What killed my cat?

fleabag

I found my beloved black cat dead in the field at the back of the house yesterday. He had been missing for a few days which is not like him, but I was away from home and my fella and I thought that may be he'd just taken himself off for a sulk as he was my baby. I must add we live in a really rural area with no other houses around and only a very little used back road at the front.

I found him lying on his side, almost as if he was asleep. There was no damage evident to him except for a broken front leg. There was no laceration or damage to the fur around the break so I don't think he was caught in a snare. There were lots of very small tufts of his fur around, really small though as if you'd combed him almost. His back and part of his side were also a bit muddy as if he'd been rolling around. He was half a mile from the road.

I am wondering if he got into a fight with a fox? He did like a scrap but he was a very slight and small cat, even though he was 10. I couldn't really see anything else wrong with him, rigor mortis had set in so I couldn't have a proper look.

I realise I will probably never know what happened but I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas or had experienced anything like this? This is the first time I have lost a cat like this and I'm grateful I found him as at least I could bring him home and bury him. Thanks.

OldNotWIse

fleabag wrote: »

I found my beloved black cat dead in the field at the back of the house yesterday. He had been missing for a few days which is not like him, but I was away from home and my fella and I thought that may be he'd just taken himself off for a sulk as he was my baby. I must add we live in a really rural area with no other houses around and only a very little used back road at the front.

I found him lying on his side, almost as if he was asleep. There was no damage evident to him except for a broken front leg. There was no laceration or damage to the fur around the break so I don't think he was caught in a snare. There were lots of very small tufts of his fur around, really small though as if you'd combed him almost. His back and part of his side were also a bit muddy as if he'd been rolling around. He was half a mile from the road.

I am wondering if he got into a fight with a fox? He did like a scrap but he was a very slight and small cat, even though he was 10. I couldn't really see anything else wrong with him, rigor mortis had set in so I couldn't have a proper look.

I realise I will probably never know what happened but I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas or had experienced anything like this? This is the first time I have lost a cat like this and I'm grateful I found him as at least I could bring him home and bury him. Thanks.

Very sorry for your loss It's a horrible thing to go through. My initial thought is that perhaps he got a bang of a car, you wouldn't know if there were internal injuries. One of ours had a run in with a fan belt last year (thankfully survived) but I do remember tufts of fur in the garden after yet his skin where the fur had come off was red but not broken/scratched. It was strange that's how I remember. Sorry again

Knine

Could have been a dog. That is exactly how we found our cat & a dog had killed him. I just did not get to him in time.

The mud & tuffs of hair makes me think it was a dog.

doubter

would agree with a dog or a larger canine.Fox as well.
Dogs kill by shaking them and a broken neck is hard to diagnose if RM has set in.
rest in peace little fella.So sorry for your loss.:(

janmaree

I'm so very sorry that you have lost your pet, it's terribly painful to lose them, I know from experience. Obviously, I don't know what happened to your cat but I do know that I used to be terrified of the foxes in our garden. I've heard though that they really are opportunistic and more likely to grab a kitten rather than risk a painful fight with an adult cat. I've seen one of my cats in a face to face, stand up row with a fox over a crust of bread! The fox wanted it, the cat didn't but it was as if she was damned if he was going to have it.......the fox backed down and slunk away! We're actively discouraging the foxes from settling in too comfortably now as I still don't really trust them but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of your cat having been hit by a car. They can drag themselves towards home in a badly injured state, depending on how hurt they are of course, so it may not have happened where you found him. I could blather on for hours but I won't, I really just wanted to extend my sympathy and a long-distance hug. When I carried my own black cat up from the road after he had been killed, I was so brokenhearted I almost lost my reason. So please accept the "hug", it does help and it's sincerely sent.

SillyMangoX

So sorry to hear about your loss, I would echo on what other people said about the car, when my fella got hit by a car he was all muddy but very little obviously wrong with him, till it came to him moving when he growled at me and couldn't walk right with his back legs, even though he had brought himself home after it happening. But he did have quite bad internal injuries so without a vet straight away well..he wouldn't be here today. Obviously there's no way to know for sure but from having seen cats be attacked by dogs before there was very obvious bite marks and blood..
Once again so sorry for your loss, it's heartbreaking.

devidwishap

Yes it is the work of dog only I think.

lorebringer

A lot of animals survive road traffic accidents for a short while, resulting in them dragging thenmselvs to random places and owners having a hard time finding them. Once found, they often look totally normal but have died from internal injuries.

Knine

Tuffs of fur lying around are more consistent with a dog attack. That is exactly what happened with one of our cats. Muddied body & not much signs of visible injury.

messrs

You say you are in a rural area OP, could you have any Pine Martins around? A pine martin killed one of our sheep recently. Other than that, maybe as previous posters suggested it was a dog. either way not nice for you to find. sorry for your loss

DBB

messrs wrote: »

YA pine martin killed one of our sheep recently.

Really? :eek:
I've heard this once before, that pine martens can kill sheep, but I've never had the opportunity to find out from someone who had personal experience of it.. Can you tell me what happened? Was it an adult or a lamb?
:eek:

messrs

DBB wrote: »

Really? :eek:
I've heard this once before, that pine martens can kill sheep, but I've never had the opportunity to find out from someone who had personal experience of it.. Can you tell me what happened? Was it an adult or a lamb?
:eek:

Adult sheep, didn't actually see it happen but my brother knew by the marks on the neck of the sheep that it was the work of a pine martin, sticks its fangs into the neck and draws out all the blood :eek:

DBB

messrs wrote: »

Adult sheep, didn't actually see it happen but my brother knew by the marks on the neck of the sheep that it was the work of a pine martin, sticks its fangs into the neck and draws out all the blood :eek:

Ooohhhh... I think I'll remain sceptical based on that!
I think it's quite the old wives' tale to be honest, and the pine marten is getting the blame for damage done by another creature who'd be more inclined to do it!

fleabag

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, info. and condolences. Ye're a great lot on the Boards and especially on this forum. This is the first time anything has happened in over 20 years of cat ownership and 4 cats - my first 2 died from old age and were knocking on for 20 years old. I suppose it just happens and in Spring, I'll plant something lovely on the spot where he's buried. And there's a cat-shaped space in the menagerie now that I'm sure won't be long in getting filled.

Capercaille

messrs wrote: »

Adult sheep, didn't actually see it happen but my brother knew by the marks on the neck of the sheep that it was the work of a pine martin, sticks its fangs into the neck and draws out all the blood :eek:

Your brother is talking pure and utter ****e.

jimf

if you live within a half mile of a river lake or a stream I would not rule out a mink

the country seems to be awash with these feckers at the moment and they do kill just for fun

I live quite close to a vast bogland area and ive seen many this year when out with the springers

messrs

DBB wrote: »

Ooohhhh... I think I'll remain sceptical based on that!
I think it's quite the old wives' tale to be honest, and the pine marten is getting the blame for damage done by another creature who'd be more inclined to do it!

what other animal do you think could have done it? tbh I didnt ask my brother for 2 much details about it. But I do know we have pine martins around as we have seen them in the fields

Birdnuts

messrs wrote: »

what other animal do you think could have done it? tbh I didnt ask my brother for 2 much details about it. But I do know we have pine martins around as we have seen them in the fields

Only a dog could really kill a fully grown healthy sheep in this country. The sheep could have simply died of bloat(happens alot in mild autumns) and a fox tried feeding on it. I very much doubt it was a Pine Marten and I say that as someons who has sheep myself in a part of the country with plenty of Pine Martens

DBB

messrs wrote: »

what other animal do you think could have done it? tbh I didnt ask my brother for 2 much details about it. But I do know we have pine martins around as we have seen them in the fields

Having done a fair bit of reading up on it, and asked the opinion of people with serious expertise in the area, I have yet to find one single incident where a pine marten killed a sheep.
I've found one incident of a woman in the west who insists her lambs have been killed by mink. Yet the specialist advice I got, from someone who worked in the area of wildlife for a whole lifetime, has never come across a verifiable case where mink killed a sheep either. What he has seen, and what I've read very much backs this up, is sheep that died of other causes, and mink (and perhaps the odd pine marten) were subsequently seen feeding on the carcass, and were blamed for the animal's death.
I could be convinced that mink might have a go at a newborn or weak lamb, based on their modus operandi, but I'm afraid you have the pine marten all wrong in terms of what they're prepared to take on. And the terrible thing is that tall tales/unverifiable accounts like your brother's just perpetuate the myth, contributing towards hundreds of innocent, legally protected pine martens being trapped and killed every year.