Jake - cat attack

Hi all,
I'm new here, I found this site after googling chameleon first aid. I have a juvenile male veiled chameleon named Jake. I've had him a little less than a month. Yesterday, we came home to an empty cage. The lid came loose and Jake escaped. We found him walking along the floor on the other side of the room. He was covered in superficial scratches. I have two cats, one of which is quite interested in anything that moves (the other is too lazy to care about anything other than food). I looked him over and there was no blood or oozing of any sort, and no puncture wounds or anything that looked like bite marks. After reading through some of the threads on this forum, I ran to Kroger's for chlorhex and ssd, but they had neither. So I went with hydrogen peroxide and triple antibiotic. I got him cleaned up and after he settled down and warmed up, he seemed okay. He ate and drank this morning, and went to his basking spot to warm up. I have a call in to the herp vet near my home but the front desk said I probably won't hear back from them until this afternoon.
I work in animal research so I had a friend bring me some chlorhex solution and SSD to continue treatment. Until I can see a vet, does anyone have any suggestions in case he takes a turn for the worse?

can you post some photos o fhim please?

Im sorry you joined under sad circumstances, but we will do our best to help you!

I didn't take any pictures last night, I was too upset. I can have my husband take some when he goes by to check on him a little later.
I am sorry that I came here under sad circumstances as well. But I am glad that I found this forum. From what I've seen, it looks like a warm and friendly community

Please try to get some photos whenever you can so we can see how bad it is.

while we are wating, fill this form out, just copy and paste the info in it into a reply in this thread.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

this helps us see what your husbandry is like, in case you need any improvements.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled, male, juvenile (not sure of age, ~ three inches in length, head to base of tail)
How long has it been in your care? ~ 4 weeks
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? every other day, less than 10 minutes
Feeding -
What are you feeding your cham? gut loaded crickets, fluker's meal worms, and wax worms.
What amount? 4 - 6 crickets, 4 - 6 meal worms, 1 wax worm (3 x week)
What is the schedule? 7 am and 6 pm
How are you gut-loading your feeders? Fluker's Cricket Food and Cricket Quencher
Supplements - do not currently use these. I was under the impression that gut loading was sufficient. please let me know if i should be adding supplements beyond this.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? hand mist
How often and how long to you mist? twice a day, until plants and surfaces are saturated
Do you see your chameleon drinking? yes
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
brown with a white end (similar to the color of bird droppings), firm, well formed
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? no
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. None, other than he was shedding when I bought him, has a very strong grip, and has always had a healthy appetite for food and water.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) combo (one side screened, the rest is glass. Currently in the process of making the top screened, but that is on hold due to the cat attack )
What are the dimensions? not sure, 20 gal aquarium, maybe 24 inches tall
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? Repti-Glo 5.0 fluorescent lamp (UVA/UVB), incandescent 60w bulb for basking (I had a neodynium 100 w bulb for basking but it was far too hot)
What is your daily lighting schedule? 7AM - 8PM
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Basking (top) upper 80s - bottom low to mid 70s
Lowest overnight temp? low 70s
How do you measure these temps? Temp/humidity probe
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? 50s - 60s
How are you creating and maintaining these levels? misting
What do you use to measure humidity? temp/humidity probe
Plants - Are you using live plants? no
If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? living room
Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? high traffic area (living room)
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? ~ 4 feet
Location - Where are you geographically located? Dallas area, Texas

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. My chameleon was attacked by a cat. No open or puncture wounds, only superficial scratches.

You have alot within your care that you need to change to keep a happy and healthy cham.

No canned/dead bugs should ever be fed.

Here is the care sheet for veileds to get you all sorted out.


https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

There is so much conflicting information regarding the husbandry of chameleons, it gets confusing! Thanks for the info, I will definitely be making the necessary changes.

Yea unfortuantely the internet and dumb pet store employees doesnt help.

But I assure you, the care sheet I gave you is correct, and was created by members who have been keeping chams for years and years and years.

Yesterday and this morning the scratches were visible as dark green lines. Now it appears they have disappeared. This is a small area that remains.
Hubby went home for lunch to check on him and said he looks fine. He misted the cage and he drank up.

When I first read "cat" I got very nervous. The last cat attack thread I've read was very gruesome, I'm so glad that this case isn't nearly as bad.

Good for you taking all of the proper steps to get him healed up. I'm glad you found the forum as well!

Keep us updated. If anything I'd be worried about all the bacteria that cats carry. How easily it could cause an infection. But if there are no puncture wounds, how likely is that?

szpond said:

When I first read "cat" I got very nervous. The last cat attack thread I've read was very gruesome, I'm so glad that this case isn't nearly as bad.

Good for you taking all of the proper steps to get him healed up. I'm glad you found the forum as well!

Keep us updated. If anything I'd be worried about all the bacteria that cats carry. How easily it could cause an infection. But if there are no puncture wounds, how likely is that?

Click to expand...

I had the same reaction as Szpond for the same reason.
Hopefully, keeping his wounds cleaned and keeping him well hydrated will enable him to heal fully and quickly.

As for all the conflicting info--we've probably all been mislead by well-meaning but misinformed petshop employees or websites with outdated and incorrect info.
The caresheet that camimom provided a link to has excellent care info.

Glad you've found this forum.
Most people here are mature and helpful and some have years of cham experience--plus a few cham-owning veterinarians share their knowledge when they are able to find the time.


If he is temporarily in an aquarium--due to bad advice from a petstore employee-- there are special lid clips to keep the lid secure but a sturdy screen cage makes it much easier to keep him healthy. poor airflow often leads to respiratory infections.
This type is a reasonable size (until he is an adult) and is sturdy :
http://www.diycages.com/15201/15922.html

I hope you've devised something to absolutely keep the curious cats from getting another chance to "play" with him.
The last cat experience seen here was very sad and gruesome.

Finally heard back from the vet. They want me to bring him in first thing tomorrow morning for an exam, and they most likely will do injectable antibiotics. Tomorrow is already crazy as it is. It's my daughter's 5th birthday and we'll be on the other side of the metroplex at the zoo most of the afternoon.
Hopefully it will be a simple visit and I won't have to leave him there over the weekend, or pay an arm and a leg. Anyone know what visits like this usually run?

He doesn't look bad.

I see primarily bruises on him.

Bruises can heal.

I don't think a vet visit is bad, but I don't necessarily think he needs a visit and injections.

I don't see any spots where the skin was broken, and if hes behaving normally, I would leave him be for now.

Yeah, I don't think so either...
If he's worse in the morning, or is acting strange, I'll take him. Thanks for all of your support, everyone!

He looks ok, I would just be worried about internal injuries. Best of luck with him

We've been home for a few hours now and Jake seems to be feeling fine. He's eating, drinking, and moving about his (very secure) cage
It's his bed time now, got a pic of him about to go to sleep.


The dark spots are from the frisky feline. I'm so grateful she didn't decide to take a chomp out of him.

I'm glad to hear that Jake's going to be ok.

Yes, he does need antibiotics. Cats have a lot of very nasty bacteria in their mouths, which is now in your chameleon. A healthy bird can be killed by the bacteria from a single puncture wound in less than 24 hours. Reptiles aren't as sensitive but it is still a very serious concern. I put my own chameleon on antibiotics for a minor puncture wound from my cat.

I would still take him in for antibiotics for sure. I dont think I would do injections if possible, but definitely the oral liquid ones. You can inject them into a feeder or squirt it into his mouth.

Wow he's a very lucky boy to come off so well after a cat interaction! I'm happy he's doing good as it could have been a lot worse. I would still do the vet visit because infections take time to come on so you don't know what will happen in a few days if things go missed or untreated. He looks ok though and I hope he stays that way