VICIOUS Cat Attack! HELP!

I have two beautiful cats. Simon and Star. They are siblings. We've had them for 3 years. A year a go we moved and had a baby.

Star has always been an extremly playful cat. She hasn't scratched or bitten since she was a kitten, but she is playful to the extreme. She brings her toys to me frequetly to play, plays fetch. She's a great cat. She's very protective of her enviroment and is very sharp. There have been hornets in the house and they don't live very long. I've seen her catch house flies zooming by in one fell swoop. She's a dynamic cat. Her brother (two of a litter of 9) Simon on the other hand is a big dope. He's slow and a bit dim.

Simon is a kid's cat. He LOOOVES children. My stepson is his favorite person in the world and he adores the baby. I never let the baby near the cats without supervision, but Simon takes all kinds of abuse from the baby (granted the most abuse I allow is a tug on the ears and the occasional heavy pet and fur pulling that happens before I can stop it). Star will seek the baby out and tolerate a little bit of petting before running off. So far she's been fine with the baby and seems to like him.

We've recently had a frequent visitor, a 3 year old demon child. She chases Star. Grabs Star and I do my best to protect her. Star has hissed at her only once and run off. Star keeps out of the way when the visitor is over, but the child seeks her out. I stopped this and warned her mother that the cat is getting fed up with her.

I have never seen a cat attack. I have heard of cats attacking. I know it's rare but.....I never thought I'd see it. Today. My stepson was hiding his stuffed animal from his father. He ran into my bedroom to retrieve it from it's hiding spot. Upon running out Star attacked, biting his heel. David panicked and ran into the living room where I was sitting. The cat came out after him...Her fur was all standing on end. She has murder in her eyes as she stalked my stepson..she was hissing and was all teeth and claws. I was holding the baby and all I had was a towel. I threw the towel in front of her and kicked at her to keep her off my stepson. My foot was clawed in the process. My husband came running. He got between the cat and my stepson. The cat attacked his arm....The cat jumped at my stepson's face and my husband grabbed and threw the cat. The cat ran into the bedroom and I closed the door behind it. We waited awhile for things to calm down. I checked on Star and she was fine. My husband let her out of the room and she immediatly started stalking my stepson again. I picked her up and put her away again. My stepson left a few hours later. I let Star out and she came out and immediatly showed stalking behavior. She stalked around the house, assumingly looking for my stepson.

I can assure you my stepson did nothing to warrent this attack. He's very good with animals and has never hurt the cat. AND in this instance he was only running from one room to the next and wasn't even aware she was there.

We are getting rid of the cat because I am terrified to have her around the baby and my stepson is afraid of her and says he doesn't want to come back over if she's here! PLUS we don't know if she'll try to attack him again.

Anyone have any idea what might of happened? My feet are torn up as well as my husband's arm (My husband having faired worst of all....) The scratches are PAINFUL. Any advice? Anyone PLEASE. Anyone in the Worcester MA area want a great cat? You can't have kids.

Poor cat, sorry but I am usually on the side of the being that can't speak for herself and she in turn gets hit and thrown and tossed in the process of the hysteria going on at the moment.

Your visitor from hell caused this reaction in your cat, not your cat, and not your stepson. This child that chased and tormented your cat changed the loving, environment that they have come to know and created stress and trauma in a home that once had balance.

Now your cat is on her guard, and will be even more so because the person she bonded with has hit her, kicked her, thrown her and terrorized her. Yes, you should rehome this cat somewhere else, for it will be a long time before she trusts humans again.

I'm sorry I didn't clarify. Nor did I convey the terror of the attack. I did not by choice kick Star, and I didn't really KICK her I stepped in front of her to keep her from my stepson and pushed at her with my feet. I did not exert any kind of force that would hurt her, nor was that my intent...I was trying to change her focus....I put myself in harms way to protect my children. In the situation anyone would do the same. I had NO choice. I had a baby in my arms, a six year old climbing up me and a very very very angry cat coming after me (my stepson really). Hissing and growling and spitting, she was all puffed up and obviously extremely angry. She was not coming after me. I know she was focused on my stepson. I waved the towel over her and put MYSELF...my feet in harms way to keep her from doing damage to a scared little boy who had never hurt an animal in his life, and having a visual into the bedroom, I know he did not hurt her.

You were not there. You did not see the circumstances. If an enraged animal was coming for your child and you only have a split second to react, you would do the same thing. I love the cat. She's my friend and my heart is broken, but if I have to choses between her and my children. My children come first. There wasn't time to think, just to react.

Her owner, me, has not terrorized her in any way as you accuse. I defended my children. My husband threw her only because it was his only choice. Want me to send you a picture of his arm? there are over 20 pinpoint scratches on his arm and half a dozen bloody long ones. What was he supposed to do? Let the cat continue to attack him and cause further damage? Let him get at my stepson's face? Because how dare we take any action to stop the attack because she might be traumatized. Talk to my 6 year old stepson about being tramatized. This might sicken you, because it does me, but I would have killed her before I let her hurt my children (I who have said, anyone who would kill a cat cannot be trusted in any way) While I think it's horrible that he had to throw the cat away from him. I was in the situation and I understand why it was done..in sheer panic. It's not like we ran after her and kicked and beat her, we only used force neccessary to stop the attack, we didn't slam her against a wall just threw her away from us. I comforted her a few moments after the fact. She was happy to be loved by me and not upset by my presence in the least. It's easy to say...awww poor cat. Darn bad abusive humans. You didn't experience this..I look back but having a baby in my arms I had no other action available to me short of abandoning my stepson to the will of the cat.

Star in the meantime is fine. I checked her over for any injury. She was not hurt. Traumatized? She was obviously traumatized before this happened. She's a little jumpy....so am I. She's in her favorite room (usually a forbidden area for her) and is perfectly content..greeting me happily.

I definaltly should rehome her, but I was hoping someone would give me a clue as to what happened. I would love to keep her. She's my dear friend. I love her. I worry about how her brother is going to react to her departure. I don't want to get rid of her at all!!!!! We know something had to be terribly wrong for her to behave in this manner

The devil child 3 year old hadn't been over in several days. Do you think that Star had just had enough and the running of my stepson just made her snap and she decided she was going to "get the runner"? Why would she continue to want to attack him? It was very very obviously directed at him. Is there any hope that I can do something to keep her? Or having attacked in this manner should I just let her go to someone else...and how do I find someone to take her? I want her to go to a loving home....I kept her to keep her from a bad home situation in the first place.

Dori has gotten very agressive with me in the way you describe. There were a few times I had to actually close her in a bedroom for a few minutes to get her to settle down. It started out as being playful, but would then turn into an all out attack.
I started spending extra time playing with her interactively. I would spend about 10 minutes in the morning and about 15 in the evening. That was all it took and she would wear out and take a nap. I started carrying one of her favorite toys in my pocket and when she would get the attack look (pupils real large, ears back) I would toss the toy to her. Some wouldn't agree with this, but when that wouldn't work, I would give her the treat ball (toy that she rolls around to dispense treats). I don't think it ever acted as a reward system, it redirected her energy. It took a good deal of effort to get Dori to stop attacking me. There were times I was laying in bed and she would attack my head, trust me it hurt. But she changed and it really didn't take that long. I understand you didn't intentionally hit the cat or kick it. But you have to kind of be one step ahead of her to keep from having to resort to that again. I don't think you need to get rid of the cat, unless you aren't willing to work with her... Dori has completely changed now for the better. She is much more loving and cuddly than she was before. She never attacks me anymore either. I still make sure to play with her interactively though.

About the 3 year old. A friend of mine has a 4 year old who terrorizes animals. I have made it quite clear she is not allowed to touch my cat. If she does, and especially in a mean way, I would ask them to go. I guess my reasoning is that this is Dori's home too, I need to keep it safe for her. But if the 3 year old has to be there, can you put the kitty in the room you say is her favorite? That way she is safe while the child is there?

My friends 6 year old son loves my two but he expects them to jump on his lap or play like a dog does.

I kept a close eye on him one day because Rosies always wary of strangers until she gets to know them better, but because he couldn't get Rosie to play with him Rosie growled at him which frightened him.

I had to tell him to leave her alone because cats get frightened easily, and now if they come to the house Rosie stays in their bedroom and i tell him to leave her alone unless he wants growled at again and possibly scratched.

Even Sophie who goes to anyone keeps her distance.

okay, i think you didnt get what hissy was trying to say to you... i dont think she was accusing you of terrorizing your own cat, (thats not the way i interpreted it when i read it anyway) you made it clear that it was the child terrorizing star... but star trusts you very much, you are her owners and if you have never shown her anything but love, she has no reason to fear you... but even if a cat is attacking someone else and the owners step in and do whatever it is neccessary to stop her, she is going to start being afraid of you, because the way she is seeing it, you attacked her when she was defending herself... when your stepson ran in the room, the cat might not have seen who the child was, she just saw a child and instinctivly reacted in defense, she thought the devil child was back to hurt her....
i dont think she was saying you shouldnt have done what you could to protect you child, but what you did do, will have a affect on your cat.... it doesnt matter if you meant harm or not, like i said above, the way your cat sees it, she was being attacked while she was trying to defend herself... and it does not matter than you did nothing to convey the attack... the cat obviously felt threatened and reacted

You misunderstood me and I am sorry you did. I too have been on the receiving end of aggressive cats in my lifetime. I know, full well the terror that builds up when a cat is in full on attack mode and you or someone you loved is the object of that attack. I was trying to give you the world from your cat's viewpoint. Suddenly, in a house where there was balance, there is now trauma and stress. I had one young visitor a few years ago, try and drown one of my kittens in the horse trough! The parents thought it was funny that the kid was trying to give kitty a bath. But the damage was done, and the kitten was left with a trigger due to the trauma.

That is what has happened in your home. Your cat had to endure a small child terrorizing her. Now she has a trigger, and either you have to try and figure out what that trigger is and never trip it, or you put her on behavior drugs for awhile which will either mellow her out or turn her into a zombie. It's a hard place to be in.

Right now you are afraid of your cat, and rightly so. Something has happened to the cat you know and love and turned her into this creature you don't understand. And yes, I know you did the right thing to protect those you love, but you also caused pain to a creature that trusts you, and even though she seems okay, there is a part of her now that is on guard against you and anyone else that got in the middle of this attack.

Is she spayed? I didn't read that she was?

i really feel for you. my godfathers 2 year old son is frequently babysat here by my mum and seeks out and terrorises the cat.

i've told him (not that he understands, he's very slow for his age) to be gentle and warned his mum what will happen if he carries on trying to 'play' with the cat but to no avail.

luckily my cat who is a real spoilt madam hasnt seriously hurt him yet. he's had a few scratches of her which have served as a bit of a warning but she seems to understand he doesnt mean to be rough and tolerates him some what. she runs away when shes had enough but often comes back for more.

my advice to you would be to get a really tall cat tree so the cat has an escape when the devil child comes round. also make it clear to his mother what happened to your step son and explain that her child is at risk. if possible like Squirtle said, put the cat in a room away from the little brat.

now you need to work on your cats relationship with your stepson. explain to him that it wasnt Stars fault and all the teasing from devil child has made her scared of people. this may take a while but your stepson needs to be comfortable around Star or else she will feel his tension and react again.

i would get a feliway spray or plugin in (do a google search or try ebay) as they emit 'happy' hormones found in the cats cheeks which will make Star feel happy and relaxed. play classical music if you like and make sure there is nothing to frighten or distract her and make the ambiance as calm and relaxing as possible.

next arm yourself (and stepson) with long sleeves, a pillow (to put between your ss and the cat- much preferable than human flesh) and a blanket to throw over her if need be. try to stay as calm and relaxed as you can.

see how Star reacts to you ss being in the room with her and then gradually build up to him feeding her a faveroite treat.

if he stays calm and doesnt make any sudden movements she should be ok with him. (i read a similar technique in a book and it worked for them)

i hope this works or someone can give you some better advice

Hissy. I'm sorry, your post just fed the guilty feelings I have about what happened. I feel I should have done something to prevent what happened. (Putting Star in a safe place when devil child visits.) Star is like one of my children. I got her and her brother for me a few years back after I had a miscarriage and the loss of a dear dear friend cat. Star was actually picked out by a friend of mine and I was to keep Star a few months until said friend could take her.....I decided in that time that she would not be a good owner to Star. I was proven right when she in a snit obtained another cat elsewhere.....several months later that cat was thrown off a 3rd floor balcony and said person is no longer my friend.

I have caught the devil child holding Star's neck and Star has been pretty patient with her...only hissing. And I have made it known that Star is not a tolerant cat (Though she has been so far) and warned her mother that Star would HURT her child. So when I am home the Devil Child and Star stay apart...BUT Devil Child mother comes over to my house and babysits my son...so I don't know what happens when I'm not home...maybe Star endures more terrorizing than I think...It's obvious I think.

I think your right about the trigger. I have an infant son on the verge of walking. I fear that she'll attack him, so I think it best that she goes to a home where she'll be loved and cared for. Anyone have any ideas on how I could find a good stable home for this lovely animal?

before you decide whether to re-home star why not try a cat behavioral therapist? they might be able to help you work through the problem

Originally Posted by Starsowner

Hissy. I'm sorry, your post just fed the guilty feelings I have about what happened. I feel I should have done something to prevent what happened. (Putting Star in a safe place when devil child visits.) Star is like one of my children. I got her and her brother for me a few years back after I had a miscarriage and the loss of a dear dear friend cat. Star was actually picked out by a friend of mine and I was to keep Star a few months until said friend could take her.....I decided in that time that she would not be a good owner to Star. I was proven right when she in a snit obtained another cat elsewhere.....several months later that cat was thrown off a 3rd floor balcony and said person is no longer my friend.

I have caught the devil child holding Star's neck and Star has been pretty patient with her...only hissing. And I have made it known that Star is not a tolerant cat (Though she has been so far) and warned her mother that Star would HURT her child. So when I am home the Devil Child and Star stay apart...BUT Devil Child mother comes over to my house and babysits my son...so I don't know what happens when I'm not home...maybe Star endures more terrorizing than I think...It's obvious I think.

I think your right about the trigger. I have an infant son on the verge of walking. I fear that she'll attack him, so I think it best that she goes to a home where she'll be loved and cared for. Anyone have any ideas on how I could find a good stable home for this lovely animal?

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I suspect that child abuses the cat when you are not there. So, now the cat hates all children. It's hard to rehome older cats, especially if the cat has become agressive. My cats don't like children either, but thankfully they are running away from them and hiding instead of attacking them.

I've been seriously hurt by a cat...one who loves me and whom I adore in return. She bit my face badly enough to leave small scars on and under my eye; the subsequent infection was nasty and dangerous.

I understand, as her bite was "unprovoked." Except, when I see it from her perspective, I realize it wasn't. It was totally justified, and my face just got in the way.

Do you want to keep Star? The devil child then can't come over. At ALL. And your stepson and Star need to re-bond (as do you and Star). Of course your son was scared. And of course you were, too. And you took the measures you saw fit to take care of the situation. But now you have a new one.

Here's what I'd do...

Feliway the heck out of the house, especially when your stepson comes over. Have him pet her, and give her treats, but only with you right there with your hand on Star. Remind him that she got scared, and was protecting herself from DevilChild and his abuse. She got confused and came after him. See if there wasn't a time when he called you Mom, and was confused about who was who...or some sort of example. If your stepson can identify with the confusion, he will forgive Star more quickly, and trust her again, and she will follow his lead.

Also, if your stepson has any clothes at your house, don't wash them, but give them to Star to sleep on, to rest on. Put some treats down on his clothes, so she identifies his scent with treats, and good things. Same thing with your husband...

If it all gets too much, seperate Star from the family for a bit, in the safe room. Let her adjust, and come back to you all. She's had a trauma, but she can come back from it.

Honestly? She sounds like she has been badly abused by Devil Child - more than you know of, I'd guess - and I'd talk to DC's mother about abusing animals, and then forbid that child to come over. I'd also make sure that my child changed clothes before coming home if he went over to DC's house to play...the scent may be enough to trigger a defensive reaction. (BTW, did that happen this time? Any way to have a transfer scent situation going on with DC's scent?)

Good luck, and please realize Hissy wasn't coming down on you, and that she's brilliant about cats. She cares for those who've been hurt and abused, and sees horrifying situations regularly.

Let us know how else we can help, all right?

Best-
Michele

Originally Posted by elizwithcat

It's hard to rehome older cats, especially if the cat has become agressive

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i agree. as its a new problem with a lot of love and time you might be able to work this out. please try as you love Star so much and she was only reacting out of fear

As I was reading this whole thread I kept going back and forth about whether or not I thought you should keep the cat or find her a new home. Although I am thinking you should probably try to find her a new home especially with your small child.

Anyways, when I need to rehome cats that I find or rescue, I use the petfinder.com classifieds. They are free and you can explain all about the cat and her personality. I would also recommend that you do a couple of things if you decide to use petfinder.com;

1. Say that she needs to go to a forever home with no small children, preferably a quiet home, maybe an older couple or just someone with no kids.

2. Take the cat to them just to check out the home and make sure everything is ok.

3. Mention things like keeping her indoors, don't declaw her, keep her UTD on shots, etc. So that they understand that a cat is a big responsibility.

4. I also require that people return the animal to me if it doesn't work out so that I can be absolutely sure that I get her into another good home.

5. In order to post a classified, you have to require that the new owner pay an adoption fee. I usually make it the amount of the spay and a little more for food and litter, etc. If there are no responces you can also lower it and repost the ad or say $--- OBO. This way there is a lesser chance of her being placed with some wacko, and keep the new owners contact information handy and call in a couple weeks and see how she has adjusted. They may even let you come and visit her.

If you decide to go this route I can help you out, just let me know. Maybe I go overboard with my pickiness about their new homes but I just want what is best for them

Originally Posted by Starsowner

Hissy. I'm sorry, your post just fed the guilty feelings I have about what happened. I feel I should have done something to prevent what happened. (Putting Star in a safe place when devil child visits.) Star is like one of my children. I got her and her brother for me a few years back after I had a miscarriage and the loss of a dear dear friend cat. Star was actually picked out by a friend of mine and I was to keep Star a few months until said friend could take her.....I decided in that time that she would not be a good owner to Star. I was proven right when she in a snit obtained another cat elsewhere.....several months later that cat was thrown off a 3rd floor balcony and said person is no longer my friend.

I have caught the devil child holding Star's neck and Star has been pretty patient with her...only hissing. And I have made it known that Star is not a tolerant cat (Though she has been so far) and warned her mother that Star would HURT her child. So when I am home the Devil Child and Star stay apart...BUT Devil Child mother comes over to my house and babysits my son...so I don't know what happens when I'm not home...maybe Star endures more terrorizing than I think...It's obvious I think.

I think your right about the trigger. I have an infant son on the verge of walking. I fear that she'll attack him, so I think it best that she goes to a home where she'll be loved and cared for. Anyone have any ideas on how I could find a good stable home for this lovely animal?

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One statement here really upsets me.. You let the mother of the child that terrorizes your cat to the point that it attacked your own child, you, your husband.. watch your kid when your not there?!?! Excuse me.. but wth are you thinking? If she can not keep her own kid in line and he is abusing animals and being a "devil child" God only knows whats going on in your home when your not there. I shudder to imagine what bad habits your own child will end up with from his exposure to this other child and it's mother and thats on the positive side of the whole situation.

Originally Posted by Cirque

One statement here really upsets me.. You let the mother of the child that terrorizes your cat to the point that it attacked your own child, you, your husband.. watch your kid when your not there?!?! Excuse me.. but wth are you thinking? If she can not keep her own kid in line and he is abusing animals and being a "devil child" God only knows whats going on in your home when your not there. I shudder to imagine what bad habits your own child will end up with from his exposure to this other child and it's mother and thats on the positive side of the whole situation.

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I would also take this cat to a vet. Maybe she is in pain or something is bothering her, you never know. Also, perhaps they could prescribe some medication to curb the agression, or suggest a behavioral specialist. And I agree, it sounds like a very bad idea to allow the "Devil child" into your house.

I would suggest getting her to a vet just to rule out a health problem, and then rehome her if you aren't comfortable with her being in your home. (I know that if I had kids and something like this happened, I certainly wouldn't be comfortable. That's not being unreasonable, that's just putting your kids before everything else.)

She should be fine in any home where there aren't any kids. She probably aquates little kids with being a danger to her, and that's why she reacted so violently. She probably has a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from having the Demon Child over. Personally, I don't think you could have known she would have reacted this way because of an abusive child. Cats are like people and they react differently to things.

You and your husband should also both be seen by doctors if the attack was that bad. Cat scratches are no laughing matter. Get the scratches checked - a doctor may want you on antibiotics or even give you a tetnus to be on the safe side.

Hi there,
There's is absolutely nothing wrong with you cat! Don't even think about that. The problem is the demon child! The next time that child is at your house and is harassing any of your pets may I suggest a good swat on the behind, not the cat, the kid! No parent should allow a child to harass an animal like that, and you tell his mother if he can't behave to not bring him over. I worked at an animal shelter for 5 years and we had so many cats/dogs brought in because they bit/attacked a child. I can say with certainly that 95% of the attacks were brought on by the child. Sorry for sounding so harsh but some parents are so stupid when it comes to raising children. They haven't got the common sense to teach a child to respect an animal! God that just irks me!

And yes a vet visit is a good idea because this cat could have been injured. Aggression is often an immediate response to pain.

Poor you and poor Star, what a horrible situation to be in

I grew up in a house full of persians, and one alpha neutered tom when my sister was a toddler took this kind of attitude towards her. He used to stalk her occasionally, and a few times when my parents weren't quick enough he pounced on her. She never ill treated him, Tobe never was ill treated in any way: we thought it was to do with that her movements were jerky, unpredictable and to an extent he was aware she was a 'kitten' - he was asserting himself over her before she could assert over him. In the same way that many very small children have to hit or bite something they're both fascinated by and afraid of to establish that they have control over it's unpredictability. The family managed the situation by looking for triggers, just as has been suggested- with Tobe, dark was a big part of it, and the toddler playing on the floor- and made sure at those times that he was shut in another part of the house, or that when he was trusted to come into the room, someone sat between him and the toddler.

I'm sure right now your mother instincts are screaming about not being able to have a threat to the children in the house and to do something about it quickly. At the end of the day no one can tell you what the best thing to do is, you're the only one qualified to make the best decision for you and for Star. However if she was immediately calm and responsive to you when you went into the room with her alone, that sounds very positive and as though you're not under pressure to make a decision immediately. Is it possible while the children are small, to have a child free zone in the house where Star can be, and to keep cats and children apart unless very carefully supervised for a few months? With the aid of some of the ideas others have suggested in this thread about reintroducing your stepson and Star gradually, she may be able to learn that while some children aren't safe, your stepson and baby are. Whatever you decide is the best thing to do, best wishes and much sympathy, these are horrible decisions to be making all around.