cat attack :(

[snakems]

my little garter was recently apprehended by my cat unfortunately and chewed up a bit.
it was the most traumatic thing for me EVER. It sounds silly but I am so attached to my snake already. =/ .... I made myself literally physically ill I was so upset.
I came into my room to find her on the floor in blood! and a trail of blood leading to my cat in the corner hiding behind my curtain.
Now initially i thought she was dead because I have never experienced anything like this and thought for sure the snake would not survive it had been attacked by the cat. I knelt to the floor to pick her up to see if she was alive praying that she would be, and she was!
I immediately rinsed her off with warm water and tended to her wounds with betadine, which I only knew to do from looking it up online. :(
she really seems to be recovering amazingly, seeing as I thought she surely was going to die from this.
She has about five punctures or so all in different spots along her length, and ive been cleaning them daily and keeping her tank extra warm and clean with paper towels on the floor of it. ... the first day or two after she didnt do much moving around because she was sore from the ordeal I am assuming, but Im not a snake so this is only my guess lol I lifted her little head to her water dish and lowered it close enough for her to drink and she drank water which i thought was a good sign, but she never went to it on her own. Now she's moving around more and bathing and drinking on her own. Maybe Im making too big a deal out of this and she will be fine but I am scared because I couldnt imagine if she were to die from this, maybe from infection. I would feel so guilty!!
Just posting this for any advice anyone on here might have that may be more educated on owning garter snakes. Anything would help...

(excuse my jumbled, run on sentences Im just trying to make sure to get all the major details down & I get overexcited when I talk about it :( )

[crzy_kevo]

i have no experience tending snake wounds but from what i have read i think you are doing a great job at taking care of your snake

however if your snake escaped the enclosure i would look at making it more secure so this mishap won't happen again

good luck and i hope your snake pulls through

[snakems]

thank you for your input! :)

...yes, I take COMPLETE and total blame for this happening :( .... I actually left the tank open and I am STILL beating myself up for doing so.
I actually plan on releasing her back into the wild this spring because I feel like I just am not responsible enough to own a snake. As much as I enjoy having her around, I couldnt live with this happening again and I just dont trust myself.
Im still not sure if she found her way out and the cat came across her or if the cat actually got inside the tank and grabbed her.

...ugh I hate even thinking about it :( I love her so much! :p

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard and sorry to hear about your snake. Cat attacks and the puncture wounds that result from them seem to be especially difficult to treat, in part due to the infection risk, but also because of how deep a puncture wound can be and how likely it is that it will damage vital organs. I would recommend getting the snake to a vet, if it's at all possible.

[snakems]

AMAZINGLY and LUCKILY I dont think anything internal was damaged because she is no longer swollen where she was bitten and she's becoming as active as she previously was. I know its early to tell because its only been 5 or 6 days since this happened (especially considering infection wont really show up right away) but I feel like she is doing well. Im super obsessed with keeping her tank spotless and clean anyway, but now Im even more aware of it.
Mainly Im wondering if I should hold off on feeding her like I normally would because of what happened.
Like you said my worries right away were that her insides would be somehow injured by this, so I feel like feeding her may not be the right thing to do. Maybe I should hold off on it for a little while longer than normal at least for now?

[Stefan-A]

I'd rather not comment on the feeding issue. They do say that digestion diverts resources away from the immune system in snakes, but I'm definitely no veterinarian.

[snakems]

thank you for your input, its comforting at least a bit to get other's view on this. I know that a vet would prob be the only person who could tell me for sure what to do. I feel Infection is now my main concern so Im doing all that I can to make sure that doesnt happen. I can really only guess but the cat that got ahold of her is a very gentle cat and I dont think that her intent was to kill it really. Like I said this is completely my fault and I dont blame the snake or the cat, obviously if a playful, curious cat sees a little snake slithering around its going to investigate it. She doesnt have claws and when she does bite at all its very gingerly. Im hoping that was the case when she contacted the garter.

[adamanteus]

I agree with Stefan..... I would hold off on the feeding until the snake is well on the way to recovery.

[snakems]

thank you :o

[anji1971]

Wow.........poor snake, and poor you!:eek:
Welcome to our forum, glad you found us.
It sounds like you're doing all the right things as far as home treatment goes. Hopefully your little critter will continue to improve and this will just be a scary memory.

[drache]

cats and snakes . . .
this has happened to me, and it really sucks
I hope your little one fully recovers
and to me you come across as pretty responsible
we all make mistakes and have lapses
of course it's a lot harder to come to terms with when a live being is involved
it seems a tough deal that they have to pay for our lessons, but you might as well use the education and apply it in your care in the future - you'll do much better than someone starting from scratch

[snakems]

thanks for responding, I appreciate it!:)

Im kind of ridiculous when it comes to animals. Im surprised that Im able to handle feeding my snake the worms that I do. I really cant stand to see anything suffer or die. Over time I may change my mind but I feel she may be best in the wild where I found her when the warmer weather gets here.
Thank you for your kind words!

[snakems]

thank you for responding!
To some people this might have been a shame but nothing to get worked up over. Im lucky I lived through it HAHA I love my little snake and I hope she gets even better very quickly!:)

[dashnu]

I'd rather not comment on the feeding issue. They do say that digestion diverts resources away from the immune system in snakes, but I'm definitely no veterinarian.

Thats interesting to know.

[drache]

it all depends
when Drache went through his abscess ordeal, my vet recommended that I feed him to a) give him strength, and b) eating is a good sign - he wouldn't if he had trouble digesting

[dashnu]

I find it pretty amazing to think what goes on inside these guys when they take down a pinky. It makes sense that the process of digestion would take away from other areas. I just never thought of it like that. On the other hand food is a source for energy so I do see how it could be a double sided sword.

[bio6464]

Yet another reason I DETEST cats...I hope your little snake recovers, good luck. :eek:

[guidofatherof5]

Welcome to the forum.
My best advice would be a visit to a good Herp. Vet. The Vet. would have the best idea at the possible internal injuries. They could also administer the appropriate meds. Quick action against the possible infection is very important. Can you post any pictures? Keep us up on the situation.


Your honesty during this whole incident is refreshing.

[snakems]

thanks! :D ... i will post pics prob tomorrow to see what anybody thinks.
I have a feeling people might laugh at me and tell me shes probably completely fine because she really does look amazing since it happened. But I think because it was my fault this happened Im really just worried completely sick over it. just the fact that she got hurt at all from it makes me so upset.

[reptile3]

Sorry to hear about you snake.... cats are so curious!! I have 2 cats of my own, & they know... if they touch my reptiles... they are going to be in TROUBLE. Yes I talk to my pets.

Things happen all the time... unfortunately i am sorry your snake was hurt. Sounds like it's getting better. I would take him to the vet to be sure. I too would hold off the feeding.

* I have 2 cats * & 12 reptiles...


Welcome to the group!!

[bio6464]

Perhaps this would help deter cats of their "curiousity".
http://www.uel.ac.uk/subaqua/site/images/jokes/cat-carrier.jpg

[reptile3]

OH my.....:eek:




Perhaps this would help deter cats of their "curiousity".
http://www.uel.ac.uk/subaqua/site/images/jokes/cat-carrier.jpg

[ssssnakeluvr]

hmmmmm need a couple of those for my cats..... :rolleyes:

[Hornets23]

Yikes....or not.

[Seere121]

I hope that your little garter heals up all nicely. I know what its like to find a cat getting at your snakes. Came home from work one day to see my sister's cat perched atop the garter tank, trying to pry apart the wire lid. The lid was a wreck and irreparable, but luckily it held for the few minutes the cat was on it. Moved the garter snakes to my room so it wouldn't happen again, but I worry about the tanks I don't have room for in my room, even though the cats aren't supposed to be let down stairs.

[brain]

Welll we rednecks take care of our cats see

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=40

or

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=39

[snakems]

yeahhh.... lol
I wont be using anything like that on my cats. I'd sooner stick that up MY butt then I would my cat's. Theyre everything to me. And so is my snake, so that's why it upset me so.
I love animals in all shapes, sizes & colors, Reptile or feline :)

[olive oil]

[QUOTE=brain;98509]Welll we rednecks take care of our cats see

Cute Michael, are those yours?

[drache]

[quote=brain;98509]Welll we rednecks take care of our cats see

Cute Michael, are those yours?
those are lolcats - they're celebs on Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? (http://icanhascheezburger.com/)

[Snake lover 3-25]

omg i hope she's ok! it sounds like you're doing everything right:)

[reptile3]

[quote=olive oil;98520]
those are lolcats - they're celebs on Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? (http://icanhascheezburger.com/)


You can get lost into looking at 100+ pics on there! Some are sooo hilarious!

[drache]

You can get lost into looking at 100+ pics on there! Some are sooo hilarious!
I know
now I just use it medicinally on grey days