In a case of canine/feline role reversal, seven pit bulls were set upon by a cat Monday night — sending a dog and an owner for medical treatment.
The cat came out of a Gordon Head yard, said Kyla Grover, who was with the walking group called Pit Bulls of Victoria B.C.
“The dogs were walking by, completely minding their own business,” she said. “The cat just goes at all of the dogs, not backing down.”
The pit bulls and pit bull crosses were leashed and none of them fought back, Grover said. They just began barking after the attack began.
Del Thompson said the sight of all the dogs would have been intimidating for his cat, Baby.
“She’s a watchdog and doesn’t know it,” he said. “Cats and dogs don’t get along too well sometimes.”
Betty Jean Thompson, who was out gardening at the time of the incident, said Baby was being protective because the dogs were nearby.
Grover said the dogs didn’t know how to react.
“The cat is swiping at them and latched onto one of the dog’s faces,” she said. “I got bit and scratched in the process of trying to separate them.
“I spent the whole night at emergency because cat bites are nasty.”
The Thompsons agreed to pay the $222 veterinarian bill for the dog with the injured face. Bandida’s owner, Javiera Rodriguez, handed them a bill Tuesday and they wrote her a cheque.
Bandida had several wounds, Grover said.
“The vet hospital thought it was a raccoon that attacked her. She’s on antibiotics.”
Rodriguez said she was relieved her pet didn’t lose an eye.
The attack isn’t the sort of behaviour people expect from a cat, Grover said.
“That’s not normal for a cat. Cats are pretty skittish, especially when there’s seven dogs there.”
Both she and Rodriguez think the cat should be kept inside.
The incident shows that pit bulls don’t deserve the bad reputation they are sometimes stuck with, Grover said.
“Pit bulls are just like any other dog. They’re great family pets and they didn’t stand up for themselves at all, even when a cat was attacking them.”
