My cat almost shot himself!

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Zaydok Allen

Zaydok Allen

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So here’s a weird one. I keep a loaded Ruger SP101 on the nightstand next to my bed. The only time it leaves that spot is for carry, range time, or cleaning. I have no kids, so I have never given leaving a loaded gun on a tabletop next to my bed a second thought.

So the other day, I walk in my bedroom, and the sun is shinning on that nightstand. Apparently my cat, Leonard, decided he needed to be laying in the sunshine, and he was doing just that, with his head and front paw draped across my .357. :cuss: Normally this would have made a funny picture to post, but the barrel was hanging over the edge of the table, and his weight was the only thing keeping it from falling. :eek: I fought the urge to yell, since he knows he isn’t supposed to be on that, or any other table. I know he is all over the tables when I’m gone (since he’s a cat), but he never moves a thing. So I very calmly and slowly walked toward him trying to keep him from moving, and of course he stands up because he knows I’m going to want him to move. The gun fell, and in the ¼ of a second it took for it to hit the laminate floor, I had an instant of fear, and then the word “transfer bar” popped into my head. Nothing happened of course except that the gun bounced twice and put a small gouge in the floor, and the gun had not a scratch on it. Thank you Ruger, for making tuff products!

This made me wonder if anyone else had any stories of pet induced gun damage or accidental discharges. Anyone got some tales of aggravation to share? I hope there aren’t any injury or death stories involved with this topic?
 
No pet induced horror stories and never ever had an accidental or negligent discharge but one rainy day I went sprinting across the driveway after getting my mail and slipped and landed quite hard as in full body weight on my holstered Diamondback .380 on said driveway and it was none for the worse and boy was I happy this pistol, like practically all pistols now, had a firing pin block and it probably saved my right leg and buttock some very severe injuries.
 
I read a new article where a guys retriver stepped on his shotgun and killed him while he was duck hunting. I'm sure it's a freak (but somewhat common) occurence so I wouldn't be surprised if you could google something similar for a list of stories.

Okay I just looked...maybe it's harder than I thought.

Just my two cents.
 
Given the safeties in modern handguns you are better-advised to let it fall than to grab for it in mid-air. Sort of like falling knives. Better to step out of the way than to grab for them.


This works better if you have made a conscious choice *beforehand*.
 
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Sounds like old Leonard needs to brush up on "gun safety" -LOL :D :D

My cat, "Chunky Monk" weighs 25 lbs+ and loves the sunshine; but he is too
lazy too worry a'bout firearms. Sometimes, he hangs around while I'm cleaning
a handgun or two; but that is 'bout it~! ;) :D
 
460Kodiak

My cat almost shot himself!
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Yeah, sometimes pets do some of the most screwed up things. Glad you had enough sense not to grab the falling gun. Moving forward, probably a good idea leave a loaded gun holstered, cased, on your body, in a drawer, or just out of the way.
 
stories of pet induced gun damage? actually i do. i had been out just plinking away with my u22 neos and when i came back inside i was pretty hot so i just laid the gun on the counter in the back room and went to get a drink. i ended up forgetting that i had left it out untill later the next day. when i went to retrieve my pistol i found that our cat thrown up on the takedown nut and barrel area. the plastic was fine, the nut rusted heavily, and the part of the barrel lost almost all of its finish. at least it was a fairly cheap pistol and not one of my more expensive pieces. lesson learned though; keep your stuff put away especially if you have pets!
 
My cat threw up on my reloading bench, closest they done any damage to anything firearm related. You know cat puke really sticks to wood?
 
I'm glad that Leonard didn't cause serious damage. I do have a couple of cats, and knowing how cats will be cats, I keep everything that they are not allowed to mess with safely out of paw's reach.
 
How about hunting dog induced fireing??? Maybe 38 to 40 years ago a group of us hunting were trying to head off some walker dogs running deer. All of us had old rifles and shotguns well warn from many years of hunting in the swamps. After catchng the dogs they were put in the rear of the truck with 3 rifles in jeep rifle rack and bench seat and the three guys up front. Somehow 1 rifle got knocked out of the rack to the bed and then the saftey got moved to hot and a dog managed to get in front of the seat with the rifle and toe the trigger. Rifle was pointed forword and shot the guy in the middle with a 180gr from a 06. It went thru the back of the cab, the seat, him and then took out the dash and finally the distributer. Truck stopped. We put the guy in the back of my truck and hauled but toward town. NO cell phones in those days. He was very lucky and stay'd only days in the hospital and was fine. Bullet did not expand much and hit no vitals. We all know how many bad things happend that day and firearms were unloaded after that when not under control. Back then we would ride and shoot off our buggies, jeeps ,trucks, atvs, airboats.
 
I do have a couple of cats, and knowing how cats will be cats, I keep everything that they are not allowed to mess with safely out of paw's reach.
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I don't have cats, but that sounds very much like my kids. :)
 
My gf has couple of love birds. Since moving in together i've come to realize just how obnoxious those things are given that they NEVER shut up. So i've come close to having a .22 "accidental" discharge in their direction.
 
My gf has couple of love birds. Since moving in together i've come to realize just how obnoxious those things are given that they NEVER shut up. So i've come close to having a .22 "accidental" discharge in their direction.
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"But honey, I thought those were those new reactive targets with feathers?!"

I feel your pain. I dated someone with those things. Filthy little beasts.

I now conveniently use my son's allergies and asthma as an excuse...If I see birds, it is either me or the birds. Somebody has to go and I'm ok with whoever it may be. :)
 
We have had one or two times in Kansas in recent years where a hunter laid his shotgun (chambered round) in the bed of his truck, muzzle pointing toward the cab, with hunting dog in bed also, and the dog managed to step on the gun and fire it. I believe in one instance the shot was fatal. Clearly several basic rules of safe handling were violated, but hey, it can happen.

I once got out of my truck to close a gate, windows up, left dog in front seat, keys in ignition, and the dog put his paws up on the edge of the door and hit the lock stem. I had to break a window to get back in the truck. Never did that again.
 
Given the safeties in modern handguns you are better-advised to let it fall than to grab for it in mid-air. Sort of like falling knives. Better to step out of the way than to grab for them.
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I agree rodregier, for an instant I thought about lunging to catch the gun, and then thought better of it. That could have led to me getting a finger on the trigger and causing a shot to go off. Or Lenny probably would have freaked and sent the gun flying.

Yeah, sometimes pets do some of the most screwed up things. Glad you had enough sense not to grab the falling gun. Moving forward, probably a good idea leave a loaded gun holstered, cased, on your body, in a drawer, or just out of the way.
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Yeah, it was kind of a freak thing. It is out of the way, and this is the first time he has ever done that, but I may evaluate how I leave my guns sitting around. I want it there when I sleep, and easy to grab, but I guess it doesn't need to be there during the day. It's not like I hang out in bed. I keep a .45 Colt loaded in the living room for home invasion possibilities while I'm awake.
 
I've had some kitty litter end up in the barrel of a shot gun 20+ years ago but that was it.

I know we make a concerted effort not the leave the sharp kitchen knives in such a manner that the cats can harm themselves.
 
My dad was hunting chukar alone with our dog several years ago. He sat down on a hillside to take a rest and sat his Remington 870 Wingmaster beside him with the barrel pointing uphill in a safe direction. A few quiet and peaceful moments later, BANG. Our clumsy dog had stumbled over the shotgun, disengaged the safety and pulled the trigger with her paw.

Fortunately nothing was hurt and he only needed to change his underwear when he got back to camp.:eek:

Now if he doesn't unload or unlock the action of his shotgun when he rests, he lays his shotgun with the ejection port facing down so the safety can't be accidentally switched off.
 
Rifle was pointed forword and shot the guy in the middle with a 180gr from a 06. It went thru the back of the cab, the seat, him and then took out the dash and finally the distributer (sic). Truck stopped. We put the guy in the back of my truck and hauled but (sic) toward town.
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Hmmm... the round went through everything including the, ummm, distributer(?). The truck stopped. Yeah, I can kinda believe that.

Now as far as "hauling but (sic) towards town"...I just have to ask...how is that possible with no igniton source for the engine?
 
My dog saw the title to the thread and got excited, he was hoping for at least a flesh wound to the cat. He's never had an accidental discharge, he said that proves dogs are smarter.
 
Nice Dimis.... :D. Yea best one I have is my freinds Cat tried to eat one of his .45 ACP bullets that fell under his bed. Stoooopid Kitty.
 
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