CAT vs SNAKE

[kevo26]

help my cat just sliced up my snake bad i dont know how she nocked the aquairum over but she did and sliced the snake.HELP

[kenalotia]

Get your snake to a vet, quick! If you can't get to a vet right away, try putting some betadine on the wounds for now.

[kevo26]

the vet said there was nothing that she can do she gave it a week to live. But i read sore on this site that grapefruit exstrack is a goos wound cleanser for snakes

[CowBoyWay]

That would be the humane thing to do at this point.
I bet that doesn't happen again in the future.
Experience the hard way, I'm afraid.
Sorry to hear your snake is dieing.:(

[kevo26]

but the thing is when i got the cat away from him he was not bleeding and theat the skin was just gone but it has not stoped being active and i fed it the smallest pinkie the other day and it ate ant had no problem digesting so i will just give him some TLC for now

[CornCrazy]

Can you post a better picture of the wounds? We may be able to offer more help if we can actually tell how bad the wounds are.

[kevo26]

well here it is

[kevo26]

sorry the pic isnet good but i dont want to stress the snake out any more than it already is and i have a crapy camara but the important thing it do u think it will heal?

[CornCrazy]

but the pictures are too dark. It's hard to get a really good look at the wound. Are you using a flash? If not, then would you mind trying to get a picture using the flash. I work for a vet, and may be able to offer some suggestions depending upon the severity of the wounds.

[CornCrazy]

I lightened the picture and was able to tell a little more about the wound. That is definitely a significant wound, but I would not give up on him, yet. As long as he is eating, drinking, etc., then I would NOT have him euthanized.

You took him to the vet?? A reptile vet? The wound looks to be a full thickness skin wound, which should heal with sutures. The underlying tissues do not seem damaged. Now...I am not a vet, but I have seen wounds like this sutured, heal, and do fine. I would get the opinion of another vet. Tell the vet that you really want to save your snake, and see if the vet will at least TRY suturing the wound. Even if the wound doesn't close all of the way with sutures, it will help it to heal if it is pulled closer together. That way, it doesn't have to granulate in quite as much.

Oh yeah - I forgot to mention that I would keep him on paper towel substrate right now. You want to keep the wound as clean as possible and paper towels will work best for that.

Here's the lightened picture for everyone to see:

[kevo26]

well the other nearist vet is 40 miles away and that is two far . I already switched to paper towles and i keep him in a room with less noise, and the vet did sutured him a lil bit but she did not see the reason why to (she's not a snake person but she is fine with lizards). he is doing fine and i hope he recovers he was going to be bread to my other amel rat snake to help along in the process to get some snows

[CowBoyWay]

Lets save your snake. I initially envisioned much worse, "sliced up" and all that. :) I am not a veterinarian, nor even remotely so.
Betadine, one can buy a small bottle at a good drugstore.
http://www.pharma.com/html/Our_products/Betadine_Microbicides.htm

The following is "M.K.'s" Procedure for Treating Minor Wounds, Blisters, Burns

1.Soak the reptile in warmish chest deep water to which Betadine (povidone-iodine) has been added to color the water to a deep medium tea color.
Leave in the tub for 15-20 minutes, refreshing the warm water and Betadine as necessary.
If the wound is swollen and crusty, carefully pick off the scab/crusty exudates.
Note that if the reptile defecates in the tub, it must be washed out, disinfected and another Betadine soak set up.
Flush the wound area with fresh water before being placed back in the new bath.

2.Remove the reptile from the tub and flush the wound with fresh dilute Betadine.

3. At night, top the wound with triple antibiotic ointment. Repeat for a week or until the wound is healing over.

4. If there is any sign of swelling which occurs after the bathing and treatment or such swelling does not abate after a week, the animal must be seen by an experienced reptile vet.
http://www.anapsid.org/firstaid.html

A 10 -25 (use 25) drop per gallon of G.S.E. per gallon will also do the job if you happen to have some handy.

I use ten drops per gallon in my everyday drinking water for my corns, and since we are "flying by the seat of our pants" here, whatever that means, it just may help by stimulating naughty bacteria fighting abilities in the patient.

GSE, according to published sources, is effective against more than 800 bacterial and viral strains, 100 strains of fungus, as well as a large number of single-cell and multi-celled parasites.
http://www.nutriteam.com/4gse.htm

Some will advise to shoot that puppy up with anti-biotics,
but I'm assuming thats beyond the scope of a home remedy for most hobbyists.

Let air dry in your immaculately clean tank.
Then apply a topical antibiotic salve.

Walgreens Drugstore chain sells a brand of triple antibiotic salve that also has Aloe Vera And vitamin E in its formulation. Good stuff.
Will accelerate the healing process.

As was stated above use Newspaper/ paper towel, so substrate does not stick to the wound.imho.
:)

[CornCrazy]

I believe you are one of the most helpful people on this forum. If you don't know the answer to something, then you always find someone or a place that does. I respect that, and thank you for it!

If the wound on kevo's snake was more than just a skin wound, then euthanasia may have been the best option. However, I think with some TLC, the snake has a chance of survival.

Good luck kevo! Keep us posted, please!

[dartguy]

not to be mean, but when animals learn to do things like this, the chances are good that it could happen again. If it were my cats that did this to one of my snakes, I would give the cat to a family member that didnt have any reptiles.

my 1st thought when I saw those terrible pics was that snake should be relieved of its suffering, however I really admire your decision to do what it takes to try and save it.

Good Luck!!!!

:D

[bmm]

I don't see how the vet could put stictched in a wound that wide anyway.

I think you shoudl follow the methods posted above. If the snake is active and is acting semi normal I would keep doing it and hopefully it will heal and live .

Kill the cat.

BMM

[CowBoyWay]

actually I like cats,
(Honey, how many do we have? (How many do I feed?) )
actually we have three Siamese Snow shoe "mousers"
( Vector Control Specialists) that cruise the barn for any wild rodents that may pass by. ;)

Inter-species interactions are to be avoided at all costs.
Especially if one has sharp claws and teeth and the other doesn't. ;)

I don't see how the vet could put stictched in a wound that wide anyway.

bmm, are you sure your not from Missouri? Thats the "show me" state. hehe ;)

[CornCrazy]

I don't see how the vet could put stictched in a wound that wide anyway.

That's why I said, "Even if the wound doesn't close all of the way with sutures, it will help it to heal if it is pulled closer together. That way, it doesn't have to granulate in quite as much."

It probably would not be able to be stitched completely closed.

And there is something that really bothers me here...why should the cat be punished? It's NOT his fault! He was just doing what comes natural to a cat. If an owner has cats (and I have two) then that owner is responsible for keeping the cats away from the snakes. It's as simple as that. Kevo and anyone else with cats, should simply never let the cats around the snakes. Put the snakes in a room with a door that can be closed off...especially when no one is home to make sure nothing can happen. Otherwise, everyone better just give all of their cats away...because almost any cat given the opportunity to do this...WILL!

[CAV]

I though of something that would be fair for both cats and snakes. The other day I saw a Burmese Python at an exotic pet store. This snake was easily 15' long and had a bite radius that was close to 8".

Instead of punishing the cat, simply put it in with a snake like that. That would teach the cat a health "respect" for snakes. ;) ;)

"DINNER TIME!"

(BTW, I am not a "feline fancier". Just want to dispell any misconceptions) :D

[dartguy]

I never even hinted that the cat should be punished. You probably weren't directing that at me, but I just wanted to set the record straight.

You actually wrote everything that I feel, AND repeated some of my previous post.

I have 2 cats and while I would never 'punish' one for attacking one of my snakes or chameleons, I could never trust it again. Which is why I said I would try to give it away.

:D

[CornCrazy]

at any one person in particular. I have just read things like this before OVER and OVER. I feel that if the owner is responsible for the needs of BOTH animals, then situations like this one will be limited. I love my snakes and my cats. I think that when something like this happens in my house...it would be the fault of a HUMAN!! For example...my daughter left the room opened in which we had some of our breeder mice. One of the cats knocked the cage over, and all of the mice escaped. It wasn't the cat's fault...it was my daughters. Now, luckily I found all of the mice and none of them were harmed, but they could have been easily killed by the cats.

All in alll, I guess it's just human nature...
we tend to blame those who are not responsible in order to remove the blame from ourselves. The sad thing is...Most of the time those doing the blaming know it's their fault, but simply don't want to pay the consequences for their actions.

And CAV, I don't think that's the least bit funny...
That's all I'm going to say about that:(

[CAV]

Corn Crazy,

Tongue and Cheek. The post was in good fun, hence the smilies. Since you obviously didn't take it that way, I apologize. It was meant to defuse a rather heated discussion between the diverging ideas of "kill the cat" and "the cat isn't at fault". If you are that offended, I will be happy to remove it.

[CornCrazy]

I knew you meant it as a joke, and it's not offensive....not funny, but not offensive either. I was just trying to make a point about people taking responsibility for things like this, and your "joke" hit me the wrong way. I do not expect you to remove it...

I just wanted you to know that I did not find it amusing. To me the health of my snakes and my cats are equally important, and I don't find that type of humor to be funny.

Edited:
One more thing...
You stated that you were trying to diffuse a heated discussion...but don't you think it's hard to diffuse something when you take sides? You came across as being on the snake's side.

[bmm]

The owner IS most responsible for the cat and snake, and for keeping them seperate.

I said "Kill the cat" because I hate cats. I feel they are filthy creatures....(not their skin, their claws and mouths) and I will never understand why someone wants an animal running loose in their home that both does not listen to humans and craps in a open box somewhere in the home. It makes me ill to think about it.

I am forced to live with two cats (roomates) and everyday I see less of a reason for people to have cats. hahahaha

All this is my humble opinion and is just the way I feel about cats.

But yes the owner is responsible for the cats intrusive, wild type, out of control, filthy behaviour. And should have taken more protective measures.

bmm

[bmm]

And before anyone gets their internet panties in a bunch, I just feel that way, its humourous, and don't worry, I will never own a cat. :D

bmm

[blito]

i totally agree with you there bmm. In the town where i live cats are the biggest pest there is, causing destruction on their nightly jaunts around town. These arent strays though, these are ppl`s pets out for a night of rampaging! and my own cat is amongst the worst of them!!!!!

having said that, you can`t blame the cat for this incident.. cats like to climb, and their inquisitive. i doubt that the cat sat there and contemplated pushing the vivarium open with the prize of a juicy snake dinner as a reward.. more like..#



"hmm this is interesting.whats this glass box then? theres soimething inside... what is it.. can i get it...whoops its broke,, heheheh whats this wriggly thing here then...."


there you go, a lesson in cat psychology LOL

as i said, i have a cat and i recognize the pro`s and cons of the animal, but i dont consider them deliberately destructive nor do i condsider it a threat to my snake.. heavy glass tank, tight fitting lid, no obejects strored at hieght to be knocked over with potentially glass shatting results (this one`s through experience with my fish years ago :( )

so please don`t blame the cat, even though they are vile evil creatures :p

May i wish this snake a very speedy recovery... good luck!

[kevo26]

well i am picked up a bottle of that stuff your recomended and i just got done with it and i have put some antibiotic cream on him so lets just hope for the best . btw there was no swelling but i did have to peal some scabes off durning the bath

[kevo26]

plus my cat is always in the snake room she just watches them all day but now i dont ever let her in there anymore

[CowBoyWay]

;)

Diabolicaly Evil, despicable and reprehensible Cats are, and those are their good qualities. hehe ;)

To each their own. :)

"It is easy to understand why the cat has eclipsed the dog as modern America's favorite pet.
People like pets to possess the same qualities they do.
Cats are irresponsible and recognize no authority, yet are completely dependent on others for their material needs. Cats cannot be made to do anything useful.
Cats are mean for the fun of it.
In fact, cats possess so many of the same qualities as people that is is often hard to tell the people and the cats apart."
~P. J. O'Rourke~

kevo26, Getting your Corn fixed up, glad to hear it. So far, so good. :)

[dartguy]

AGAIN!!!

I never intended to blame the cat. All I was saying is that this is in their nature and if given the cahnce they WILL do it again now that they learned how to get at the snakes.

That's what they do. It's not anyones FAULT. We, as snake keepers, CANNOT prepare for every single contingency. Thats impossible.

Hell, if house cats were big enough, they'd eat people. But then they wouldnt be house cats now would they.

Cowboy, love'd your last post. theres always truth in humor and that was damn clever of you. (as usual);)

[Wa$ted]

how is the snake anyway?

feed only small mice

[kevo26]

well he smees to act the same as befor but he now strikes at everything that comes asross his cage

[Missymonkey]

I am so sorry to hear about your snakes wounds, thats rough. It doesn't matter whose fault it is (cat, snake, owner, God) what matters is getting the snake healthy and preventing any future encounters. I came home one day to find my cat sitting ontop the screen lid which was buckling under her weight. All my herps are in the closet now with my clothes which smell rather snake-y.

I will keep your snake in my prayers and I wish you the best of luck we are all behind you if youhave more questions do ask there are a lot of knowledgable people here, also keep us posted as I am sure many of us will go to bed tonight with the image of your snakes wound in our heads.

Be strong and your snake will be strong!!!

[CAV]

Kevo26,

How's the little one getting along?

[kevo26]

well he looks a lot better still eats and today he shed i thought that that would be a prob but he actually shed in one piece i can now see were new scales are coming in. so i think that he will make a full recovery

[CornCrazy]

And the vet said he was a dead snake...

I am so glad to hear that he's doing better! Will you post some updated pictures as he heals?

[AggieTiff]

Sounds good. Does anyone know how long it takes to regrow scales?

[Richbreaks]

i might be wrong but i dont think snakes regrow scales i saw something on discovery channel where they identify anacondas by pulling off scales to make a certain small pattern on their side

[kevo26]

well the scales were just skinned off and the color is commming back but i still dont want to disturb him enogh to take a pic just yet

[Wa$ted]

i believe their scales do grow back cause my vet told me he had an iguana that had lost almost all of his scales due to mites,it was saved,,, so i believe they do grow back..So YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHh
hes gonna be oke

[8Corn*Freak8]

Poor snake...:(

[CAV]

DON"T OPEN THAT CAN OF WORMS!

You have been warned..................:D

[Iris]

yeah...although I like cats (excepting the few evil evil evil individuals i have encountered) this is not a cat forum so let's stop with the anti/pro cat posts

[Mare]

I once treated a wild gopher snake that my cat had chewed up terribly bad. I used to live in the country and came home one day to my cat sitting in the driveway pouncing on something. Turned out to be a young gopher snake. That poor snake had puncture wounds and tears all over it's body. It was unable to move the last 2/3 of it's body. I figured that I should at least try to fix it up, so I cleaned the wounds as best I could and literally lubed the snake from stem to stern with antibiotic ointment. I applied the ointment 2 times a day. It took about 3 months for it to heal, but ultimately, the snake was back to normal and eating mice (caught in the hay stack in the barn)... and I ended up releasing him a bit further up the hill than the cat had found him.

Where's there's a will, there is a way!

Cheers, Mare

[8Corn*Freak8]

...hows the snake doing?