[Aurora_Bell]

Judy, did yo get my PM?

[Aurora_Bell]

Exactly, from the standpoint of someone who sees upwards of 15-20 dogs and cats per day (and that is just me and my Vet, not to say anything of the others) for over 12 years.
I can count on my fingers and toes the number of cats we've had in attacked by dogs.
They are few and far between.
I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I'm sure there are many we don't see.
But cats are pretty formidable opponents, and they are fast.
And the first thing my dogs do when they see another animal is bark.
But yet Lady said nothing?
It just seems that someone is being really dodgy.

Willing to write up a personal letter explaining what a cat looks like AFTER it's been mauled... from a professional stand point?

[Aurora_Bell]

Sure, one connection if Bella is near where I think she is.

Or I could stand on my roof and flap my arms real fast -

Halifax, could pick you up with bells on.

[mogrann]

I am thinking cat got injured. They decided to get someone else to pay vet bills as they could not afford it. Lady is the scape goat so to speak.

[Alty]

At this point I just have to say this.

I love you guys! You all are the best! The very best! Just... no words. I can't describe the emotions I'm feeling right now. Just love, respect, and... well, you're the best! That's all I can say.

Judy, you never cease to amaze me. Special shout out to you. We've had our past scuffles, we don't always agree, but really, you're amazing. So proud to know you and call you friend. Wish I didn't have to do it in writing, words can't convey how I feel.

[Alty]

I am thinking cat got injured. they decided to get someone else to pay vet bills as they could not afford it. Lady is the scape goat so to speak.

I thought that too. I still think that. That's the only thing that makes sense.

[LadySam]

Willing to write up a personal letter explaining what a cat looks like AFTER it's been mauled... from a professional stand point?

Yep, 1 particular one I have in mind, I would need to go to work and retrieve some treatment information, when do you need it?

[mogrann]

We have to save Lady! Nothing else will do. Too many have been taken lately. What a great bunch of people on this thread. ALL OF YOU ARE HEROES in my book. Owen passes around doggy kisses as well :)

[Aurora_Bell]

At this point I just have to say this.

I love you guys! You all are the best! The very best! Just.....no words. I can't describe the emotions I'm feeling right now. Just love, respect, and....well, you're the best! That's all I can say.

Judy, you never cease to amaze me. Special shout out to you. We've had our past scuffles, we don't always agree, but really, you're amazing. So proud to know you and call you friend. Wish I didn't have to do it in writing, words can't convey how I feel.

I agree, to her and Mogrann, I could say thank you one million times and it wouldn't come close to conveying the gratitude I feel. What can I say? "Thank you" and "love" seem too mundane for what I feel right now.

[Alty]

I agree, to her and Mogrann, I could say thank you one million times and it wouldn't come close to conveying the gratitude I feel. What can I say? "Thank you" and "love" seem too mundane for what I feel right now.

There really aren't words. No words can convey the feeling.

Everyone on this thread has been so supportive, helpful. I've always considered the friends on AMHD my family. The test for true friends, and family, is sticking around when the going gets tough.

I've had both friends and family that left when the going got tough. Instead of support, or even just listening, or being there, they ran. True family, true friends, they stick around.

Everyone on this thread, they're not only true friends, they're family.

WG, don't correct the punctuation, I wrote quickly and I didn't think, I just wrote from the heart. Surely punctuation doesn't matter at times like this. :)

Love you all. Those words seem so unimportant. I wish I could show you how I feel in person. These written words, they seem so... unimportant. I hope you all know how important they really are.

[Aurora_Bell]

Lady Sam, as soon as you can?

[Wondergirl]

Lady Sam, as soon as you can?

But the leg wasn't chewed up -- it was smashed like something heavy had fallen on the cat or the cat had fallen/landed wrong and had broken its leg. The bone was sticking out, Bella said. Do I remember this right? The vet interview would be critical to get and find out what the leg looked like and why he had to amputate.

And a dog would bite and hold on, not fall on top of. Where was the cat when Lady went over the fence?

[LadySam]

Not only would a dog bite and hold on they would shake typically.
I'm wondering if there was any other damage, lacerations, punctures?
Cats have been known to get caught in some precarious predicaments, entangled in something like a fence, fan belts, and they don't always land on all fours when they fall.
Did the witness actually see Lady attack the cat or just go over the fence?

[JudyKayTee]

I am thinking cat got injured. they decided to get someone else to pay vet bills as they could not afford it. Lady is the scape goat so to speak.

And from my angle on this the owner may not KNOW what happened. Cat limping around, no one notices, dog comes over the fence, witness or owner or someone races over - cat has broken/shattered leg! This would be approached as "what if, do you think there's a possibility ..."

That's why I asked about the injuries to the leg, how the dog and cat got separated after the incident. An attack is an attack. Play, chasing, grabbing are totally different things. As you know I have dogs, big dogs. I know when they attack something (including toys) and when one of them gets hurt by mistake.

One of the very important aspects in something like this is to have your suspicions but not make assumptions - do you know what I mean?

EDIT: I came back because I was afraid this sounded harsh. I just mean not to jump to conclusions. Look at this with the eyes of a stranger. If you didn't know either party (including Lady, no wait, that's three parties) what would you think, what would you want to know?

A question is going to be whether Lady has jumped the fence before and if she did, what was done to confine her after that "jump." It's not one of the top 10, but it's a question I would ask.

[JudyKayTee]

Judy, did yo get my PM?

Just did - for whatever reason my PM's are coming to me by way of Mars.

[JudyKayTee]

Willing to write up a personal letter explaining what a cat looks like AFTER it's been mauled... from a professional stand point?

From a "professional angle" not a good idea - too generalized. NOW - a letter from someone familiar with the breed who owns the breed, trains, cares for, whatever - THAT'S helpful.

The problem is that no one is saying "mauling" and you don't want to go there. It's a broken leg, no more and no less.

Now - a letter, brief and to the point, stating your credentials and that it would be impossible for the dog to "attack" the cat and break its leg without breaking the skin - that would be helpful!

[JudyKayTee]

At this point I just have to say this.

I love you guys! You all are the best! The very best! Just.....no words. I can't describe the emotions I'm feeling right now. Just love, respect, and....well, you're the best! That's all I can say.

Judy, you never cease to amaze me. Special shout out to you. We've had our past scuffles, we don't always agree, but really, you're amazing. So proud to know you and call you friend. Wish I didn't have to do it in writing, words can't convey how I feel.

Thanks, Alty - but anyone on here would do the same for me.

And you and I clash because we really are so alike. Aside from the Canadian accent, of course. <smirk.

[Aurora_Bell]

According to the vet report there are no other imjuries aside from a broken leg. No puncture wounds etc... Good question, how DID the cat get away?

Good point JKT, don't put words into their mouths, the term mauled has never come up.

I am putting myself in two sets of shoes so to speak. Cat lady's shoes and a bystander's shoes. In cat Lady's shoes I am upset that my cat is hurt, I'm freaking out. She apparently didn't see the attack, but someone is telling her what he saw, my dog jumping a fence and pouncing on the cat...

As an outsider looking in, I'm just plain confused.

[Aurora_Bell]

Here is what My legal Aid sent to me from her blackberry: I looked at our "dog law" and the most recent one I could find was from 2006 . Whenever it was last updated, it's a ing mess of an ordinance. Convenient how they don't mention cats... There is also no general animal control ordinance it only addressed dogs. There is a "mitigating factor" line in the ordinance that says "a dog shall not be considered vicious if it attacks a "trespasser" "... however "trespasser" is not defined. So it could very well be another animal. I think that's a very important thing that we could conceivably argue, because in the very next sentence under "mitigating" circumstances, where it addresses the dog being teased or abused by the *person* attacked.

Did you determine that your dog was confined in some way to your property when the attack occurred? In a fenced yard or tethered? And was he registered with the city? Registration shouldn't do any kind of harm other than to get you a fine for failing to abide by that part of the law. The nasty part of this by-law is that animal control can kill a vicious dog on site. I know they tell folks that they'll use their head and not kill a dog unless they catch it being vicious (ie, in the heat of an attack), but that is certainly NOT what this law allows for. There are no provisions for punishment for removing the dog to another location to keep it away from authorities -- unless that's in another ordinance/by-law that I can't find. I wouldn't bring her home right now, though.

You need to find out precisely what the animal control officers say that you've done. Make them give it to you in writing, and go from there. Don't accept the lady's bill for her cat... that can be construed as you accepting responsibility for paying it. Stay in touch over the weekend, I will be doing a lot of work from home.

[JudyKayTee]

According to the vet report there are no other imjuries aside from a broken leg. No puncture wounds etc... Good question, how DID the cat get away?

Good point JKT, don't put words into their mouths, the term mauled has never come up.

I am putting myself in two sets of shoes so to speak. Cat lady's shoes and a bystander's shoes. In cat Lady's shoes I am upset that my cat is hurt, I'm freaking out. She apparently didn't see the attack, but someone is telling her what he saw, my dog jumping a fence and pouncing on the cat...

As an outsider looking in, I'm just plain confused.

And you should be confused. Everyone should be confused. It's when people THINK they know that there are issues.

Confusion is not a bad thing.