| | Dog on cat attackPage 1 of 3 (1, 2, 3) | | On the 21st of september my 18 month old cat was attacked and savaged by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, he was rushed to the vets were they did not expect him to survive. I wasn't there to wittness the attack but have been told that my cat was in it's garden and the dog spotted my cat and came charging out of the house to grab my cat by the throat and rag him about before tossing him in the air to grab him by the throat again and continue to rag him about. I have been told that the 17 year old boy who was in charge of the dog tried to get the dog of my cat for the dog to turn round and try and bite him. This dog has been known to have killed a cat before and he is also known to roam the streets freely. He is dog and people aggressive. The dogs owner is known to the police for drugs and other things. When I approached him, he told me it was highly likely that his son had set the dog on the cat as he has done it before. I have informed the police as I feel this dog is a menace and it is only a matter of time before he attacks a person or a child. I have informed the police and I am currently waiting to here from them. As it is my cat has survived, the vet said he was an extremly lucky little cat, but as of Thursday 22nd my vet bill stood at £1200 and climbing, that doesn't include the medication and specialised food that my cat was sent home with as he is currently being tube fed, nor does it include future treatment he is going to need. I do have pet insurance and have resigned myself to the fact they will not offer to pay the excess. Does anyone know what the laws are surrounding aggressive dogs and attacks on other animals, I have tried googling but I am not finding any information. Any help would be appricated. | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 3:54:27 PM | Sue the owner of the dog - and pursue him through the Court - it won't cost you that much, and he won't have insurance,but it should trigger your own insurance, and anyway, why should some scrote get away with trying to kill your cat?
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 3:54:39 PM |
I wasn't there to wittness the attack but have been told that my cat was in it's garden and the dog spotted my cat and came charging out of the house to grab my cat by the throat and rag him about before tossing him in the air to grab him by the throat again and continue to rag him about.
Not sure what the police can do as it is a dog attacking a cat which has entered it's space ...it's garden..
Usually cats would scarper at the sight of a dog charging towards it..
hope the cat recovers fully... | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 4:02:19 PM | Okay so you're obviously not aware of the Dangerous Dogs act
If the owner or, if different, the person for the time being in charge of a dog allows it to enter a place which is not a public place but where it is not permitted to be and while it is there—.
(a)it injures any person; or.
(b)there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will do so.
So if it did try and bite it's owner it may be considered to be dangerous obviously a Staffy is not on the dangerous dogs list but this is irrelevant. There are specific conditions that can be imposed but only on conviction, its like a doggy ASBO.
Is the lad definately 17? as there are also conditions regarding 16 and under having possession of dogs.
In all honestly the response you get from the Police will be dependant on how knowledgable the Officer is to the Dangerous Dogs Act and related offences.
Sorry if this doesn't help xxxxx | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 4:06:22 PM | I know this isnt going to be what you want to hear but why on earth would you try to claim the moral highground when your cat was in the dogs garden?
I find it annoying that although dogs nowadays are expected to be on a lead and collar when out in public cat owners seem to think they have some god given right to let their pets roam free despite the amount of accidents they cause, the fact their faeces can make children go blind and that theyre JUST as capable if its done from birth to either be taken out on a leash or kept in the house under their owners supervision as is routinely the case with expensive show cats.
But that would obviously require some effort and responsibility from the owner to actually walk it then rather than it being a pet that allows very lazy ownership 99% of the time
Its a shame that this has happened to your cat, or infact to any animal
But you also have to accept the fact and the reality that YOU allowed it to wander where it wanted and however you try to dress it up as something else is to blame that was the root cause of this occurence
Its hardly a secret that cats and dogs dont inately get on with each other, and that cats by their nature can get into areas that are other peoples private property some of which is going to contain one or more dogs (scrap yards being one prime example where vicious dogs are kept) so by allowing a cat to roam an owner HAS to take responsibility for that as well as the resulting fall out from it
For one theres a VERY good chance your cat whilst on its travels has killed many quite expensive racing pidgeons whos owners could equally have been attached to those. Had that thought ever crossed your mind?
Of a pidgeon being not just attacked, but tortured as tends to be a common behaviour of cats. And "maybe" dying after an hour of being played with by your cat?
Infact many dog owners ALSO have large vets bills when cats with no right to be in their garden scratch their pets in their own back gardens in many cases causing the loss of sight in one or more eyes as thats a common target for cats claws so even your cat "could" have already done that to somebodies dog too
Maybe that hasnt "actually" happened, but how can you know? Or how can you know it hasnt happened dozens of times?
I hope your cat recovers and you arent too badly affected by the financial burden, but in future maybe you should consider controlling your pet and limiting its freedom in the same way that dog owners are also expected to do
Infact why not try explaining why you think you have the right to let your cat roam freely to someone who has been fetched off their motorbike, pushbike or who has crashed their car because of one. Or better yet try convincing the parent of a child who whilst playing in their own gardens soil lost, or almost lost their sight because somebodies cat had buried faeces there why it should be "acceptable" and see how you get on
Sorry if this post sounds harsh, and infact I do realise that to some it might be
But if you will pardon the pun it is a "pet hate" of mine that the irresponsible and selfish nature of cat owners in society is still barely even considered and then when something like this happens they never seem to factor in their own complicity and the fact that they are allowing their pet the freedom that caused the incident to begin with
Had the dog jumped into your garden and attacked your cat which never left unless superviced I would be behind you 110%, but the facts here are that your cat with no owner supervision was allowed to roam free and as a result of that went into the garden of this dog which is how the attack was able to occur
What the dog may or may not have done previous, what the owner is or isnt like doesnt really factor into this as even some of the most timid and friendly dogs if not raised with cats WOULD also have reacted in the same way in the same circumstances
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 4:06:28 PM | | Sadly i think the only time you may have been able to use the dangerous dogs act is if the attack took place in your garden, the dog would then have been classed as out of control or the owner negligent. | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 4:10:23 PM | Contact the police over the dagerous dog.
Get all evidence you have that the dog attacked your cat, and file a claim at your local civil court(think judge judy!!) You will have to pay to file the claim, so get all the proof you have, vets bills etc!! You may not get the whole bill covered, but you may get some or a portion of it covered.
Im glad your cat pulled thru and is doing well!
Linsy
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 4:11:10 PM | | If the dog is a danger to the public , do you have proof of that ? has the dog ever bit a person? i do feel sorry for the cat but the dogs instincts is to go for a cat , my dog is a yorkshire terrier and he goes for cats does not make him a danger to the public,,and like someone said staffs are not on the dangerous list its the pitbulls that are on that list and banned in the uk... | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 4:16:33 PM | | Sorry if I have mis-read this... I thought the cat was in it's own garden. Apologies | |
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cc7up
| | Joined: 8/18/2011
Msg: 10 | |
| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 10:29:35 PM | Msg 5 is a great reply and gets my applause.
A cat is a free spirit who needs to roam so if people deny them their natural survival learning curve by keeping them in then they are doing them no favours as a cat will get out sooner or later but if a cat doesn't have the nessesary outdoor survival skills then keep it indoors and it might just live a bit longer.
It's still a Jungle out there and every cat has many enemies so it's no wonder they seem to need all of their 9 lives.
The fact is that People don't have Cats as Pets.
Cats have People as Pets. | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 10:30:17 PM | LOL@Mike - take a cat out on a leash! Clearly someone who knows nothing about cats.
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/25/2011 11:50:58 PM | ^^^ Lol I thought that.
I have a dog that does not like other dogs although he is fine with children, cats and my other dog. One day I had him on the lead when another dog who was off the lead ran up to him. I tried to warn the other owner but mine bit him, not seriously, but the dog's owner threatened to sue me and told me to muzzle him (which I do now). I do feel it was the fault of the other owner as you wouldnt let a child run up to a strange dog and I feel its the same with other animals.
I had a visit from the police who were happy that I had my dog on the lead and that I promised to muzzle him in future. There was no talk of prosecution. In the case of a cat Im not sure where you would stand in the eyes of the law. Cats are free spirits (I love them) and I would be gutted if mine was attacked in that way. Im not a gardener and mine is down to shingles so I dont get the cat poo! My sister lives in the country and her cat was attacked in this way by a dog who probably thought it was a rabbit. With some dogs the hunting instinct is strong.
I would get as much information as you can, maybe from the police, and then see what you can do. I did offer to pay any vet bills after my dog bit the other dog but didnt hear anything else. There was no blood as far as I could see. Hope your cat is now fit and well.  | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 1:33:15 AM | Actually many people DO infact take cats out on a leash the same as people who never let their cats out. But its usually just people with expensive breeds of cats.
A cat, the same as a dog grows up being used to what its known. and if that is to be ONLY taken out on an extending leash then thats ALL its used to and has nothing to do with some silly notion that its a "cat" and cant possibly do anything else
Countless cats are even trained for use in the film industry, another thing people who REALLY know nothing about cats often claim "cant" be done
Theres no such thing as "cant" just "cant be bothered" or "its too much like hard work (I might as well have bought a dog)"
Where I used to live a woman had two siamese cats that she put in shows and would regularly take them onto the fields across the road on 50 ft extending leads so they could run about both of which would come back to her when called and never had a problem with this as they didnt know any different
So to claim it "cant" be done is pretty laughable really considering it IS infact done  | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 1:36:11 AM | now this is a thread i take offence at, i have 2 staffordshire bull terriers, and they are NOT dangerous dogs. how many cats get killed by dogs each year? what percentage of those dogs are staffordshire bull terriers? how many people are attacked each year? how many of those were attacked by staffordshire bull terriers? Theyre the kind of facts you need to know before you make a statement like that. Its the owners that make dogs aggressive, not the dog itself
here's the official description of the staffordshire bull terriers temperament from the official kennel club which registers ALL breeds of dogs...........
Although individual differences in personality exist, common traits exist throughout the Staffords. Due to its breeding, and history, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is known for its character of indomitable courage, high intelligence, and tenacity. This, coupled with its affection for its friends, its off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability, make it a foremost all-purpose dog.[3] It has been said that "No breed is more loving with its family"[4]
The breed is naturally muscular and may appear intimidating; however, because of their natural fondness for people, most Staffords are temperamentally ill-suited for guard or attack-dog training. Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies are very easy to house train | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 2:04:03 AM |
Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies are very easy to house train I've just got a puppy, Marley and already he is learning tricks.
OT Marley's mum and dad are both Staffs and very good natured...however, if the cat from next door comes into my girlfriends garden they both go mental. In fact, if they are out in the back garden the cat will sometimes sprawl on top of the garden shed, tormenting them both.
As your cat has ventured into the dogs garden, I really do not think that you have a case? | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 2:31:42 AM | Countless cats are even trained for use in the film industry, another thing people who REALLY know nothing about cats often claim "cant" be done
a domestic cat is never fully tame and will always be half wild.if you released a big fluffy 10 year old housecat that has been pampered and spoiled all its life by an old lady into the woods.it will turn wild and back to its natural state within a few days and hunt and kill prey same as a wildcat.they can be trained to a certain extent.but only by somone they realy love and trust.all cats like to roam and explore when given the chance.it is the reason you will find them in most peoples gardens. | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 2:49:51 AM | The key is socialisation on all levels for any new puppy you get. i have a big deaf white cat called arthur, he's getting on in years now but he's still top dog when it comes to my 2 staffs. if he's sat in a doorway they wont push past him to get through, they wait until he moves because they know theyre going to have sore scratched noses if they try and push past him. if he likes the smell of their food when i feed them and sticks his head in their food bowl to have a sniff you better believe they stop eating and move out the way till his curiousity is satisfied and he strolls off.
On the reverse side if you buy your puppy some fluffy toys and tease him with them and get him to fetch them, when he grows up if he's never been introduced to a real cat when he was a puppy and one wanders into his garden what do you think is going to happen? Exactly, play time
like i said earlier, all puppies are born as blank slates. they learn as they grow so its up to the owners to teach them the right lessons. a good owner will produce a good dog, and vica versa
I feel for the op having had her cat killed. it would break my heart to, but blaming the dog is the wrong way to go. They are wild animals, descendants of wolves, and they learn from their pack be it human or animal | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 3:32:26 AM | | The dangerous dogs act needs to be extended to include more breeds! Also dog licences need to be brought back with very strict criteria to stop idiots from owning dogs. | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 3:50:09 AM | | What's always bemused me is why on earth they just don't make it compulsory for all dogs to be muzzled in public, it would solve so much grief. | |
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Pud78
| | Joined: 4/29/2010
Msg: 20 | |
| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 4:16:36 AM | As has been said the fact that your cat has entered his space and he wasn't roaming free I don' t feel that you have a legal position against the owners and it is one of those risks associated with cat ownership.
I have been told that the 17 year old boy who was in charge of the dog tried to get the dog of my cat for the dog to turn round and try and bite him.
Could be argued he saved your cats life and despite trying to get his dog destroyed you should be thanking him.
He is dog and people aggressive.
Which is ok providing that he isn't left to roam freely, controlled when on walks and wears muzzles, you say he roams freely, if he is as agressive as you cliam why is there no incidents of him attacking people?? | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 4:28:58 AM | Similar thing happened locally, except the cat was on someone else's garden and the dog was being walked by it's owner on one of those stupid extending leashes.
Cat did not survive and a week later we had a note through each door in the street calling for the dogs owner to come forward.
I have to wonder though, is this like people who moan about boy racers charging up the street, but don't utter a word if some rich mofo does it in his brand new Range Rover sport?
Are dogs like staffy's discriminated against because of their appearance?
and would OP be trying to get it destroyed if it were a cute/fluffy poodle? | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 4:30:42 AM | I'm sorry to hear about your cat's suffering OP unfortunately if it was in his garden then the responsibility is yours as the cat owner. My neighbour had baby guinea pigs who got out and into my garden one day. RIP baby guinea pigs, my cats got them, which was very sad but nobody's 'fault' really. It's nature though surely? Cats kill mice and in mine's case baby guinea pigs, dogs will go for cats and yes I have known a few dogs that have killed cats. I've also known dogs who would kill sheep and goats if they had a chance, some dogs can't stop their chase instinct kicking in. I have owned and also fostered cats and dogs, so this isn't being anti dog or anti cat, it's just about accepting the facts of an animal's natural instinct.
I hope your cat recovers soon. | |
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cc7up
| | Joined: 8/18/2011
Msg: 23 | |
| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 5:30:49 AM | There appears to be an increase in feral cats and dogs roaming about in the UK.
Could this be because they are abandoned by owners who can't afford to feed them anymore?
This also applies to exotic animals (Mink for example) that once released into the wild often cause an inbalance in nature to the detriment of our indigenous species.
What are a domesticated pet's survival odds in a fight against one of their feral peers ? Not much i would think but if it wasn't killed then it would probably join the gang and become the Pack's 'B*tch'.
Word to the wise;
If you decide to bury a dead family pet in your garden then dig it in deep or it might well get dug up again in the night by a Fox or some other scavenger .
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 5:43:04 AM | If a cat is allowed to roam, there is a very good chance it'll come across a dog. Dogs generally don't like cats and they will attack a cat given the chance.
To think that there is some legal action you can take against the dog owner is crazy. Your cat was in their garden.
Either keep your cat indoors or accept that it may bump into a dog from time to time. | |
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| Dog on cat attack
Posted: 9/26/2011 5:57:54 AM | What are a domesticated pet's survival odds in a fight against one of their feral peers ? Not much i would think but if it wasn't killed then it would probably join the gang and become the Pack's 'B*tch
id say about 50/50.there isnt much difference between them.one is domesticated and is used to humans.the other lives rough and lives outside in the wild.in a fight they are both equal.except the wildcat might be more hungy and fight a bit harder.most cats can also hold there own in a dust up with a normal size dog.but hasnt got much chance against bigger dogs and bull terriers. | |
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