bad kitty

my 12 yr old male cat attacked me pretty bad, spent 5 days in the hospital for bad infection,he got spooked by a bag and then a calender fell on him and that was it he attacked what should i do.what would of caused this?please help

What caused it was that he was frightened and that's the way cats can react - trying to protect themselves from whatever they perceive is a threat. At that moment he felt threatened and you were there! I'm sure he would not have attacked you if he hadn't been scared.

I don't think you have to do anything - it's probably just a one time thing.

If you feel or show fear of him now though, he'll probably pick up on that and your relationship may become a bit strained. Try to relax and know that it was just his reaction to a fright.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

What caused it was that he was frightened and that's the way cats can react - trying to protect themselves from whatever they perceive is a threat. At that moment he felt threatened and you were there! I'm sure he would not have attacked you if he hadn't been scared.

I don't think you have to do anything - it's probably just a one time thing.

If you feel or show fear of him now though, he'll probably pick up on that and your relationship may become a bit strained. Try to relax and know that it was just his reaction to a fright.

Click to expand...

He had just been sick too. That tends to have an affect on cats' behavior.

What a scary thing to happen! Just remember cats are real different than dogs. If a 12 y/o dog attacked its owner, it would need a retraining period to remind it that the owner is in charge and alpha animal. But with cats, there is no such need.

You already explained why he was frightened. The infection was just an unlucky reaction to the germs introduced when he bit you. As long as you aren't afraid of him, all will be ok. If you are afraid, they you need to work to reestablish your comfort with the animal who has been a good companion for over a decade!

Yah what everyone else said.

Its just redirected aggresion. Not meant for you but cats have to vent somehow and you were just there.

The most common example is when a cat sees another cat outside and gets all tense over it. Then you go over to pet him and he'll take a swipe or attack your hand. The cat was so prepared for battle it didn't distingish between you and the cat outside.

Another time I thought I would introduce my cat to my roommates small dog (stupid idea!). My cat is laid back and I never expected what ended up happening. That cat wtih all his might climbed my face to the top of my head where he balance claws fully out and used my head as a springboard to jump as far away as possible. I had some pretty serious cuts on my face and head. I still have scarring from that incident. It takes these sorts of incidents for us to realize when to stay away from the cat if tension builds.