Conference misery::feline_v1

    Arnie,
    
    Maybe you should try to keep your kitty in at night to prevent another
    episode.  How awful!
    
    I do hope they find this beast and justice is served.  Thanks for the
    alert.
    
    --Roberta
    

    I would keep the cat in until the shooter is apprehended.  A BB or
    pellet can seriously endanger your cat's life.  One of my females was
    let out of our house during an attempted break in last summer and a
    neighbor shot her.  The BB passed through one kidney and lodged in the
    other.  The shot may have been at close range.  Anyway, she required
    extensive surgery, and supportive care for weeks, at great expense to
    me.  It has been nearly a year since the incident, and she is finally
    getting back to normal.  She had to undergo an additional surgery in
    January of this year since a hernia formed when the disolvable sutures
    inside her disolved before the muscle tissue had healed completely.
    
    Be sure to make a police report about the incident, so that it will be
    on record. That way, if anyone one else reports a cat shooting, the
    police will see if any pattern emerges.  This is important if you want
    to help them apprehend the shooter.
    
    Jo

    re .1
    FLAME ON....................

    	My kitty does not belong to me. I belong to my kitty. When he wants
    to go out he goes out.

    	Why doesn't your keeper keep you in because you might get hurt
    going outside.

    	I think it is inhumane and in-animal to keep pets that require
    roaming to be locked up in a house.

    	I guess you keep your children locked in the house all the time.

    			Love Arnie

    RE:  3
    
    In my humble opinion your suggestion is not a solution either.
    
    Food for thought.  If someone was attempting to shoot your child
    as they walked to school - would you continue to let her outside 
    until the Police captured the suspect?
    
    Marilyn, Otis and Tiffany
    

    Yup!! I *DO* keep my "kids" inside ;*) !!
    
    And ya know what!? They wouldn't go outside for all the catnip in 
    america! They HATE it out there! They love the nice cozy house where
    they can sit in the windows, and sleep in a comfy bed!
    
    Shooting innocent animals is inhumane, protecting your cherished
    companion is not. (JMHO)
    
    Bonnie
    

    My sympathy goes to the cat in this case.  They look to
    their caretakers for intelligence (since they don't have
    the higher thinking humans do) and in this case it isn't
    being given.
    
    God bless this little kitty and keep it as safe as you can
    under the circumstances.
    
    Barbara

    
    You owe it to your cat to protect him/her in this
    case!!!!
    
    And yes, if a child snatcher were in the area, or
    someone was potshoting at my children, I would
    *personally* drive them to school or whatever until the
    danger was past.
    
    Lynne

      I do not believe from the evidence presented that any Court in the
    world would conclude that this animal had been shot. A "hole in the
    shoulder.....but no BB" is more likely the result of a catfight or some
    other animal bite. The "grazing" wound on the leg could have occurred
    from most anything...barbed wire, an old can, a dog, another cat, a
    piece of glass. 
    
      I also have four cats. And, in view of the fact that cats have become
    domesticated animals, and no longer have any need to hunt and kill to
    survive, and have never gained the intelligence that would allow them
    to become accustomed to traffic, they reside very comfortabley indoors. 
    Almost daily, on my way to and from work, I see the crushed and maimed
    remains of those poor kitties that are allowed to go forth into areas
    where they are in extreme jeopardy...and this result is very often the
    end one. 
    
      This "indoor-VS-outdoor" debate has been hashed and re-hashed many
    times in the last 4700-or-so notes. No rational conclusion has been
    found, nor would one be expected. However, if one is an "outdoor"
    believer, then it should be part of that attitude to EXPECT injury and
    possible death of their pet. Now that Rabies has progressed into and
    been found in Connecticut, it's just another risk that the outdoor
    animal must face. Many cases of cat rabies have already been discovered
    in PA and NJ...
    
    JM

    was I misreading the Basenote, #1 and #3? I thought that the reply TO 
    #1 was rather harsh, as I think Roberta was only offering a temporary
    solution. Actually I don't see this as an indoor-vs-outdoor controversy
    as the cat apparently does okay normally outside. But these are
    extraordinary conditions, which might call for temporary actions, i.e. 
    perhaps keeping the cat indoors just until the person is caught, 
    or moves on.
    
    I was just real surprised to see a FLAME-ON response to a suggestion
    made with good intentions.
    
    Pat
    

    Yes, I agree, Pat...  I think you're being very insensitive .0 for
    flaming at people who are only trying to help.  BTW - you never
    did put FLAME OFF at the end of your reply.  Are we to assume
    something here?  Please believe that the advice posted here is only
    given with the best intentions and no offense is meant at all.
    I can't say the same for the tone of your note, however.
    
    - Kathryn
    

    
    
      I don't agree at all with shotting BB's at cats, it is definitely
    inhumane..However, i'm sure there are people out there that may
    or may not have outside birds as their "pets" and if neighboring
    cats tend to make it a habit to hunt and kill their birds they may
    take some kind of action, well it's just a thought as I have read
    about these situations before..
    But also i've read of people getting upset with neighbors cats and
    poisoning them.  I feel the outside world is becoming more unsafe
    for our little furry babies...
    
    Just what i've heard and read in the past.
          
    My kids are indoor cats or they go out with a harness with me.
    
    DMD

    I sympathize with you Arnie.  I, too, am loath to keep my babies
    locked up at any time.  However, after the tragic disappearance of
    Miss Flea--which we think could have been either Coyotes or the dogs
    next door--we did keep our ears and eyes open and didn't hesitate
    to call them in if necessary. 
    
    I have also had a cat shot with a BB gun by the horrid boy next door.
    Although, the round hole you describe in the cat's shoulder does 
    sound rather like an abscess. 
    
    My suggestion is a (very) hard one--would it be possible for you to follow 
    the cat one evening and, at least, see which way the cat travels.    
    You may be lucky and see what ever, or whom ever, is attacking your
    kitty.
                                   
    
    Best of luck.

       
       I'll repeat myself...and state again that the description is NOT
    what would be normally the result of a BB or Pellet gun!!!! Modern-cay
    BB and pellet guns are MUCH more powerful than to only make a small
    puncture wound. If the hole went completely through the cat it would be
    more likely that it was shot. The average "Daisy" BB gun can penetrate
    aout 3/4 of the way through the Boston Yellow Pages... Also, the person
    who could shoot at night straight enough to hit a cat with a BB or
    Pellet gun would have to be using a "Night-scope" of be a miraculous
    shooter!!
    
      A CAT BITE surely will cause a small round hole though..and this
    would seem to be the likely cause of this injury. 
    
      Also...some other things that can and will hurt/kill cats: Rabid
    racoons, owls(Cats are a favorite FOOD og the Great Horned and Snowy
    Owls), Coyotes like to kill cats too. WIld Dogs, automobiles...
      Cats and dogs running loose are at GREAT risk from MANY dangers...
    
    JM
       

    Another logical suggestion would be to bring your cat to the vet and
    let him/her examine the animal to determine the origin of the wound.
    ...and to make sure that the wound is free of infection and healing 
    normally.
    
    Marilyn, Otis and Tiffany
    
    P.S.  One suggestion to the basenoter....and this is written with the
          nicest of intentions:  if you want advice - be prepared to
          receive it.  We are all animal (cat) lovers and want the best,
          whatever our view/opinion, for our defenseless furfaces.
    

    I would like to suggest that you take the cat to the vet to
    determine what the hole is and possibly get whatever it is
    treated before it does turn into an Abscess.  I'm sure the
    vet could tell if it was a BB or cat fight or whatever!
    
    Sandy

    Okay, let's all take a deep breath and settle down a bit.  The
    moderators will not tolerate flaming of this nature.  We will allow
    this topic to continue, provided calmer heads prevail.  
    
    Jo and Mary

    Arnie,
    
    Is your cat neutered?  If not, that could solve some of the problem and
    he'd stay closer to home.
    
    Pat
    

    I agree about it most likely being an abysyss.  My daughter called me
    one day at work to tell me Beauty had been shot in the face.  There was
    a big hole in his cheek.  I immediately put a note in here and got lots
    of wonderful and informative information from very caring and
    sympathetic and knowledgeable people back.
    
    When I got home, I took a good look at the *wound*.  It was indeed an
    abysyss.  I treated it with the proper medicines and kept him inside
    until he was on the road to recovery.  
    
    This notes-file is fantastic and I have learned so much from here.  If
    you are un-sure of what is happening to your cat, I agree with the
    others.  Take him/her to the vet and have the vet tell you if the wound
    is indeed an abysyss or a gun-shot wound.  
    
    Just as an aside - Beauty was a feral un-neutered male.  He would never
    stay inside.  Now that he is neutered, he almost never wants to go out
    and when he does, he doesn't stay out long.
    
    Good luck....
    
    Sandi and the Storm Troopers
    
    

re .18 (Sandi and the Storm Troopers):

Only an Abyssinian can get an abysyss; other cats will get an abscess.

sorry :-)

(not really :-))

Jill

    I love it, thanks Jill for making me laugh when I REALLY 
    needed it.
    
    Barbara