Our barn cat hunts rabbits and mice and suffered this gnarly injury. She bled from her mouth, nose, and eyes for 3-4 days & had a large lump on the back of her neck. Once she pulled through and the abscess diminished we found these marks, any ideas???
by Similar_Objective_27
39 Comments
Honestly the bleeding sounds like a snake bite.
Given the location, I think a snake is unlikely. I would 100% say another cat, if it weren’t for the bleeding. Even so, that’s my best guess.
Just dealt with my daughter being bit by a copperhead and from everything I read this sounds like a pit viper bite. It seems the worst is over but I would still take them in to the vet.
non venomous snake bite, but that will get infected.
Could have been another cat or a racoon. The lump was the abscessed bite, and the bleeding was probably from the fight too. Keep the wound clean and maybe add some fresh liver treats while it recuperates.
Looks like a hawk bite
Theres no way im the only who thought your cat has clitori. The plural of clitoris.
NOT a snake bite, 100% positive about this. Most likely culprits: another cat…a dog…an unsuccessful raptor. That kitty is small enough to be a good dinner for a large hawk or an eagle. But I would have expected other talon wounds if this were the case. But another mammal bite would also almost certainly become infected and develop an abscess as described.
Do you live in a place where botflies could be present?
Could have been a rat maybe, especially if the cat cornered it. They can be nasty. My dog took a good one on the lip a year or so ago….
Could it be a mink? Lost some chickens and ducks to a mink and a bite like that on the neck was all they had.
Probably another cat. Keep it flushed with peroxide and it should heal nicely.
That’s a snakebite.
My indoor cat does this to herself in the same location by scratching too hard in the same spot. Trim back nails.
Another cat. When we had barn cats I treated a lot of infected cat fight bites.
My bet is hawk or other raptor. They strike hard and I could see it rattling a cat enough to raise a lump and cause enough head injury for the bleeding.
Seriously, normally impact breaks rhe neck. Bet your cat jumped at the last second but still got hit hard.
Raccoon 🦝
A big enough rat could do it if the cat didn’t have full control of it.
Looks like an emerging botfly.
Toms can be aggressive af when they’re mating, that’s a cat hickey 🤣
Squirrel or coon
🦇
Warbles. They are nasty. That is a typical location and looks like the exit wound from the larvae emerging.
Is there a dominant male cat nearby perhaps?
You have owls in that barn?
I don’t buy into snake. The placement is not good for that.
I don’t like dog either, or cat. The wounds appear to have been inflicted posterior —> anterior, rather than laterally.
Looking for something with a narrow muzzle but relatively broad teeth. Maybe ‘possum or raccoon.
I don’t like owls as a possibility either. I did, at first, but the angle of attack seems backwards for talons.
I think much the same re raptor. The wounds are too close together, and there’s no opposing wound.
I will circle back around to dogs though. A mid-sized dog could have done this, I think, with its paws.
This is the go to place for any kind of mink, weasel type animal to bite their pray animals. Doesn’t really lineup for why they tried your cat unless maybe you live where there are Pine Martins. They may try a cat.
It could have been an encounter with a wild animal, maybe a raccoon or a dog, since those can cause serious injuries. The bleeding from her mouth and eyes is concerning, but it’s great to hear she pulled through. Keeping an eye on the lump is important, and if it doesn’t go away, a vet visit might be needed.
Possum, raccoon, or bobcat. My barn cats get into scrapes with all three of these on occasion.
Go to your local ranch store and pick up a bottle of Blue Lotion. Rinse with peroxide, then apply the blue lotion.
Bird attack?
I’d say an owl tried to snatch her up .
Also in the future take your animals to the vet when they are hurt, or dinr have animals.
The cat itself, a weasel, maybe a bat, pretty much any small to medium sized animal. Is she up to date on vaccines? There’s the possibility of rabies and such.
It’s not a bite; it’s a warble. Bot fly.
I’d take that to the vet and test for bot fly larva.
First hand experience with my kitty who snuck off then came back 3 days later looking like this.
Chupacabra
/S
Hmm, weird location for snake bite. However, it could be possible the kitty got the better of the snake at some point and got bit there 🤷🏾 But all the symptoms read like venomous snake.
Also, I was just reading this:
“Animals may show transient signs, such as collapse or vomiting immediately after a bite, followed by APPARENT RECOVERY. Veterinary attention must be sought as these “pre-paralytic signs” indicate that the animal has received a potentially fatal dose of venom.”
https://lortsmith.com/need-help-now/cat/poisons-toxins/toxic-animals/snake-bite-in-cats/#:~:text=Animals%20may%20show%20transient%20signs,potentially%20fatal%20dose%20of%20venom.
Definitely take the poor cat to the vet.
Edit: a friend of my brothers was bitten on his finger when he killed a copper head. He was disposing of it when (can’t remember exactly how) he was “snagged” by one finger.
My point is, not all bites are chest, leg, face…nor hit by both fangs especially in death throes.
Grizzly bear
Rat
This is a predatory bird, large falcon/hawk or possibly a smaller eagle.
They will dive at incredible speeds and basically dive bomb their victim from behind and in the neck/head area to knock them out and take away. It’s like a punch to the back of the head.
Here’s the video:
https://youtube.com/shorts/quz5YxtAUrc?si=swwVtqnT_Be5rmAC
Best to get your cat a reflective collar or vest.