I can stop foaming at the mouth now

[DaveNay]

A couple weeks ago a new cat showed up out in the barn. No big deal, happens all the time the cats come and go. On wednesday evening this new cat didn't seem well, and appeared to be choking. I managed to get ahold of it to check it out and hopefully help when the darn thing got pissy and twisted around and gave me a big bite on my finger.

Ow! Dammit! (**%$&^%!! Cat!

Bleeding profusely I go in the house and wash it out really good and put a couple bandaids on it.

On Thursday, my paranoid.....errrr....loving wife decides to do a little research on the 'net. Remember earlier when I said the cat seemed to be choking? Well guess what? Choking is one of the signs of A RABID ANIMAL!!!

My wife proceded to lure the cat into a carrier, and she takes it over to the county animal control, while I leave work to head over to the doctor to find out what I need to do. The doctor give me a tetanus shot and a prescription for some mega dosage antibiotics (875mg twice a day!)

Today was spent waiting for word back from the county animal control on the test results on the cat (poor kitty didn't make it in case you were wondering). Finally about 4pm they give us a call saying there were no signs of rabies.

WHEW!

After reading up on rabies, that is some scary stuff! If rabies fully develops, it is 100% fatal.

So, I am ok, but both me and the wife are going to go get rabies vaccine shots in case something like this happens again.

 

[ddrane2115]

NEVER pick up a stray cat, for this very reason. IF you have to handle one, get gloves, thick leather and with arms that go up a good way. The best way to handle is with a control stick, or best is call animal control and have them take care of it.

Remember this advice comes from a home with at least 4 strays taht now live in the house with us.........or they let us live with them. One of them on my desk now, now on monitor of computer.

Seriously, we do a lot of work around cats, be VERY careful

 

[Melensdad]

And people wonder why I am a "dog" person.

But its good to hear that you will be be fine.

 

[DaveNay]

IF you have to handle one, get gloves, thick leather and with arms that go up a good way.

Yeah, I'm thinking my welding gloves would work just fine.

 

[ddrane2115]

they need to be flexible to so that you can hold on tight, but yes that is the idea. I am not for killing, but a rabid animal is better off dead, for itself and others around it.

 

[Dargo]

Yeesh! I had a raccoon wonder into my pole barn with me once. I just thought it was real friendly like until I got closer. It appeared that ole Robby the Raccoon had an odd tick to him and he really liked turning left. He was real friendly (I thought) until he noticed that I was there; like two feet away. So it turns out that this raccoon had distemper. I was feeling real bad to have done him in with a rake, but he seemed rather intent on doing me in otherwise! Animal control told me that he would not have lived anyway, and to not invite wild animals into my barn. Duh! I wanted to do someone else in with the rake...

 

[Melensdad]

Dargo, I've finished off several racoons with a shovel. I had 2 Akitas that used to pull them out of trees, off the top of the fence, or corner them in any way they could and they would tear them apart. It was not a pretty site. But sometimes I had to finish the job. One time in particular we had a young racoon on our porch that would not leave. He seemed very odd and very confused, did everything I could to chase it away, the woods are only a paces away, it would not go. I took care of him myself without the help of either of the dogs. Really hate to do that stuff but sometimes it is for the best. Never let my daughter see it occur, she's too young for that.

 

[humor_me]

Never let my daughter see it occur, she's too young for that.

Yeah Bob,
you don't want her to think PETA's right. To let her see Dad "going postal" is probably not a good idea.

 

[bczoom]

Never let my daughter see it occur, she's too young for that.

you don't want her to think PETA's right. To let her see Dad "going postal" is probably not a good idea.

??? I give my daughter (8 years old) or my son (4 years old) a quick reasoning and then they understand. If real-time they may say "shoot it again".
Sometimes, regardless of the animal, it just needs to be done.

 

[Junkman]

The Lovely Mrs_Junkman is exhibiting the same symptoms....... Do you think that she is rabid or just mad I am looking to buy a new car for myself and not her??????

 

[Melensdad]

??? I give my daughter (8 years old) or my son (4 years old) a quick reasoning and then they understand. If real-time they may say "shoot it again".
Sometimes, regardless of the animal, it just needs to be done.

I think it is one thing to shoot an animal to dispatch it, it is quite another to beat it with a shovel. There are times when you can't take a shot, like when the animal is on the porch and already badly injured and mauled by a dog. I would have no problem with my daughter seeing me shoot the animal. In either case, there is an explination, she does understand, but sometimes the visual is too much for a child. A couple weeks ago I got home late as my daughter and the lovely Mrs_B were coming in from the yard with a garden fork. A rabbit was thrown over the fence into the woods. Apparently the dog got Mr Bunny and killed it. My daughter saw the whole thing, she wasn't thrilled but she understood.

 

[Dargo]

The Lovely Mrs_Junkman is exhibiting the same symptoms....... Do you think that she is rabid or just mad I am looking to buy a new car for myself and not her??????

Yeah, I think it's distemper. My wife had it too.

On the not letting the kids see putting an animal down, that would really depend. The deal with the garden rake was pretty nasty. The only thing that made that easier was that once the little bastard noticed me, he wanted to kill me. It seemed a bit more like self defense for me. It was a bit ugly when I had him impaled on the rake tongs and he was losing his internal parts but still growling and trying to get me. It did make a hell of a mess in the barn. Yuk! Those raccoons are tough though. When he first attacked, I caught him with a very solid and hard straight right that sent him flying a good 10' or more. All that seemed to do was piss him off. That's when I grabbed the closest thing for defense; a rake.