Conference misery::feline_v1

    Somewhat a similar kinda story....my Sphinx was sitting on the
    railing outside my apartment last night as I was washing my
    car and this orange cat comes swaggering by.  Well, my little
    guy litterally flew of the railin and pounced on the other cat,
    causing orange fur to fly everywhere.  They then kinda backed
    off, and hissed at each other.  Then the orange guy took off...
    
    Question.....Is there a preferred method of breaking up two
                 cats when they're fighting?
    
                 And, can they get really seriously injured when they
                 fight?

    If you were washing your car w/ a hose, I'd say that would do the 
    trick!! They can get abcesses from fights (from bites) & they can get
    VERY infected & sore. Not to mention any diseses the other cat may be
    carrying...
    
    How are the little kids today? It must be the season....
    
    Bonnie

    The primary method of transmission for FIV is a bite.
    
    The hose sounds like a good method of breaking up the fight to me.
    

or even, keeping your cat in an enclosed area so that he cannot get TO the
other cat to start the fight.  Feline Leukemia, Feline Aids, FIP are all
probable problems that can occur when two cats tangle - and they are all
fatal.

There are screened, giant cages with platforms for sunning - they even come
with wheels so they can be pushed out on a balcony or porch to allow sunning.

    It must be the season.  We feed the stray (J.C....named after the
    lord because he has a perfect cross on his back) and for the last
    couple of days...he looks like hell!  He got new scratches and he
    really looks tired and worn out!    Hopefully we can catch him
    real soon and get his little "knockers" fixed which will hopefully
    stop some of the fighting.
    
    How to stop a fight....you swing your pocketbook, your shoes, your
    jacket, a branch and scream like a mad lady!!!  Does it work...no...
    but my neighbors think I'm crazy!
    
    Sandy  
         

    This time of year there are always a lot of cat fights.  Spring is in
    the air and the cats are out there fighting over the ladies.
    
    Couple of things to remember about cat fights...NEVER, NEVER, NEVER
    break up a cat fight with your hands, even if the cat involved is
    yours.  In the heat of passionate fighting, the cat will not know it is
    you and can give you a nasty bite.  It is best to either throw
    something over the cats, like water, a blanket, a net, or separate them
    with a broom or something.  Or you could bring out a box or carrier for
    one of them to run into and then quickly close it.  Just don't put your
    hands in there.
    
    If you do get bitten, you must make the wound bleed.  And you should
    clean the wounds with peroxide and apply an antibiotic.  If you aren't
    up on your tetanus shots you better get in to see a doctor.  Depending
    on the severity of the bite, a doctor is probably a good idea whether
    or not you are up on your tetanus.  Cat bites can cause lots of
    problems so take them seriously.
    
    Jo

    I'd like to add that at the first aid lecture the other night at
    the MSPCA one of the comments made is that bites are deceiving
    and what looks like a minor wound can have major problems under-
    neith, like torn muscles or punctured or bruised lungs (some of this
    is more pertinant to dogs than cats).  The same goes for humans who
    get bitten.  It is possible to have tendon, nerve or muscle damage
    as the result of a catbite.  So take these injuries seriously - 
    don't panic but keep an eye on the injury and seek medical attention
    if it doesn't get better.
      Nancy DC
    

    I agree...we had an experience two nights ago where my little
    guy (Angus) came running through the woods.... when he reached us
    we notices he was blinking his eye and rubbing it.  We waited
    about 5 minutes and he continued so we packed him up and off we
    went to the vets.
    
    Well by the time we got to the vets...his eye looked okay...but
    after examining the Vet found a scratch in his third eye lid (that's
    what it is called right???)  He thinks it was from a cat scratch
    or a twig.    But he said "thank god you brought him down because
    by tomorrow morning his eye would have been swollen shut".   A
    few eye drops for the next few days resolved the problem.  it
    could have been much worse if we did not react as fast.
    
    Sandy

    This morning at 2 a.m. I heard like the Worst Cat Fight ever three
    times.  Once I managed to get outside in time to see one of the
    participants, and it was a racoon.   Thankfully, my cat nephew Khalife
    showed up this morning safe and sound.  I've left a note for the
    parents of my nephews Jasper and Toulumne who I'm equally worried
    about.  I looked all over in the shrubbery at the time of the fight,
    but couldn't find the other participant.... Another reason to keep
    babies inside.
    

    Hope all are ok.  Guess this is one reason why folks feel that 
    night-time is the most dangerous time for a cat to be outside.
      Nancy

    Toulu is fine.  I haven't seen Jasper.  His folks would have
    told me if he'd been seriously hurt, I'm sure.