Cat killed by rottweiler???

Is it possibla for a cat to fall from a tree and not land on it's feet. I've always heard that they always land on their feet. I woke up this morning to a rottweiler and a pitbull that belong to people down the street in my front yard barking. I got up and told them to go home. The rottweiler was standing on her hind legs barking at something up in the tree but I never thought of it to be my cat up there. My mom was taking me to shool this morning around 7:30 and my cat was laying where the rottie was standing when he was barking into the tree. She was dead , but I would think that if they really would've got ahold of her she would've been shredded or at least some fur missing or puncture wounds. Her eyes were open and she wasn't bloody or anything. I don't know if they gave her a heart attack as she was about 8 years old. She could've fell from the tree but I've never seen my cat climb trees but in this case, I could understand. I did notice yesterday she was sleeping all day under the bush in my front yard so I don't know if she was sick yesterday and died from that or what but it seems she would've crawled somewhere to die... Please tell me if you have any ideas... Thanks

 

I suppose you could have the vet do a necroscopy to determine the cause of death. With no puncture wounds, I would think the dogs could not have bitten her, although death would slow the flow of blood. I think a cat could indeed fall from a tree and get hurt. They TRY to land on their feet, but some are more graceful than others. The other possibilities you mentioned - being scared to death or being sick - could also happen. I'm afraid there's no way to know for sure besides having the necroscopy done.

I'm so sorry for your loss. :cry:

 

well I doubt my mom would spend the money on that I just don't know what happened to her! It soo weird. She must have been sick or fell from the tree because they would've made her bleed, unless could they have broken her neck but not made puncture wounds??? I'm soo confused. You know whats worse about all this? I am getting a German rottweiler in about a month and a half and ever since I decided on it, I've heard bad stories like samsintentions about the calf and everything and now this. I am going to train my rottie and it's not going to run the neighborhood like that but I don't want my mom to change her mind because she might think they are all mean like that. I hope not, and I'm confident that I won't have any problems with wanting to kill cats and other animals...

 

You MUST train your dog. Also, check out the "Dog with high prey drive" thread for suggestions on how to combat some problems.

How you raise and socialize the pup will help to avoid some problems you would otherwise have. Read one of Ian Dunbar's puppy books and "Power of Positive Dog Training" by Pat Miller. Train him using POSITIVE methods. Reward the behavior you want. Make sure he is socialized with all kinds of people and animals.

Some people who own these breeds take pride in their dog being vicious and actually encourage it. Others don't nip problems in the bud and pay for it later. Rottweilers are wonderful dogs and don't have to be dangerous!

 

was your cat up to date on vaccines? Very possible she simply got ill and died.
Cats don't always land on their feet but usually they would have an injury rather than death falling from a tree especially if they landed on earth rather than concrete.
Can't imagine a cat dying strictly from fear like a bird might. Who knows maybe your cat had a heart problem and just climbing the tree killed it and it fell already dead.
You'll never know what happened.
I once had a cat fall out of a tree and end up with 20+ stitches in her belly where a branch ripped her open. That's reason #201 why my cats don't go outside anymore.

 

Sorry for your loss....

It is possible that one of the dogs got hold of her and left no noticable marks, Ive seen cats with broken necks, backs and crushed chest from a dog attack but had a really hard time finding puncture wounds...sometimes could only find a few scratches after a full shave down of the deceased cat (or small dog), more often though you would see injuries...the same goes for a fall though, sometimes theres obvious injuries and sometimes not.
My Rott (now deceased) never used to have a problem with cats, I first trained her (basic obedience) when her owner brought her in for a month, I had 2 cats and did a lot of desensitization training with all the dogs we had in kennel, her owner couldnt keep her and gave her to my boss, he had a really bad allergy to cats...to the point where he had to be whisked off in an ambulance a couple of times, he lived on a large property and there were a lot of stray cats around, he trained the Rott to kill them (I know ...but it was literally a life or death problem for him...he could have a really bad reaction just by a cat rubbing up/urinating against the back door...it didnt have to physically be near him)...So then she came down with diabetes and he was gone out of town a lot so I ended up adopting her, at this point I had 3 cats, I had to keep them seperated BUT she was well trained and while he had trained her to kill the cats, she also knew what 'stay' and 'out' meant, she would lay down with the cats walking around her (when I was there) and wouldnt touch them, she also came with me to work at the emergency clinic and although she would start trembling (adrenilin I think) when she saw a cat she would never approach them or bother them....I had full off leash control though...so start your pup young with obedience, get control over him....
I do know people with Rotts and cats that have never had any problems....like I said Babe (my Rott) was actually trained to attack them, her personality, instinct was to play with them, she used to roll around the floor with them and they lay on her or next to her and fall asleep.

 

Rotts have problems when they are not deciplined(sp?). They are vicious and mean when people either beat them, don't train them, or encourage vicious behavior. I have been around Rotts all my life, and with proper training and decipline, they are loving family dogs that only become mean when their property/family is threatened.
They're reletively easy to train as well. I trained my puppies all by myself! Rotties are smart, but alittle on the stubborn side. The rottie I have right now loves cats, plays with them, and lets them rub and nuzzle against her. And she just lays there. Its so cute!

 

I was planning on raising my puppy to be around my cat to avoid her chasing neighbor cats but now I can't. I know how to obedience train I had my other dog who lives in Klamath Falls, OR with my grandparents (when I moved I couldn't have a dog). My dog was aggressive towards other dogs but never people. He got kicked out of agility training because of his aggression towards the other dogs. But he is a good boy and listens very well, but only to me because he is chow/St. Bernard and Chows are one person dogs. You can see a picture of him on dogster http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=151985 My dog will be obedience trained a few days after she adjusts to the new home. I am gonig to start immediately, she won't be tied up either because that could cause aggression. She will be socialized with people a lot. We do have a rabbit and birds so maybe if we can teach her not to try to eat them, maybe shell be okay with neighborhood cats. I'm going to try my best to interact her with neighboring cats as much as possible as well though just to be sure. Anyways when my mom came home from taking me to school when she picked up the cat, there was no dry saliva on her body and she hadn't been dead long because she wasn't stiff. I think if the dogs touched her there would've at least been dried saliva in her fur. And like I said the dogs were here at 4:30am and when I went to school it was 7:30am and I don't think the dogs stayed for 3 hours waiting to get ahold of her and if she wasn't stiff they would've had to waited 3 hours and killed her recently before I went to school. She may of died of a heart attack in the tree and then fall, no-one knows but my mom buried her. ~RIP Tuffy~

 

You do need to be aware that a dog can get along just fine with their own cat in their house but still chase and kill the neighbor's cat outside, or even their own cat if it gets out! It sounds like you are planning on doing all the right things, so I'm sure everything will be fine.

 

yeah I've been in a dog training class with my other dog Bear he's on dogster http://www.dogster.com/?151985 if you want to see him. Unfortunately he lives in Klamath Falls with my grandparents because when we moved we weren't allowed to have a dog that big and it would've been hard to transport him, it's an 8 hr drive. I'm sure training her will be fine, I will be getting her at 6 or 7 weeks old so it should also be easy to train her. Well anyways, wish me luck with my new puppy when I get her . As soon as I get her she will be on dogster so I will post the link for all to see. [/url]

 

yeah I've been in a dog training class with my other dog Bear he's on dogster http://www.dogster.com/?151985 if you want to see him. Unfortunately he lives in Klamath Falls with my grandparents because when we moved we weren't allowed to have a dog that big and it would've been hard to transport him, it's an 8 hr drive. I'm sure training her will be fine, I will be getting her at 6 or 7 weeks old so it should also be easy to train her. Well anyways, wish me luck with my new puppy when I get her . As soon as I get her she will be on dogster so I will post the link for all to see.