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friend's aggressive cat

post #1 of 6
4/30/10 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all. I'm feeding my friend's cats this weekend, and just returned home with scratches on my legs. There are 2 cats, one very timid and friendly, the other very aggressive. She hisses, meows loudly, follows me around the apartment, and, finally - scratches. I try to ignore her, but that doesn't work - I even give her treats. To be honest, she scares me. I know she's probably fearful or territorial, and I don't want to make it worse by spraying her with water or putting coins in a jar (2 suggestions made to me). any advice? I have 3 more visits to make, and I'm not looking forward to them. Thanks
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post #2 of 6
5/1/10 at 6:27am
Do you have cats yourself? If you do, their scents on you is probably what is triggering the aggression.
What did your friend tell you about her cats? You can text her or email her of the problem. She should tell you what her cat likes and ease the tension between you two.
As of now, I suggest you just go to your friend's house, put food in the cats' dishes, scoop the litter box and do whatever else you need to do and go home.
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post #3 of 6
5/1/10 at 8:31am
I've been a professional pet sitter for over 11 years. I've seen cats do this from time to time. It's rare but it does happen. They'll hunt you through the apartment/house. It's creepy because it's so predatory!

My advice wear a tough pair of jeans and closed shoes. If the cat is asleep in a bedroom when you get there, quietly close the door and take care of the food, water and litter etc. first. Then you can let the cat back out and see if she'll interact with you while you're still. There's something about the back and forth of your movements while you're doing what I call the "chores" that excites them and gets them to focus on you. You can also try taking a laser pointer and seeing if you can get her to redirect her aggression to the red dot instead of your legs.

The very best thing to do is stay calm and quiet. If she does lunge for you don't hesitate to clap your hands. Sometimes a loud noise will break their focus and they'll stop. If she's really focused on coming after you she may not even realize that you're the one who clapped. Remain calm and go about your business and in if the clap confused her any she may drop the whole issue, if you're lucky!

Hope I've helped! Good luck!
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post #4 of 6
5/2/10 at 2:50pm
Thread Starter 
The weekend is over and I came out alive! thanks for the responses. The aggressive cat was extremely quiet this morning and didn't meow or hiss at me once. She ignored me. I was wearing closed shoes, which was not the case earlier. Could it be that simple??
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post #5 of 6
5/2/10 at 4:12pm
Glad to hear it went okay! Cats are always surprising us.
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post #6 of 6
5/3/10 at 2:05pm
You never know. It may not have been anything you did. Maybe a large truck went down the street and the sound triggered her. Animals can be enigmas sometimes. Glad you weren't hurt again!
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