My cat attacked my 6 yr old & husband

[dixichik]

Hey.. I am new here and just really looking for answers or advice. I got my Princess, a steele tipped Siamese, on Mother's Day this year. She was the sweetest thing in the world and we have never had a problem with her. We had her spayed 2 weeks ago and everything went fine. Yesterday morning we were getting out of bed and our daughter was on the edge of it talking to us. Out of nowhere the cat jumped in the air and attacked my daughter like she was lettuce and my husband was doing everythign in his power to get her off of our daughter. He has deep scratches from his shoulders to his wrists and several puncture wounds from teeth and a bad one on the inside of tumb(fat part) that goes to the bone. Hanna's hair was teased like I had done and once we got out of the bedroom I ran to the kitchen as he had gotten the cat outside on the balcony. I took my hands of Hanna and it looked like something off a horror movie she was covered in blood. She has 2 punctures over her eyebrow that are deep look like they are from teeth, scratchs on her arm, puncture wounds in face. I felt so bad for her. Right after this we gave kitty a valium they had given us at the vet after her surgery. 1 hour later kitty started coming for Hanna and I picked her up and hauled butt to her bedroom and Jason was standing at the bedroom door and the cat went for his face but Jason got her away and she ran downstairs. It went crazy even sedated. We are so sad and we miss her so bad. We had to call the animal patrol to come and get her and watching her being taken away broke my heart. She looked so confused and scared and I know she is. They called this morning wanting some more info and they were about to go observe her and they said we could come have 15 min visits with her. We just cant bring her back scared that she would get Hanna or even us. It was a violent attack and lucky we got her away. I called the vet she had the surgery at and they hung up on my 2 times. I got Hanna and Jason both on antibiotics and just watching both closely...
Just wanted some input on this and what all you cat lovers think about this. Thank you..
Missing Princess!!!

 

[sunnicat]

How terribly traumatic for you all! I'm afraid I have no advice, but someone will come along soon. Just wanted to extend my sympathy and let you know that you and your family are in my thoughts during this difficult time. Take care.

 

[touro1979]

Since I wasn't there I cant say for sure but it seems that the injuries received by both your daughter and husband were made worse by your husbands actions(I am speculating becasue IDK all the facts). From what you said it sounds like your cat went after your child and your husband grabbed the cat. BIGGGG mistake. When a cat gets scared its likly to cause much more damage then when you try to remove it calmly. It would have been better if he gently grabbed the cat and removed the animal talking with a calming voice the hole time. By grabbing quickly the animal became more frightened and went even more crazy. This is a tough situation because your first instinct is to protect your child by any means. Usually it is best not to make any sudden movements when a cat attacks you. If you become limp they are likly to stop attacking. I have been "attacked" by strange cats before and beleive it or not I think the best way to minimize injury is to go limp/not make any sudden movements and slowly retreat. If this violent behavior continues toward your child then you should try to find a new home for it that has no children residing in it. Some cats are just not good around children. I not sure why you called animal control though/seems extreme to me. I would have just seperated the child and the animal and then sat back and put some thought into it. I find that most kids are really stupid around cats and if they mess with the wrong one they get bit. Make sure that your child knows how to properly treat and act around an animal. My parents always told me to leave the cats alone unless they approach me and there not toys. I find it hard to believe how some children act around animals treating them as if they are stuffed animals, pulling tails and picking up in inappropriate manners. This is why I dont allow any children or non-family members to handle my cats. I am not saying your child does this just mentioning it for the sake of argument.

 

[dixichik]

Thank you so much... I want to go see her so bad because in 10 days they will put her to sleep. I hate being here and she is locked up in that cage. But it is for the best I guess. I just wish there was some kind of magic medicine that would help her...

 

[dixichik]

Princess has slept with Hanna since she came home with us and has always treated Princess great. We have never had to get on her once about unappropriate touching or handling. From what I can remember because it happened so fast Jason didn't grab the cat, there was no way he could because it was like Princess grew wings and was flying. We seperated Princess and Hanna for several hours. I think she had sprayed while she attacked because there was wet everywhere in our bedroom. We have a blue tarp down on the floor in our bedroom because we live 10 miles from New Orleans and had some damage from Hurricane Katrina. If we would have stood there quietly Hanna would have been mauled to death. I think it was some kind of chemical balance gone wrong in her brain. I am a RN and that is all I can think of really. This wasnt a hiss and one scratch little fight this was something out of a Stephen King novel. She had been upstairs for 2 hours till the guy got here and she was sounding all sweet and Jason opened the door and she went nuts again. She was no provoked at any time that is why we are so confused...

 

[gailc]

Is she spayed yet?
This incident sounds similar to watch happened with my dad several yrs ago. He was feeding his neighbor's indoor/outdoor cat and one day they cat attacked him. When he went to the emergency room the MD couldn't believe a cat had done this damage. He had to contact their neighbor to make sure the cat had its rabies shot current (it did).
The next day mom went to feed the cat and she was as nice as can be. The only idea of what happened what that the cat was in heat and its hormones went wacky.
This incident never repeated itself.
Did you get this cat from a breeder? If yes I would contact them for assistance.

 

[lotsocats]

Oh my! This is horrific! I feel so bad for you and your family and also for the cat.

Since your cat was never aggressive like this before surgery, my bet is that there is something medical going on that caused the problem. If the cat was still taking valium, this could be the problem because valium (in very very rare cases) can cause what we call "rage reactions." If this is what happened, the behavior of your cat would fit the rage reaction perfectly.

Also, if the cat has developed an infection from the surgery, she may behave aggressively because she is sick. The loss of urine during the attack tells me that she was frightened, which suggests that she was not attacking just for the sake of attacking.

You said that you live outside of New orleans. Did Princess experience the hurricane or was she evacuated? If she went through the hurricane, she may be injured or ill or just still scared as heck because of it, or she may have been exposed to toxins that would cause her to behave in this manner.

Have they noticed any more bizzare aggression since she was taken away?

also, why did the vet hang up on you???

 

[opilot]

Oh, how horrid for all of you - cat, husband, you and
esp. the child!!

I wish I could do something more, but all I can
do is direct you to the Best Friends website.

They are a no kill sanctuary/shelter/animal welfare group. They
have an EXCELLENT VET on the forums website, who
can give you referrals, drugs to try, AND insight into the problems.

They also have a FAQ about aggression in cats -
and it will be very helpful to you to read.

best friends is at: URL:

http://www.bestfriends.org/

search the search box with the term "cat aggression"
to come up with link below:

http://www.bestfriends.org/includes/sitewide.cfm

Of course, sadly at this point the cat may well have to be
put down since you are (understandably!!)
scared to get it back, and animal control cannot handle it.

Animal control in situations like these are often the WRONG
people to call. While they will remove the pet,
their focus is on "safe pets" and they have to worry
about public health, aka rabies and other diseases.

An aggressive cat or dog brought in is under an instant death
sentence. Unfair, but that's how they usually work.

A vet or rescue group with long experience,
is the first place to go when there are behavior
problems.

Before you check out Best Friends,
please re-contact your vet, and
ask if they know of any animal behaviorist you could
speak to about the cat?

If it were I, I would take the cat back home (provided it
is current on rabies), and isolate it in its
own room/bathroom.

I would then try desperately to either find
a foster (hard I know

or work with Best
Friends to find some alternate arrangements
for the cat.

If it is not possible to do this, please do not beat up on
yourself. Your reaction is totally normal, and your
fears for safety and for child are definitely valid.

It would be great if you could work through this and
keep kitty so that things go back to "normal" for
all concerned (esp. so the child doesn't have lingering
fears of cats!).

Hugs and prayers and best wishes to all of you.

 

[maiseycat]

Wow, that's horrible. I've heard of that happening with dogs, but not cats. Just the other day, I witnessed a small dog jump out of its owner's arms and attack a small boy on the grounds of our apartment complex. Luckily, the mom was right there and grabbed the kid. I don't know if the kid was badly hurt because the mom just carried him away crying.

I know that if cats get scared and/or smell other animals, they can attack. My neighbor was carrying her cat, and came over to talk to me. Maisey took one look at the cat, growled and bit the girl's leg. Luckily, she didn't seem to be badly hurt. I cleaned off the wound and gave her a bandage. But, she could've probably sued and had the cat taken away from me if she'd wanted. Maisey also has gotten scared when I've taken her out on her cat leash, and she smells other animals. She got vicious and came close to biting me. She wouldn't even let me pick her up. I was able to divert her attention and take her inside. I thought something was wrong with her, but I've heard these reactions are common. It was fortunately not as severe as your case. Animals are animals, domesticated or not... I hope you can find answers somehow. You can't blame yourself - you and your husband were only protecting your family. Good luck!

 

[sibohan2005]

A lady where I work named Denise 3 weeks ago was bitten by her 16 year old cat. It was an isolated incident and nothing has happened since. I thing she spooked her cat who is probably going a bit deaf and potentially senile. I advide your family to get updated on tetnus shots in case of puncture wounds. I hope she grows out of her little spat.
P.S. Ever since my parents Dog was fixed she oly likes women and just tolerates men

 

[keef]

In your first post, you mentioned that she was spayed two weeks ago. She may have lashed out because of pain from the procedure.

I know that sometimes cats do nasty things that are out of character, I'm not excusing the cat's behavior, please don't get me wrong.

I haven't read all the posts and I do agree that animal control was extreme.

Not the same situation but some extremely minor similarities. My ex-husband put one strike on my late cat Mephisto's life. He was playing too rough with Mephisto and got him all worked up to the point where he would have taken a chunk out of anything out of overstimulation. My ex-hubby then said "okay Mephisto, that's enough for now" and put his hand down and roughly rubbed Mephisto's belly fur the wrong way and all back and forth. Mephisto reacted like a rattlesnake and bit through the fleshy part of my ex's thumb. My ex then went on a rampage going after Mephisto, which included throwing a coffeetable and 12 ft sofa across the room trying to get him. To this day, I believe if he had caught Mephisto, he may have killed him. I clipped the leash on Sabina's harness and took her outside for a walk and to get her out of there.

From that day onward, Mephisto never went near my ex-husband and that infuriated my ex even more. That Mephisto would sleep on the bed with me and Sabina but when he came into the room, Mephisto would get up and leave.

My ex demanded to be taken to the hospital and they filed a report. If Mephisto had bitten one more person, the state would have put him down. I don't know if the laws have changed since then. All my ex needed was a band-aid but he demanded a rabies shot anyway.

Needless to say, in the divorce settlement, I got Sabina and Mephisto.

I am so sorry that that happened and I sincerely hope and pray that something can be done that will be beneficial to your family ~including your cat~

I know that when I had Sofia spayed, they told me that there were multiple layers of sutures and I was to make sure that she stayed very calm and I couldn't play with her or let her jump for weeks afterwards. I still have the feeling there may have been pain involved.

I'm not a vet or anything, but am curious about why the vet has hung up on you...that doesn't sound right at all.

I really do hope that this all works out. I can tell you, I've had two Siamese and have been acquainted with many others and can only think of one that was antisocial - a lilac point who hated everyone including her owners.

Sorry for such a long post - hope it wasn't too horribly off topic.

 

[beckiboo]

It is clear from your post that Princess is a beloved pet, and acted out of character. If that was my cat, I would get a large dog crate and bring Princess home to live temporarily in the crate. She needs a complete vet visit, and then time at home to see if she will settle down and be a good pet again.

It is not just your feelings at stake, but also Princess and your daughter. If you do not do everything possible to save Princess, it will break your daughter's heart. Bring her home, and put her in a large crate in your daughter's room. Do not let her have access to your child outside of the crate, but let her come to the bedroom where she has spent so many happy nights. Then, if kitty seems ok, with your daughter out of the room, let her out for short periods of time with you or your husband. Give her another chance to see if she will be ok. Give your daughter time to learn, with the safety of the cage, if Princess can stay. If the kitty acts like she wants to attack through the cage, you know something is seriously wrong in her head.

And you said your daughters hair was done in an elaborate style. Is is possible Princess saw something that looked strange and smelled like hairspray, and was trying to protect your daughter? Then with the ensuing excitement attacked your hubby?

I know it is a stretch, but I think all concerned will feel better if Princess can have another chance to learn to trust all of you, while you learn to trust her in a safe way. A large crate is a good way to do so.

 

[gardenandcats]

This sure is a very perplexing situation. How is your cats behavior at the shelter? Is she showing any signs of trying to attack? What you have describe is beyond the normal behavior that I have ever heard of.My thoughts would be some type of brain problem... Brain tumor ect? Wish I had some answeres for you. This sure does sound like a vicious unprovoked attack.
How long agao was she spayed? And why on earth would the vet that did the spaying hang up on you. This is odd also. I have had quite a few cats spayed before. I have never had any vet suggest they needed valium either.
I really don't know what caused this. I'm so sorry for all of you and your cat...

 

[hissy]

I have to wonder where Princess was when the hurricane hit? Was she exposed to the toxic water? Left alone in the house where she might have had to take a drink of bad water to survive? Are they running blood tests on her? If not, I think I would demand a tox screen on her. Those are my thoughts as I think of this unfortunate cat that is now on death row-

I don't know why your vet prescribed valium after a spay? That is highly unusual in and of itself unless she exhibited some sort of traumatic behavior due to living through Katrina. Take a few deep breaths and call your vet back and ask them calmly to help you try and figure out this puzzle. Did she do anything unusual to them before the spay or afterwards?

 

[carolpetunia]

I can't even imagine your horror at watching this happen to your little girl, and your husband's reaction was perfectly natural-- he can't be blamed. But oh, please don't let them put your kitty down!

It's true that there are some cats who have inherent emotional problems that cause them to suddenly turn on people that way -- I've encountered quite a few at the shelter where I volunteer, and I have the scars to prove it. But it doesn't sound like your kitty is one of those. I think she was under some kind of influence, either drugs or pain or both.

If the vet is avoiding your calls, might that suggest that he did something during her surgery to cause this? I know there are several kinds of anesthesia, and when I had my Clyde neutered, I paid extra to be sure they used "the good kind," a drug that didn't cause a lot of side effects and cleared his system quickly.

Anyway, she might be her normal self once her pain is gone and the drugs are fully out of her system...but the sad thing is, you won't know for sure for awhile, because now she's been traumatized by being caged at animal control, and THAT may affect her behavior. And if you bring her home (which I hope you will), you'll have to keep her isolated for awhile (at least from Hanna), and that, too, is an unnatural situation that may keep her on edge. So it's going to be a long haul in any case.

It might be that you don't want to have her back, especially if you think Hanna would be afraid of her. If you do bring her home, please be sure to trim her claws first. And if you don't bring her home... please try to find a new home for her, a no-kids home with people who are prepared to work with her if necessary. Don't let her be put down for something that may have been beyond her control, and may never happen again.

Bless your family...

 

[dixichik]

We miss her and want to be able to bring her home. Calling animal control was extreme but we didn't know what to do. We had her in her cage and after the 2nd attack we put her upstairs in a bedroom. We are going up to see her tomorrow and calling our regular vet and see if they can give her a physical. We have a friend that would love to take her if she doesn't work out here. We don't want her to be put to sleep. She is only 8 months old. We didn't want to get her declawed when she was a baby just knowing what they go through. We were putting the fake kitty claws on her put if we have to declaw her to keep her here and everyone safe we will have to go that route. We evacuated a day before the hurricane hit and where we are the toxins aren't a problem. She is a inside cat also. Thanks for all the inpt and I will let you know what the vet says.
Thanks!
Ashley

 

[maiseycat]

I just wanted you to keep in mind that even if you declaw her, she can still bite. My cat is declawed, mainly to protect the furniture and me - she would follow me around and scratch at my legs - didn't hurt that much, and I know she was just playing, but it still left marks. Well, now she substitutes biting for scratching. Luckily, she doesn't bite at my legs much anymore, but she bites my books and things when she wants attention. She also has gotten fearful when I took her outside and she smelled other cats - she tried to bite when I reached for her, and would've really hurt me if she'd been successful. Cats can still pack a punch w/o claws. I'm not trying to deter you from de-clawing, just giving you something to think about.

Hopefully, your situation is also an isolated incident. You do have to look out for your family, though, do what is best for them. I hope you can figure something out so you can keep the kitty, or at least get another home for her.

 

[yosemite]

I on the other hand would definitely try to deter you from de-clawing. Clipping is much better IMO.

I've had several Siamese in my life and Siamese crosses. Our Simba bit all of us badly when we first brought him home because he was totally freaked out and scared. Once he settled he was the most loving, amazing cat.

I honestly think your poor Princess must be in pain or something is wrong physically. I cannot imagine her attacking like that for no reason.

I hope you will do whatever you can to diagnose the problem and keep this beautiful animal alive.

I also hope this incident does not colour Hanna's view of cats for her future. I think I would try to impress upon her that the kitty was not feeling well or it would not have hurt her.

Our two current Siamese have amazing dispositions but i have no doubt that if they were hurt or scared they could be very aggressive and do some serious damage.

Please try to get to the bottom of why she behaved like this.

Good luck to you and your family.

 

[kumbulu]

This article has some great advice: http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_B...ggression.html

Good luck in finding a solution to this that benefits everyone.

 

[rang_27]

I wanted to respond to your post yesterday, but it was so difficult for me to read that I needed to think about it. I can't even imagine the pain this is causing you, it's obvious to me that you love this little kitty. My Jordan once attacked my friends mother. It seemed to be unprovoked, but I know my Jordan & the problem was she was holding him & making eye contact. Jordan has a very strong alpha drive & making eye contact is a challange to cats, so he become aggressive when challenged. I'm sure you've replayed the scene in your head a thousand times, but was there anything unusual about that morning? I do think it sounds like a medical thing. I also think that it's good that you have a friend willing to take her so that she won't get put down. Best wishes to you & your family & I hope everything works out with her.