I wrote this post what seems like an eternity ago. The attack described in the post seemed like a one-off experience because nothing else happened for a week. Then, I was attacked two days, back to back, and managed to pre-empt two other attacks by going absolutely still until my other cat strolled in and broke the tension. After those days, I bought a Feliway plug-in and things were great for over 7 days. I felt like things were really gonna be okay, then she attacked me again this morning as I was getting out of bed.
Each time she attacked me or started to attack me, EXCEPT for this morning, I was doing something that involved movement and a rippling object. First it was a huge pile of bubble wrap I was tossing to the side sheet by sheet. Then it was getting into bed - lifting my bedsheets into the air so I could get in. Then it was wrapping a sheet around me. Another time, flouncing out a garbage bag, filling it with the used litter, and tying the twists. Yet another time, picking up a roll of toilet paper and ripping off a length of it. After the Feliway this no longer seemed to bother her. I even tried CONSPICUOUSLY doing these things in front of her and she just looked at me, peaceful as a pumpkin.
Maybe I just provoked her this morning, I don't know. I woke up with both my cats laying next to me and tried very hard, as I always do, to ease out of bed without disturbing them to the point where they feel they have to jump out of bed too. I didn't have any blankets or sheets over me because we're in a heatwave, so there was none of that to set her off. She did jump out of bed, though, and I didn't notice where she landed, and I put my feet down almost on top of her. She jumped back like a livewire and I knew I was about to get mauled. Nothing will stop her when she does this short of grabbing her by the nape and then picking her up by the stomach, or, if it is impossible to manage that, throwing a blanket over her and tamping it down around her. She will keep coming and isn't even satisfied trying to eat the legs. she will launch herself as high as she can get, grab on and bite. HARD. She even jumped from the ground up to my - ahem - chest and bit THAT. They seem to be getting deeper and more vicious as time wears on, too. Her first attack left no bruises and the bites weren't as deep. Her attack this morning left bruising around all the scratches and several of the bites, bruising IMMEDIATELY.
I was so hoping I'd nailed down a pattern and was finding a solution and this has just thrown all that to the wind. Now I'm trying to figure out what might have changed, because I've had her all her life and she's never been like this. We just moved to this place, but had been here for a month before the first attack presented itself.
I feel like I'm living with a time bomb here, and it's just freaking me out so badly.
Each time she attacked me or started to attack me, EXCEPT for this morning, I was doing something that involved movement and a rippling object. First it was a huge pile of bubble wrap I was tossing to the side sheet by sheet. Then it was getting into bed - lifting my bedsheets into the air so I could get in. Then it was wrapping a sheet around me. Another time, flouncing out a garbage bag, filling it with the used litter, and tying the twists. Yet another time, picking up a roll of toilet paper and ripping off a length of it. After the Feliway this no longer seemed to bother her. I even tried CONSPICUOUSLY doing these things in front of her and she just looked at me, peaceful as a pumpkin.
Maybe I just provoked her this morning, I don't know. I woke up with both my cats laying next to me and tried very hard, as I always do, to ease out of bed without disturbing them to the point where they feel they have to jump out of bed too. I didn't have any blankets or sheets over me because we're in a heatwave, so there was none of that to set her off. She did jump out of bed, though, and I didn't notice where she landed, and I put my feet down almost on top of her. She jumped back like a livewire and I knew I was about to get mauled. Nothing will stop her when she does this short of grabbing her by the nape and then picking her up by the stomach, or, if it is impossible to manage that, throwing a blanket over her and tamping it down around her. She will keep coming and isn't even satisfied trying to eat the legs. she will launch herself as high as she can get, grab on and bite. HARD. She even jumped from the ground up to my - ahem - chest and bit THAT. They seem to be getting deeper and more vicious as time wears on, too. Her first attack left no bruises and the bites weren't as deep. Her attack this morning left bruising around all the scratches and several of the bites, bruising IMMEDIATELY.
I was so hoping I'd nailed down a pattern and was finding a solution and this has just thrown all that to the wind. Now I'm trying to figure out what might have changed, because I've had her all her life and she's never been like this. We just moved to this place, but had been here for a month before the first attack presented itself.
I feel like I'm living with a time bomb here, and it's just freaking me out so badly.
