Maybe not FELINE health...I've been bitten.

Status
Not open for further replies.
MaryB & Chester

MaryB & Chester

Member Since 2012
I've been bitten by a strange cat.
Last night, we noticed a new cat under our bushes. We put some food out for him (we're such softies!). He was very hungry and just dived right in. Our youngest boy then named him Copernicus and asked if he could stay. I figured he was a stray and wouldn't want anything to do with us. I sat down on the floor and opened the door a little bit to see if he would run off, and he ran right in the house and into my lap! Purring and bonking and purring...So we took him to the bathroom and got him set up there.

He's an "intact" male. I'd guess he's about 9 months old. Developed, but not a big cat. He's so frantic for food and attention! Nomnomnom, bonkpurrbonkpurr, nomnomnom. I think he got a little over-excited...He launched himself at my arm and took a big chomp on my forearm. He didn't penetrate very deep but he did break the skin at several teeth and give me a big bruise. Since then, he's done the same thing a couple more times. He runs back and forth between food and petting, then jumps and tries to chomp me. Whenever he does, I grab him by the scruff, gently pin him down and give him a little shake. After that, he usually calms down for some real petting. It makes me nervous, though. I don't want him biting the other cats or the kids (or my husband or me).

He needs to be tested and get his shots before he's going to be allowed out among my other cats. I'd like to get him fixed, too. I just want to make sure that he doesn't have anything they could catch - especially since he's a biter!
I'm also feeling a little paranoid about rabies. We have raccoons and possums and such in our neighborhood. This guy does look like he's been in a fight with something, with a couple of healing scabs on his face and shoulders. I'm sure the chance is small...but it's a big thing to take a chance with. Do you think I should contact my doctor, just in case? Some cats, I wouldn't bother but I don't know this guy.

I'm not sure he's be a good fit with my other mellow mature cats...but I don't want to turn a little guy away for some (hopefully correctible) bad behavior. I know the no-kill shelters around here are full (as always) and I couldn't bear to risk taking him to a kill shelter knowing he might bite someone.
 
if you tell your doctor first they will have to quarantine that cat and who knows what will happen to him. any chance you could get him into the vet first and get the tests done? and make sure you clean those wounds really well on yourself
 
Wash the wounds thoroughly and call your doc for an antibiotic. Even small animal bite wounds may get infected and go septic.

Your local health department should be able to determine if you need post-exposure rabies prophylaxis, based on identified rabies in your area. He should be quarentined for the specified period and handling minimized if you are concerned about rabies. (This is your public health admonishment for the day).

Options to deter him from biting if being handled:
- make sounds like an upset kitten being pounced on - hiss, and screech. He may not have had siblings, or been taken from his mom too early. The cat-like feedback may help teach him he is too rough.
- state "No", and firmly grasp him, then move him away from you and restrain him briefly. I would not shake him.
- do some active play to wear him out a bit
 
Try to do some "fishing" by calling the no kill shelters. Don't mention the bite. See if you can find out if there have been any confirmed diagnosis of rabies or distemper in your area, Maybe call DNR. We have a large population of raccoons here, and thousands of tourists who worry constantly about rabies. When you can tell them "there have been no confirmed cases of rabies here for years", it takes alot of the worry away. Local wildlife officials should have that data.
Carl
 
Carl & Bob said:
... Local wildlife officials should have that data. ..
Click to expand...

So should your local or state health department (state may be online), as that is a reportable condition. They're the ones who investigate possible exposures (ex bat found in home).
 
Called the health department. Apparently most of the rabies in my area comes with bats. A low number from other wildlife and virtually none from domestic animals over the last ten years. So I'm not too worried anymore.

There's a low-cost vaccine clinic this weekend on Saturday & Sunday. He can get his shots and a FIV/FeLV test...What if he comes back FeLV+? That would mean he can't ever be around my other cats, or at least not for a couple of months until I can get everybody UTD on Feline Leukemia vaccinations. Since everyone is indoors and there are six heads to vaccinate, I kinda let that one slide...I can't imagine keeping him in my bathroom for months. I had a cat years ago with FeLV and it was not pretty when she finally got sick...That one's really contagious and I don't want to risk more harm to my current family.
I've had FIV+ cats before, but they weren't biters...Not pretty when they finally got sick with something they couldn't fight...Poor Little guys. Not AS worried about that just because it's harder to transmit.

OKOKOK. I'm going to assume he's healthy until proven otherwise. No point in stressing out if I don't have to.
It's tough being a softie.
 
If you are concerned about transmission of disease from him to them, be sure anyone who handles him thoroughly washes, and maybe changes clothes, after handling him while he is being kept separate.

Constructing a screened in "cat-a-tat" (term borrowed from Big cat Rescue in FL) in a section of the house - a room? - might be an option if he comes back FeLV positive. Most vaccines are not 100% effective.
 
Make sure the cat is quarantined. Strange behavior like that is an indicator of rabies. I would do it in your house if you can.
 
Neutering will make a big difference in his aggressiveness.

Mr. Kitty bit through my hand when he first came to our barn as a stray.
I was trying to comb out some mats.

It took about 2-3 months after neutering for him to start to mellow.
It takes that long for the testosterone to get out of the system/
 
Even the most mellow of cats have been known to bite when they are over-stimulated. Stormy Blue bit me 3 days ago when we had to go back to the every 2 hour ear pokes. He is 17 and had NEVER bitten me before. Cole, who passed away last May from leukemia, (bottle baby orphan), would occasionally nip when he was overstimulated with petting/brushing - this lasted from his being about 6 months thru about 9 months of age. Cole was 10.5 months when he passed away suddenly, so his behavior might be closer to the one you are fostering now, (due to age). With Cole, I'd make a loud "ehhh!" sound, (like a buzzer), when he was in nip mode.

~M
 
All seems to be well.
It turns out Cosmo is about a year old, so he's just a little guy. He is FIV positive...
He hasn't bitten anyone hard since that first day. He does tend to nip if he's had enough of being petted or if he's been playing a lot, but nothing as hard as that first bite. He is pretty restless, wandering the house going from window to window and meowling. He's looking for a date. He's got an appointment at the spay/neuter clinic for February 28. Things should improve after that. He doesn't show much of any aggression toward the other cats. Of course, they all outweigh him by several pounds...but they all seem to get along pretty well, considering.
 
So good of you to take him in. I had three male strays that were very aggressive when I took them in. One biy me hard in the ankle and I wore snow boots in the house but he just jumped up to bite my thigh. The cat did not want me to leave him is all. All were starved and traumatized and turned out to be the most loving cats once they were trained. One did want to kill every cat in the house and he has to be adopted out to a one cat family. Every stray needs to be separated from other animal and tested for contagious diseases plus they need time to rest. Good work rescuing kitty! I had then in my bushes, in my trees, under my car, at red lights! Thanks to the economy.. I have never seen so many strays!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top