It was like he was possessed. We have had him since he was a kitten. He is three now. He has been so lovable. I did not see my daughter even touch him, and he jumped up and grabbed her arm. He was hissing like crazy. She got him off her, then he ran a few feet away and went back to attack her again. Even after I got him off her, he did not want to stop. Now I don't know what to do. Should I get him declawed. I do not want to get rid of him or have him put to sleep. Has anyone had something like this happen? My daughter teases him on occasion, but not this time.
2006-10-30 03:31:01 · 12 answers · asked by Dragonfly23 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
*That is very strange behavior. Do you think it is possible that your daughter is doing something mean to him when you're not looking? Declawing him will only solve his scratching problems but what if he decides to bite her. But give it a bit of time as he may not be feeling good or might just be plain jealous of your child.
2006-10-30 03:34:00 · answer #1 · answered by Clay 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
My kids chase after my cats some and so my cats automatically are on the defensive everytime the kids go running/screaming by or try to chase after them. You can't blame the cat. History has shown the daughter harasses him at times so he's always worried when she's around. But of course, your daughter is just a child and it's not right that she be attacked either.
I wouldn't recommend declawing because it is pretty painful from what I hear and it makes the cat loose the ability to fully "stretch" out it's knuckles. Maybe your cat has an anxiety disorder or maybe he is ill. You might consider having him checked out by a vet.
Also, remind your child never to bother the cat, to always be gentle when touching, to never run around him, never scream. You could try holding him in your lap and petting him and then having your daughter come up quietly and start petting him too. Maybe that would calm his fears of her & rebuild trust.
Good luck!
2006-10-30 11:43:04 · answer #2 · answered by Girl named Sue 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When there is a sudden behavior change, especially one involving aggression, a medical cause must always be ruled out first. Have the vet do a physical and blood work. Liver problems are frequently linked with unprovoked aggression, but it could be anything.
If the vet does not find a problem, you might consult a behaviorist. There may be signs that you are not seeing that indicate your cat does not like you daughter. Or, there could be routine/environmental changes that stressed your cat and made him more irritable. A behaviorist can tell you if this is treatable and if you daughter is safe.
In the meantime, probably best to keep them separated.
2006-10-30 11:37:31 · answer #3 · answered by melissa k 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
1. Did she make a noise? That could have been the problem.
2. More likely your daughter made some kind of physical expression by accident that you did not pick up on, but offended the cat. I’m used to these expressions my self, and have them down, but when I have friends come over sometimes they do something (before I can stop them) that angers one of my cats.
Best advice I have is just watch out for what kind of mood the cat is in, and act accordingly.
Also, why are you letting your daughter do the things to your cat? I hope you know that the cat sees you as a parent, and it seems to me you are showing favoritism. I do not mean to be rude, or tell you how to raise your kid, but perhaps you should punish your daughter for he behavior towards the cat.
2006-10-30 12:04:45 · answer #4 · answered by CrimsonH 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Cats have a tendency to identify people with different things. He will identify you with getting fed and petted and calm nice things, but since she teases him, he may see her as an enemy and/or rough playmate. My sister plays pretty rough with my cat, and now whenever he sees her, he runs up and pounces on her leg. And whenever she reaches to pet him, he rolls over and grabs onto her arm and bites it. Its more of how he would play with a cat than an attack, although I can see how a cat could associate someone as an enemy if they were too harsh in their teasing. Also, if he's not neutered, and she smelled like another cat, that could have caused it. I would encourage your daughter to do nice things with the cat, like feeding him, calmly petting him, giving him treats, etc., so he will associate her with those things instead.
2006-10-30 12:02:13 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the teasing can start the anymosity. has he done this just once, or repeated. cats dream, just like we do. perhaps he was having a bad dream and your daughter stroked him, even nicely. could have set him off. also, was she wearing a scent that he may have associated with something threatening? too many possibilities. essentially, though, was this a one time occurrence, or is the cat bent on your daughter's destruction? if the former, don't worry about it. if the latter, well, then you have a problem.
2006-10-30 11:40:58 · answer #6 · answered by catsovermen 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sounds almost like a case of jealousy, when I was a baby,
my sisters had a cat that would go into my playpen, and bite and scratch me, eventually we had to give the cat away. if a pet, especially a cat, suddenly realizes another
pet, or person is getting more attention, they will become jealous, and retalliate.
2006-10-30 11:42:57 · answer #7 · answered by LorHod36 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you may want to phone the vet and see if an appointment would be necesarry. there may be a medical reason. deffinatly have an examination done if this happens again. yesterday I was holding my one cat and I was going to put him down and he lashed out at me. something going on with animals lately, is there a full moon or something.
2006-10-30 11:41:33 · answer #8 · answered by macleod709 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's really strange...they say cats can see spirits. Maybe there was something there that you two couldn't see--that he could. That's the first thing that came to my mind. Very weird, hope your daughter's okay.
2006-10-30 11:34:27 · answer #9 · answered by ANGEL 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats hold grudges. Please do not get your kitty declawed. That is cruel.
Why would you let your daughter tease the cat? He may be afraid of her now.
Buy the cat some soft paws and teach your daughter how to treat animals.
2006-10-30 11:36:11 · answer #10 · answered by jaxchick23 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋