Cheryl <jlhshadow@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:

They aren't supposed to be toxic.  They're even water soluable, so I
doubt it.  Especially in such a short period of time.

What..? Was it at point-blank range? Because if not, then YOU'RE A
LIAR.

The fool just hates his neighbors. You can pick that up reading his
post from the get-go. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a whole lot
more to it than this.
If the animal was killed by a paintball, it would have to be UP CLOSE
and right to an internal organ, as someone here suggested. And when I
say UP CLOSE, I mean point-blank. Five feet or less.
The paint within the ball is totally nontoxic to humans, but I must
confess that I don't know if it would harm a cat. But if the cat were
to have eaten one, the remnants of the ball and the accompanying paint
stain would be evident in the grass.
In other words... The guy is full of CRAP.

                               IBen G.

I haven't seen the beginning of this thread, but I do know a little bit
about paintball. And, being a medic, I like to think I know a little bit
about injuries as well. Not necessarily to cats, but in general. ; )

First of all, with any kind of projectile fired at you (wheter it's a
paintball, a rubber projectile, or a bullet), the closer you are in range,
the more damage it is likely to do. There's a reason paintballers wear a
protective face mask because there are dangers to getting hit and putting
your eye out. That said, however, the worst I've seen a paintball do is
raise a welt and leave a bruise. I don't think I've ever seen one do some
serious damage to tissue, and definitely not to anything underneath the
skin. And yes, if the cat had been shot with a paintball at a range and
velocity close enough to do any damage, the paintball would have burst. It
doesn't take much to get them to burst and the impact with a cat would've
definitely done it.

Now, your cat might still have been shot with something. I think one thing
you may want to look into is if he was shot with a BB gun. I don't mean
those BB guns that are spring-loaded and fire plastic pellets (those are
rather harmless), but the kind that fires steel pellets and are either
spring loaded or use a CO2 cartridge. However, again, if something like that
would have caused damage, chances are, it would've at least penetrated the
skin.

My two cents.

[ med ]

<SNIP CRAP!>

Then... SHUT THE HELL UP! All you are doing is adding UNEDUCATED
guesswork onto an already overburdened pile of know-nothing daft
opinions. Unless you have been hit by a paint ball or have shot one,
you have NOTHING to say. Nothing.

                             IBen G.

(...)

(...)

Nothing 'always' happens, but the burst rate is going to be pretty
damn high. They burst hitting the soft belly of a human, and would
burst hitting the soft belly of a cat. (Well, I've not tried this - my
cats are a better shot than me and usually get me before I get them).

I think c. 0.1g and 200mph?

Now, what do you intend do do with that data? Remember to include the
viscosity of air in any calculations, and do not omit the airspeed of
a swallow in your workings.

Anyway, I see in t'other thread that the cat in question died of
natural causes anyway. I was right. You owe me 2lbs of catnip on a
sirloin steak. Medium rare, thanks.

Steve.