My 7 month old staffy has been involved in a scrape with next doors cat. The cat has scratched the dog's eye resulting in a bloodshot eye with a grey snotty type lump on her cornea...she seems happy in herself and not pawing at the eye, but it looks a mess. We have been giving her eye baths every hour with saline...this is very entertaining for both myself and the dog...lol...but can anyone give me any more tips? She is booked into see the vet later today.

Hope she's seen the vet by now - what's the news?  Eye scratches can be nasty :(

Sorry but id be fuming if a cat came into my garden and damaged one of my dogs like this--------What makes cats so special they can get away with it-im sure the staff wouldnt of if it was the other way around  .

Asside from fencing off the whole garden like a cage, its enevitable that you're going to get cats in the garden.

Hope your dogs ok, and the eye is fine. Probably just needs some drops for it, thats what mine had when my moms cat scratched his. Sounds the same, and everything was ok in a few days.

Cats are allowed to roam free as they are classed as wild animals and you do anything to harm a cat and you can find yourself in a whole heap of trouble as many a parrot keeper will atest to.  I've had neighbours cats kill some of my parrots and I could do nothing about it but if their dog had killed one of my parrots I could get compensation!

Hopefully th4e pup will be more respectful of cats in future and give it a wide berth next time it visits.  Such an injury can easily happen even in households where cat and dog are freinds if things get a bit OTT.

Where does it say the cat was in the dogs garden.
As far as I know cats are not classed as 'wild animals' only 'independent'. There are no laws as to training/ keeping under control a cat as they are presumed untrainable.
I've had, in the past, a cat visit my garden and the result was a dead cat. I felt terrible. The cat didn't know he shouldn't be in my garden and he was a childs pet. The owners understood the situation and as the little girl was only 4 we managed to 'con' her with a new kitten. Which I supplied.
The cat that attacked the Staff is just lucky it was a pup and not cat aggressive or the outcome could have been a lot worse.

I hope your pups eye is a lot better and as the other poster said he might have little respect for cats now.

I have cats and dogs now that my other dog passed away and we often have 'scuffles' that end up with minor injuries.

Update on the eye situ, we took Fizz (the name of the pup in question) to the vet & he said treating it with saline every hour was the best thing we could have done, he said we needed drops & 2 types of antibiotics as dogs are sensitive to penicillin, it cost £55.50 in total but to hear that she wouldn't lose her eye was worth every penny...as to Fizz learning her lesson with the cat...lol...nope, she is still as bouncy & loony as ever...I can see from the replies to my post there are many a cat lover among you, I am not however the greatest lover of cats but I wish them no harm, but I do agree with what someone said about if my dog had hurt the cat & the cat had come worst off, I'm sure the cat owner wouldn't have been too happy...or if my 7 month old staffy got into their garden and scratched their 4 year olds eye, I am quite sure they wouldn't 'pop down to their GP & happily pay £55.50 to make sure their child's eye was going to be ok' it has taught me thou to watch Fizz more carefully & make sure she isn't caught out by the cat again, she has only got 2 eyes after all...lol.  

The problem with scratches on the eye, as many working gundogs owners will attest to, is the possibility of a cataract forming later in life. Keep a close eye on it and hope for the best. Cataract surgery in dogs is nowhere near as simple as in humans although it is now a fairly routine operation when carried out by a specialist.

Regards, John

I'm glad Fizz is feeling better.
I'm not particularly a cat lover just a general animal lover.
I've been on both sides of the situation where cats are concerned. My dog killed the cat that came into my garden and the gulit I felt was more for the loss of the little girl than the cat. I felt the cat, possibly, deserved it. It was a bit of a sod for teasing the dogs.
My cats have also been gulity of teasing other peoples dogs and one of them got a nasty bite because if it. The owner offered to pay my vet bill but in my opinion the cat, although not in her garden, was the instigater.
It is a pity that cat owners, I'm one, aren't considered responsible for what their cats do. You could then have claimed your bill from them.
If one of my cats went into someones garden and caused injury to their dog/cat or rabbit etc I would offer to pay any costs incurred.

I did think of contacting the owner of the cat, mainly to tell them what had happened and to warn them that if Fizz did get hold of their cat, I wont be held responsible due to what their cat had done to my dog, but I thought against it as staffy owners have a bad enough press, but for the record I do not have any tattoos, a skin head or a leather harness for Fizz...lol...your comments have be warmly received from both a cat & dog owners perspective. Thanx

I feel if folk want cats they should keep them on there own place--either an outdoor secure one for when they need time out---or kept indoors with a litter tray----i really dont understand whats makes them so special they can please themselves, and why if people want them as pets, they dont keep them with them   :(       and not just see them when they pop  in for food, or worn out from trecking all over  being a pain,

I have always had cats & dogs together in fact until last year we have had both living happily together,Our last two cates died aged 19 & 18, Because we have always had cats our dgs never chase a cat & my cats never hurt the dogs, they would cuff them if the dogs pushed themselves on the cat too much, but they never had their claws out.

To keep a cat penned up 24/7 even with a run outdoors flies in the face of nature

Perhaps we should all keep our animals in cages then none would ever have the chance to hurt another I would be all for that if it keeps the local wandering studs(one yellow & one black labs)that cr*p & pee everywhere & they have even tried climbing the six foot walls round my land & no I don't have any bitches that come into season for them to court & get in whelp

If all dogs were keep in cages one of my cavaliers who just to like all dogs would not be terrified of airedales, rotties & sad to say Shar Peis(three different ones belonging to the same owner) after being attacked by all three breeds at training club whilst on the table waiting to be seen

Cats only attack when they are threatened or cornered & there is no trespass law for cats

I will go one better lets also cage all kids & teenagers 24/7 the world would be a lot safer

Having a cat locally who regularly fishes and kills the fish in my pond I must say they are not my favourite animal!

Regards, John

Oh well------just keep topping it up, im sure the owner wont mind ----------   and i cant remember who said a cat wont attack unless cornered. ----WRONG!     i had a rottie puppy in my very own garden once when i caught a cat stalking up  on it, -------   did you ever see a flying cat ???????

<<did you ever see a flying cat ??????? >>

Yes, I caught him fishing one day! ;)

without wings ???????????????????   :D

Im afraid my cats stalk dogs, one day that might just be their downfall :(

No wings but he could hear harps and a heavenly choir

As I've said I have cats and dogs, ferrets as well, I agree that if it were made law then I would keep my cats in my garden. They don't often wander into others gardens now as I live in the middle of nowhere. I have considered building a 'cathouse' for them. They hibernate in Winter anyway and never leave the house between September and March.
I must admit though  that on one occasion when my nearest neighbours two Springers came into my garden to 'get' my cats they got a shock. My little female soon saw them off.

Ethelredevil,

It does P you off when people think you have to be a 'thug' to own a particular breed doesn't it??
I had a Staff years ago, a rescue of 10yrs old, he had no teeth and everyone thought he would kill either them or their dogs.
I now had Mastiffs and get the same reaction.
I've decided that when I lose the Mastiffs I'm going with a safe breed. I'm getting an Italian Greyhound.
No doubt that one will be accused of teasing all the big dogs.

Cats are not covered by law because it is known that they are free roaming etc.  If you run over a cat you don't have to report it, but if you run over a dog you do!   Thats where the law is unfair.  If you had seen what my 6 month old kitten endured because of someone driving too fast on a 30mph road, it would've made you sick.  At the end of the day, that dead cat in the road is proabbly somebody's much loved pet too, whether you like them or not, somebody will be heartbroken their pet hasn't come home.

Cats do kill birds, fish etc.  but so do birds of prey & heron and both are very common sites in urban living.  If the cat was clearing your house/shed/garage of mice would you be so quick to grumble?
A cat's only line of defence with a dog is it's claws whereas dog's have very large jaws to retaliate with!

so what would be the difference if  our dogs where roaming free doing what comes natural---scavenging-fighting-bonking [without the wailing] etc.  !!!!!!!  not to mention crappi-g in other folks gardens.

i really dont see why its ok for cats-sorry, ---and as for would i see it different if i had a  cat kill vermin in my    garage etc-!!!!!    no, i wouldnt, id still see it as the invasive pest it really is !!!!! 

I am not a great lover of cats and I own 2.  I made the mistake of feeding a stray cat who came into my garden about 8 years ago.  I only had my small westie then and she was a pup, they got on well.  Anyway I noticed this cat had got fatter over the months and yes you guessed it she was pregnant.  Shortly afterwards 6 kittens were born in my bedroom.  I made another mistake I did not home them as kittens.  I gave 2 to my mum and kept 4.  1 of the 4 left home as it didnt get on with the others and went to live with a elderly couple down our street who were delighted and treated her well.  1 I rehomed recently with a work colleauge because she was a bit nasty with the others and now I just have the 2.  My dobes hate them so the cats live in the Kitchen but yes they try their luck and try to get into the rest of the house and 1 day my dobe got a nasty scratched eye.  The vet said her lense would be scarred but she was lucky not to be blinded.  Personally I would never have another cat again although they are free roaming they have brought me a lot of grief.  They poo in the neighbors garden and my husband has had to go round their shovel in hand (thankfully they dont do it anymore).  They sit on the dining table, clean washing piles etc etc.  I will look after these 2 until they pass on, but I will never buy another kitten or encourage a stray again.  Oh and the original mother?  I had her spayed along with all the kittens (when they were old enough) then she went off and left us anyway.  Ahhh such a wonderful cat!!!

so what would be the difference if  our dogs where roaming free doing what comes natural---scavenging-fighting-bonking [without the wailing] etc.  !!!!!!!  not to mention crappi-g in other folks gardens.

There's plenty of folk that do let their dogs roam like this except dogs don't c*** in other people's gardens (- wait a minute somebody let their dog do that in my garden & on my driveway!!!!!! -) they do it on pavements, parks etc.  ;)     There's also plenty of men that the above sentence could apply too, to!!!!!!!  

I own both - the dog can be kept fenced in the back garden - if he gets through the gate when you open it(occasionally happens) he'll come back when you call. Cats can climb over garden fences when they want to take themselves for a walk and will never come back when you call, unless THEY want to.

Show me a cat with 100% recall and I'll agree to train mine and keep her on my land all the time except for walks, when she will be on a lead and let it off for a run in the fileds but put back on the lead to bring home.

Now do you see what kind of clap trap is being put on here?

Dogs and cats are NOT THE SAME. It's simple - You can train a dog (so can be held reponsible for its actions) but not a cat.

So why should I have to put up with cats fishing in my pond then Bullphi. How a cat owner controls their cat is not my problem and quite frankly I am not interested. When it comes to the cat causing damage in my garden then that does concern me. If cats are wild and uncontrolable animals then maybe the ownership of them should be controled? Roofed in runs in the garden would control them without a problem.

Regards, John

Would you find it acceptable to keep a dog in a roofed in run all the time? Cats need excersise too.

My cats go in my neighbours houses, ive told them to chuck water over them and that will keep them away :)

Cat owners (and I've been one) have as much moral duty to make sure their pet doesn't cause a nuisance to others as dog owners. Very many people (rightly) complain about loose dogs causing road accidents - what about loose cats doing the same?

I really don't know the answer to this - I certainly wouldn't recommend owning a cat if you live near a busy road. Most of the rescue organisations wouldn't re-home a cat with you if you did. I think it would be more cruel to keep my cat indoors all the time than to let her go out. Incidently she still spends most time inside, is locked in at night, but likes to go for her walk in the mornings.

If my cat were attacked by a dog, or another cat, while in someone elses garden I would say it would be her fault. If she attacked a neighbours dog and there was a vets bill I would cover it for the sake of good relations with the neighbours.

Cats don't do that much damage to gardens anyway - we are all dog owners on here so I'm sure most our gardens aren't in the greatest condition anyway :-)

As for fishponds I'd say herons are a more likely cause of problems - although I did have a cat that brought a goldfish home and left it on the doorstep once :-( - I've no idea where it came from as none of my neighbours had ponds.

There are methods of detering cats from your garden if you don't want them there and some of them are even quite humane :-)

True - last time I owned a cat I lived a mile away from the nearest public road - the main danger to the cats there was from foxes, not cars or dogs! It's not so much garden damage I object to - just the joys of gardening and getting a handful of catpoo instead of weeds ...

Will foxes attack cats? I have seen two in the field behind my house where my cats practically live (when they arent pooing in my neighbours garden, or climbing in through their windows )

Yes they will. My last cat reached the open window of our house only 2 yards ahead of the fox which was chasing her.

A while back I was woken up in the night by banging and rattling. A ginger cat and a young fox were playing on my front lawn. Rolling around together then leaping away - then back again  - obviously no ill intent from either of them.

I'm sure a more mature fox wouldn't think twice about taking on a small or elderly cat though.

My cats are only little skinny things, I hope they know to stay away from the foxes :(

I seem to remember watching an Attenborough documentary about the urban fox and they proved to be very nervous of the domesticated cat.

This was very much a rural fox.

I know a cat breeder whose cats hunt the foxes mind you they are Norwegian Forest Cats & they are part Wild cat & quite a large cat

They keep them in in Spring after one killed a fox cub & they live in the middle of a town

My three cats very rarely go far from my house even though there are fields all around our home.
If I'm going to the car or going to the shop I call them and they return to go in the house. They are never left outside if we leave the house.
I must admit they have a far better recall than the dogs. I can go for a walk with the cats following me with out leads and they always come home with me. I would have to chase the damn dogs so I keep them on leads.
Where I live I am often seen walking down by the river with the 4 dogs, when the kids help, and three cats all happily trotting along together.
I have one neighbour who told me they were 'using' her garden. I asked if I could supply a 'tray' and she was happy with that. I cleaned out the tray for about 3 weeks and then she admitted that it was the two cats from along the street. I have a part of my garden that my cats use 95% of the time.
One of my cats is 18lbs in weight so not many dogs would tussle with him.

I have two cats and my dog and they get along okay.  The cats do wind my next door neighbours dog up though by sitting on the fence.  You could say though that it is the dog being a nuisance barking (depends on how you look at it).  Cats are a free roaming animal and to cage them I think would be cruel and I have had far more instances where my children have trodden in dog poo in the street, than I have found cats poo in the garden.

If people have to shut their cats in, where will it end - we have a problem with foxes taking KOI from our pond - it has only happened twice, but we are talking very expensive fish!  Foxes also rip our rubbish bags and scatter the rubbish everywhere.  Birds mess all over our car (next doors tree overhangs our driveway and they won't cut it down), they also mess on my washing in the summer due to the nearby trees.  What should we do then get rid of all the free or wild animals?  Cats are a part of our lives and give a great deal of pleasure to many people.  Some cats, like some dogs are more of a nuisance than others (and believe me I have at times really disliked cats because of what they have done), but I just think it is a part of life and get on with it.

Fiona

Alexanders, at least when you tread in dog poo it's on your shoe.  Cat poo, when you are gardening, ends up on your gloves and that's if you are lucky enough to have some on

The only time that my dogs dig in the flower beds is when they are digging up cat poo :( :(

Daisy

I hope that Fizz's eye gets better soon and there's no permanent damage.

As far as cats roaming free is concerned, owners are not legally responsible for them. Whilst this may seem unfair when you have to be responsible for your dog, it's the way it is currently.

The nature of a cat is that it is a wild(ish) and free-roaming creature and is not as domesticated as the dog. However it is very possible to train cats. I have 5 cats that have a routine that we stick to and that come in the minute I call them. Furthermore they all have been trained from kittens to poop in my own garden, and I believe for the most part that's what they do.

I have the luxury of living in a rural area where people often bring their dogs to be walked and I am constantly having to avoid great big piles of dog poop. Not only that people feel that as it's a rural area they don't have to have their dogs on a lead and I constantly have my cats chased and terrorised by peoples' loose dogs (all big dogs by the way as the country folk round here wouldn't be seen with anything smaller than a border collie!). I have also had people allow their dogs to c**p in my front garden. So I think there are irresponsible people wherever you go and I don't think you can blame the animal.

This was nothing more than an unfortunate accident in which the dog came off worse. Next time the cat could be on the receiving end but that's just the way it goes. Where I used to live in an urban area, I estimate I spent about £1000 over two years on vets bills for my cats after they'd been attacked by a neighbours evil cat, but I never went after them for he money (much as it annoyed me that their cat was such a little b*****d) as that's just the law of the jungle.

Why can't you train cats? just out of interest?

You can it's just a very time consuming pastime.
Mine have a fantastic recall and will 'give paw' and 'beg' better than my dogs.
I have one that will 'sit' and 'stay' when told but only as long as he thinks is acceptable.
He will also 'lie down' on occasion but that entails a treat. He 'high fives' and 'gives ten' but again it's only when 'he' wants to play.
He also 'rolls over ' to play dead. With a cat it's more on their terms than anything but it is very rewarding when they do what you are asking of them.
Two of my cats are more like babies than cats so maybe that's why they are more ameniable than most.
One has a mental handicap and the other has a physical handicap so maybe that is why they are so 'trainable'.