Horse has mysterious cuts, leading some to think a mountain lion attacked – The Hutchinson News

Mountain lions get a bad rap.
People spot what they think is the huge cat prowling around at night. Then they snap pictures only to learn it was really a Bobcat.
When cattle, sheep and horses are brutally attacked the finger is often pointed at this fierce mammal, which is also known as a cougar, puma, panther, catamount and even a painter – it’s all the same cat.
Holly Thompson, a veterinarian technician, wasn’t pointing fingers. She was just at a loss for what had attacked her paint horse Cetchar over the weekend. Cetchar, who was boarded with one other horse west of Hesston was discovered to have gashes on its leg and scratches and marks on its back. She posted photos on a public Facebook page about horses. Thompson was concerned for her horse and perplexed by what would have caused the wounds. She wanted to know if it possibly had been a cougar that attacked Cetchar right here in central Kansas.
“We’ve had 11 documented cases of mountain lion sightings across the state,” said Matt Peek, a furbearer biologist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Kansas killed off its mountain lion population more than a hundred years ago, with the last known cat shot by a hunter in 1904. However, over time the animal has slowly begun to make the trek back from the west.
But, that doesn’t mean the vicious cat is always to blame.
When Peek looked at several photos of Cetchar’s wounds, he said they were not consistent with claw marks from a mountain lion.
KDWPT gets many cases of horses scratched up in various ways. But Peek says they find the most common cause is barbed wire fences. However, Thompson said there were no barbed wire fences where Cetchar was boarding.
Peek was only being speculative because he hadn’t been to the pasture to see the horse. But, photos revealed the wounds were not consistent to what he would expect from a predator, especially a cougar attack.
“A domestic dog might attack at the legs of a horse, but a mountain lion is a better predator,” said Peek. “A lot of people have the idea they will attack slashing with claws. But they use their claws to hold on and make the kill with their teeth. They don’t attack the legs they go for the head or neck.”
Sometimes horses bully each other and Cetchar might have been shoved into something. Plus the gashes on the front leg might have come from a sharp object such as a piece of tin hidden in the pasture. He was certain if they searched the pasture they would find some object hidden in the grass with hair and blood on it.
Meanwhile, after examining Cetchar, Karen Beetch, a veterinarian from Newton, told Thompson the findings were inconclusive.
“She could neither confirm or deny the injuries were from a predator. But, at the same time she could neither confirm or deny they were from the other horse,” Thompson said. The two horses have co-existed for a while without any problems. Plus, after looking around the pasture, she was fairly confident it wasn’t caused by anything there.
What happened to Cetchar might remain a mystery.
“Nothing seems to fit,” Thompson said. But, paramount to what caused the injuries is taking care of the animal and keeping the flies away from the open wounds while Cetchar heals.

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