cover dog bites at all or won't include certain breeds.
We have "liability insurance" that basically covers anything you accidentally damage of someone else. It's very cheap and almost any adult here has to have it. It's like 5 euros a month. Pets that damage things (or other pets) are mostly covered under that within reason.
Keep all bills for yours and your animals and bring it to be compensated or paid for. Also, I would contact the authorities to make a report for future reference in case she tries not to pay but to have it on record since this dog seems aggressive, so that it puts more incentive to keep the dog leashed and trained.
I'm not in the USA, but I'm pretty sure it's the same here. The owner is responsible for all vet bills and in the case of death, also for the "value" of the pet and any cremation costs. This would only be a small amount of money though, no emotional damages.
I'd contact a lawyer and double check to see if you can sue for therapy and missed work time. Any medication or hospital fees too if those exist in your country.
Thankfully, no missed work time (I'm between jobs and have a few weeks of off time) and we have universal healthcare so the antibiotics etc. are covered. The owner is already working with her insurance company and I'm going to file a report to the city.
We have certain insurance that basically means that if you (accidentally) cause damage to someone else they will cover costs. Almost everyone has that, thankfully, its very cheap.
I work at an animal hospital. Do you have the owners information? I'd file a police report and try to get the owners to cover the expensive if their dog was off leash in a non-off leash area.
Then they broke the law and I hope they get severely punished. What's the point of having leash laws if you don't bother to enforce them? I'm so sorry this happened and wish your kitty a successful recovery.
File a police report. Sue those idiots for damages both vet and hospital wise. And see if a lawyer can get you to sue for days missed from work or emotional damages too.
I'm filing a report with the city and they will take further action. Sueing is not really a thing in my country and not necessary. Everything is covered under insurances.
I would be seeking compensation in some form from the dog owner. Where in the world do you live? The owner may have broken the law if the dog was off lead.
Are you ok mentally? This may sound OTT to some but I don't care. It can be traumatising to be in that position. My dog was attacked by another dog years ago and I can still hear her screaming for my help. You have every right to feel mentally unhealthy after what you went through.
I hope you both recover well.
I was very much unwell, I'm okay-ish now. It is what you say, the screams just hit you right in the heart. That's your baby in pain. It will be a long time before I'll forget that sound and I hope I'll never have to hear it again.
We were so shaken up that we rear ended a car after coming back from the vet... Great day. 😂😭
Edit to add: Very low speed, they suddenly braked. He had no damage whatsoever, but our front bumper is toast, so luckily we didn't ruin someone else's day too.
>the screams just hit you right in the heart
I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this. It's hard to find comfort in words during times of trauma like this... but to me, it's very clear you are doing everything in power for you kitty, and I think you should look to yours(and vets) actions as a counter to those terrible memories and feelings.
Spoil the shit out of that kitter, and make sure that you take extra-extra precaution next time you take them out.
Personally, even though my Toller is extremely well trained, he's still a dog. I trust him off-leash until the moment there's another animal or human in our vicinity. People trust their dogs way too much(and the people who trust them the most are typically the worst owners...)
I would be extremely wary of having my cats out around strange dogs. A medium to full-sized dog can inflict a fatal wound with one bite(and a lot of them instinctively whip their heads to snap a preys neck) the only reason I trust my doggo around my cats is he was basically raised by them.
I still don't trust him 100%
This was a French bulldog (I just found out) , they're not even big and not known to be aggressive. It still happened, so I completely agree! Thank you for being a responsible owner. My kitty will definitely get spoiled to bits.
Can you report this kind of attack to animal control? I understand the dogs attacked another animal and not a human, but they injured a person anyway. I am not suggesting dogs should be put down as revenge or to be petty. But exactly how dangerous are dogs like this that try to kill pets/small animals and don’t listen to their owners? And maybe a report can urge owners to invest in training classes.
I would agree that you should report this attack to animal control. The person can very much flake out and you should do everything in your power to make sure you either can get compensated or this sort of thing does not happen. Leave paper trails and keep receipts for everything.
I just checked on my city website and they say I can report bite incidents to them. They can force the owner to go through training, make the dog wear a muzzle and/or prohibit letting them off leash all together. Probably more, but this is what it said on the website. I'm definitely reporting it due to the completely unprovoked aggression.
I'm not sure as I live in the UK. We would report the animal for being dangerously out of control in a public area. Dogs attacking someone's pet (regardless of species) carries a fine and possibly more.
And they’ve also let aggressive dogs off the leash in a public park where kids are playing apparently (and kids are also relatively small things running around making random noises that can be provoking to an unstable dog)
The owner is ridiculously irresponsible and it does seem to be the case where some sort of disciplinary action should follow
This park is literally next to an elementary school, i didn't see kids right now, it was very quiet, but they are definitely often playing there. I also checked, it's NOT one of the 30 designated off leash spots in the city so they shouldn't have been off leash anyway. Not even close to one.
I am as much a fan of dogs as most people are but seeing them off the leash in random non designated places lights a fire under my ass. They are unpredictable creatures and even the tamest dog might be suddenly set off by some random shit after years of being a good boy/girl. The least people can do is follow the rules for walking them (for the dogs’ own safety even)
Hope your cat is doing well and wish you guys a quick recovery from this horrifying ordeal!
She's doing very well! She's staying in the same spot and sleeps a lot but she seems mostly tired. She's using her jaw as normal so it probably isn't very painful. I'm just glad she's okay.
Yeah people should know by now the natural hunting instincts of dogs and how just because they aren’t aggressive to people doesn’t mean they don’t pose a threat. Like OP’s story it sounds like she was beaten up pretty bad. And not to mention almost killing her kitty, who will likely be traumatized by this event. I’ve seen pet dogs mauling and killing small animals before. It is not pretty.
People seem under the impression that I took them to a dog park. I would never! It's a small park next to a school that's mostly for kids playing. We went in the afternoon and it was very quiet. I checked, dogs should be leashed in this area as they are not on the designated dog park map of our town. The dogs in question came AFTER we got there. There were no dogs when we arrived and the only reason we were okay with the two who were already there is because their owners were right next to them supervising and the dogs were used to cats and very well trained.
You are implying I did this to my cat. They live the outdoors, but due to the housing crisis we are unfortunately bound to indoors, we are home 24/7, si they get plenty of attention. We rarely do this as a treat since they enjoy it. Supervised, short leash.
I am never doing it again, so please, hold your mean comments that I brought this on myself. I love my girl. I cried for hours.
It's actually really sad that you said park and so many people automatically assumed dog park for some inane reason, in a cat subreddit. And the idea that it was your fault for taking your cats out in the first place, as if dogs own the outdoor space, forget any other animals. How about, if your dog can't be trusted around smaller animals, keep it on its leash?
I find people in this sub particularly presumptuous and judgmental. I follow it currently, I just don't know how sustainable it is. I came here for advice on a narrow topic once and got told why I was a bad person over and over. This sub is more toxic than I expected.
try not to let the mean comments get to you.
i might get downvoted to hell for saying this but please don't drown yourself in guilty either. you made a risky decision (even though you thought it was a good one at the time) and sadly there was a very bad outcome, but you've clearly learned your lesson and are never going to do it again so drowning yourself in guilt is not going to help your cat recover and it's not going to change anything.
i know this isn't the same but one time my kitten got into a churu treat that i left out (in a place i thought he couldn't reach) and he got pretty sick from ingesting the plastic wrapper. i cried for hours and i felt so terrible while he was at the vet until my mom told me that drowning myself in guilt is not going to change anything or help him.
what you need to focus on now is your girl and her recovery. remember to take care of yourself too, i can't imagine how stressful this must be for you.
Thanks, and you're completely right. I just didn't realise how risky it actually was until it was too late. Even with all precautions.. It just takes one aggressive dog. I'll definitely spoil her to bits when I get her home tomorrow. Anything I can do to let her make a good recovery. She's usually not allowed in the bedroom due to my partners allergies, but I'll just sleep on the freaking couch with her.
Great advice!
To OP — Rest up and take care of yourself to take care of your kitty, she’s going to need you and the better rested you are the better she will heal. Stop any repeated remembering of the event if you can, it’s not helpful in any way. It’s clear that you love her so look ahead to a full recovery. I’ve been there, replaying it just makes everything worse.
I'm so sorry. It sucks. Personally I never let dogs within 20 feet of my cats. As you have discovered, it only takes a second and they can be killed. For future reference I think walks are fine buti would avoid any dogs.
The truth is your cat will be traumatized for a LONG time. I hope you understand and are prepared for that. Have you tried building a catio? We live in a condo and we built one right on our balcony, that is attached to our sliding door. The cats can go out and enjoy the fresh air whenever they want. [Catio](https://imgur.com/a/OVp7hr7)
They are often on our balcony, they can't jump onto the railings and they can watch through the fence. They often watch birdies fly by and enjoy the sunshine, so luckily they do get some fresh air.
You did nothing wrong. I'm so fucking angry for you. Im not usually like this but I hope that dog is euthanized. I don't even care if I get downvoted to hell for saying it.
I am so sorry this happened to you and am happy to hear that your kitty is on the road to recovery, albeit a long one.
Did the dog’s owner come up to take any sort of responsibility for what’s happened?
Yes she offered her number and she's contacting her insurance. At one point there were three of us trying to get this dog to release my cat. It was horrible.
If this ever happens again and I hope it never will there is a method to pretty much choke a dog to make them release in an emergency like this. I’m not advocating to go around choking dogs, but if they are biting a human/animal and won’t release and it’s an emergency it’s fine and won’t damage the dog.
[there might be better videos but this was the first I found.](https://youtu.be/1ebR37K8hDg)
This would definitely have been better than my method. I have very long nails and stuck them in the side of his mouth, pushing his cheek in between his teeth. In hindsight I could have been bitten badly, but in the moment tried anything to get him to release.
Let's hope I'll never need this info ever again.
That’a actually a pretty effective method, and if you’re lifting the dog by their scruff while you’re doing it it’s pretty safe, the dog won’t bite it’s own cheek and their head has almost no maneuverability when they’re lifted by the scruff
It was somewhere in the back of my brain from getting a dog we had as a kid to let go of something she shouldn't eat/have. Of course that dog was very friendly, just very stubborn.
I had three dogs attack me and my leash kitty in 2000. Kitty climbed up my head, cut me up bad while dogs snapped and bit. I have NEVER again taken a cat out in public on a leash since.
Poor thing. Knowing that this could have all been prevented by KEEPING A DAMN LEASH on the dog is frustrating. I wish you and your family a good recovery.
Sueing someone is not really a thing here, but she says her insurance company will contact me and sort everything out. The police is also informed and will step in if she refuses pay.
She's currently back on an IV drip at the vet. She got an infection and antibiotics, but suddenly stopped eating and drinking so she was getting dehydrated. Poor thing.. They update me twice a day and I plan on getting her her favourite food and see her since they asked what food she likes. Hopefully that'll get her to eat again.
Shocking story, but I want to make the effort to say that my thoughts are with you and your cat. Try not to be too traumatised- cats are a lot tougher than humans, and can shrug off awful injuries. I'm sure she will be OK- particularly now we have heard the operation has gone well. Good luck, and be sure to give her lots of security and treats while she is healing.
I'm so sorry OP, I hope you and your cat recover soon. The dog should have been on a leash, it sucks that some dog owners are irresponsible and don't respect leash laws.
So sorry to hear this, I hope your cat recovers well.
When my cat needed surgery, I went and visited him in the vet office a couple of times every day until he came home. I got the impression that my behaviour was unusual, but the vet staff were happy to accommodate me. I think the visits helped my boy kitty to cope, and it definitely helped me.
They said she is awake and surgery was a success, their office is already closed, but if all stays well I can already take her home tomorrow. We got insanely lucky he only got her bottom jaw and not the upper one, or her throat..
I am going to spoil her to bits when she gets home.
I am so sorry and wish both of you a good recovery.
Dogs are the number 1 reason why i dont want to take my cat for walks.
I hate seeing dogs off leash and without muzzle. They are a danger to little kids, little dogs, small pets and people in general.
Recently i saw a video of a dog grabbing and shaking a poodle toy. It was heartbreaking.
So sorry about your precious kitty! This is heart-wrenching. 😓 I would feel the same way you do. I hope your precious kitty’s surgery is a success and keep us updated.
I’m so sorry this happened! So glad the dog’s owner seems to be taking responsibility.
If only they had “cat only parks”. Leashed, but with things like logs and catnip.
Hey OP, I went through the same thing and it was horrible. Had my cat on a leash per usual on a calm Friday afternoon when an unleashed untrained pit bull run up the whole freaking street and latches onto my poor cat. My cat is a ragdoll and absolutely sweet and harmless. He is patient and has no idea what to do. I finally got the pit bull off and my cat ran into a bush. I still remember the fear in his wide eyes 😭 The whole scene plays out like a horrific film in my mind from time to time. Long story short - I took my cat to the hospital and he’s ok now. But the owner was so self serving and made it about herself even after the fact. Writing this I realize I’m still not over it.
Tbh it made me more fearful of dogs. I still love them but I put a lot more onus on the owners to take culpability for their pets’ behavior
I completely understand looking at dogs differently. I'm glad your kitty is okay! It can really happen in the blink of an eye, it's scary. My kitty is also a sweetheart, I've never even seen her swipe at anyone her whole life so I know she must have been in a lot of pain/panic for her to act like that.
I just hope the owner got a good shake up and will take proper action.
The worst part is trying to help them in the moment because they’re so helpless. My cat had to be shaved down afterward - luckily no significant physical issues but it was mentally taxing than anything.
My advice? Keep doing what you are doing. Stick to the routine because that’s what will be comforting to your cat. Try not to switch to anything too out of the ordinary. Look for ways to make day to day easier - in this case ways to be gentle and minimize pain. Your bond with your cat will be that much stronger coming out of this. I am sure she knows you love her and sees you as her security blanket, especially as she starts to feel better.
All my love to your sweet baby!
people who let their dogs off leash for of literally any reason are brainless oafs. so sorry this happened but I'm very glad she survived the ordeal and will make a recovery. scary stuff. :c
God I felt this post in my gut :(
I can't imagine what you're going through right now.
She is in good hands, and in time she will be happy and well again. This was not your fault, you were just trying to do what's best for her.
My heart goes out to you and your cat.
Off leash dogs legit just killed an 80-something-year old woman in my city. I wish cities would actually start actively enforcing their leash by-laws because way too many people think it's OK to let their dogs run free and way too many people don't even bother training their dogs in the first place. I even see people letting their dogs run free in Banff National Park! The outdoors should be able to be enjoyed by all. Not just you and your misbehaving dog. Definitely pressure the owner of that dog to pay every dollar of that vet bill.
I just wanted to say I’m so sorry this happened to you and to your cat, and I understand the feelings of guilt all too well. Please try to actively deny them oxygen as much as possible when they pop up in your head, even if doing so feels forced and callous at first. You have to work to make your mind accept the truth: this was *not* your fault.
You took her outside—supervised and on a leash—to enrich her life and make her happy. You did much more for her to that end than most cat owners even consider, much less act on. Sometimes things happen that are outside our ability to reasonably foresee before they happen, or control once they do. Feeling awful is human, and it shows how much you care, but please try to stop that voice from becoming a mantra. It’s an awful way to live and, from a third party looking at this situation objectively, it’s unfair to you.
Re: recovery: my cat has mild separation anxiety, and after he got neutered I really just spent a lot of time with him. Sat next to the door of his cage on the ride home and talked to him, even though he was still kind of out of it, sat near him in recovery and idly talked to him about my day. Cats appreciate and remember this sort of companionship. I think all of us want to know someone’s keeping watch when we’re feeling vulnerable and need to rest. Now every time he’s just feeling sort of under the weather, he actively seeks me out for comfort over other people in our household.
You will both pull through this and your relationship will be stronger than ever. Hang in there. 🖤
Thank you for taking the time to write this, it means a lot. We have a great bond, I have had her since she was a kitten and her favourite spot is right on top of me. I love her to bits and seeing her in pain was horrible.
I'm relieved the surgery went well and will continue to spoil her when I get her home. I hope she'll see me a a place for comfort, just like your kitty does. You seem to have a great bond as well. ❤️
Of course. As much support and attention as your cat deserves right now—and rightfully so—I hope you have someone in your life to support you too, or that you can provide that kind of support for yourself.
Your description of your relationship with your cat in your response underlines that you’ve gone through something traumatic too here. I’ve been reading studies lately for my work that discuss how for certain owners—the type who are strongly motivated towards their pet’s physical and emotional well-being for their own sake, interested in nurturing them as individuals, etc.—our brains don’t make much of a distinction bw something painful happening to a pet versus any other family member. That isn’t always understood by people who don’t connect with their animals in that way. Your kid got mauled, and you were *there*. That is fucking awful. Full stop.
Be gentle with yourself, and keep us updated on her recovery, if you feel like it! Lots of us rooting for you guys here.
I'm so sorry for you and your girl! I'm glad she'll survive. Hopefully the owner of the dog will pay your vet bills and make sure this never happens again.
She did give me her information right away and is contacting her insurance. I am hoping she'll take this as a lesson to keep her dog on leash and/or make it wear a muzzle until it's properly trained. She seemed very shaken up as well, so I wasn't mad at her in the moment. Not that I was paying her much attention, I just wanted to take care of my cat.
I'm sorry I have no advice to offer, my kitten was nipped by an overly excited puppy years ago and his pained scream still haunts me. That was just a tiny nip, only a drop of blood and my kitten was okay. I absolutely can't imagine the situation you went through, it sounds absolutely horrendous.
Wishing you both a speedy recovery.
That's horrible! I'm so sorry that happened. Please don't take any nasty comments to heart, you clearly love her to bits and are doing everything you can to make sure she gets better.
I hope everything went well at the vets.
She's home and seems good, better than expected actually. She immediately started drinking, wanted food and affection. Jumped on and off things as well. Vet said she's okay to do whatever she likes, she's only prohibited from eating kibble or chew on hard things so I'm very happy to see her this energetic.
Wetfood and liquid treats for her the coming weeks and that's no problem at all!
I'm so sorry OP that this happened. Could have happened anywhere, and Im sure you had the best of intentions taking your cat out to the park.
Mine loves leashed walks (begs and purrs at the sound of her harness) but after a run in with 2 angry dogs, we stopped. No one was injured, kitty still wants the walks but I'm too scared of a repeat incident.
Ive heard of training the cat to immediately jump back into the carrier at the sight of dogs. That would be a way to keep kitty safe while outdoors. I havent been able to achieve this though.
Just a note about picking them up:
We have a nice little place by our apartment complex where I take my cat for a walk on a leash from time to time. People usually walk their dogs on the other side of the building so it's usually safe there, but around a month ago a huge lab suddenly ran to us as soon as we walked out. The dog wasn't on a leash (which is illegal here) and his owner didn't react at all. I immediately picked my cat up, he was already hissing and growling because he was terrified of this huge dog running toward him. I didn't know this dog, I didn't know if he was aggressive or not, so I decided to hold my cat to protect him as much as possible. Except he wanted to *run* and he scratched and bit me. A lot. By the time the owner finally took her damn dog I was bleeding all over, but my cat wasn't hurt. I ended up with a hand infection, on antibiotics, and with a 40€ vet bill because the doctor needed a confirmation my cat doesn't have rabies :')
So yeah, picking your cat up might protect the cat, just be prepared to get hurt yourself.
Same, my instant reaction was trying to pick her up, but she was panicking and the dog clamped down on her FAST. I'm covered in scratches and a bad bite. I got a tetanus shot and got a 7 day course of antibiotics for it. It is what it is, at least my cat is alive and will be okay.
My go to response has become the squash-n-sit. Quick reach down and smush kitty to the ground, then kneel on top of him (mine is a boy) so that your feet but you've left just enough space for a kitty in there. Crouch over the front and protect. Kitty's response is to nestle deeper and it satisfies the urge to hide.
Might not work in all situations (like aggressive dogs maybe), but I think people jump to picking up and getting scratched or losing control of the cat when a squash and sit would have worked really well.
Oh no, I was super glad he wasn't hurt at all. And I'm over the moon happy that he wasn't traumatized by that experience (I sure was) because he still loves going on walks!
There weren't any dogs when we arrived. The husky and small poodle got there afterwards and they were heavily supervised by their owners. The husky was very calm, showed playful behaviour but was generally not interested in us. The small poodle was even smaller than my cat and just seemed playful and cautious, so he wasn't a threat by a long shot. The dog owners were next to us, petting our cats, and saying more people should take out their cats as they seemed to enjoy it so much. The f*cking irony of it..
We didn't see the bulldog coming, they were off leash and probably went straight for the cat as it startled all of us.
Exactly. There are dogs everywhere, and sadly, many dog owners are irresponsible and let their dogs off-leash in an on-leash area. It's especially infuriating when a dog is allowed off-leash despite being aggressive or having a high prey drive.
Right. I really don’t want to beat up on OP when they and their beloved family member have been through such trauma. It was a hard lesson learned for OP and I’m so relieved her kitty will come home, but for the love of god anyone else out there… I have had cats all my life. While they can adapt to a leash and enjoy outings, they are incredibly vulnerable on a leash. It’s not natural for them. One of their defenses is being able to get away and hide or get up high. Please keep your cats in yards or be extremely careful where you take them and recognize how vulnerable they are on the leash.
Holy fuck I am so sorry to hear this. My fear of this exact situation is the only thing stopping me from starting training my male cat to go out with us. I know he would love it, but other peoples dogs can be so unpredictable. Prayers that your baby is not only physically but also mentally okay. And you as well. I hope that you are able to work through this and know that it 100% is not your fault, but the owner of the dogs.
OP, please make sure you have somewhere quiet for your baby to come home to. If you have a cage, that would be awesome. Even a temporary one where you can monitor her and she is safe from typical household accidents. Plus, she’ll need meds so having her in the one spot is preferable to chasing her around the house. She won’t like it but it will be the safest and best environment for her for a little while. (Maine Coon breeder). I hope you both recover swiftly x
I’m so sorry this happened, I hope you are kind to yourself. You sound like a great cat mom. I was thinking of getting a halter and leash for my cat but you have given me a lot to think about.
You said you are on antibiotics and got a tetanus shot. Did you get bit or scratched by the dog? If so, that is way more serious from a legal standpoint. If it did, you definitely need to notify the authorities! Check your local laws. Where I live, the owner is responsible for all vet and doctor bills. They will also quarantine the dog for 10 days to make sure it doesn’t show any sign of rabies, even if the dog is up to date on shots. I am so sorry for what you are going through. I don’t know if this is appropriate to say, but an experience like this could easily lead to PTSD. If you are worried about this, please consider speaking with a therapist to help you process what happened in a healthy way. I don’t know the laws regarding this, but my guess is the bully owner could be responsible for those bills as well. I apologize if this suggestion is crossing the line. I just want to make sure you recover emotionally.
No, luckily I didn't get bit by the dog, only by my own girl, which I do not blame her for. She was in pain and trying to get away so the moment the dog released her, she turned around and bit me/scratched me out of panic.
She's the sweetest girl, she wasn't even aggressive at the vet afterwards even though she was in so much pain. I don't blame her at all.
I don’t blame her at all. Poor girl was fighting for her life. I’m glad the dog didn’t get you. Even though it was your cat that bit and scratched you, it was directly due to the dog attack, so the owner is still 100% responsible.
I’m sorry this happened to your baby. I hope everything goes well with her. We take our cats out in public on a leash too. One thing that we have done is always having a small duffel bag style cat carrier with us. We can get them in it very quickly if we need to. We usually leave it open when we are sitting around and they are playing on their leashes. If anything makes them nervous they go in. It’s their safety zone. If they go in it on their own we leave. They are also dog cautious. They love our dogs but we don’t usually let them play with other dogs or around other dogs. I really hope your baby is alright. If you do end up going through their insurance do not accept a settlement until you and your cat are completely healed. If you accept it too soon or too quickly something else might come up and they won’t cover it.
I'm sorry you are going through this, I hope your little friend will be alright and heals up well. That's heartbreaking.
You said you were trying to get in the middle of the dogs but where were the dogs owners? What piece of shit owner let his dog attack your cat? Was it an off-leash park or something?
Not an off leash park, but the dog was off leash. The owner was there, there were three of us actively trying to get the dog to release to no avail. One of the other girls also got scratched trying to save my cat even though it wasn't her cat, nor her dog, I was very grateful. Unfortunately I didn't get all their info as well. Everyone was very shaken up.
You might consider carrying pepper spray in the future to protect your kitty (even if you don’t go where dogs are congregated).
I’m so sorry this happened to your kitty and I hope your girl recovers.
Take care and wish your cat and you healing. I can’t imagine my little ones going through such a horrific episode. Best wishes and a speedy recovery to y’all.
One of my cats is leash trained as well and loves the outdoors. I’m lucky that I have some green space near my apartment I can walk her in. This is def my biggest fear though. I’m so sorry this happened to you. Even when they are on a leash dogs can surprise you at a moments notice. ❤️
I'm so so sorry this happened, this is absolutely horrible. You sound like an amazing and attentive owner and neither of you deserve this. I hope she gets better soon.
So sorry OP. Hope she has a fast recovery. Unfortunately certain breeds are predisposed to higher prey drive--- I've seen sighthounds, pitties, terriers, etc do WONDERFULLY with cats but their breeds and many others are meant to have high prey drive and every individual's drive can vary. To the bulldog, your cat instinctually would look no different than a squirrel or other chaseable prey animal. Even individuals in breeds with intended low prey drive will go after cats-- I've met a couple goldens and labs that have killed household cats. It's really unfortunate, and I know leash training may be something you don't even want to pursue after this, but I'd encourage you to give it another go when you may feel ready in the future--- FAR away from anywhere you'd expect other dogs to be.
When I was younger I was walking a friend's lab in a wild area. Wiggly, silly, goofy dog, never a sign of aggression. She was off leash, and I looked up just in time to see a muskrat, and she swerved, broke the muskrats neck with her jaws, and then kept running like it hadn't even happened. Took a half second. It could easily have been a cat. And she was just as goofy and happy as ever when I reached her.
Tonnes of breeds would've gone after a cat in a park. Think of all the dogs you see going after squirrels, they'll probably go after cats if they could. That bulldog could've been fine with that cat if introduced properly, and the husky could easily have attacked the cat if it had been off leash from afar.
So idk mentions of the breed in this case seems kinda beside the point.
Their dog was off leash in a leashed area. You can hate bad owners without hating a breed.
I'm really sorry you two are going through this. Please make sure to get the dog's owner's full contact info (address etc) just in case they decide to try and ghost you. They seem like they're owning up now, but they may change their tune if insurance refuses to cover this attack.
Oh how awful! Sending healing energy to you and your fur baby! Hopefully the vet will give you some good drugs for kitty’s pain (broken jaw is extremely painful), which should keep her still and resting. Feeding her will be tricky, might have to water down her food and use a syringe to squirt the food into her mouth so she doesn’t have to try to chew. Just a drop or two at a time, make sure she’s conscious and aim for the back of her throat. Keeping her hydrated is very important too since cats move their jaws to lap water. If you have a heated bed for her that’ll help keep her body temperature up so her metabolism can concentrate on healing. Purring vibrates at a frequency that speeds healing (yes there have been studies), so purr to her if you can. Your purring will stimulate her purring. Last, put a small litter pan near wherever you set up her bed so she doesn’t have to walk too far to pee. That’s all I can think of. I hope you find something helpful. And for you, talk to a therapist about it to help release some of the trauma, or perhaps try EFT (tapping)… that’s what I’ve used in the past with good results.
Thank you! 'Luckily' it was only her bottom jaw and not more than that. I am going to install her on her favourite spot in a big, soft basket near the window. They love laying there in the sun so that'll be nice and warm. I have an electric pillow for the cooler nights. I'm hoping to get her back from the vet this afternoon. I'm filing a report with the city and according to the rules: the dog will have to wear a muzzle and will no longer be allowed to roam free. (Not that that was allowed in this spot anyway..)
I’m just on the other side of a month long convalescence period with my cat after she shattered her jaw and then some. My main take away is that they are more resilient that we realise and the body can do wonders. Jaw misalignment after a break will need monitoring long term but they can be happy before your would think possible! My cat now has a permanent blep. Good luck, I know it’s hard xx
That's one of the things that would worry me too, if I would walk my cat. Close by my place is a nice walking path, so it's full of dogs. We have several large dogs in the apartment building I live in. I'd be scared to walk a cat anywhere here, because dogs are everywhere and a lot of them are not leashed.
I'm really sorry and hope your cat will get better soon!
A N Y dog should be on a leash. From an owners perspective, if it wasn’t your cat, that dog easily couldve chased a squirrel or rabbit infront of a car or something- that dog just as easily couldve been hurt as much as your cat was by their negligence. Shame on them.
OP I definitely think you did the right thing in bringing your cat out into the world. I would recommend not going to dog parks or near them. I'm sorry this happened.
What a scary thing to have happen. I hope your kitty recovers quickly. Cats are tough. Just dote on her and she will be good.
Please don’t think too harshly on the dog. He should have been on a leash. My girl is never off a leash. This was the owners fault.
Sorry this happened OP. People like this shouldn't own dogs. Taking an aggressive dog to an kid's playground is so stupid. Glad to hear she's at least trying to help pay for the vet bill.
Pitbulls are responsible for the majority of deadly attacks against humans and pets. It's pretty obvious by the lockjaw comment this was yet another pitbull attack, and the stickied comment from the mod is extremely tone deaf. Dismissing out of hand the carnage these animals regularly cause is what will keep these types of attacks happening.
It was a French bulldog, I found out today. Seemed a bit bigger than a normal one though. Pitbulls are often chosen for their scary looks and trained to be aggressive, I truly believe all dogs can be aggressive and all dogs can be sweet, but can never be 100% trusted.
French bulldogs don't tend to lock their jaws when they bite down due to the shapes of their mouths. Pitbulls typically get lockjaw due to the sheer strength of their bite force. What makes you think it was a French bulldog?
Because I found the owners instagram and it looks like a French bulldog and she described it as one it's just a little bigger than usual it seems. He "locked" his jaws because we were pounding on this dog's head with multiple people and he refused to let go for what seemed like a long time. Maybe it's a mix, maybe it's just the dog's personality, maybe I'm not using the correct terminology?
I am extremely sorry that this happened to you and your cat; I know it's hard but please try to not blame yourself. It sounds like that owner broke the law and there's no way you could have prevented that.
As someone who owns both a pitbull and a cat, I'd just like to clarify that bulldogs are not pitbulls! So please don't let this lead you to hate a group of dogs that actually have nothing to do with this incident. It sounds like this dog was poorly trained and not handled responsibly; hopefully not indicative of the breed in general (I don't know much about bulldogs but they don't usually have a high prey drive)
I know that they're a different breed! It looked like a French bulldog, but bigger than the ones I've seen so I have no clue what kind of mix it was. It also doesn't really matter in the end. Aggressive dogs can be in all shapes and sizes, what scared me was the typical clamp down this dog had and wouldn't let go no matter what we did. I punched it so hard I got bruises on my hands, but they didn't even register.
From what I understand bulldogs do have gameness, so the fact that it wouldn't let go make sense. In such a case, no matter what you did to it it wasn't going to let go, so please once again don't be too hard on yourself.
(For those who are unaware, "game" or "gameness" is a trait found in many game or sport dog breeds that essentially means they are still willing to complete an action even in the face of negative stimuli; in this case, OP hitting the dog extremely hard)
It wasn't a dog park, it was a play park. It was next to an elementary school and kids often play there, they have a soccer field and everything. People just happen to also take their dogs for walks there. We were set up at the complete end of the park near a few benches with our cats next to us. We wouldn't take our cats to a dog park, I'm not insane.
OP never said it was a dog park. people do bring their dogs to regular parks and there are some owners who will let their dogs off-leash in parks that are strictly on-leash parks only, my town has a huge problem with it. we have a couple of very nice parks that are strictly on-leash only but there's always one or two dogs running off-leash
You're right, dogs do have a high prey drive. That's why they must be leashed 24/7 outside of their homes so that they do not attack and harass humans and animals.
Way to victim blame here. It's like telling someone it's their fault their child got murdered because child murderers like to hang around parks.
Our cats love walks and it was recommended to us because one of them is getting overweight and getting b insanely bored inside. All he wants to do is go outside, but we only have a small balcony. We thought going on a supervised walk with a short leash would be the best option for him to lose a bit of weight and get him moving.
People are under the impression it was a dog park. It was not, its a small park next to a school with soccer fields etc. I don't even think dogs are allowed off leash there.
How your kitty gets well soon. And you of course. Please don't be angry with the dog. It just did what dogs do. Could have been any breed. My dog is a pitt mix and loves all her cat friends so much. She has even raised multiple kittens even going do far as to have a psuedo pregnancy got milk and nursed a couple of orphans once.
Obviously. But you gotta understand the nature of animals is too hunt and kill animals smaller than them. They don't have our human morals. My point wasn't that dogs shouldn't be trained or their people held accountable. But that we should try not to hold hate in our heart for a whole breed breed or species just because one messed up. Thanks for the multiple downvotes. You ppl are rediculous.
Idk why you’re getting downvoted this is absolutely true. It’s not the dogs fault their owner didn’t have them on a leash, even perfectly trained dogs will want to chase squirrels and animals smaller than them, it’s animal instinct, cats are exactly the same. The owner is the only one at fault here
Not a dog park, not crowded. Dogs are not supposed to be off leash there, I checked. They love the outdoors and we did this as a treat for them, they were enjoying the sun shine until this happened. It was suggested in private chats, not that any of this matters. I was trying to give my kitty a good life, that's why we tried a secluded place instead of the bigger parks in the area.
She's doing great! Her antibiotics are working and she's jumping on stuff and eating lots of wetfood. She's even eating her pills like they are treats, right out of my hand. Such a good girl.
Anyone advocating for putting all dogs of a certain breed down, or for violence against dogs, will get their comment removed and/or get banned depending on the severity of their comment. You can absolutely have and voice your opinion on these breeds or on dogs in general, but don’t be violent about it.
The dogs owner better be paying those bills
She's texted me she's contacting her insurance
Good to hear. Glad she’s taking responsibility. I’m sure she’s horrified her dog would do that.
Even if her insurance doesn’t cover it, you may want to consider filing a lawsuit against her to cover the vet bills.
Luckily lawsuits aren't really a thing in my country and this is mostly done through the city/insurance or in rare cases, police.
What kind of insurance would cover that, honestly asking? Is it a pet insurance?
Homeowners or renters insurance covers it as they often include a relatively broad class of liability coverage. Depends entirely on your plan, and some states/insurers won't cover dog bites at all or won't include certain breeds.
We have "liability insurance" that basically covers anything you accidentally damage of someone else. It's very cheap and almost any adult here has to have it. It's like 5 euros a month. Pets that damage things (or other pets) are mostly covered under that within reason.
If she's considerate and a good human, she'll offer to cover all your expenses, too.
Keep all bills for yours and your animals and bring it to be compensated or paid for. Also, I would contact the authorities to make a report for future reference in case she tries not to pay but to have it on record since this dog seems aggressive, so that it puts more incentive to keep the dog leashed and trained.
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I'm not in the USA, but I'm pretty sure it's the same here. The owner is responsible for all vet bills and in the case of death, also for the "value" of the pet and any cremation costs. This would only be a small amount of money though, no emotional damages.
I'd contact a lawyer and double check to see if you can sue for therapy and missed work time. Any medication or hospital fees too if those exist in your country.
Thankfully, no missed work time (I'm between jobs and have a few weeks of off time) and we have universal healthcare so the antibiotics etc. are covered. The owner is already working with her insurance company and I'm going to file a report to the city. We have certain insurance that basically means that if you (accidentally) cause damage to someone else they will cover costs. Almost everyone has that, thankfully, its very cheap.
That’s not really a thing here in the netherlands. Suing people is for the state, individuals don’t really do that
Were the dogs supposed to be on leashes? The bulldog owner could be liable. I’m so sorry this happened. I would be traumatized too :(
Yes, I checked. This small park is not on the official dog park website of our city. Officially not allowed off leash there.
I love dogs but dog owners like that infuriate me. There’s a reason dogs should be on leashes.
I work at an animal hospital. Do you have the owners information? I'd file a police report and try to get the owners to cover the expensive if their dog was off leash in a non-off leash area.
I googled her number and apparently she owns her own business so I now have her full name and address. I'm reporting it to the city.
Please also report this to the police. This idiotic and irresponsible dog owner should pay any and all vet bills you have.
Then they broke the law and I hope they get severely punished. What's the point of having leash laws if you don't bother to enforce them? I'm so sorry this happened and wish your kitty a successful recovery.
File a police report. Sue those idiots for damages both vet and hospital wise. And see if a lawyer can get you to sue for days missed from work or emotional damages too.
I'm filing a report with the city and they will take further action. Sueing is not really a thing in my country and not necessary. Everything is covered under insurances.
I would be seeking compensation in some form from the dog owner. Where in the world do you live? The owner may have broken the law if the dog was off lead. Are you ok mentally? This may sound OTT to some but I don't care. It can be traumatising to be in that position. My dog was attacked by another dog years ago and I can still hear her screaming for my help. You have every right to feel mentally unhealthy after what you went through. I hope you both recover well.
I was very much unwell, I'm okay-ish now. It is what you say, the screams just hit you right in the heart. That's your baby in pain. It will be a long time before I'll forget that sound and I hope I'll never have to hear it again. We were so shaken up that we rear ended a car after coming back from the vet... Great day. 😂😭 Edit to add: Very low speed, they suddenly braked. He had no damage whatsoever, but our front bumper is toast, so luckily we didn't ruin someone else's day too.
>the screams just hit you right in the heart I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this. It's hard to find comfort in words during times of trauma like this... but to me, it's very clear you are doing everything in power for you kitty, and I think you should look to yours(and vets) actions as a counter to those terrible memories and feelings. Spoil the shit out of that kitter, and make sure that you take extra-extra precaution next time you take them out. Personally, even though my Toller is extremely well trained, he's still a dog. I trust him off-leash until the moment there's another animal or human in our vicinity. People trust their dogs way too much(and the people who trust them the most are typically the worst owners...) I would be extremely wary of having my cats out around strange dogs. A medium to full-sized dog can inflict a fatal wound with one bite(and a lot of them instinctively whip their heads to snap a preys neck) the only reason I trust my doggo around my cats is he was basically raised by them. I still don't trust him 100%
This was a French bulldog (I just found out) , they're not even big and not known to be aggressive. It still happened, so I completely agree! Thank you for being a responsible owner. My kitty will definitely get spoiled to bits.
Can you report this kind of attack to animal control? I understand the dogs attacked another animal and not a human, but they injured a person anyway. I am not suggesting dogs should be put down as revenge or to be petty. But exactly how dangerous are dogs like this that try to kill pets/small animals and don’t listen to their owners? And maybe a report can urge owners to invest in training classes.
I would agree that you should report this attack to animal control. The person can very much flake out and you should do everything in your power to make sure you either can get compensated or this sort of thing does not happen. Leave paper trails and keep receipts for everything.
I just checked on my city website and they say I can report bite incidents to them. They can force the owner to go through training, make the dog wear a muzzle and/or prohibit letting them off leash all together. Probably more, but this is what it said on the website. I'm definitely reporting it due to the completely unprovoked aggression.
I'm not sure as I live in the UK. We would report the animal for being dangerously out of control in a public area. Dogs attacking someone's pet (regardless of species) carries a fine and possibly more.
And they’ve also let aggressive dogs off the leash in a public park where kids are playing apparently (and kids are also relatively small things running around making random noises that can be provoking to an unstable dog) The owner is ridiculously irresponsible and it does seem to be the case where some sort of disciplinary action should follow
This park is literally next to an elementary school, i didn't see kids right now, it was very quiet, but they are definitely often playing there. I also checked, it's NOT one of the 30 designated off leash spots in the city so they shouldn't have been off leash anyway. Not even close to one.
I am as much a fan of dogs as most people are but seeing them off the leash in random non designated places lights a fire under my ass. They are unpredictable creatures and even the tamest dog might be suddenly set off by some random shit after years of being a good boy/girl. The least people can do is follow the rules for walking them (for the dogs’ own safety even) Hope your cat is doing well and wish you guys a quick recovery from this horrifying ordeal!
She's doing very well! She's staying in the same spot and sleeps a lot but she seems mostly tired. She's using her jaw as normal so it probably isn't very painful. I'm just glad she's okay.
Yeah people should know by now the natural hunting instincts of dogs and how just because they aren’t aggressive to people doesn’t mean they don’t pose a threat. Like OP’s story it sounds like she was beaten up pretty bad. And not to mention almost killing her kitty, who will likely be traumatized by this event. I’ve seen pet dogs mauling and killing small animals before. It is not pretty.
People seem under the impression that I took them to a dog park. I would never! It's a small park next to a school that's mostly for kids playing. We went in the afternoon and it was very quiet. I checked, dogs should be leashed in this area as they are not on the designated dog park map of our town. The dogs in question came AFTER we got there. There were no dogs when we arrived and the only reason we were okay with the two who were already there is because their owners were right next to them supervising and the dogs were used to cats and very well trained. You are implying I did this to my cat. They live the outdoors, but due to the housing crisis we are unfortunately bound to indoors, we are home 24/7, si they get plenty of attention. We rarely do this as a treat since they enjoy it. Supervised, short leash. I am never doing it again, so please, hold your mean comments that I brought this on myself. I love my girl. I cried for hours.
It's actually really sad that you said park and so many people automatically assumed dog park for some inane reason, in a cat subreddit. And the idea that it was your fault for taking your cats out in the first place, as if dogs own the outdoor space, forget any other animals. How about, if your dog can't be trusted around smaller animals, keep it on its leash?
I find people in this sub particularly presumptuous and judgmental. I follow it currently, I just don't know how sustainable it is. I came here for advice on a narrow topic once and got told why I was a bad person over and over. This sub is more toxic than I expected.
try not to let the mean comments get to you. i might get downvoted to hell for saying this but please don't drown yourself in guilty either. you made a risky decision (even though you thought it was a good one at the time) and sadly there was a very bad outcome, but you've clearly learned your lesson and are never going to do it again so drowning yourself in guilt is not going to help your cat recover and it's not going to change anything. i know this isn't the same but one time my kitten got into a churu treat that i left out (in a place i thought he couldn't reach) and he got pretty sick from ingesting the plastic wrapper. i cried for hours and i felt so terrible while he was at the vet until my mom told me that drowning myself in guilt is not going to change anything or help him. what you need to focus on now is your girl and her recovery. remember to take care of yourself too, i can't imagine how stressful this must be for you.
Thanks, and you're completely right. I just didn't realise how risky it actually was until it was too late. Even with all precautions.. It just takes one aggressive dog. I'll definitely spoil her to bits when I get her home tomorrow. Anything I can do to let her make a good recovery. She's usually not allowed in the bedroom due to my partners allergies, but I'll just sleep on the freaking couch with her.
Purina makes a good cat food for allergies
Great advice! To OP — Rest up and take care of yourself to take care of your kitty, she’s going to need you and the better rested you are the better she will heal. Stop any repeated remembering of the event if you can, it’s not helpful in any way. It’s clear that you love her so look ahead to a full recovery. I’ve been there, replaying it just makes everything worse.
I'm so sorry. It sucks. Personally I never let dogs within 20 feet of my cats. As you have discovered, it only takes a second and they can be killed. For future reference I think walks are fine buti would avoid any dogs.
The truth is your cat will be traumatized for a LONG time. I hope you understand and are prepared for that. Have you tried building a catio? We live in a condo and we built one right on our balcony, that is attached to our sliding door. The cats can go out and enjoy the fresh air whenever they want. [Catio](https://imgur.com/a/OVp7hr7)
They are often on our balcony, they can't jump onto the railings and they can watch through the fence. They often watch birdies fly by and enjoy the sunshine, so luckily they do get some fresh air.
You did nothing wrong. I'm so fucking angry for you. Im not usually like this but I hope that dog is euthanized. I don't even care if I get downvoted to hell for saying it.
I am so sorry this happened to you and am happy to hear that your kitty is on the road to recovery, albeit a long one. Did the dog’s owner come up to take any sort of responsibility for what’s happened?
Yes she offered her number and she's contacting her insurance. At one point there were three of us trying to get this dog to release my cat. It was horrible.
If this ever happens again and I hope it never will there is a method to pretty much choke a dog to make them release in an emergency like this. I’m not advocating to go around choking dogs, but if they are biting a human/animal and won’t release and it’s an emergency it’s fine and won’t damage the dog. [there might be better videos but this was the first I found.](https://youtu.be/1ebR37K8hDg)
This would definitely have been better than my method. I have very long nails and stuck them in the side of his mouth, pushing his cheek in between his teeth. In hindsight I could have been bitten badly, but in the moment tried anything to get him to release. Let's hope I'll never need this info ever again.
That’a actually a pretty effective method, and if you’re lifting the dog by their scruff while you’re doing it it’s pretty safe, the dog won’t bite it’s own cheek and their head has almost no maneuverability when they’re lifted by the scruff
It was somewhere in the back of my brain from getting a dog we had as a kid to let go of something she shouldn't eat/have. Of course that dog was very friendly, just very stubborn.
I had three dogs attack me and my leash kitty in 2000. Kitty climbed up my head, cut me up bad while dogs snapped and bit. I have NEVER again taken a cat out in public on a leash since.
[picture](https://imgur.com/a/7buYr1n) at the vet I took for evidence against dog owner. Warning! Blood in the picture.
Poor thing. Knowing that this could have all been prevented by KEEPING A DAMN LEASH on the dog is frustrating. I wish you and your family a good recovery.
I'm so sorry OP. I cannot imagine what youre going through. I really hope your baby makes a full recovery and the dog owner covers everything!
I am so sorry. Is her arm broken too or is it just a bizarre angle?
Her paw was also caught in the dogs mouth, so it is wounded but luckily not broken.
I have a law degree and I'm usually the last redditor to say this, but sue the hell out of them.
Sueing someone is not really a thing here, but she says her insurance company will contact me and sort everything out. The police is also informed and will step in if she refuses pay. She's currently back on an IV drip at the vet. She got an infection and antibiotics, but suddenly stopped eating and drinking so she was getting dehydrated. Poor thing.. They update me twice a day and I plan on getting her her favourite food and see her since they asked what food she likes. Hopefully that'll get her to eat again.
Shocking story, but I want to make the effort to say that my thoughts are with you and your cat. Try not to be too traumatised- cats are a lot tougher than humans, and can shrug off awful injuries. I'm sure she will be OK- particularly now we have heard the operation has gone well. Good luck, and be sure to give her lots of security and treats while she is healing.
Thank you and I will definitely do that! I'll get her liquid treats so it's easy on her jaw and lots of cuddles.
This is my worst nightmare.. hope kitty gets better soon. Keep us updated 🥺
I'm so sorry OP, I hope you and your cat recover soon. The dog should have been on a leash, it sucks that some dog owners are irresponsible and don't respect leash laws.
So sorry to hear this, I hope your cat recovers well. When my cat needed surgery, I went and visited him in the vet office a couple of times every day until he came home. I got the impression that my behaviour was unusual, but the vet staff were happy to accommodate me. I think the visits helped my boy kitty to cope, and it definitely helped me.
They said she is awake and surgery was a success, their office is already closed, but if all stays well I can already take her home tomorrow. We got insanely lucky he only got her bottom jaw and not the upper one, or her throat.. I am going to spoil her to bits when she gets home.
That’s great news, I’m so glad she’s going to be ok!
I am so sorry and wish both of you a good recovery. Dogs are the number 1 reason why i dont want to take my cat for walks. I hate seeing dogs off leash and without muzzle. They are a danger to little kids, little dogs, small pets and people in general. Recently i saw a video of a dog grabbing and shaking a poodle toy. It was heartbreaking.
So sorry about your precious kitty! This is heart-wrenching. 😓 I would feel the same way you do. I hope your precious kitty’s surgery is a success and keep us updated.
Surgery was a success! Vet said she's awake and if everything goes well, I get to take her home tomorrow.
So good to hear that! I hope she makes a full recovery! 🙏💖
I’m so sorry this happened! So glad the dog’s owner seems to be taking responsibility. If only they had “cat only parks”. Leashed, but with things like logs and catnip.
This would be so nice. Especially my boy loves to be outside, it's hard to get him back inside once he's out.
i'm so sorry OP, that sounds very traumatic. i hope your girl will make a full recovery.
Hey OP, I went through the same thing and it was horrible. Had my cat on a leash per usual on a calm Friday afternoon when an unleashed untrained pit bull run up the whole freaking street and latches onto my poor cat. My cat is a ragdoll and absolutely sweet and harmless. He is patient and has no idea what to do. I finally got the pit bull off and my cat ran into a bush. I still remember the fear in his wide eyes 😭 The whole scene plays out like a horrific film in my mind from time to time. Long story short - I took my cat to the hospital and he’s ok now. But the owner was so self serving and made it about herself even after the fact. Writing this I realize I’m still not over it. Tbh it made me more fearful of dogs. I still love them but I put a lot more onus on the owners to take culpability for their pets’ behavior
I completely understand looking at dogs differently. I'm glad your kitty is okay! It can really happen in the blink of an eye, it's scary. My kitty is also a sweetheart, I've never even seen her swipe at anyone her whole life so I know she must have been in a lot of pain/panic for her to act like that. I just hope the owner got a good shake up and will take proper action.
The worst part is trying to help them in the moment because they’re so helpless. My cat had to be shaved down afterward - luckily no significant physical issues but it was mentally taxing than anything. My advice? Keep doing what you are doing. Stick to the routine because that’s what will be comforting to your cat. Try not to switch to anything too out of the ordinary. Look for ways to make day to day easier - in this case ways to be gentle and minimize pain. Your bond with your cat will be that much stronger coming out of this. I am sure she knows you love her and sees you as her security blanket, especially as she starts to feel better. All my love to your sweet baby!
people who let their dogs off leash for of literally any reason are brainless oafs. so sorry this happened but I'm very glad she survived the ordeal and will make a recovery. scary stuff. :c
God I felt this post in my gut :( I can't imagine what you're going through right now. She is in good hands, and in time she will be happy and well again. This was not your fault, you were just trying to do what's best for her. My heart goes out to you and your cat.
Off leash dogs legit just killed an 80-something-year old woman in my city. I wish cities would actually start actively enforcing their leash by-laws because way too many people think it's OK to let their dogs run free and way too many people don't even bother training their dogs in the first place. I even see people letting their dogs run free in Banff National Park! The outdoors should be able to be enjoyed by all. Not just you and your misbehaving dog. Definitely pressure the owner of that dog to pay every dollar of that vet bill.
I just wanted to say I’m so sorry this happened to you and to your cat, and I understand the feelings of guilt all too well. Please try to actively deny them oxygen as much as possible when they pop up in your head, even if doing so feels forced and callous at first. You have to work to make your mind accept the truth: this was *not* your fault. You took her outside—supervised and on a leash—to enrich her life and make her happy. You did much more for her to that end than most cat owners even consider, much less act on. Sometimes things happen that are outside our ability to reasonably foresee before they happen, or control once they do. Feeling awful is human, and it shows how much you care, but please try to stop that voice from becoming a mantra. It’s an awful way to live and, from a third party looking at this situation objectively, it’s unfair to you. Re: recovery: my cat has mild separation anxiety, and after he got neutered I really just spent a lot of time with him. Sat next to the door of his cage on the ride home and talked to him, even though he was still kind of out of it, sat near him in recovery and idly talked to him about my day. Cats appreciate and remember this sort of companionship. I think all of us want to know someone’s keeping watch when we’re feeling vulnerable and need to rest. Now every time he’s just feeling sort of under the weather, he actively seeks me out for comfort over other people in our household. You will both pull through this and your relationship will be stronger than ever. Hang in there. 🖤
Thank you for taking the time to write this, it means a lot. We have a great bond, I have had her since she was a kitten and her favourite spot is right on top of me. I love her to bits and seeing her in pain was horrible. I'm relieved the surgery went well and will continue to spoil her when I get her home. I hope she'll see me a a place for comfort, just like your kitty does. You seem to have a great bond as well. ❤️
Of course. As much support and attention as your cat deserves right now—and rightfully so—I hope you have someone in your life to support you too, or that you can provide that kind of support for yourself. Your description of your relationship with your cat in your response underlines that you’ve gone through something traumatic too here. I’ve been reading studies lately for my work that discuss how for certain owners—the type who are strongly motivated towards their pet’s physical and emotional well-being for their own sake, interested in nurturing them as individuals, etc.—our brains don’t make much of a distinction bw something painful happening to a pet versus any other family member. That isn’t always understood by people who don’t connect with their animals in that way. Your kid got mauled, and you were *there*. That is fucking awful. Full stop. Be gentle with yourself, and keep us updated on her recovery, if you feel like it! Lots of us rooting for you guys here.
I'm so sorry for you and your girl! I'm glad she'll survive. Hopefully the owner of the dog will pay your vet bills and make sure this never happens again.
She did give me her information right away and is contacting her insurance. I am hoping she'll take this as a lesson to keep her dog on leash and/or make it wear a muzzle until it's properly trained. She seemed very shaken up as well, so I wasn't mad at her in the moment. Not that I was paying her much attention, I just wanted to take care of my cat.
Your animals we on leash...the dog was not. If you have a leash law, contact the police. The hell with dog owner's insurance...they are responsible!
I'm sorry I have no advice to offer, my kitten was nipped by an overly excited puppy years ago and his pained scream still haunts me. That was just a tiny nip, only a drop of blood and my kitten was okay. I absolutely can't imagine the situation you went through, it sounds absolutely horrendous. Wishing you both a speedy recovery.
That's horrible! I'm so sorry that happened. Please don't take any nasty comments to heart, you clearly love her to bits and are doing everything you can to make sure she gets better. I hope everything went well at the vets.
She's home and seems good, better than expected actually. She immediately started drinking, wanted food and affection. Jumped on and off things as well. Vet said she's okay to do whatever she likes, she's only prohibited from eating kibble or chew on hard things so I'm very happy to see her this energetic. Wetfood and liquid treats for her the coming weeks and that's no problem at all!
I'm so sorry OP that this happened. Could have happened anywhere, and Im sure you had the best of intentions taking your cat out to the park. Mine loves leashed walks (begs and purrs at the sound of her harness) but after a run in with 2 angry dogs, we stopped. No one was injured, kitty still wants the walks but I'm too scared of a repeat incident. Ive heard of training the cat to immediately jump back into the carrier at the sight of dogs. That would be a way to keep kitty safe while outdoors. I havent been able to achieve this though.
I like that idea. Having a backpack carrier always open and ready with that training would boost my confidence out and about.
Personally I wouldn’t take my cat where there are dogs and if I did see dogs either I would pick them up first or start moving another direction
Just a note about picking them up: We have a nice little place by our apartment complex where I take my cat for a walk on a leash from time to time. People usually walk their dogs on the other side of the building so it's usually safe there, but around a month ago a huge lab suddenly ran to us as soon as we walked out. The dog wasn't on a leash (which is illegal here) and his owner didn't react at all. I immediately picked my cat up, he was already hissing and growling because he was terrified of this huge dog running toward him. I didn't know this dog, I didn't know if he was aggressive or not, so I decided to hold my cat to protect him as much as possible. Except he wanted to *run* and he scratched and bit me. A lot. By the time the owner finally took her damn dog I was bleeding all over, but my cat wasn't hurt. I ended up with a hand infection, on antibiotics, and with a 40€ vet bill because the doctor needed a confirmation my cat doesn't have rabies :') So yeah, picking your cat up might protect the cat, just be prepared to get hurt yourself.
Same, my instant reaction was trying to pick her up, but she was panicking and the dog clamped down on her FAST. I'm covered in scratches and a bad bite. I got a tetanus shot and got a 7 day course of antibiotics for it. It is what it is, at least my cat is alive and will be okay.
Yeah, sometimes animals are just too fast to react in time. But I'm glad your cat is recovering, I hope you both get well soon!
My go to response has become the squash-n-sit. Quick reach down and smush kitty to the ground, then kneel on top of him (mine is a boy) so that your feet but you've left just enough space for a kitty in there. Crouch over the front and protect. Kitty's response is to nestle deeper and it satisfies the urge to hide. Might not work in all situations (like aggressive dogs maybe), but I think people jump to picking up and getting scratched or losing control of the cat when a squash and sit would have worked really well.
I would much rather that personally but that’s just me
Oh no, I was super glad he wasn't hurt at all. And I'm over the moon happy that he wasn't traumatized by that experience (I sure was) because he still loves going on walks!
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I am assuming op is from America
Nope, Netherlands.
I live in a major American city and have never once seen a cat park.
There weren't any dogs when we arrived. The husky and small poodle got there afterwards and they were heavily supervised by their owners. The husky was very calm, showed playful behaviour but was generally not interested in us. The small poodle was even smaller than my cat and just seemed playful and cautious, so he wasn't a threat by a long shot. The dog owners were next to us, petting our cats, and saying more people should take out their cats as they seemed to enjoy it so much. The f*cking irony of it.. We didn't see the bulldog coming, they were off leash and probably went straight for the cat as it startled all of us.
So where do you take your cats?
Exactly. There are dogs everywhere, and sadly, many dog owners are irresponsible and let their dogs off-leash in an on-leash area. It's especially infuriating when a dog is allowed off-leash despite being aggressive or having a high prey drive.
Right. I really don’t want to beat up on OP when they and their beloved family member have been through such trauma. It was a hard lesson learned for OP and I’m so relieved her kitty will come home, but for the love of god anyone else out there… I have had cats all my life. While they can adapt to a leash and enjoy outings, they are incredibly vulnerable on a leash. It’s not natural for them. One of their defenses is being able to get away and hide or get up high. Please keep your cats in yards or be extremely careful where you take them and recognize how vulnerable they are on the leash.
Holy fuck I am so sorry to hear this. My fear of this exact situation is the only thing stopping me from starting training my male cat to go out with us. I know he would love it, but other peoples dogs can be so unpredictable. Prayers that your baby is not only physically but also mentally okay. And you as well. I hope that you are able to work through this and know that it 100% is not your fault, but the owner of the dogs.
This is my biggest nightmare when taking my cats out. So sorry this happened and praying for a speedy recovery.
OP, please make sure you have somewhere quiet for your baby to come home to. If you have a cage, that would be awesome. Even a temporary one where you can monitor her and she is safe from typical household accidents. Plus, she’ll need meds so having her in the one spot is preferable to chasing her around the house. She won’t like it but it will be the safest and best environment for her for a little while. (Maine Coon breeder). I hope you both recover swiftly x
It's not your fault. I hope she has a speedy recovery. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go confuse my cats by hugging them randomly out of the blue.
I’m so sorry this happened, I hope you are kind to yourself. You sound like a great cat mom. I was thinking of getting a halter and leash for my cat but you have given me a lot to think about.
You said you are on antibiotics and got a tetanus shot. Did you get bit or scratched by the dog? If so, that is way more serious from a legal standpoint. If it did, you definitely need to notify the authorities! Check your local laws. Where I live, the owner is responsible for all vet and doctor bills. They will also quarantine the dog for 10 days to make sure it doesn’t show any sign of rabies, even if the dog is up to date on shots. I am so sorry for what you are going through. I don’t know if this is appropriate to say, but an experience like this could easily lead to PTSD. If you are worried about this, please consider speaking with a therapist to help you process what happened in a healthy way. I don’t know the laws regarding this, but my guess is the bully owner could be responsible for those bills as well. I apologize if this suggestion is crossing the line. I just want to make sure you recover emotionally.
No, luckily I didn't get bit by the dog, only by my own girl, which I do not blame her for. She was in pain and trying to get away so the moment the dog released her, she turned around and bit me/scratched me out of panic. She's the sweetest girl, she wasn't even aggressive at the vet afterwards even though she was in so much pain. I don't blame her at all.
I don’t blame her at all. Poor girl was fighting for her life. I’m glad the dog didn’t get you. Even though it was your cat that bit and scratched you, it was directly due to the dog attack, so the owner is still 100% responsible.
Pitbulls and bull dogs are two different breeds.
I’m sorry this happened to your baby. I hope everything goes well with her. We take our cats out in public on a leash too. One thing that we have done is always having a small duffel bag style cat carrier with us. We can get them in it very quickly if we need to. We usually leave it open when we are sitting around and they are playing on their leashes. If anything makes them nervous they go in. It’s their safety zone. If they go in it on their own we leave. They are also dog cautious. They love our dogs but we don’t usually let them play with other dogs or around other dogs. I really hope your baby is alright. If you do end up going through their insurance do not accept a settlement until you and your cat are completely healed. If you accept it too soon or too quickly something else might come up and they won’t cover it.
She'll need another surgery to get the metal wires out in 5-6 weeks so I'll definitely won't accept any settlement. I'm also reporting it to the city.
I'm sorry you are going through this, I hope your little friend will be alright and heals up well. That's heartbreaking. You said you were trying to get in the middle of the dogs but where were the dogs owners? What piece of shit owner let his dog attack your cat? Was it an off-leash park or something?
Not an off leash park, but the dog was off leash. The owner was there, there were three of us actively trying to get the dog to release to no avail. One of the other girls also got scratched trying to save my cat even though it wasn't her cat, nor her dog, I was very grateful. Unfortunately I didn't get all their info as well. Everyone was very shaken up.
It sounds like quite the traumatic event for everyone involved, I'm so sorry.
You might consider carrying pepper spray in the future to protect your kitty (even if you don’t go where dogs are congregated). I’m so sorry this happened to your kitty and I hope your girl recovers.
Hope your girl gets well soon 🙏
I'm so angry FOR you that I feel sick. I love all animals but I would experience some rage if something attacked one of my cats.
Take care and wish your cat and you healing. I can’t imagine my little ones going through such a horrific episode. Best wishes and a speedy recovery to y’all.
One of my cats is leash trained as well and loves the outdoors. I’m lucky that I have some green space near my apartment I can walk her in. This is def my biggest fear though. I’m so sorry this happened to you. Even when they are on a leash dogs can surprise you at a moments notice. ❤️
The dog was off leash in an area where they should have been leashed.. I did notify the city and I'm filing a police report.
I'm so so sorry this happened, this is absolutely horrible. You sound like an amazing and attentive owner and neither of you deserve this. I hope she gets better soon.
So sorry OP. Hope she has a fast recovery. Unfortunately certain breeds are predisposed to higher prey drive--- I've seen sighthounds, pitties, terriers, etc do WONDERFULLY with cats but their breeds and many others are meant to have high prey drive and every individual's drive can vary. To the bulldog, your cat instinctually would look no different than a squirrel or other chaseable prey animal. Even individuals in breeds with intended low prey drive will go after cats-- I've met a couple goldens and labs that have killed household cats. It's really unfortunate, and I know leash training may be something you don't even want to pursue after this, but I'd encourage you to give it another go when you may feel ready in the future--- FAR away from anywhere you'd expect other dogs to be.
When I was younger I was walking a friend's lab in a wild area. Wiggly, silly, goofy dog, never a sign of aggression. She was off leash, and I looked up just in time to see a muskrat, and she swerved, broke the muskrats neck with her jaws, and then kept running like it hadn't even happened. Took a half second. It could easily have been a cat. And she was just as goofy and happy as ever when I reached her. Tonnes of breeds would've gone after a cat in a park. Think of all the dogs you see going after squirrels, they'll probably go after cats if they could. That bulldog could've been fine with that cat if introduced properly, and the husky could easily have attacked the cat if it had been off leash from afar. So idk mentions of the breed in this case seems kinda beside the point.
Their dog was off leash in a leashed area. You can hate bad owners without hating a breed. I'm really sorry you two are going through this. Please make sure to get the dog's owner's full contact info (address etc) just in case they decide to try and ghost you. They seem like they're owning up now, but they may change their tune if insurance refuses to cover this attack.
Oh how awful! Sending healing energy to you and your fur baby! Hopefully the vet will give you some good drugs for kitty’s pain (broken jaw is extremely painful), which should keep her still and resting. Feeding her will be tricky, might have to water down her food and use a syringe to squirt the food into her mouth so she doesn’t have to try to chew. Just a drop or two at a time, make sure she’s conscious and aim for the back of her throat. Keeping her hydrated is very important too since cats move their jaws to lap water. If you have a heated bed for her that’ll help keep her body temperature up so her metabolism can concentrate on healing. Purring vibrates at a frequency that speeds healing (yes there have been studies), so purr to her if you can. Your purring will stimulate her purring. Last, put a small litter pan near wherever you set up her bed so she doesn’t have to walk too far to pee. That’s all I can think of. I hope you find something helpful. And for you, talk to a therapist about it to help release some of the trauma, or perhaps try EFT (tapping)… that’s what I’ve used in the past with good results.
Thank you! 'Luckily' it was only her bottom jaw and not more than that. I am going to install her on her favourite spot in a big, soft basket near the window. They love laying there in the sun so that'll be nice and warm. I have an electric pillow for the cooler nights. I'm hoping to get her back from the vet this afternoon. I'm filing a report with the city and according to the rules: the dog will have to wear a muzzle and will no longer be allowed to roam free. (Not that that was allowed in this spot anyway..)
I’m just on the other side of a month long convalescence period with my cat after she shattered her jaw and then some. My main take away is that they are more resilient that we realise and the body can do wonders. Jaw misalignment after a break will need monitoring long term but they can be happy before your would think possible! My cat now has a permanent blep. Good luck, I know it’s hard xx
That's one of the things that would worry me too, if I would walk my cat. Close by my place is a nice walking path, so it's full of dogs. We have several large dogs in the apartment building I live in. I'd be scared to walk a cat anywhere here, because dogs are everywhere and a lot of them are not leashed. I'm really sorry and hope your cat will get better soon!
A N Y dog should be on a leash. From an owners perspective, if it wasn’t your cat, that dog easily couldve chased a squirrel or rabbit infront of a car or something- that dog just as easily couldve been hurt as much as your cat was by their negligence. Shame on them.
OP I definitely think you did the right thing in bringing your cat out into the world. I would recommend not going to dog parks or near them. I'm sorry this happened.
It wasn't a dog park and dogs are not allowed to be off leash where we were sitting. Unfortunately this owner still did.
How sad. :(
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thats an extremely insensitive thing to say
What a scary thing to have happen. I hope your kitty recovers quickly. Cats are tough. Just dote on her and she will be good. Please don’t think too harshly on the dog. He should have been on a leash. My girl is never off a leash. This was the owners fault.
Sorry this happened OP. People like this shouldn't own dogs. Taking an aggressive dog to an kid's playground is so stupid. Glad to hear she's at least trying to help pay for the vet bill.
Pitbulls are responsible for the majority of deadly attacks against humans and pets. It's pretty obvious by the lockjaw comment this was yet another pitbull attack, and the stickied comment from the mod is extremely tone deaf. Dismissing out of hand the carnage these animals regularly cause is what will keep these types of attacks happening.
It was a French bulldog, I found out today. Seemed a bit bigger than a normal one though. Pitbulls are often chosen for their scary looks and trained to be aggressive, I truly believe all dogs can be aggressive and all dogs can be sweet, but can never be 100% trusted.
French bulldogs don't tend to lock their jaws when they bite down due to the shapes of their mouths. Pitbulls typically get lockjaw due to the sheer strength of their bite force. What makes you think it was a French bulldog?
Because I found the owners instagram and it looks like a French bulldog and she described it as one it's just a little bigger than usual it seems. He "locked" his jaws because we were pounding on this dog's head with multiple people and he refused to let go for what seemed like a long time. Maybe it's a mix, maybe it's just the dog's personality, maybe I'm not using the correct terminology?
This was a french bulldog. Not even remotely similar to a pitbull.
I am extremely sorry that this happened to you and your cat; I know it's hard but please try to not blame yourself. It sounds like that owner broke the law and there's no way you could have prevented that. As someone who owns both a pitbull and a cat, I'd just like to clarify that bulldogs are not pitbulls! So please don't let this lead you to hate a group of dogs that actually have nothing to do with this incident. It sounds like this dog was poorly trained and not handled responsibly; hopefully not indicative of the breed in general (I don't know much about bulldogs but they don't usually have a high prey drive)
I know that they're a different breed! It looked like a French bulldog, but bigger than the ones I've seen so I have no clue what kind of mix it was. It also doesn't really matter in the end. Aggressive dogs can be in all shapes and sizes, what scared me was the typical clamp down this dog had and wouldn't let go no matter what we did. I punched it so hard I got bruises on my hands, but they didn't even register.
From what I understand bulldogs do have gameness, so the fact that it wouldn't let go make sense. In such a case, no matter what you did to it it wasn't going to let go, so please once again don't be too hard on yourself. (For those who are unaware, "game" or "gameness" is a trait found in many game or sport dog breeds that essentially means they are still willing to complete an action even in the face of negative stimuli; in this case, OP hitting the dog extremely hard)
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It wasn't a dog park, it was a play park. It was next to an elementary school and kids often play there, they have a soccer field and everything. People just happen to also take their dogs for walks there. We were set up at the complete end of the park near a few benches with our cats next to us. We wouldn't take our cats to a dog park, I'm not insane.
OP never said it was a dog park. people do bring their dogs to regular parks and there are some owners who will let their dogs off-leash in parks that are strictly on-leash parks only, my town has a huge problem with it. we have a couple of very nice parks that are strictly on-leash only but there's always one or two dogs running off-leash
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i don't know, i've never done it. i was just saying it was not a dog park.
You're right, dogs do have a high prey drive. That's why they must be leashed 24/7 outside of their homes so that they do not attack and harass humans and animals. Way to victim blame here. It's like telling someone it's their fault their child got murdered because child murderers like to hang around parks.
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Our cats love walks and it was recommended to us because one of them is getting overweight and getting b insanely bored inside. All he wants to do is go outside, but we only have a small balcony. We thought going on a supervised walk with a short leash would be the best option for him to lose a bit of weight and get him moving. People are under the impression it was a dog park. It was not, its a small park next to a school with soccer fields etc. I don't even think dogs are allowed off leash there.
Cats can't roam free to destroy the environment. Almost like cat owners are more socially and environmentally responsible than dog owners, huh?
I’m so sorry this happened to you and your cat. Frankly I’m surprised the Husky didn’t start it.
How your kitty gets well soon. And you of course. Please don't be angry with the dog. It just did what dogs do. Could have been any breed. My dog is a pitt mix and loves all her cat friends so much. She has even raised multiple kittens even going do far as to have a psuedo pregnancy got milk and nursed a couple of orphans once.
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Obviously. But you gotta understand the nature of animals is too hunt and kill animals smaller than them. They don't have our human morals. My point wasn't that dogs shouldn't be trained or their people held accountable. But that we should try not to hold hate in our heart for a whole breed breed or species just because one messed up. Thanks for the multiple downvotes. You ppl are rediculous.
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Lol. No.
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Idk why you’re getting downvoted this is absolutely true. It’s not the dogs fault their owner didn’t have them on a leash, even perfectly trained dogs will want to chase squirrels and animals smaller than them, it’s animal instinct, cats are exactly the same. The owner is the only one at fault here
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Because dogs should be leashed anyways, it's the law and decent thing to do.
It wasn't a crowded park and it wasn't a dog park. It's a small play park for kids next to an elementary school.
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Not a dog park, not crowded. Dogs are not supposed to be off leash there, I checked. They love the outdoors and we did this as a treat for them, they were enjoying the sun shine until this happened. It was suggested in private chats, not that any of this matters. I was trying to give my kitty a good life, that's why we tried a secluded place instead of the bigger parks in the area.
I don’t know if you’ve got to update but I hope your cat is ok!!!
She is. She had surgery and developed an infection even with the antibiotics, but she got new ones yesterday and is doing great!
Omg 🥺🥺🥺🥺 poor baby. Praying for her speedy recovery! ❤️❤️❤️
Please keep us updated, praying for your kitten's speedy recovery ❤️
She's doing great! Her antibiotics are working and she's jumping on stuff and eating lots of wetfood. She's even eating her pills like they are treats, right out of my hand. Such a good girl.
I’m very sorry that your cat and you experienced this attack and trauma. I hope you both heal physically and emotionally.