The Danger of Pets – What You Don’t Know

Today's topic is a more serious one. It's about something that people aren't always open to discussing with others: times when cats hurt their owners.

Awhile back I sent out a survey asking my readers if their cats had ever hurt them. (If you haven't taken the survey you can take it now here.) Pet Poll.

Almost 92% of you said that your cat had injured you in one way or another. That's a huge number. And it's pretty typical too; pet-related injuries happen all the time. Here are just a few examples of what I mean:

A few months ago I went out with some friends on a boat ride. It was a beautiful day. One of the people on the boat had a poorly trained and rambunctious Labrador named Kerry. The dog was about 18 months old but was more puppy than adult. While docking the boat, Kerry started running around and hit into one of the passengers, who happened to be a senior citizen. When the dog knocked her down the woman tried to catch herself and she broke her wrist in the fall.

Here's another: This summer my friend Julie hurt herself as she was getting ready to take her dog out for a walk. That morning she was preparing to leave when she tripped over the dog and fell down the stairs.

As yet another example, our editor was running down the stairs when the cat got under her feet. Trying not to step on her kitty, she lost her balance and fell. She wound up with a broken foot.

Like I said, these types of accidental injuries happen all the time. They can cause really serious issues and almost no one expects it. So if you have a pet, please be careful around them – especially if they around loved ones who are easily hurt.