My Grey Killed A Neighbourhood Cat

[Guest CharlesTheGreyt]

Hi all,

 

I'm still quite in shock over what happened last night, so I'm coming here for advice, support, anything from fellow greyhound owners. Whether it be positive or negative, please share your thoughts.

 

My partner and I have owned our boy, Charlie since last October. He is the first greyhound I have ever owned (but I have owned other breeds of dogs). From the start, we were very aware that Charlie has a high-prey drive. We were hoping to adopt a dog with a lower prey drive, but we fell in love with him quickly and decided to keep him. We do not have children, or other animals, so we felt that we could provide him a safe home without temptation.

 

We have never let him off-leash, and have always been very careful, especially with the owners in and around our old neighbourhood who have small dogs that they keep off-leash. We moved in June to a quieter, more residential neighbourhood. We are now in a larger apartment with a small backyard, which Charlie has loved. We were previously on the 23rd floor of a high-rise downtown. There are even 3 other greyhounds living on my block! Since we've moved, Charlie has become very aware and excited by the cats in our area that he would never encouter in our old neighbourhood. Everytime before I let him out into our enclosed backyard, I walk out there myself to make sure there are no neighbourhood cats hanging out back there.

 

Last night, around 8pm, my partner had Charlie out for his nightly walk on leash. We always walk him on leash, and never give him much slack as we know he will act up if he sees a cat or squirrel wandering around. He has gotten better since we moved, and usually will walk right by a cat... but as he keeps stride with the walker, he will continue to glance back at the animal. That was the best I could ask for, given his prey drive. As the days are getting shorter now, it was dark during this walk last night. Near the beginning of the walk, another dog lunged at Charlie. No harm done, but this probably got Charlie kind of anxious. My partner and Charlie continued on their walk as usual. It's hard to say what exactly happened next. It was dark, and everything happened so quickly. My partner believes that a cat in the bushes alongside the sidewalk jumped/attacked Charlie. What also could have just as easily happened, is that perhaps Charlie startled the cat. Either way, Charlie grabbed the cat, shook it violently as he does with his new toys, and the cat did not survive. My partner did everything he could to try to release the cat, but could not until it was too late.

 

By this time, with all the noise and commotion, the home owners on the street had come outside, including the deceased cat owners. They did not get mad, likely because they were in shock. They even brought out a blanket to cover the body of the cat. Information was exchanged, animal services was notified, and Charlie was brought home so we could assess how he was doing. He is pretty beaten up. Lots of scratches (and maybe bite marks) on his neck and chest, many cuts to his front legs and feet, a small cut snout, and a couple other areas on his shoulder area that he will not let me touch. He will also not let me handle his ears in certain places like he usually would, but it's hard to tell if there are cuts there. We cleaned him up last night, and put antibiotic ointment on all the cuts. We are taking him to the vet later today. Based on all of his injuries to his chest and neck, it truly leads me to believed that the cat attacked first. We will never know for sure though.

 

Charlie was not himself late last night or this morning. Very subdued, and would not get up to greet us as he usually does. At least he is eating, drinking, pooping normally. When we took him for walks both late last night and this morning, he was very reluctant. He refused to go too far from the house, and normally he is content to walk for ages! Instead of being his regular "energetic" self, as energetic as greyhounds get, he walked very slowly and cautiously and I had to contionusly coax him to keep him moving. He is either very sore, anxious, or most likely a combination of both.

 

Sorry for the long spiel, but I thought it was important to give context to the whole situation. I know I haven't focused on this, but I feel so terribly for the cat owners... I don't even know what we could do for them. I would be devasted if I were them. I have owned many cats and dogs in my lifetime, and it's so so hard to lose one, especially in such a tragic way. I don't think there's anything that could have been done differently on our end, with the exception of having a muzzle on at all times. We spoke with animal services and we will most likely be issued a muzzle order but that has yet to be determined. Even though I'm in a mostly residential area, I'm still considered "downtown" and there are a lot of people who let cats wander the streets, and as a result I see missing cat posters going up weekly. Not really safe for the cats, but there's nothing us dog owners can do about that - just be cautious and aware.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[winnie]

If you are in the US, I strongly encourage you to contact the Lexus Project.

 

http://www.thelexusproject.org/

 

I'm very sorry about the cat, but now it's time to protect your hound from any repercussions.

[GreytXpctations]

Charlie was leashed, the cat was not. Sounds like he was defending himself, and irresponsible cat owners lost a pet.

 

I would suggest keeping calm and trying (but not forcing) to keep Charlie to his normal routine. He will pick up on nervousness, which is the only reason I suggest to "keep calm". Put it behind you and go about life as normal. I had a dog attacked by a cat lying in wait under a hedge, and it almost cost him an eye. Sounds like you, your partner and Charlie have done nothing wrong.

[greysmom]

I'm so sorry your dealing with this. Hugs for you and Charlie. I hope he's OK and that you can bounce back from this. You might consider taking him someplace else to walk for a short time. He's probably anxious about his normal route.

 

My three are all cat tolerant inside, but outside, free-roaming cats are considered to be prey. Most neighborhood cats learn to avoid our yard very quickly, but there is now one huge yellow tomcat who challenges them on a weekly basis. I have spoken to the cat's owners about keeping him inside, and the danger he faces (not just from my dogs), but they are adamant that he be allowed to roam. One day, he won't be fast enough to escape and I'll be stopping by to tell them their cat is dead. Unfortunately, it will be my dogs that are considered at fault, even though they never leave their own yard. But other than clearing the yard before I let the dogs out, and being vigilant on walks, there's very little I can do about it.

[MaryJane]

I'm sorry for what happened - it is quite a bit to take in and handle. As someone already suggested, if you are in the US contact the Lexus people and they should be able to direct what you need to do so they do not take the dog.

 

If you have not already, take pictures of as many of the cuts/scrapes as possible just in case this goes in a direction that is not where you would like. Also, sit down and write out all the details now while they are fresh in your mind.

 

If the owners did not provide rabies information, then you need to get a booster as the cat could have been sick. Make sure that the vet documents all the injuries.

 

Again, sorry that this happened. I hope it turns out OK.

 

 

 

edited to add -- this happened to 2 of my dogs are few years ago. There was a cat hiding under a porch at my parent's house and my Lucy went after the cat and the cat jumped on Larry's face and was clawing away. The cat got away but poor Larry was in pain from all the cuts.

Edited September 29, 2015 by MaryJane

[racindog]

Please watch Charlie very carefully and get him to the vet quick if he seems sick. Concerns me you said he was subdued and not himself. Cat bites are not like dog bites. Cat bites have evil things like pasteurella in them and can cause serious if not fatal infections in their victim. Many humans have had to be hospitalized after being bit by a cat. Antibiotics are often prescribed after a cat bite to prevent infection from taking hold. Don't be upset in any way with Charlie. He was just defending himself, was leashed and totally in the right. Give him a hug for me. He is a good boy! Not his fault an unrestrained feline came looking for trouble. PS-Prey drive is NOT a bad thing. (In reality it is a good thing for several reasons). Regardless it had nothing to do with this incident(unless you want to apply it to the cat. Think about it, the cat could have easily ran AWAY if he'd wanted to, he didn't have to go toward the leashed Charlie.)

[inugrey]

We had a situation similar to yours. I'm not one to freak out over things but it isn't a bad idea to at least start contact with the Lexus Project to get ideas for handling the situation, not because you need to get Charlie out of there. Glad you are taking him to the vet because cats bites are ugly.

 

What we did: We took our grey to the vet immediately and he had to be sedated to clean up the wounds. (They joked his entire life that he was attacked by a cougar rather than that he picked up a house cat). We checked out the laws in our jurisdiction and even though he was on lead and the cat was free ranging the laws were not written in our favor. Cats have very few limitations in our area. Animal control asked for a statement and I asked a friend, who is a lawyer, to edit my statement. He made sure we told just the facts and there were no emotional words used anywhere. Definitely get help if you need to submit a statement. After we submitted our statement we never heard another word about it. I have no idea what else would happen. I was nervous for a while so we did walk with a muzzle on, but I slowly got over my fear. The most important thing though is we never treated Inu any differently at home. He was still the center of our lives and loved immensely. And though we felt bad for the owner and he verbally abused my husband, we never once apologized for the incident. We said we were sorry for his cat but never admitted culpability.

 

Love your boy and protect him legally, just in case.

[Guest xengab]

I own a cat, I dont let my cat outside because STUFF happens. Some cats are total douche bags and DO ambush dogs/attack them. My cat is NOT in the yard when my dog is out, she is inside all the time for her own safety. My neighbor has a cat, she knows the risk, she has met my dog. Inside the house my dog is ruled by the my cat, she is alpha. OUTSIDE a cat runs across the street and its "OMG! lets get it!" from my dog. We know the dog, we know this breed, we know they chase for fun, and for purpose.

You did all you could to stop this from happening. My only suggestion is, get lights so you can see better on walks for your OWN safety too.

 

Noticed you said a vet visit is going to happen, thats important, cat bites are nasty things.

 

Your dog was being a dog, he was doing what he was bred for. You notified those that needed to know, gave your information and took care of your dog.

 

RELAX! You are stressed, your dog is sore/stressed too. Play some calming music, stretch, yawn, deep breaths.

 

You did nothing wrong.

[LBass]

I'm so sorry. What a grim experience all around.

 

My hounds live with cats (indoor cats), so you will know that I am a cat lover as well. However, free roaming outdoor cats are at great risk of death from a host of sources. When a cat owner decides to let their cat roam outdoors they have to recognize that they are putting their pet in danger and that they are accepting that their pet may indeed be killed by a car, a dog, another cat, disease, a bad human being, or a toxin. It sounds as if you and your partner routinely do everything you can to prevent such an incident. This time there was nothing either of you could have done to change the outcome. I hope the cat owners will continue to behave sensibly by recognizing that this tragedy was their own responsibility.

 

I think that you may want to take your hound to your own vet to have his wounds treated. Unfortunately, cat bites and scratches can be more serious than they initially appear and Charlie may need antibiotics.

[GeorgeofNE]

In most parts of the US, you have no legal recourse if you allow your cat outside and it is killed. I personally would not be worried about that aspect.

 

Cats carry nasty bacteria though, so I hope that your vet puts your dog on some serious antibiotics as a precaution.

 

I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm sure it was traumatic. But it's not your fault, and it's not Charlie's fault.

 

I love my cats way too much to put them at risk for something like that happening, and I think people who let their cats roam are just asking for trouble.

[dostacos]

document all the wounds to Charlie, a cat grabbed and shaken would not leave scratches on the lower limbs. In California, when you hit a dog with your car it must be reported. hit a cat and keep driving.

 

sounds like the cat struck first, at best you have question of what happened, and your pup was on a short lead

[NeedlenoseJake]

What everyone else said- this was not your fault. I don't think your guy should have to be muzzled. If the cat did attack first, it could have done even more damage if he was muzzled. I do feel bad for the cat and it's owners. However, anyone who owns an outdoor cat should know the risks they're taking. Do not let them bully you into anything when this was not your or your boy's fault! Mine would definitely have done the same thing!

[NeylasMom]

I'm so sorry this happened. I don't understand why people continue to let their cats roam free and this is one of the many reasons why.

 

I would not assume the cat attacked Charlie. Those injuries were most likely from the cat trying to defend himself once he was in Charlie's mouth. Unfortunately I have been in this situation, but I was lucky that the cat only got in one or two scratches and that was enough to get Neyla to drop him. The cat (feral in our case) ran off, but I am pretty sure he later died from internal injuries (my neighbor's would feed the feral cats and reported back to me, though they would not for some godawful unknown reason help me catch the cat so I could get it medical care or at least put it out of pain). Anyway, our situation was similar. Just taking a walk, the cat was in the bushes. She saw him before I did and in a split second he was in her mouth.

 

I really hate to see you have to muzzle your dog on walks because it leaves him defenseless against attacking dogs, which apparently may also be an issue in your neighborhood. I would fight against it. You can always use one anyway, but at least it will be your choice. You do need a solution to prevent this from happening again. Some simple things would be using a headlamp and avoiding areas where cats could be hidden when walking. Using a head collar (gentle leader) may give you more control over the pointy end as well. Otherwise I would suggest finding a reward based trainer to work with you on modifying his prey drive and help him focus on you guys when walking.

 

When you see your vet today make sure you leave with antibiotics. Cat wounds can get infected very easily. They may also recommend you do a rabies booster though I think that's silly (they did in our case and I went along with it though in the future I wouldnt).

We had a situation similar to yours. I'm not one to freak out over things but it isn't a bad idea to at least start contact with the Lexus Project to get ideas for handling the situation, not because you need to get Charlie out of there. Glad you are taking him to the vet because cats bites are ugly.

 

What we did: We took our grey to the vet immediately and he had to be sedated to clean up the wounds. (They joked his entire life that he was attacked by a cougar rather than that he picked up a house cat). We checked out the laws in our jurisdiction and even though he was on lead and the cat was free ranging the laws were not written in our favor. Cats have very few limitations in our area. Animal control asked for a statement and I asked a friend, who is a lawyer, to edit my statement. He made sure we told just the facts and there were no emotional words used anywhere. Definitely get help if you need to submit a statement. After we submitted our statement we never heard another word about it. I have no idea what else would happen. I was nervous for a while so we did walk with a muzzle on, but I slowly got over my fear. The most important thing though is we never treated Inu any differently at home. He was still the center of our lives and loved immensely. And though we felt bad for the owner and he verbally abused my husband, we never once apologized for the incident. We said we were sorry for his cat but never admitted culpability.

 

Love your boy and protect him legally, just in case.

Very sound advice as well.

[cleptogrey]

document the event

see your vet

our dog needed a rabies booster after cat encounters. the cats were feral, unless there is documentation for the late cat you may want a booster.

cat, even house cat, scratches are notoriously dirty and lots of unwanted germs are transmitted.

have his eyes checked thoroughly, annie has had 2 run-ins with cats which have both resulted w/ corneal ulcers. the first one didn't show up immediately but it was a good ulceration. the second one abscessed- MERSA infection, not fun.

 

please do follow up w/ your vet and ask your vet what they suggest in this situation. they most likely will know the legal protocol.

Edited September 29, 2015 by cleptogrey

[Guest CharlesTheGreyt]

All,

Thank so much for your thoughts and advice.

Regarding the Lexus Project, I am in Canada so I'm not certain that would not be helpful here, and I also have no reason to believe he's facing incarceration or death. I have spoken with a couple fellow greyhound owners who have advised me that I will likely get a muzzle order and at the worst some sort of quarantine - maybe 10 days. Since we have a backyard, we could quarantine him at home if it comes to that.

We are taking him to the vet this evening. Thank you for all the suggestions - will ask for rabies booster, anti-biotics after a thorough inspection including the eyes. I will post an update after the visit.

We took lots of photos last night, although tough in some spots to see all the small cuts and bites because his fur is black.

Greysmom - good idea to take him elsewhere for his regular walks. He would not leave the property late last night before bed and this morning was very reluctant, but a bit better.

-Neylasmom- you make a good point about leaving Charlie defenceless if he is wearing a muzzle. Something definitely to keep in mind. This was not the first time a dog lunged at him. Good idea about the headlamp, although even with light it's often hard to see cats lurking in bushes before the dog does!

I will make sure my partner writes down his account of the event tonight while it's still fresh in his mind. If it comes to legal action down the road, we have at least a couple very close friends who are lawyers.

Thanks again, everyone.

Edited September 29, 2015 by CharlesTheGreyt

[robinw]

I would also be very surprised if the cat tacked the dog. I agree about taking your song to the vet as soon as you can. If it was me, I would probably muzzle my dog, as I hate to see any animal killed. I disagree with the "a loose animal is fair game" philosophy that I've read in the past (not by you). The cat's life is worth as much as my dog's, and I would never want to see something like that happen again. I wonder if there's any way that maybe whoever is walking the dog would beat at the bushes with a stick or pole during walks to try to scare any lurking animals away.

 

BTW, inugrey and NeylasMom gave great advice.

 

I'm sorry that happened to you. It must've been very traumatic and it was an accident.

Edited September 29, 2015 by robinw

[Guest xengab]

robin- I've a good friend who actually had a cat run out her front door and attack a dog walking by. Some cats are aggressive like that. My own cat is aggressive towards other cats, (like harming/killing them). So she is never outside now, even before she'd be on a leash on a tie out just in case. Even at the vets they dont allow her near other cats as she has lunged after one while in the vets arms being walked back for a blood test.

 

My thinking is, dog sniffed bush, cat swiped, dog grabbed cat. Happens in seconds. ALL doing things natural to their natures.

 

Hope the grey is ok and nothing festers or happens to him.

[robinw]

robin- I've a good friend who actually had a cat run out her front door and attack a dog walking by. Some cats are aggressive like that. My own cat is aggressive towards other cats, (like harming/killing them). So she is never outside now, even before she'd be on a leash on a tie out just in case. Even at the vets they dont allow her near other cats as she has lunged after one while in the vets arms being walked back for a blood test.

 

My thinking is, dog sniffed bush, cat swiped, dog grabbed cat. Happens in seconds. ALL doing things natural to their natures.

 

Hope the grey is ok and nothing festers or happens to him.

That's what I meant. I was thinking that something must've provoked the cat, like a sniffing dog. Yours is a really good scenario.

[kudzu]

The suggestion of a bright light sounds appropriate for this situation. It's not a guaranty but you can often catch eye shine even if you don't see the rest of the animal. Recently started using a new bike light. It's one that can also be used as a headlamp. It's a very bright LED. Also purchased an aftermarket, diffuser lens. It spreads the light out horizontally so you get more side to side light than the standard headlamp, similar to cars & motorcycles. Several times now I've pointed out cats on the side of the road that my partner didn't see. I noticed them first, from a good distance away, only by eye shine. In a couple cases the cats were actually in bushes. His bike light is also extremely bright but only shines straight ahead. It really surprised me how much more I see on the side of the road while still having a clear view ahead. Remember also, we're moving faster on bikes so it's important I can see & react to the crazy cats that dart in front of us in our neighborhood while we are riding at 15 mph. I'm sure while walking you'd see many more animals with a lot more time to decide your course of action. Not trying to sound pushy. Just emphasizing that these lights are hands free & give much better view than any light I've used before, even very, very bright flashlights.

 

What I bought is basically a clone of a very popular MagicShine light. It comes with the headband to use as a headlamp:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GJZ015Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

 

Also bought the wide angle diffuser lens:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RKP6GZG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s05

 

 

I wonder if there's any way that maybe whoever is walking the dog would beat at the bushes with a stick or pole during walks to try to scare any lurking animals away.

 

But I wonder if it could also scare some animals out into the path of the dog. Spooked animals don't always go in the direction you want & some cats are quite defensive. Am thinking that at least some cats I know might prefer to hunker down & wait for you to pass, but could decide to get defensive if you start rattling bushes.

 

 

ETA: Found comparable products on amazon.ca :

http://www.amazon.ca/RioRand-1800Lumens-Bicycle-HeadLight-headLamp/dp/B00CGUL65U/

http://www.amazon.ca/Angle-MagicShine-Gemini-Lights-Headlight/dp/B00AWNKOGK/

Edited September 29, 2015 by kudzu

[Guest mmmberry]

I'm so sorry this happened to you.

 

Don't forget to take your vet bills to the cat owner so you can be reimbursed for expenses.

 

Hopefully the owner doesn't change his mind about the fact that it's "his" cat and refuse to pay.

[NeedlenoseJake]

I'm so sorry this happened to you.

 

Don't forget to take your vet bills to the cat owner so you can be reimbursed for expenses.

 

Hopefully the owner doesn't change his mind about the fact that it's "his" cat and refuse to pay.

While I do think this was the cat owner's fault, in my opinion I would pay because my dog killed the cat. Not because I think they are to blame, but just not to add insult to injury. Just my opinion.

[greysandmollie]

I would never ask someone to pay vet bills on a dog that just killed their cat. It was an unfortunate situation where the cat was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many people have indoor and outdoor cats because cats so love to be outside.

[robinw]

I would never ask someone to pay vet bills on a dog that just killed their cat. It was an unfortunate situation where the cat was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many people have indoor and outdoor cats because cats so love to be outside.

Yeah, it seems really insensitive.

[cleptogrey]

as to the muzzle, the last cat attack annie did she was wearing a muzzle!!! as it turns out i just returned from a 4 hr trip w/ a friend and their 2 greyhounds. all 4 greyhounds were wearing muzzles when i let them in the yard to stretch. low and behold- the coursing began. there was a huge cat in the yard and it couldn't make it over the 5ft fence. annie was first in line coursing it, the cat was attached to her muzzle!!! it finally got unstuck, ran over to me standing at the gate and scaled my canvas coat to jump over the garden fence. so, muzzles are not always the answer.

 

this was a freak incident that hopefully will not reoccur. but w/ the fall season and skunks on the prowl, a good head head light never hurts.

[galgrey]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. You've gotten good advice re: vet follow up. My first greyhound killed a neighbor's cat (many years ago now). My dogs were in my fenced backyard and the cat jumped the fence into the yard and sadly never made it out. It was horrible and happened in mere seconds. The same neighbor still has cats he lets roam free in the neighborhood and I am constantly running them out of my yard for their own safety. Actually, on my street there are about 6 indoor/outdoor cats roaming around day and night. I've had them leap out of shrubs and bushes right in my galgo's face many times. He's not the least little bit cat or small animal friendly and I must admit I often feel resentful that I can't relax and enjoy walking my dog in my neighborhood because these people let their cats roam free and leave the responsibility for their cat's safety up to me.