Cat fight

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Maleficent

Maleficent

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Jul 4, 2017
Messages
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Iowa
So, I am seeking out advice not for myself but for someone I am staying in contact with who bought one of my babies this summer. Apparently he instigated a scuffle with their family cat as he free roams (he is apparently very dominant in their home) and now has some decent scratches to show for it. He is also sluggish, not eating as much as he used too, and not drinking a whole lot as well. I'm trying to think of ways to help her out besides antibiotics and encourage him to eat to keep the gut moving.
 
cat have pretty gnarly bacteria in their mouths (to the point that they could almost be considered toxic?) and it's really common for cat attack victims brought in to wildlife rehab centers to not make it :/ i would get him to a vet ASAP for some antibiotics and try to get him eating. push junk food at him like fruit and yogurt drops if she has to. just need him to keep eating.
 
She said there was no visible bite wounds, mainly scratches round his ears. I've told her a vet visit is definitely in his future if his condition shifts for the worse even slightly. <br /><br /> -- Wed Dec 20, 2017 9:26 pm -- <br /><br /> I'm speechless right now, she just messaged me back that he passed away
 
because cats groom themselves with their mouths, the claws are also a pretty big issue as well. it's very dangerous to let cats and smaller animals mingle together if not just for this reason. i'm sorry to hear he passed :(
 
Immediate antibiotics with contact from a cat. I've had them die just from the saliva without an open wound. They will succumb within days. Luckily they do not seem to be contagious as I put a 2 week old kit back in the box with no visible open wound after being picked up by a cat and the siblings along with the doe were all fine. The kit was seriously ill within 24hrs and dead within 2 days of exposure. Cat scratch fever (now officially Cat Scratch Disease) is an infection from scratches or bites of cats that may persist for months in humans without treatment and may require IV antibiotics. Ignoring the start of cat scratch or bite infections have cost people use of fingers or hands and can even lead to neurological and cardiac damage. Small herbivores are even more susceptible and it's best that rabbits and cats never have contact.
 
You can tell that person we are all sorry for their loss. I have very gentle cats but in the past I had one who bit me and I still have scars from the wounds he gave me. It was very infected and took me months to heal back then. I know my cats wont attack my rabbits, but if the rabbit did, they would defend themselves so i can see how that situation couldve happened.
 
The person is interested in looking at some Holland cross babies I have, as this was owner error for the death of this rabbit would you sell to them again?
 
Maleficent":6vtww3fy said:
The person is interested in looking at some Holland cross babies I have, as this was owner error for the death of this rabbit would you sell to them again?
Click to expand...


I would say that depends on what You feel about it.
The rabbit and cat managed for quite a while getting along.
The owner might want to re-think how they permit interactions.
If You have concerns... You could always just not have any available.
 
Random Rabbit":126xt4fh said:
Maleficent":126xt4fh said:
The person is interested in looking at some Holland cross babies I have, as this was owner error for the death of this rabbit would you sell to them again?
Click to expand...


I would say that depends on what You feel about it.
The rabbit and cat managed for quite a while getting along.
The owner might want to re-think how they permit interactions.
If You have concerns... You could always just not have any available.
Click to expand...

Looking back through my pms with her she only had him a month and a half.. I don't know.
 
If the person's attitude is reasonable and she is willing to learn from this mistake and keep cat and rabbit apart, then I think I would sell her another rabbit. Most people would not think of a cat and rabbit fighting, and it sounds like the rabbit instigated the fight and the cat retaliated. No one there realized mere scratches could be so dangerous. That said, don't do it if you are not comfortable with her set-up and her ability to manage the animals for their safety.
 
I think I'll give her another shot, maybe with a slight discount on this one. I'll probably also tell her to monitor interactions between cat and rabbit a little better in the future. Maybe also confining rabbit to a pen if they still want to give them the option to roam further then the cage.
 
As people said, iff they're willingg to learn from their mistake I,d sell to them again. If you say no they might just go to another breeder insted and learn less from the experience. Just stress how important it is for em to make sure it doesnt happen again. If they let the bunny free roam, it has to be when supervised and/or limited to some areas where the rabbit and cat cant interract again.

While I highly suspect the rabbit instigated the issue due to early sexual dominance caracter issues, the problem now also lies with the cat. That cat has now had a bad experience with rabbits and will possibly be more prone to reacting agressively to a new rabbit. So supervision is a must and even then poses a risk.
I would also insist on them getting the rabbit neutered to minimise dominance behavior coming from sexual maturity.
 
KimitsuKouseki":1fx960th said:
As people said, iff they're willingg to learn from their mistake I,d sell to them again. If you say no they might just go to another breeder insted and learn less from the experience. Just stress how important it is for em to make sure it doesnt happen again. If they let the bunny free roam, it has to be when supervised and/or limited to some areas where the rabbit and cat cant interract again.

While I highly suspect the rabbit instigated the issue due to early sexual dominance caracter issues, the problem now also lies with the cat. That cat has now had a bad experience with rabbits and will possibly be more prone to reacting agressively to a new rabbit. So supervision is a must and even then poses a risk.
I would also insist on them getting the rabbit neutered to minimise dominance behavior coming from sexual maturity.
Click to expand...
That is a good point, I will have to bring that up with her. She is stopping by after I get off to look at the babies (@midnight, oh boy I need to feed them at that time when I get home any way lol) <br /><br /> -- Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:36 pm -- <br /><br /> SO they went to someone else anyway, the babies they were interested in were not ready for them to take home THAT night and I didn't find out until a week after Christmas :|
 

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