Is this a Black Widow?

[th3w01f]

We have these all over the place and while they don't have the same jet black coloring as the black widows I saw as a child, I've seen many different shades and variations on the internet.

We had to spend last Sunday at the emergency vet having our cat put down. We found him near death and completely paralyzed, the vet was unable to find any obvious bit marks (so not a rattlesnake) and no other injuries. We ran some simple blood work which did show very low potassium (apparently a symptom of a black widow bite). The vet said he's seen 3 or 4 over his career but usually someone saw the spider so they had a much better idea what it was.

Attachment 66611

I'll add that my wife didn't flip it over for a picture of the abdomen, I'll go looking for another one but if anyone has any thoughts I'd like to hear them.

[CS1983]

Looks to be a false black widow from that angle... have pic of underside?

[davsel]

Looks to be a false black widow from that angle... have pic of underside?

+1
http://www.spiders.us/species/filter/colorado/

http://www.spiders.us/species/steatoda-grossa/

http://www.falsewidowspider.com/10-c...widow-spiders/

[Aloha_Shooter]

http://www.spiders.us/species/filter/colorado/

Interesting link. It doesn't show actual black widows and I'm almost certain I saw one several years ago (complete with hourglass on abdomen) at the house -- I think it was riding in some wood I'd picked up at a campsite out in Teller or Park County. In fact, http://www.dmns.org/colorado-spider-survey/faq/ says the western black widow is the most common species in Colorado with a venom harmful to humans.

[Lurch]

It's doesn't look like the black widows that I kill weekly at my house.

[th3w01f]

Thanks for the answers, I agree that those pics look very close. Now to try and figure out what killed our cat. There are plenty of dark places he could have gone where he could have run into a real black widow.

[WETWRKS]

The cat may be eating them. I know more than one cat owner who had sick cats that they had seen eating black widows.

Looking at the photo I would second it as a false black widow.

[TheGrey]

I'm sorry for the loss of your cat. One of the reasons we keep our cats indoors is because of all of the wildlife (and the idiots driving in this neighborhood), but I had't even thought about spiders! I am so thankful that I've not run across anything scarier than the occasional wolf spider or bathtub spider.

[cmailliard]

It looks close enough for me to go bat crap crazy killing the bastard. Only seen one black widow in my life, in a drawer of hanging files, right after I put my hand in the drawer.

Buddy of mine was bit by a Black Widow, put his fire boots on and was bit. He was real bad and nearly died. A couple months ago he was bit by a Brown Recluse while at CDP in Anniston, AL. He had to have a few surgeries after that bite.

Fuck Spiders

[BushMasterBoy]

We have rabbits dying here. I don't know why, tularemia, mixomatosis, plague. I caught our dog and cat eating a dead baby bunny. Both were sick. The cat was paralyzed. I am suspecting botulism from rotting meat. They both got over it eventually. I had botulism from a Wendys hamburger in Alamosa. I first thought I had altitude sickness as I was up near Summitville. I was driving up a mountain road. First I started sweating, but I felt cold. Then blurry vision and loosing feeling in my arms. And then projectile vomiting. Pretty sure the burger was bad meat. I make sure the cat gets plenty of canned food. That keeps him from eating dead animals. I got it once from Walmart cooked ribs too. I think somebody took the BBQ ribs and put them on another shelf, then some employee put them back in the heated display case. That time I just vomited it up quickly.

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/...c_ct_botulism#

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulism