Oh Laura-that sucks BIG TIME!! I hope kitty is going to be OK. Why not box all their dog poopies they leave on your yard and leave them on their doorstep?? Or, You could always just get an Uzi and meet them face-to-face!! I appreciate your frustration, believe me. We had trailer trash folks move in behind us with 6 St Bernards and about 3-4 other various dogs that bark all hours and poop up the air in a chicken wire cage. It is disgusting! Good luck my friend!! ps...I will let you know about the passionflower disaster later, you got too much going on!

I'm so sorry for you and your cat! I can almost see them tossing the poor baby into the water.
I think you are right in that all you can do now is move. It won't get better. You'll probably even have to keep the cat indoors. Once they've done this, there's no way to know how far they will go.
Protect your kitty and call Animal Services every time you see their dog running loose.

The only way to keep your cat safe is to keep him indoors. I'm a vet tech, I see every day what happens to outdoor cats. The neighbors did not bite your cat. They might even have tried to help him, thus the tracks? He may have tried to escape the attacking animal in the lake. If he runs loose, you have no control over the dangers that he is exposed to. The dog may have bitten him, but it could have been any other animal as well.

Dogs will hurt other animals, at times. It is the law to keep dogs confined. A loose dog on your property, not owned by you, that is threatening you, your pets, or chasing your livestock, can legally be shot by you. A better way is to call Animal Control repeatedly, get a paintball Gun, and shoot the dog every time it is on your property. Paint won't hurt it, but will prove the tresspass.

I detest my neighbors too. They cost me a fortune.. Their heartworm riddled dogs and lice/mite infested chickens that slip through my fence to eat my expensive natural foods, cause me to have to dust my own flock repeatedly and spend $$$ on repeated HW tests and constant preventative for the dogs.

I'm sure the scrawny Banties have internal parasites too, but if I worm my hens, I cannot eat the eggs for 3 months! Why should I have to pay for them being irresponsible??

Bad Neighbors are the pits....

Lisa

I got kittie back last night and then could not sleep most of the night. He kept wanting to get up...and did. The vet said that he was attacked by a dog. How he got in over his head in lake mud after the attack remains a mystery. He has some torn muscle tissue and the wounds were full of mud. I am very worried about my Oz. We are very attached to one another and have been through a lot together.

Oh laura-that is so sad. I hope kitty is on the mends now. The poor thing must be traumatized! My 2 cats are about 15 and have been indoo only cats. I would be terrifed knowing one was outside. Tootie sometimes slips out but stays at the perimeter of the house until we corral her back in. She was attacked once when very little and she popped out a screen to get outside. Now she is happy to roam the pool cage and gets out just to give me heart palpitations!!

Lisa-Sounds like you have some pretty disrespectful and unresponsible neighbors. I have never understood why anyone would have an animal that it didn't care for health wise.

Laura, I'm so glad you got him home. He must not have been seriously bitten (into his abdominal cavity) if the Vet released him. Thank God! It could have been much worse!

He is on antibiotics, right? Pain meds? Metacam is very effective on Cats, just a drop every few days really keeps them pain-free. Watch for abscesses-cats get them often at wound sites. They get a fever and swelling of the area.

Is he eating okay? Try to keep him quiet and confined, so his torn muscles can heal faster.

I suspect he either leaped into the lake in an effort to escape, or the dog tossed him with a head-shake after biting him. I've seen my Jack Russel do that head-shake after killing a rat - tossing it a good 8'. He is lucky to be alive..

I'm hoping for a complete recovery.

Cats here, in my area, are killed regularly by dogs, raccoons and cars. The ones that just tangle with other cats get oozing abscesses, and Feline Aids. It is soo dangerous, for small animals to roam free.

Maybe some Tuna or fresh chicken for poor Oz, to distract him from his aches?

Please keep us informed..

Lisa

Thanks for the info Lisa. Oz has two wicks for drainage. The vet did not want to release him but I refused to pay the outragous $$$$ they wanted to keep him there. Of course my regular vet is closed for holiday weekend so I took him to the 24 hour place. I did have Oz in the bedroom but have since moved him to a small dark bathroom where it won't matter if he can't make it to the litter box and he can't hid under the bed or move very much. He has some liquid pain med (the one you mentioned) and another in pill form. I am VERY worried about him. I've started giving him some pedialite (sp?) and nutri-cal.

I went in just now to give him food and water and he didn't take it like before. He tried getting it out of his mouth and frothing etc. I am worried.

My kitty passed away.

Oh, I'm sooo very, very sorry.......

Lisa

Laura - you have my complete sympathy. I am so terribly sorry.
Kate

First of all let me say how sorry I am about the lost of you cat.

As far a the dogs... I have had some experience with " hunting dogs " jumping my fence and roaming my property. About 10 years ago the attacked and killed Sally my pot bellied pig. Another time they attacked Duke..........110 lb mixed breed. He survived but after 300.00 $$ vet bill for the massive infection from the puncture wounds. Then there were the chickens and geese............to numerous to count.

After contacting the animal control and give a window in which they could come ( what are they , a cable company? ) I called the police. Wasn`t much I could do till they threaten a person. Out of frustration , I asked the cop if I could spray paint the dogs. Well he started howling with laughter.......... saying " I CAN`T TELL YOU TO DO THAT "

So how about buying a can of international safety orange paint for their next visit ?

And yes, the dogs were pit bulls.......................... :(

So, did you spray paint the dogs? I'd have more luck with the paint balls. This dog won't let me near him. He isn't a pit bull. He's a full breed whatever (?) but looks like a combination of a boxer (heavier/squatier) and a pit bull. It is the owners that are pigs.

I miss my Oz so much. I didn't realize until I looked in the photo album but he turned 9 years yesterday. The problem with loving an animal so much is that it hurts so much when it is time for them to go...especially under such tramactic circumstances.
Thanks for all of your support.

Oh Laura, my heart is breaking for you. I am so sorry Oz didn't make it. I am going to go give my kitties each a big hug. Take care, sweetie.

Laura, I'm so sorry about Oz your kitty. It's not like losing an animal, it's more like losing a beloved member of your family. I'm glad he was home with you.
(((((Big hug)))))
Kristi

Laura, I'm so sorry about Oz.

Laura, I'm so sorry. I'm glad you got to bring him home where he could be in a place he knew, around people he loved.

Laura ~ I'm also sorry about your dear Oz. I'm so glad you decided to take him home with you. He passed on in his own loving territory. Bless your heart.

FlowerLady

Laura, I am so sorry to read about your pretty baby. I know how bad you must hurt. It's so hard to lose a pet that we love but it must be terrible to lose one under those circumstances. You have my sympathies.

Laura,

You and your Oz are in my thoughts. I am so sorry for your loss.

Kitiera

Laura, I'm also so very sorry to read this about your cat. It's heartbreaking.

I had the neighbor from hell situation for about 2 years. It's much better now, and I'm so relieved we don't feud anymore. But it was basically over dogs. Her dogs roamed the neighborhood in a pack, and they barked all hours of the day and night. I called the police every night when I couldn't sleep because of these dogs. I called the police every time the dogs were threatening a pet or child. I called and called, made complaints with animal control, and FINALLY it paid off. I think the fines must have gotten too much, and she decided to keep her dogs in at night and confine them to a fenced yard during the day.

So my advice - just be persistent. I know you're moving, but I wouldn't back down until I was officially moved out. I just don't like bullies. Never have. And it's something I won't tolerate.

Good luck to you.

Thanks for all the kind words. The loss is not so painful now but I do miss him. I have not said anything to the neighbors and don't intend to. The good news is that we have a contract on another house and will close in mid July. We probably won't move until August sometime. In the meantime I am enjoying watching my garden grow and seeing the butterflies and the birds it is attracting.

Laura...great news on the house. Do you have a photo to post? You must be really excited! Once you get settled let us know so we can all help contribute to your new gardens!