My cat attacked my 6 yr old & husband

Oh, gosh. It's a terrible situation, and I know you must feel desperate, but please... don't even consider declawing your kitty. Declawing (which is actually the amputation of the last joint of every toe) often warps a cat's personality forever. Between the pain of the surgery and recovery, the ongoing phantom pain of the amputations, and the fear of being deprived of her primary defenses and some of her climbing ability, an otherwise lovely cat will sometimes become profoundly fearful and withdrawn.

At the shelter where I volunteer, I've seen this countless times -- people adopt a precious little kitten, then bring her back to us a few months later because they declawed her and now her whole personality has changed, she won't use the litterbox, etc. I hope you'll find another way. All good wishes...

Thanks you all for your nice words and input. I got to see my Princess today. We went to the SPCA and she was back there with the "bad dogs" she was the only cat back there. My husband does the "All in the family wistle" toon and she meows so loud. We were so happy to hear it. We had to put Winston down before we got Princess due to old age and fluid on his lungs, would always come to that wistle. We both hate what come with declawing and what it does to the cat, we know all about it. It is the only option to bring her back in our home with Hanna. We love it that our friends would take her but she is our kitty and she deserves another chance and she is a part of our family and we want not only Hanna safe, but us. That is why we didn't do it when we 1st got her because of what it does to a cat. I know it's like cutting a persons finger off. I would rather have her declawed then put to sleep. We took her to a great vet today that is going to observe her for 10 days (that was the rules SPCA gave us since we came and got her today) and then they will declaw her. You could tell how happy she was and I got to hold her. When they were giving us problems about getting her today I told Jason I was going to break her out of there after they closed I miss her hogging my space on my body pillow at night, I miss her when I open the fridge and her putting her claws up there and stretching.. I could go on and on why I miss her but you all understand.. I know my mom will flip so we are going to keep it to ourselves until we get her back and udner control... Kep your fingers crossed that everythign works out... I am counting down these 10 days.. Hope they pass fast....

I forgot to add that Hanna misses Princess as much as we do. She said this morning that daddy was mean by putting her upstairs, which the cat ran up there, and then by putting her in her carrier, which is a the one my grown Lab used years ago, so it was plenty big for her. I told Hanna we were going to visit her today and she wrote her a litttle note and told me what to say to her so I am glad she is not scared. We talked with Veterinary Behavior Consultations here in New Orleans yesterday and they were the ones who said get her from SPCA ASAP into a vet and reintroduce her to Hanna. I get to visit her her everyday and it is just right down the street and she is in a huge cage with no dogs around her.. They said the kitty valium may have caused it and sometimes the vet doesnt tell you the side affects the meds cause. They are going to check her where the animal control guy grabbed her with that wire stick thingy it was around the waste according to Jason and he check her incision from the spay and it looked good..

She is lucky to have such a loving family to welcome her back. Best of luck with her, I hope things go fine from now on!

If it is determined that the attacked was caused by the Valium, are you still going to have her declawed?

I'm very glad that you went and got Princess back. I hope that once the cause of the attack is determined (and if it was indeed caused because of an outside stimulant), you'll rethink your idea of declawing.

I may be harsh here with you but I'm
completely opposed to declawing.

I think this
is one topic that people need education on.

Do NOT declaw her JUST so you can KEEP her!!

Declawing cats leads
almost without fail somewhere along the line
to pooping outside box issues. Maybe next year
or 2 years or 10... but somewhere down the line...

Many of the cats at shelters wind up there
because of this problem, that is CAUSED by
declawing. Ask around... all the rescue groups will
tell you this. Then they get put down...

A cat that cannot claw - can BITE!
(Believe me, I've been clawed and bitten
many times... ) Biting is worse than clawing...

Please, please talk to multiple vets, rescue
groups. etc

they will ALL tell you the same thing.

Once it begins, (peeing and pooping problems associated
with declawing) you will wind up putting the cat to sleep
or giving to the shelter because no one wants a cat that goes out
of the box!!

Including you and hubby--
no matter how much you profess you love her.

I know you want to keep her, and I *don't* mean to
be harsh, but please don't be shelfish! You HAVE
a potential home lined up. You have options to the
declawing.

You don't want
her to pee and poop outside the box and have trouble
all her life with this.

And think of the pain Princess will suffer ALL HER LIFE because
of declawing! It is as if you were having your own knuckles cut off!!
Would YOU do that to YOU? Or to your child? OR someone you "love"?

If you have a heart, let her go to a better home where
she can be happy AS IS!

No children to mess with her, no declawing -
just lots of love and the ability to be a whole cat - not
mutilated.

If you need another cat for your child or for your
self to fill the void left behind - you can *always*
give a home to one of the many many cats awaiting
home in shelter.

Shelters and rescue groups can help you find a
purrrfect match for you.

Although it hurts you...the cat would be happier,
and YOU would be teaching your child a great lesson
about responsiblity and making hard decisons.

Just my two cents.

Originally Posted by Jillian

If it is determined that the attacked was caused by the Valium, are you still going to have her declawed?

I'm very glad that you went and got Princess back. I hope that once the cause of the attack is determined (and if it was indeed caused because of an outside stimulant), you'll rethink your idea of declawing.

Click to expand...

me too

Please,please,please re-think declawing her!!!!!!!! It will not solve the problem. she will just learn to bite instead of clawing. You have another home for her, please consider giving her up instead of cutting off her some of her toes.The pain you experience by giving her up will be nothing compared to the pain inflicted on her if she gets declawed. Please make the right decision and don't declaw her. She will lead a much happier life if she is left with her paws in tact in another home. I understand that you want your family to be safe, but declawing a cat is not the answer. She does deserve another chance with your family but not if she is declawed. That would be a horrible punnishment for her. Please reconsider giving her to your friends so she won't be declawed. It is the most humane and loving thing you could do.

I want to know more about the vet who spayed her. Why did he hang up? Were you upset when you were trying to talk to him? I would also want a full report of what he had done to her. How long after the spaying did the incident occur?

It is horrible the way animal control treated her. She must be more traumatized than ever, by now. I'm glad you got her out of there.

You need a new vet, you need to find out what caused the attack and you need to completely reintroduce her to your home. PLEASE rethink declawing her, as it is not the only way to make her 'normal'. I've known several cats who have become MORE aggressive after declawing. Also, if the pain from the spay is what freaked her out...god help you if you decalw her. Bites are much, much worse than scratches.

Bless your little girl's heart for caring so much about the kitty in spite of everything! She is a brave and loving little soul.

I hope you will try bringing Princess home -- with claws trimmed, but oh PLEASE, not removed -- and giving her time to settle back into a normal life. I really believe it will work -- but if it doesn't, please let Princess go live with your friends. Don't let her be maimed.

You must feel we're ganging up on you, and I guess we are... but we're doing it with good reason. Declawing is not only morally wrong, but also counterproductive. It will not solve anything, and will almost certainly cause MORE problems.

Sending you good wishes for a happy outcome...

I definitely agree with everyone who has advised against declawing. It will almost certainly not help and will probably make the situation worse.

Declawing is EXTREMELY painful - almost any vet will tell you this. Think about how much it would hurt to have all your fingers cut off at the first knuckle! Pain causes cats to behave erratically and does cause them to lash out unpredictably. And the pain is not just in the short term after the operation. Phantom limb pain is extremely common whenever an appendage is amputated - this is when the amputated body part feels like it is still there and extremely painful. If you know anyone who has had an arm or leg amputated, ask them about it. They'll tell you it's awful. This kind of chronic pain will make your cat much more likely to attack in the future.

Declawing also removes only the front toes. Out of the cat's three "weapons" (front claws, back claws, and teeth), the front claws are the least damaging. A scratch from a front claw is just a scratch. A scratch from a back claw is pretty much a nasty open gash, because the back claws are much less sharp. And a bite, well forget it. Cat bites are nasty and they can send you to the emergency room. A cat without his front claws will have only his back claws and teeth to defend himself with. You're a million times better off if the cat has his front claws as a choice.

If you declaw, you will have a cat who is in severe pain and who has only her two deadlier weapons in her arsenal. There is just no way anyone will be safer in this situation. Have you talked with the behaviorists about declawing? I suspect that they would second the recommendations of everyone here - it is not a solution!

I second, third or forth the DO NOT DECLAW her idea. It will only lead to more problems down the line. They don't just remover the claws and all is well. There is an incredib;e amount of pain and suffering to go along with it. Plus the litterbox issues... and she can still BITE, and she will. You think you have problems now...just wait until u have her claws ripped out.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not declaw this cat. If you are going to do that can I suggest that you find another home for this baby and perhaps try another kitty for you? (Of course not declawed either). There is a reason that it is banned in many countries - in Australia it is listed under the Cruelty to Animals Act with the RSPCA. It is barbaric and torture for the poor kit, and trust me you will have SO many behavioural issues to deal with if you do this - you think it's bad now, just wait until you have her declawed and see how she behaves when she is in agony and hates you for doing it to her.

Don't declaw. If it's in your contract (if the cat is purebred Siamese she will come from a breeder) I would strongly advise against it.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by semiferal

I definitely agree with everyone who has advised against declawing. It will almost certainly not help and will probably make the situation worse.

Declawing is EXTREMELY painful - almost any vet will tell you this. Think about how much it would hurt to have all your fingers cut off at the first knuckle! Pain causes cats to behave erratically and does cause them to lash out unpredictably. And the pain is not just in the short term after the operation. Phantom limb pain is extremely common whenever an appendage is amputated - this is when the amputated body part feels like it is still there and extremely painful. If you know anyone who has had an arm or leg amputated, ask them about it. They'll tell you it's awful. This kind of chronic pain will make your cat much more likely to attack in the future.

Declawing also removes only the front toes. Out of the cat's three "weapons" (front claws, back claws, and teeth), the front claws are the least damaging. A scratch from a front claw is just a scratch. A scratch from a back claw is pretty much a nasty open gash, because the back claws are much less sharp. And a bite, well forget it. Cat bites are nasty and they can send you to the emergency room. A cat without his front claws will have only his back claws and teeth to defend himself with. You're a million times better off if the cat has his front claws as a choice.

If you declaw, you will have a cat who is in severe pain and who has only her two deadlier weapons in her arsenal. There is just no way anyone will be safer in this situation. Have you talked with the behaviorists about declawing? I suspect that they would second the recommendations of everyone here - it is not a solution!

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Normally cats who are declawed resort to biting as their defense. And you certainly don't want to risk being bitten by a cat, especially your daughter. Cat bites almost always cause an infection. One of the Drs at work was recently bitten on the hand by a declawed cat and it was swollen to twice it size. It was swollen and very painful for about 2 weeks!!

Try clipping the claws regularly, applying soft paws and giving her lots and lots of appropriate things to scratch on (and praising her when she does).

Please reconsider your decison!

I also agree with those opposed to declawing. Please don't do it. It is inhumane and unkind.

Your darling kitty's behaviour that day was caused by something, possibly a reaction to the valium or something else. Declawing her is not the answer. Work out why she did what she did and treat the cause.

Best of luck no matter what your decision.

I agree with finding a new vet.

Such a sad sad incident. My heart hurts for your family and for Princess. I can understand your reluctance to bring the cat back into your family with a small child at risk. I once had a friend whose cat was spayed and it attacked her in much the same way about a week after returning home. The vet felt that it had something to do with hormones and the spay but nothing was ever resolved. She also had her cat put to sleep as she was afraid of her. I wonder how often this happens. Has anyone else heard of similar incidents?

I have to add my voice - do NOT declaw your kitty. It is counterproductive. Many dec;awed kitties become biters and you still really do not know why she acted the way she did. It could be a number of things and many cats act strangely when administered valium. I cannot understand why the vet gave that to a cat post spay - it makes no sense, pain meds and antibics are essetial but valium? I wonder if she has an infection or there is some toxin from the hurricane? Even the stress of the hurricane itself may have affected her. I know one woman who managed to save 9 of her 10 cats from New Orleans and they are all suffereing post traumatic stress and 2 are quite aggressive but getting better. I do think this kitty needs a second chance - it is likely this incident occured thru no fault of her own.

I really do not understand why you would call Animal Control and not your vet. I could see AC if it was someone else's pet but not your own!! AC will now have her in their books as a dangerous cat and they would put her to sleep , punish her for what is most prob a medical issue. I do wish you well - it is tough situation.