Sophie and Her Teeth!

Hello everyone.

I am Tracy the "mommy" to a wonderful 3 year old cat named Sophie. Sophie is a domestic short haired cat that is both fixed and declawed. She loves to play and she is the cuttest snuggler you ever want to meet. Although Sophie is adorable, the past 3 weeks with her have been miserable. Whenever I try to pet her, love her, play with her, or just walk by her, she is biting me. I know when my cat is playing she will bite with her teeth because she has no defense without her claws. The bites when she is playing is nothing in comparison to these bites. Just yesterday, I was sitting in the livingroom entertaining some guests and I reached over to get my drink from the table and she bit my arm so hard that she brought blood and bruising. This is becoming a regular pattern. We have a child who loves the cat adn there has never been any issues until now when Madelaine tries to so much as even move, the cat hisses at her and just goes wild. Is there something wrong with my cat physically, or is she just being a very agressive cat?

Sophie's shots are all up to date, she has been to her vet for a check, she was treated for a bladder infection but other than that she was fine. I could really use some advice because I am very concerned about her but am not really sure what the issue is.

Any ideas would be wonderful!

Thanks!
Tracy (Sophie_catt)

Well, It could be a number of things. Cats usually lash out for one of 2 reasons. Either there is something wrong with her health that you can't see yet, or there is something in the enviroment that has changed and upset her. I would think back to anything that is different or has changed even in the slight over the period of time she has been doing this. If it's medical, then of course a vet visit is in order. If it is behavioral, then once you can maybe pin point a change or two, you can work with her to help.

Hey there! Thank you for responding. The main change in the home is just the Christmas Tree and decorations. Would that elicit a response such as this one?

Oh yeah!! Any little thing can effect cats differently. She is probably either scared of it, or if you scat her away from it, then she may just be telling you she does not appreciate it. If it is the tree, you can do things like give her treats near it and try to make it more pleasant for her. If need be, you can also keep her in one room until it is gone. I know it's extreme, but it's better than getting bit. You can also try using Dr bachs rescue remedy until the holidays are over. You can get it at any health food store. For fast results, you just put 4 drops on the tounge or you can just keep putting it in her water if she drinks often. It helps to ease the nerves. Now, it doesn't work on all cats, but it does on a good amount of them. It may help her to cope with all the holiday comotion. Cat's are very emotional creatures. Of course, yours may be a little amplified because of the declaw. I hope you can ease her out of this.

I am going to try some treats in front of it now. I have been spraying her to get her away from under the tree..it seems all the time. She loves it and the lights and the ornaments and everything about it. Let me see if that works. That is a very good suggestion. Thank you!

I noticed one thing that you said about Sophie and your issue with the biting. If you have been spraying her for something that you said she absolutely loves, she just might be letting you know she doesn't appreciate the dicipline.

I would suggest trying to make the tree a little more cat friendly and let her enjoy the tree and try the treats without the spraying. I have a five year old (also fixed and declawed) that we make a bed for under the tree. I don't decorate with glass or breakable stuff on the bottom and let them enjoy Christmas with us.

You may want to give it a try. Good Luck and Merry Christmas.

I don't know how old Madeleine is, but I think she has to be your first priority. A cat can severely hurt a child, or an adult (as you obviously know!), and how are you going to feel if, 5 years or more down the line, you are taking your daughter to a plastic surgeon for repair of scars on her face caused by this cat you're so afraid to traumatize?

Perhaps Sophie could have her own tree, in her bedroom area, with cat-friendly toys? Let her know she's still your girl, but remember that Madeleine is a bit more important than a cat!

I think the advice you got from Sandie seems to be right on. I hope it helped you. But I have to chime in here, regarding Roxy's post. I think she is right, Madeleine should be the concern especially if your cat is biting as hard as you describe.

My cat has never really scratched or bit my children, but I am telling you it would only have to happen once. That is the one behavior from my furball that is not acceptable. We had some potty issues, and some scratching carpet issues. I am willling to work thru just about anything with her. But I will not tolerate any sort of harm to my kids, no matter how important my cat is to me.

So, I hope you are able to work thru the issues you have w/ the cat, and I pray that nobody gets bitten anymore!!