"Mink attacks cat" (allegedly) is this a first?

Re: "Mink attacks cat" (allegedly) is this a first?

Gerry Henry — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:43:14 GMT

They will fight if cornered; I caught my cat once with in a stand off with a stoat; neither would close but neither would back off either; I picked her up and went inside to their mutual relief; the stoat made a funny clicking noise throughout, it was this that alerted me.

Panther attack! I can't match that!

Re: "Mink attacks cat" (allegedly) is this a first?

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:22:25 GMT

[quote user="Simon Neuhoff"]

On the general theme of hearsay etc - one of my clients was discussing the first of the well publicised fox attacks on babies and said that the woman in question had in fact reported another fox attack on a child a few years previously.

If that is in fact true - and I couldn't find the original story online - then either there is in fact a baby-savaging fox living near her or - rather more likely - one of her dogs is biting her children.

[/quote]

How could you Simon? When I suggested that to my wife, or worse even that they had abused the child and used the poor innocent fox as an excuse, she called me a cynical misanthrope (or words to that effect) and found yet another excuse to shout at me for an hour! It does seem strange however that there had never previously been an authenticated, independentally witnessed attack on a human by a fox previously yet they are all the rage now.

Re: "Mink attacks cat" (allegedly) is this a first?

Simon Neuhoff — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:15:33 GMT

Re: "Mink attacks cat" (allegedly) is this a first?

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:01:13 GMT

[quote user="Laurence Webb"]

A few years ago I had a series of 3 cats that all suffered fractured femoral necks within a few days of each other. If memory serves they were all on the right leg. Given that these normally turn up sproradicaly I commented to the owner of the third cat that there had been a run of these.

Coincidence? You may think so but you'd be wrong. Her immediate assumption was that there was a rogue dog going around town grabbing cats by their right hind leg and shaking them but not breaking the skin. She went away to warn everyone she met about this risk. I hang my head in shame at not spotting the link myself.

[/quote]

Being as it is a well known law of chance that things happen in threes, I 'd go with a coincidence on this one rather than there being a dog that was so selective it attacked 3 cats on exactly the same leg in the same way. There was a story in the Telegraph a few years ago about a Labrador that was attacked by a squirrel (allegedly) and ended up with a huge gash on its shoulder apparently caused by this savage beast. However the owner didn't witness the squirrel attack just that the dog was last seen haring off into the bushes after the squirrel and returned with the gash The fact that it was most likely the dog had run into some wire or something similar of course doesn't make good news. And just to show how they fabricate stories: there was one about an Eagle Owl that had escaped from a collection and resisted capture for several days (that bit was true) but it had allegedly attacked several dogs including a dachshund. There is a picture of the owl apparently being beaten off the attack by a pensioner with his walking stick. The fact that the chances of someone actually being there with a camera at this exact moment beggars belief but all credibilty was lost when the picture was examined and the owls pupil's were the wrong shape, its talons were the wrong size, the dachshund was levitated off the ground and the owner's walking stick was about one foot long. It was so obviously cut and pasted it was laughable. I don't even believe all the stories about attacks on people by foxes which have suddenly hit the news - funny it never happened before. They'll be making a movie soon with Meryl Streep and Sam Neill about someone's baby being snatched by a fox on a picnic when they really killed it themselves. Yes I'm a cynical misanthrope.

Re: "Mink attacks cat" (allegedly) is this a first?

Laurence Webb — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 21:59:14 GMT

Re: "Mink attacks cat" (allegedly) is this a first?

Utlendigur — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:27:11 GMT

Strange things happen..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1485446/Village-in-fear-after-fox-savages-alsatian.html

"Suddenly this fox appeared and Beth went chasing after it. When they got to the corner, the fox stopped and the next thing I knew, Beth was on the ground.

"Her insides had literally been ripped out by the fox."

Despite horrendous injuries, Beth survived long enough to be taken to the vet, but died under anaesthetic."

Re: "Mink attacks cat" (allegedly) is this a first?

Mark Holmes — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:49:56 GMT

I once had to make a claim to Petplan for "Panther Attack".

The dog was an English Bull Terrier (approc 30kg) and it had been completely shredded with lacerations runing across its back shoulders and neck significnatly larger than any standard domestic cat but in a similar pattern. You would have thought dog fighting but the lacerations were too delicately made, almost incisions. The dog had had several bags of the you know what taken out of it and the owner discribed the dog as having been thrown about like a toy. It presented petrified. I went with Panther attack as thats what the owner described the beast as being, PP as far as I know didn't question it.

Re: "Mink attacks cat" (allegedly) is this a first?

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:14:02 GMT

You cynical misanthrope, you! :p