Ashley Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 I had just sat down at the computer tonight around 11:00PM to check my Facebook quickly before going to bed when I heard some scuffling from the screened porch we have added on to our house. My cat Thumper, who turns eighteen next month, was outside and I figured another stray cat was trying to pick a fight with him, as that often happens. The scuffle died down, and then no more than ten seconds later, it started up again, and this time, I heard the patio furniture move, so I knew this was not a stray cat. I ran as fast as I could and flipped on the porch light and flung open the metal door and looked out the screen door into the porch only to see Thumper fighting for his life, backed up against one of the porch windows. I yelled, "HEY!" because I couldn't see the animal at first, as it was under the patio table. It shot out from under the table, and I saw Thumper jolt from his spot. I then saw the animal. It was about the size of a small/medium dog with a short haired brown coat and big paws, but it wasn't spotted -- the coat was the color of a deer. I had no weapon near me at the time and I began to scream as loud as I could, over and over. The thing ran around the porch confused, looking for a way out, and it finally ran out the storm door. We found Thumper hiding behind our grill in the porch and he was on his back flailing and had very shallow breathing combined with wheezing and blood pouring down his neck We IMMEDIATELY got him to the vet, who just happened to be on call, THANK THE LORD!!!!!!! She put a tracheal tube in him to drain the blood out and sedated him lightly to get him to stop thrashing. He had gone into shock. She gave him an IV to get fluids back into him and also gave him some steroids and antibiotics, as she said bobcats/lynx often have bacteria infested mouths. (Thumper has all his shots, thankfully.) She eventually took the tracheal tube out because he was beginning to come to, and she left the room for a second and Thumper suddenly stopped breathing. My dad started to pump on him to try to get him to breathe, and the vet rushed back into the room and put her stethoscope on him and couldn't find a pulse. Somehow, after about thirty seconds of death basically, he took a breath, then another, and then another. By the time we left, (he's staying there overnight), he was breathing on his own without the tube, he had been moved to a kennel with a heating pad underneath him, a cushioned bed, the IV still attached to him, and he was beginning to wake up a little from the sedation. When I kissed him and told him I loved him, he looked up at me, so his eyes were moving. Please please PLEASE pray he makes it. I have had this cat since I was three years old and I feel that God put me in the right spot at the right time -- fractions of a second later, he would have been dead. He has several puncture wounds where you can tell the animal had just about sunk his teeth into him for good, but they're quite small and bleeding had stopped by the time we left. His lungs luckily didn't fill with blood, or at least very much blood, and everything coagulated. I have a gold, 7mm. .08 bullet waiting for that bobcat/lynx if it ever gets brave enough to show itself again. By the time I had run to the gun cabinet and had the gun in my hand, the thing was already long gone. This is a recent picture of Thumper. I love him very much and I am going to be severely upset if he doesn't make it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 Vet called at 6 am...thumps is doing well as can be and trying to Meow...he can go home this pm..that was a close one..he has used up yet another one of his 9 lives..LOL He was a goner on the table for a bit...CPR was the only thing I could do for him..it worked too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goinghuntin Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 ..he has used up yet another one of his 9 lives..LOL That 9 lives thing is a hoax...I have a cat that's lived through 12 :jaw: Glad to hear he's doing better though. I've had cats and dogs all my life and had to say goodbye to more than one. In fact, lost one to a skunk one year :angel2: Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camoman1 Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 Best wishes for Thumper!! If it didnt have spots, that almost sounds like a juvenile mountain lion....good thing you went to see what was going on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrow32 Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 Best of wishes for the cat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 Hope the cat recovers ok Ashley. Bobcats were responsible for having killed a few cats my parents had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 Prayers for a swift recovery for your cat, Ashley! Dakota Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobbly_Alaska Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 good luck to the kitty.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 I must say..Andy was a great help in keeping Thumps still and holding his back feet down so he did not scratch his wounds, :clap:...not doing so would have caused more bleeding and his lungs to fill up..he was gurgeling all the way to the vets..I didnt think he was gonna make the trip..his treachea was peirced in two spots by the bobcats lower teeth, every time Thumps inhaled, blood was drawn into his lungs.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiepredator Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 I wish the best for Thumper! Hope all goes well for him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley Posted May 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 (edited) We went to visit him at the vet's today. He's doing better -- he used his litter box, he was up and moving around, cleaning himself, and kneading his paws from happiness when I petted him. We're not bringing him home until tomorrow sometime because the puncture wounds are still bleeding and draining. I'd rather he stays safe where he needs to be in case something were to happen. Here is a picture of him from today: If it didnt have spots, that almost sounds like a juvenile mountain lion....good thing you went to see what was going on! I think you're right, camoman1. I believe it was a young mountain lion that attacked him now that I've Googled images of bobcats, lynx, and mountain lions. We actually found the paw and claw marks from the animal and it had BIG paws. Thank you everyone for the well wishes. It is a miracle he is alive. Edited May 11, 2010 by Ashley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamond Archer 01 Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 Hope Thumper gets better soon!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rem308 Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 That is a crazy story, so glad to hear you were close to the door and checked. We have our share of foxes and bobcats down this way, but normally when a bobcat sets his sights on a cat it's a done deal. Very glad this one worked out differently, hope Thumps makes a full and speedy recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slash Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 I thought he was a goner on the drive to the vet. He went limp a couple times while I was holding his legs. Quite the experience and I'm just glad he's doing OK now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slash Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 I thought he was a goner on the drive to the vet, it felt like we just weren't getting there fast enough, even though we were speeding. Martin did an excellent job dodging a cat on the road and deer. The cat went limp a couple times while I was holding his legs, and I feared the worst. Quite the experience and I'm just glad he's doing OK now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 Get well wishes for Thumper. He would of been a goner for sure had you guys not been there to the rescue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 Oh wow Ash! Poor Thumps! I know that cat is one tough kitty. Most awesome cat I've ever met. He'll pull through, don't worry! Hope he recovers quick. Sure sounds like a small mountain lion by the description. If you see him, blow him to smithereens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 Oh wow Ash! Poor Thumps! I know that cat is one tough kitty. Most awesome cat I've ever met. He'll pull through, don't worry! Hope he recovers quick. Sure sounds like a small mountain lion by the description. If you see him, blow him to smithereens!:gun2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley Posted May 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 We have a changing table out in the porch right now that I had been re-painting. The mountain lion must have ran across the bottom shelf of the table because this is a picture of the claw marks it left. There are several coats of paint on it and it scratched all the way down to the original paint color. There were also several footprints that were left on the table, and this is the best one I could take. I have outlined the print in red and if any of you can help me decipher what the track is, that would be awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry264 Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 Ashley, maybe this site will help, if the url goes through, haha. http://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 It was nice talking to you on facebook this morning Ashley. Praise God for his love not only for us, but for our pets too. Here's that story I was telling you about: http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91473&highlight=cougar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 Sorry to hear about your cat Ashley. I know how close your pets can be to the family. Really scary situation you have there, just thank God it wasn't the baby out there instead of the cat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 You keep saying "Big Paws". Have you ever seen a lynx in captivity? Their paws are huge and they don't have spots in your neck of the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 glad the kitty is making a recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kat Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 something tells me it had to be a bobcat or a lynx, and not a mountain lion. Mountain lions are HUGE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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