Our Leashed Grey Got Into A Fight With A Cat On The Sidewalk.

[Guest burgerandfrey]

We had a really frightening and unfortunate experience yesterday. My wife and I put our baby in the stroller and leashed up our two greyhounds for a long walk on a beautiful sunny day. We walked to a park about a mile away, and the our hounds greeted and interacted with a dozen or so dogs with tails wagging. Everyone was having a great time, but then something unexpected happened on the way home. My wife was walking our two greys while I was pushing the stroller up our hill. I was in front. Suddenly I heard an awful commotion behind me and I turned around to see our 7 year old male grey with a cat in his jaws (he had the cat by the belly) and the cat was clawing at his face. My wife and I were yelling for him to drop the cat, which he did, and the cat ran off. The cat's owner saw this happen as well since she was outside gardening. Fortunately the cat's owner did not freak out. She knows who we are and we asked her to let us know how the cat is. Later we stopped back by and she said that her cat seems to be okay, but she is going to have a vet check her out.

 

We are truly sorry that it happened, but this was just one of those unfortunate situations that was unavoidable. Our grey was on a standard lead (not a retractable one), so he couldn't get more than a few feet from my wife... and he was on a public sidewalk. The cat was outside and not in a fenced in yard. The cat was around the corner of a neighbor's fence, so it's possible that neither the cat nor our grey even knew the other was there until he passed the fence and they were suddenly nose to nose. My wife did not see the cat until the two were going after each other. We don't know if the cat was right next to the sidewalk and Zeke decided to grab him, or if the cat (defending his territory) attacked Zeke first. Zeke is not considered to be cat safe, but he doesn't bolt after them either when he is on leash. In fact he doesn't bolt after anything when he is on-leash. Squirrels will make him put up his ears and get excited, but he won't bolt. He actually has the best leash manners of any dog I've ever walked. He heels perfectly (never pulls) and doesn't really pay attention to other dogs unless the other dog wants to greet him first. He mostly just loves to walk and keeps to himself.

 

Zeke did get some scratches, including one on his lower eyelid (fortunately his eye does not appear to have a scratch on it). So the cat may have damaged Zeke more than he damaged the cat. The cat's owner said the cat was not bleeding, and Zeke had no blood in his mouth...so hopefully he didn't bite hard enough to damage any internal organs. We don't know the cat's owner well at all...just from walking past her house, so we have no idea if she will report the incident to animal control or send us the vet bill or just let the whole thing drop. I guess it will depend on how her cat is. I am sorry that it happened, but my thought is that we are not responsible for any injuries her cat sustained since our dog was leashed and on a public sidewalk. I used to have a cat, and I believe it is a risk you must accept if you decide to let your cat roam free. There are many dangers for an outdoor cat (especially from fights with other cats), and I know some outdoor cats can be very aggressive and territorial...even going after much larger animals.

 

We live in a neighborhood where many people let their cats roam free, and even some dog owners let their dogs roam free despite leash laws (we have asked neighbors to keep their dogs fenced or leashed, and even called animal control on some since we think it is incredibly irresponsible to let any dog roam free in a semi-urban neighborhood like ours). One time a border collie that got out of its yard (and who has escaped before) attacked Zeke and he defended himself. It wasn't much of a fight and nobody got hurt. Since no damage was done and since we knew the dog's owner we decided to be neighborly and not call animal control to report that her dog was loose and attacked our dog. Despite our kind gesture the owner of the border collie (who saw it happen)told my brother (also a neighbor)that Zeke attacked her dog, despite the fact that Zeke was on a leash. So now after this cat incident it looks like Zeke's undeserved reputation as a vicious dog is going to spread. Irresponsible dog and cat owners are so frustrating!

[Guest KennelMom]

Yeah, my words to the lady would have been: My dog's been scratched on his face and near his eye by your loose cat. I'll have to have him checked out by our vet...when would be a good time for me to deliver the bill to you?

 

If she gave me a hassle, my next call would be to Animal Control. Your animal was restrained, her's was not.

[winnie]

Well said Kennelmom!

 

You are not at fault here - the cats owner is.

 

To share a story, our grey Darcy leaves peacefully with three INDOOR ONLY cats. She also has impecible leash manners. One day while walking, a robin was sitting on the sidewalk. I expected the bird to fly away when we got close. Instead, is sat there. Darcy lunged (which she never does) and got the robin in her mouth. She killed it too. Not so lucky for us, we were across the street from a bus stop with Jr. High age kids. They started screaming "Killer Dog!" at us. It happens.

[Trihounds]

I agree completely and even have cats.

 

The cat owner is100% responsible for any liability or damage. Your dog was restrained and under control, in a public place. There is no liability on you whatsoever. Her cat was unleashed, not under her control, off her property, and obviously too close to your dog. I hope everyone is ok, but she gets the bills, without question.

[mychip1]

Glad the cat wasn't hurt - but I understand you on the frustration of your dog getting a reputation.

 

I can't help but wonder if your dog's intentions were not malicious given that even with the cat in his mouth, he didn't cause damage. Sounds like he grabbed it like a toy....

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

Minimally your grey needs the cuts cleaned well with a mild (dilute to the color of tea in warm water) Betadine solution; maybe some ophthalmic antibiotic ointment for the scratch near the eye just incase. Cat scratches can cause some incredibly nasty infections (personal experience).

 

Absolutely not your dog's fault. Another reason I would recommend a vet visit though -- get your dog's injuries, And the story on record somewhere just in case.

 

I can't tell you how much I hate loose animals... irresponsible owners drive me crazy, make lives miserable for other people and frankly, for their own animals as well. Wishing you the best. None of us should have to deal with this kind of trauma.

[Guest bonniesbullet]

Minimally your grey needs the cuts cleaned well with a mild (dilute to the color of tea in warm water) Betadine solution; maybe some ophthalmic antibiotic ointment for the scratch near the eye just incase. Cat scratches can cause some incredibly nasty infections (personal experience).

 

Absolutely not your dog's fault. Another reason I would recommend a vet visit though -- get your dog's injuries, And the story on record somewhere just in case.

 

I can't tell you how much I hate loose animals... irresponsible owners drive me crazy, make lives miserable for other people and frankly, for their own animals as well. Wishing you the best. None of us should have to deal with this kind of trauma.

[inugrey]

I was involved in something very similar except the cat ended up as a pull toy for two greys. The cat somehow survived and went to the vet for repair work in the thousands and the incident was reported to animal control. I was also adamant that we were not responsible for the cats expenses and never offered to pay and we were never asked. When we sent our report to animal control (I had a lawyer friend help me write it) the incident was basically dropped because the cat was on private property that clearly had a rule about pets being under control and by that definition our dogs were under control and the cat wasn't. However, if this had happened on a public sidewalk our county ha no control laws relating to cats and we could have been held responsible! (Then we can just say I wouldn't have let that happen without a serious legal fight). I would sit tight and see if she contacts you or if animal control gets involved. Hopefully, it will blow over but if not then get to know your jurisdiction's animal control laws and seriously talk to a friend who is a lawyer if you need to give a statement.

 

Cat scratches can be really nasty and get infected very easy. It may be worth a vet visit for you.

 

And as an aside I make it a point to donate to our local animal control agencies. I can't tell you if it matters or not but I'm a donor and the cat guy isn't and we never got any formal conclusion from animal control it was just dropped. I work in philanthropy so I know staff can read whether you give or not when your name pops up...

[macoduck]

Get your dog to the vet now. He can get horrible infections from cat scratches and/or bites. I know this from my Gracie's experience. Did your wife get any scratches during this? She may need antibiotics too.

At the least this event will be documented by your vet.

You are in no way responsible for the cat's injuries.

[Guest bonniesbullet]

Totally agree here, as well. Definitely get the cat scratch checked out by a vet and on the record! As the owner of 2 cats, those scratches can definitely cause some serious infections if not treated with antibiotic ointment!

 

I share your frustration with off-leash animals! Not only is it disrespectful to other animals (my dog does not do well with other dogs, and we have had many scary skirmishes!). People think that just b/c their dog is friendly (and many times they are not), that it's okay--not realizing that mine is NOT! But it is also very UNSAFE.

[Guest Gert]

In my county, the leash law applies to cats, too (although, most of my neighbors don't seem to be aware of this!).

[MaryJane]

So sorry that this happened to you ...

 

Even though it does not look like the eye was scratched - you need to have the vet exam the eyes otherwise, could get a "bad eye infection". Is there a chance that your dog may have gotten bitten - if so, did the cat have a current rabies, if not, you probably need to get a booster.

[Guest burgerandfrey]

Thank you all for the kind words and advice. We felt very relieved that Zeke didn't lose an eye from this incident, but it was a close call that definitely shook us up and put a dark cloud over an otherwise very nice day. We did clean up his scratches well. They were small, but I know from my own experience how easily cat scratches can get infected. Our vet wants to take a look at them this afternoon and said she might recommend some antibiotics just in case since the eyelid is involved. We took photos of Zeke's injuries as well.

 

To the cat owner's credit she did seem concerned about Zeke's injuries as well, but we really don't know her and don't know what to expect. Sometimes people act calm and then you hear from their lawyer, but as many of you point out she really does not have a case when our dog was leashed and her cat was not.

[Guest burgerandfrey]

I was involved in something very similar except the cat ended up as a pull toy for two greys. The cat somehow survived and went to the vet for repair work in the thousands and the incident was reported to animal control. I was also adamant that we were not responsible for the cats expenses and never offered to pay and we were never asked. When we sent our report to animal control (I had a lawyer friend help me write it) the incident was basically dropped because the cat was on private property that clearly had a rule about pets being under control and by that definition our dogs were under control and the cat wasn't. However, if this had happened on a public sidewalk our county ha no control laws relating to cats and we could have been held responsible! (Then we can just say I wouldn't have let that happen without a serious legal fight). I would sit tight and see if she contacts you or if animal control gets involved. Hopefully, it will blow over but if not then get to know your jurisdiction's animal control laws and seriously talk to a friend who is a lawyer if you need to give a statement.

 

Boy...I am really glad both dogs didn't get after the cat like you experienced, but I'm sure it would have happened if Zeke hadn't dropped the cat giving it a chance to sprint away. If the cat's owner does contact us asking to cover any vet bills or if she gets animal control involved, we will quickly be contacting a friend of ours who is a lawyer. I could not find any mention of cat ordinances online. We have county and city laws requiring dogs to be on leashes or behind a fence, unless in a designated off-leash area. We also have laws about exotic animals and farm animals within city limits, but I couldn't find anything about cats. I think our fear was that if there are no laws about cats roaming free, that the cat owner could say we did not have complete control over our dogs. Of course we could argue that we did have reasonable control, and that the cat attacked our dog first. Nobody knows for sure, so hopefully the neighbor will just drop it.

 

Cat scratches can be really nasty and get infected very easy. It may be worth a vet visit for you.

 

And as an aside I make it a point to donate to our local animal control agencies. I can't tell you if it matters or not but I'm a donor and the cat guy isn't and we never got any formal conclusion from animal control it was just dropped. I work in philanthropy so I know staff can read whether you give or not when your name pops up...

 

That's good advice. Our county Humane Society provides animal control services where we live, and we do donate to them. We've contacted them a number of times about loose dogs in our neighborhood. It's a serious problem where we live. Most are not escapees... their owners just let them roam despite the law (and probably because the law is rarely enforced). We've tried talking to some of our neighbors who do this, but they just don't understand. We tell them it's the law. We tell them that it's dangerous for the loose dog, dangerous for people, and dangerous for dogs that are on leashes. But of course most of these folks think their dogs are too smart to get hit by a car and too friendly to be a threat to other dogs or people. When we see people walking their dogs off-leash we ask them if they will leash their dogs. One irresponsible dog owner recently asked, "Why? Are your dogs mean?" And we replied, "No. Our dogs are nice, but most dogs feel threatened by off-leash dogs when they are leashed. The leash puts them at a disadvantage. Besides you are required by law to use a leash." He called his dog back and crossed the street giving us the evil eye.

[GeorgeofNE]

I don't know a single soul who would consider what your dog did the act of a "vicious" dog.

 

There are good reasons that humane agencies, all responsible cat breeders, and most every vet tells you to keep your cat INDOORS.

 

A free roaming animal that clearly crossed your dog's path (and not vice versa) got grabbed by a dog. That's just one of the many bad things that happens to outdoor cats.

 

Make sure you get your dog seen by the vet. Cat scratches get infected very easily.

 

I'm sorry this happened. It was neither your fault, nor your dogs.

[Guest june]

I am so sorry this happened to you. I have a good friend who was walking her two greys (both small animal friendly) and her female was attacked by a cat as she walked down the sidewalk. The cat actually jumped on her dog's back, bit and scratched the dog several times. The woman who owned the cat was held responsible for my friend's vet bills and the cat was declared a "dangerous animal" and was to be inside or restrained at all times. This was a result of her fast thinking and taking pictures of her dog to show to animal control the next day; it happened on a Sunday and the police refused to call animal control and seemed to think the whole thing was funny

 

I love cats, but I believe very strongly that cats are much more dangerous than dogs.

 

Hope your vet says everything is OK.

june

[Guest CampWhippet]

Yeah, my words to the lady would have been: My dog's been scratched on his face and near his eye by your loose cat. I'll have to have him checked out by our vet...when would be a good time for me to deliver the bill to you?

 

If she gave me a hassle, my next call would be to Animal Control. Your animal was restrained, her's was not.

 

 

THAT!!!!

 

Why cat owners think it's ok for them to let their cat roam free and kill whatever it can catch is beyond me. They also do it in any yard they please. Why are dogs held to different standards? If the cat want to be a member of the food chain then I should allow my dog to join the equation.

 

I'd not have been very polite to the cat owner.

[Guest BrianRke]

Im sure this was a very scary ordeal for you. Im waiting for it to happen to me one day. This was definitely not your fault, your dogs fault, or even the cats fault. It was the cat owners fault.

 

I hope your boy heals quickly. Antibiotics are a good idea as cats have horrible bacteria in their claws.

[Guest RichardUK]

Here the cats are designated as wild animals - but dogs as classed a domestic. So any cat on your private property or public land can be killed accidentally without redress.

 

But virtually all cats are allowed to roam - So I'm faced with my dogs trying to chase and catch all cat invaders making enormous noise while doing so. I'm hoping the cats will decide to roam elsewhere eventually as the incidents are slowly diminishing

[Guest burgerandfrey]

I don't know a single soul who would consider what your dog did the act of a "vicious" dog.

 

Some people just always assume big dogs are vicious, and that any time a big dog has a fight with a smaller animal it is the big dog's fault. I grew up with terriers who had much more aggressive personalities than our greyhounds. And most of the time people who meet our dogs remark about how mellow, quiet, and well behaved they are.

 

There are good reasons that humane agencies, all responsible cat breeders, and most every vet tells you to keep your cat INDOORS.

 

A free roaming animal that clearly crossed your dog's path (and not vice versa) got grabbed by a dog. That's just one of the many bad things that happens to outdoor cats.

 

Make sure you get your dog seen by the vet. Cat scratches get infected very easily.

 

I'm sorry this happened. It was neither your fault, nor your dogs.

 

Thanks... yeah... I agree that letting your cat go outside means that you accept the risks associated with that. The average life span of outdoor cats is very short compared to indoor cats. Just as an aside since it looks like your cats share your home with your greyhound: Our first greyhound shared our home with our cat for almost ten years:

 

The cat slept wherever he pleased (in this case, our grey's bed), and our greyhound slept wherever the cat would let her

[winnie]

Our neighbor has a free roaming cat. I swear that cat has a death wish. He routinely climbs over our fenced yard and sits in front of our sliding door taunting our dogs. Honestly, if an accident were to happen with that cat in our yard, I wouldn't feel bad or accept blame... and I'm a cat fancier (although all our cats are kept strickly indoors).

[Guest sophiesmum]

so sorry that Zeke got injured. It must have been a real shock! Sophie has snapped at off leash dogs in the past that have come bounding up to us without owners. It really annoys me that this happens. Recently one of our neighbors was allowing his rabbits free range in our street! I would have felt terrible if Sophie hadve managed to catch one, she did lunge at one of them (who at the time was sunning itself on our front porch!) but was on a short leash and I managed to pull her back. People are so irresponsible. This is why our cats have a fully enclosed outdoor enclosure and our dog is on a lead. Try not to feel bad about this- its your or Zekes fault

[cleptogrey]

your neighbor is very very lucky. first of all you didn't raise a stink about your dog being attacked and send her the vet bill, second of all her cat is still alive. cat scratches are really nasty, talk to your neigbhor and let her know you are going to the vet and discuss the fee and keeping her attack cat on lead and a harness while outside. do find out if it has all of it's shots!

if it was annie on the end of the leash the cat would have been a gonner, she just got one who stupidly came into my yard. disposal around here is a joke.

[greytpups]

I agree with others who have suggested you contacted the cat owner to make sure it has had it shots. If you don't feel comfortable giving her your vet bill, I'd at least mention it to her.

[heartdogs]

How is Zeke today?