Our female cat, who is 2.5 yrs. old suddenly got very violent this past weekend. So violent that she bit and scratched my husband several times. She has never acted like this before. We did have a male neighbor's cat in for a while for them to play together (they've done this for several months and never had a problem). Suddenly she went crazy leaping at us hissing and growling. We're not sure what happened. I got to thinking maybe the male cat "bothered" her litter box. We ended up having to get Animal Control to come and help us catch her. She has to stay there for 10 days, while they observe her. We're hoping to get her back and take her to our vet's office to get her checked out. Has anyone else had this problem?
2007-02-12 16:39:28 · 10 answers · asked by sleepyhead 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
I can't believe how horrible most of you are. I did not want to call Animal Control, my vet actually suggested it. We did attempt to let her calm down....for hours, and she only seemed to get worse. I am so heartbroken over my decision. I can't wait for the 10 days to be over so I can pick her up, and I'm quite aware that she could never be the same. Calling AC was our very last resort. I begin to cry when I start thinking of how terrified she is. Quit judging me, all I asked for was if any of you had heard of this type of behavior. To answer your question, yes she is fixed.
2007-02-13 04:16:50 · update #1
Yes, they can go feral, but not usually violently or suddenly. I think you have another problem but outside of a sickness, I can't think what it is.
Cats are not typically social to the point of needing a visiting cat, but I have never seen this type of behavior related to territorial display or jealousy. Have you called your vet yet to ask what they think is going on? Please do.
2007-02-12 16:51:19 · answer #1 · answered by Batty 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your female is not spayed it might be a mating response. If she hasn't had her annual vacinations, it might be distemper, rabies, etc. However, if she and the neighbor cat were rough housing and she felt it was getting too rough for her but didn't know how to stop it, she probably just panicked. I have a male and female cats, both fixed, who "wrestle" almost daily. Female is about 6 pounds and 3" smaller than the male but usually it is she who instigates these wrestling sessions. However, when he gets too rough for her (and he never seems to know when enough is enough), she kind of gets blind to everyone else around so anyone approaching her or even passing by, she'll hiss and attack until she calms down enough to differentiate who you are. That's what it sound like has happened in your house. Animal control keeps your animal for 10 days to make sure it doesn't have rabies so if you have her rabie shot vet papers, take it as proof to the AC and reclam your cat as soon as you can, don't wait 10 days because you risk finding out they killed your cat. And stop bringing other cats into your home.
2007-02-12 18:06:46 · answer #2 · answered by Inundated in SF 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure I would have gone to the extreme of getting animal control, however you need to assess a few things - is your cat desexed? If not, then bringing a male cat into the house when she is possibly in season can cause changes in behaviour. If it is territory issues as a result of the male cat, I doubt you would get aggressive behaviour directed at either of you, but instead you would tend to get "marking" behaviour (whether it be spraying, cheek rubbing or scratching). What I would have recommended, if your cat were still with you, was you speak to a pet behaviouralist, or a vet nurse that specialises in animal behaviour. You can then determine whether it is a medical problem - some cats "act up" when there is something wrong, they don't have the capacity to tell us they're sick - or if there is more to it. You can get medication, depending on the problem (eg valium or feliway) which will calm the cat.
I have three indoor-only cats, and have worked at RSPCA in the cat section and cats are reknown for their fickle behaviour. I am fortunate that I have little behavioural issues with my three (I do have issues with marking from one cat), but all my animals are desexed (from an early age) and are in a calm, consistent environment. Changes in environment or routine (animals like routine) can cause upsets, so you should also evaluate this.
If you are fortunate enough to get your cat back, you can try isolating your cat to one region of the house, and approach quietly. Your cat will need to learn to trust you again, so you must be patient (cats don't forget easily!). You will probably find that after being at animal control you will get more behavioural problems, as this change in environment etc can be highly stressful on animals.
I wish you all the best
2007-02-12 17:02:17 · answer #3 · answered by mudgettiger 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have had a cat get upset enough over a dog that it scratched and growled at me when I try to picked it up to get it away from the dog. Apparently the visits with the other cat need to end.
I am really surprised that you went as far as to call animal control and were not able to handle this situation yourself. If you have so little trust in your cat that you would think she was going to eat you alive then maybe it would be better for you to find her a new home.
Hope everything works out for you.
2007-02-12 16:51:31 · answer #4 · answered by gnomes31 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
is your cat fixed? if not it could be in heat that can cause a cat to act crazy. the cat could be hurt also sometimes when a cat is in pain they will do the same thing also. Yes cats can become wild again since I was a child my family has owned over 100 cats and they sometimes do become wild. sometimes they will calm down other times they dont. I think calling someone who knows animals better than you might was a good idea. When in doubt its smart to ask someone who knows.Good luck with your cat I hope all works out also do you have a new baby by chance? Sometimes a new baby can set a cat off.
2007-02-12 16:55:14 · answer #5 · answered by Georgia B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Something has either scared or traumatized the cat. Or the cat could be sick. They do not act that way otherwise.
If you left the cat alone to cool off you may have been able to catch her to take her to the vet. Calling AC is WRONG! That is a death sentence.
You need to find a home for the kitty cause apparently you are not good with cats. Poor kitty!
2007-02-13 01:58:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why in the world did you have animal control come to get her? You are responsible for the care of your cat. You have no doubt put your cat at risk of being euthanised, probably because of your poor judgement re bringing another cat into your home. The only other reason I can see for this is if your husband has acted aggressively or threateningly towards her. In the future, you probably shouldn't have pets, but if they give her back to you, do the normal pet owner thing and be nice to her to calm her down. I've never heard of an owner like you. I'm flabbergasted that you would do that to your cat. She will only be further upset after having been put into a cage for 10 days. You should not be allowed to have pets, as you clearly don't care about them enough to give them proper care. Loving pet owners would have dealt with this quite differently....they would speak kindly & be nice to the kitty til she calmed down. And if that didn't work, they'd consult the vet, not animal control.
2007-02-12 16:45:34 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
I believe the ailment solutions and you will desire to have a vet verify on her wellbeing with an examination and a blood panel. If she is feeling punk via fact of a wellbeing reason she would not choose to groom. I certainly have a 22 3 hundred and sixty 5 days previous cat who stopped grooming herself approximately 4 years in the past. She has severe arthritis and that i think of that's no longer mushy to circulate the conventional contortions are cats do in conserving their fur neat and sparkling. She is going each and each month or six weeks to have a combout and tub from a groomer. Her kidneys are no longer in solid shape and in any different case she is healthful and energetic for her age (one hundred in human years).
2016-11-03 07:41:15 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No i would never have a cat I am a dog person but maybe your husband had on some after shave or used a new soap or some other smell that scared the cat and it felt it needed to defend itself.
2007-02-12 16:51:16 · answer #9 · answered by V-Man the Tinknocker 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
dogs have been domesticated for centuries......cats are wild creatures that CHOOSE to come inside. Does that answer the question?
2007-02-12 17:03:22 · answer #10 · answered by jloertscher 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋