Guest Clawsandpaws Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Long story short, roommate adopted new puppy. Said puppy follows me and the cat into bathroom at 4:30 in the morning during a sleepy stupor and I forgot to close the door. 2nd puppy comes in, both dogs start sniffing curiously at cat, cat gets nasty, I wasn't thinking and couldn't get the pups out, so for some dumb reason, I lifted my cat, she freaks, I drop her, new puppy has a kicked in prey drive due to excitement, starts biting at cat, cat defends herself, all while I'm panicking and screaming, I try to separate them like an idiot because cats tail is in dogs mouth, I get the crap bitten out of my hand (by cat), roommate swoops in and gets dogs out. Both dogs are fine, cat is fine, but pissy (no wounds, just lost some fur) I, on the other hand, had to go to an urgent care clinic, get a tetanus shot, 2 antibiotics and barely avoided stitches in my finger (the tissue was coming out. ICK) and had to file a report with animal control. SO, the cat is in my room 99% of the time due to her personality, and I am putting a baby gate up in the hallway, however, because the puppy did this out of excitement, does this indicate that I should NEVER let them interact again? I do like to let the cat hang out with me when I'm in the kitchen, but I don't know if I am over reacting... I am typing in a stressed one handed panic. Yes I feel dumb about the whole thing and I do know better. Send good thoughts that AC won't make me quarantine her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Liz_in_PA Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Dang, how scary! No answers. Don't get behind on the pain meds. What an awful way to wake up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I think this was a heat of the moment thing. Be cautious, but I think they should be fine in the future, but if they get amped up it may be a problem. Separate when you can't monitor. Is the cat up to date on shots? If so, there shouldn't be a quarantine period since it's your cat, your hand, and your house. You're not going to press charges against yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedHead Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 (edited) That's an unfortunate situation. Cat bites can be nasty. I would personally not keep them separate from now on, especially if your roommate's puppy is going to be with you long term. If they were kept separate there is a good chance they will cross paths by accident living in the same house. Almost any puppy, if properly trained, can be successfully brought up with a cat. Plus, it is just good manners for puppy to learn boundaries and control with other animals. Puppies don't usually have the kill instinct, they just get excited and play through nipping and biting. This stage will probably be your easiest time to cat train, the older they get, the harder it becomes. Good luck! Edited August 10, 2014 by RedHead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clawsandpaws Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 (edited) I think this was a heat of the moment thing. Be cautious, but I think they should be fine in the future, but if they get amped up it may be a problem. Separate when you can't monitor. Is the cat up to date on shots? If so, there shouldn't be a quarantine period since it's your cat, your hand, and your house. You're not going to press charges against yourself. She is up to date but supposedly in my county they can still require a quarantine up to 15 days hopefully if the AC even bothers to contact me they won't do anything, but they found a rabid cat who had kittens in my area a month or so ago. (My cat never goes outside but who knows if the AC people care...) ETA: Thank you, I always trust your advice! That's an unfortunate situation. Cat bites can be nasty. I would personally not keep them separate from now on, especially if your roommate's puppy is going to be with you long term. If they were kept separate there is a good chance they will cross paths by accident living in the same house. Almost any puppy, if properly trained, can be successfully brought up with a cat. Plus, it is just good manners for puppy to learn boundaries and control with other animals. Puppies don't usually have the kill instinct, they just get excited and play through nipping and biting. This stage will probably be your easiest time to cat train, the older they get, the harder it becomes. Good luck! I am sure the puppy was just overly excited, I just panicked!!! ETA: Thank you, hopefully I can work on this, puppies are not my thing! Edited August 10, 2014 by Clawsandpaws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverhound Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 How old is puppy? Quote Masterful Joe and Naughty N Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clawsandpaws Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Dang, how scary! No answers. Don't get behind on the pain meds. What an awful way to wake up. Thanks, the shot hurt more than the bite, but I can also be a sissy when it comes to needles! How old is puppy? Around 6 months, she is a mutt, we think lab/pit/shepherd, she's about 30 pounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maria Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 hard to imagine how that whole thing would NOT have happened with cat and dogs in small space. I hope it all works out, I think the puppy will learn quickly to not approach the cat after a few interactions. Cat bites are the worst! Love your pic at the bottom- whatever that is called- Sir Dudley, always makes me smile! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Cat bites ARE the worst! No advice, other than what has been already mentioned. Good thoughts that your hand heals fast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 I woudn't judge how they will do together on that incident. I would just get on the cat training hard core asap. FYI, puppy is now moving into the adolescent period. 6-7 months through about 13 is when they are at their worst. Senses come online and even molecules are distracting. It's a trying time for puppy owners and it's a time when puppies don't necessarily retain things as well as you think they should. They're not trying to intentionally be difficult; it's just a period in which they are exploring and really figuring things out. It's also a time when energy levels climb and climb. All of that to say - if you want to be successful with cat training, I recommend puppy gets LOTS of exercise. This is not walking, this is running, playing with other dogs, playing fetch, tug, etc. multiple times a day. Puppy should also be getting good outlets for mental and mouth energy - food puzzles, stuffed frozen kongs, training, appropriate chew toys, etc. If those things are happening, then you should also be able to make progress with the cat training. Just maybe come up wtih a solution that allows for the cat to be safe one or both of you won't be monitoring closely (including at night). Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 She is up to date but supposedly in my county they can still require a quarantine up to 15 days hopefully if the AC even bothers to contact me they won't do anything, but they found a rabid cat who had kittens in my area a month or so ago. (My cat never goes outside but who knows if the AC people care...) ETA: Thank you, I always trust your advice! I am sure the puppy was just overly excited, I just panicked!!! ETA: Thank you, hopefully I can work on this, puppies are not my thing! You're welcome. Most of us panic in those situations. They are scary. Years ago I had to get a tetanus shot for a dog bite. My arm swelled and I had trouble lifting it for days. I was told that's a somewhat normal to the diphtheria vaccine that is in the tetanus shot. I also remember the shot hurting more than the bites and my hands were a mess. I could barely write because my hands were so bandaged! Good luck. I hope you feel better soon and kitty is off the hook! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clawsandpaws Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Thanks for the advice guys. My arm is hurting a lot from the damn shot, definitely worse than the bite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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