Cat caught baby rabbit in yard. Alive but injured.

[IvvyRabbit]

Hi guys my cat caught a baby cottontail in our Florida backyard tonight. We were able to grab the cat and she released the baby rabbit. We picked him up and he is able to move but is attempting to hop on his side, he is unable to stand upright. We felt over him to see if we could find any broken bones but didn't find any. Upon examining him we found where she had grasped onto him. It was below his ribs and on his lower stomach. She ripped the skin on his side but he is not bleeding.

We have a pet bun and have pain medication and were able to orally administer a little bit to him. I am not sure ethically what I should do for the night as he will most likely die.

He seems calmer and less jumpy when we touch him since administering the pain medication so I am hoping he is not in pain. If he dies from internal bleeding I would atleast like to know that he died as painfree as we could make him.

We wrapped him up in several towels and blankets and placed him in an enclosed small rubbermaid and put it into one of our spare rooms.

I'm hoping that he can make it through to tomorrow morning and we can find a vet who can direct us on what to do (if he can be released with antibiotics or if he needs to be put down or if we can take him to a wildlife place). I'm a big sucker for all animals and this is so painful to know that I can't do anything for this little guy since it's so late (12am right now).

If anyone can give advice ethically (as far as him being in pain) as well as what I should do if he is alive when we wake up tomorrow.

Thanks guys. I know this is a terrible/graphic subject but I wasn't sure where to place this and I really just need some advice. I am so troubled thinking that this little baby is in pain .

 

[Celice]

sounds to me like it might have internal injures, but all you can do is hope for the best. young rabbits can be surprisingly tough, one of my dogs had grabbed one of my 4week old kit one and it scream and the dog let it go and it was scared after but it lived.

shock can do more damage. Rabbits can be scared enough into having a heart attack, so just keep it safe with not a lot of noise and see what happens

 

[IvvyRabbit]

Thanks Celice for the reply. It's been about 2 hours since the attack and I've been trying to keep him warm but in a quiet dark place. I've just recently checked on him and he is very calm but still breathing and his eyes are open. I felt his stomach and it isn't any harder than it was when it initially happened (what I was thinking is that his stomach would start to become hard from internal bleeding) but it is still soft and squishy and he is not bleeding from anywhere.

I am really hoping he will be alive tomorrow and we can treat his wound. I have read that surrendering a baby bun to the wildlife reserve is just a death sentence as they kill them if they are injured (even just a superficial wound that could take maybe a week of care). Would you recommend if he survives the night to treat the wound myself, take him to the vet for antibiotics, or surrender him to the wildlife center or release him tomorrow without wound treatment.

I really appreciate the reply. I know it's just a wild baby bun but all little lives matter to me and I've never been in this type of dilemma. I don't intend to keep him as a pet so I don't want to ruin his wild instinct by feeding him incorrectly or handling him too much so that he doesn't learn how to be a wild rabbit.

Thank you <br /><br /> -- Wed Jan 28, 2015 1:23 am -- <br /><br /> I also forgot to mention his size. he is about the size of a large orange/small grapefruit. I have petite female hands and I can hold him in one hand and wrap my thumb and middle finger around him. He is smaller than our domestic bun was when we got him as a baby. His eyes are open and he has a full coat of fur.

If we decide on what to do ethically for him and we need to feed/care for him until his wound is treated (if we decide that's the right thing to do) I'm not sure what to feed him or care for him. I am trying to be positive and believe that he will live so if he does I want to know what I should feed him and how I should provide liquids for his age. Ideally if he survives the night I would like to know if keeping him until his wound is treated (either by antibiotics of topical treatment) would be recommended. I would imagine limited contact only for food and wound treatment if that's the appropriate thing to do for a wild baby bun would be best.

Anyways if anyone has any advice on how to feed a baby the age I described as well as what would be the best course of action if he is alive in the morning.

 

[Sagebrush]

Him being in the darkened room will help a lot. He can keep himself warm with what you have provided. If he makes it to tomorrow I would change out the blankets and such for newspaper. If he eats it, it won't cause harm. I would feed him grass and weeds from around your yard. It is what he is already eating and will not upset his stomach unlike pellets would. Small amount of old fashioned oats, like half a teaspoon, would be good to feed him as well. Make absolutely sure that they are the Old Fashioned ones. The Quick Oats are not good for them at all and far to hard for him to digest.

As soon as you can get him to a wildlife vet. They will have a better idea as to what to do for him. The reserve might not be able to care for an injured rabbit like a Wildlife Rehab facility can. See if you can contact them in the morning and if they would be able to take the little kit in.

 

[akane]

He will have to see a wildlife rehabber for vet care. It is illegal to have a wild animal like a cottontail in your possession if you aren't trained. It's unlikely you will get in trouble but most vets won't treat them. They need to be in the hands of a rehabber to get proper care. Cat wounds are particularly nasty and if they broke skin are pretty much a guarantee of needing antibiotics. I've had some die just from being exposed to saliva without broken skin.

 

[IvvyRabbit]

Him being in the darkened room will help a lot. He can keep himself warm with what you have provided. If he makes it to tomorrow I would change out the blankets and such for newspaper. If he eats it, it won't cause harm. I would feed him grass and weeds from around your yard. It is what he is already eating and will not upset his stomach unlike pellets would. Small amount of old fashioned oats, like half a teaspoon, would be good to feed him as well. Make absolutely sure that they are the Old Fashioned ones. The Quick Oats are not good for them at all and far to hard for him to digest.

As soon as you can get him to a wildlife vet. They will have a better idea as to what to do for him. The reserve might not be able to care for an injured rabbit like a Wildlife Rehab facility can. See if you can contact them in the morning and if they would be able to take the little kit in.

He will have to see a wildlife rehabber for vet care. It is illegal to have a wild animal like a cottontail in your possession if you aren't trained. It's unlikely you will get in trouble but most vets won't treat them. They need to be in the hands of a rehabber to get proper care. Cat wounds are particularly nasty and if they broke skin are pretty much a guarantee of needing antibiotics. I've had some die just from being exposed to saliva without broken skin.

Thank you both so much. I should be asleep as I have work quite early but I am having trouble dealing with this. He is still alive and resting. I'm trying not to bother him but I needed to check once again.

akane, that is exactly what I needed to know/hear ethically speaking. I wasn't aware that it was illegal but I knew that I did not want to disturb his wild instinct. I was worried they wouldn't think one baby bunny would be worth rehabbing and I didn't know there was a difference between a wildlife preserve and a wildlife rehab I will search tomorrow for a rehab and get him to them asap. As in hopefully tomorrow evening (unfortunate timing as a friend is here from Pennsylvania and her flight was delayed so tomorrow is a busy day).

I will have to wait to get him to a rehab until the evening so I will place the food ingredients you mentioned Sage in the meantime. I'm worried about the would as it looks as if he's been skinned in an area that's about the size of a dime. No blood but I believe I can see pink muscle. .

This is all very much appreciated. I hope my little buddy makes it and I have good news to bring back to everyone tomorrow!

Thank you all!

-- Wed Jan 28, 2015 3:23 am --

Him being in the darkened room will help a lot. He can keep himself warm with what you have provided. If he makes it to tomorrow I would change out the blankets and such for newspaper. If he eats it, it won't cause harm. I would feed him grass and weeds from around your yard. It is what he is already eating and will not upset his stomach unlike pellets would. Small amount of old fashioned oats, like half a teaspoon, would be good to feed him as well. Make absolutely sure that they are the Old Fashioned ones. The Quick Oats are not good for them at all and far to hard for him to digest.

As soon as you can get him to a wildlife vet. They will have a better idea as to what to do for him. The reserve might not be able to care for an injured rabbit like a Wildlife Rehab facility can. See if you can contact them in the morning and if they would be able to take the little kit in.

He will have to see a wildlife rehabber for vet care. It is illegal to have a wild animal like a cottontail in your possession if you aren't trained. It's unlikely you will get in trouble but most vets won't treat them. They need to be in the hands of a rehabber to get proper care. Cat wounds are particularly nasty and if they broke skin are pretty much a guarantee of needing antibiotics. I've had some die just from being exposed to saliva without broken skin.

Thank you both so much. I should be asleep as I have work quite early but I am having trouble dealing with this. He is still alive and resting. I'm trying not to bother him but I needed to check once again.

akane, that is exactly what I needed to know/hear ethically speaking. I wasn't aware that it was illegal but I knew that I did not want to disturb his wild instinct. I was worried they wouldn't think one baby bunny would be worth rehabbing and I didn't know there was a difference between a wildlife preserve and a wildlife rehab I will search tomorrow for a rehab and get him to them asap. As in hopefully tomorrow evening (unfortunate timing as a friend is here from Pennsylvania and her flight was delayed so tomorrow is a busy day).

I will have to wait to get him to a rehab until the evening so I will place the food ingredients you mentioned Sage in the meantime. I'm worried about the would as it looks as if he's been skinned in an area that's about the size of a dime. No blood but I believe I can see pink muscle. .

This is all very much appreciated. I hope my little buddy makes it and I have good news to bring back to everyone tomorrow!
I've already found a wildlife rehab facility about an hour from my house so I have it planned to get him there tomorrow after I drop my friend at the airport.

Thank you all! Wish us luck! You have all been so helpful .

 

[Zass]

I think the worst you can do is to put him into a state of shock and terror.

I doubt a cottontail could ever really be made reliant on a human to the point where they wouldn't be able to survive in the wild.

 

[Marinea]

Just something that popped into my head- please be sure to wash up well after handling the little guy and before having any contact with your pet bun. Treat him as if he could be contagious and you minimize the risk of passing anything along.

*fingers crossed for the wee one*

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Rabbits have an interesting survival mechanism under their skin. Rinse the wound with body temp saline solution, and leave it alone. If the muscle is undamaged, the protective barrier is still in place. A wild rabbit can lose a lot of skin and still survive, even without vet care. Different rehab centered have differing protocols about what they do with injured rabbits.

 

[Bea]

I have a rehab permit and do cottontails, please take to a rehab center as this baby will need an antibiotic as akane said. It will not survive a cat attack without being treated with one

 

[neversabrina]

Any wild animal that's been in a cat's mouth and has puncture wounds, even small ones, needs a course of antibiotics. Unfortunately, the saliva in a cat's mouth is lethal to many, if not most small wild animals because of the bacteria they have in their mouths.