# My cat attacked me:(((



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

My 21 month old Norwegian forest cat badly attacked me today, I'm still so shaken up and anxious. 

She had an op a week ago to remove a lump for biopsy. She has been ok, very calm and nice. Then last night my dog frightened her and they had a confrontation. She chased my cat up the stairs, my cat was hissing and terrified. We put the dog in her room and Sweets my cat was hissing occasionally at us but just sitting around.

Today I picked her up to go for her post op check, she wriggles so I put her on the floor thinking she would walk downstairs with me but she started prowling round my feet like she was going to pounce. I couldn't get away, then she went wild and was ripping at my leg, hissing and growling. I couldn't get her off me. I was terrified, alone at home. Thank god my kids weren't there. I finally got her off me and shut myself in a bedroom(

I've some nasty scratches, GP said they are superficial. They are on my shin and ankle on left leg. I've an antibiotic cream. I'm so upset and petrified I'll get a bad infection. Gp said she's a housecat and I've cleaned them well so I'll be fine. Just very upset((

She's in her own room. Vet gave me Feliway and told me to let her be on her own to relax.

I'm terrified now and don't know how to deal with this(( Any advice?


----------



## broccoli (Jul 1, 2011)

sorry, no expert - didnt want to read & run - feliway? maybe? youre getting vet advice so thats all i can add - sorry!


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thank you. 

Yes the vet gave me feliway xx


----------



## 2lisa2 (Apr 30, 2010)

cant offer any advice hun just bumping it up for you


----------



## AnimatedApe (Oct 18, 2010)

Sorry your furry attacked you, obviously there's a lot of things to consider here regarding the cause of the attack.

The really obvious thing is the dog confrontation, and it maybe that she was still very shaken herself and really did not want to go downstairs where the dog may have been and this led to an attack when you picked her up and took her in that direction.

Shes had lots of stress happening in a short space of time with her biopsy only the previous week, vets advice to let her be alone for a while seems sound to me. Shes been poked and prodded and doesn't need the added stress of the dog going 'alpha' on her.

As for the attack, it sounds pretty bad. Your ankle scratches are nasty, achy and upsetting for both you and your cat, but to be honest I've seen some shocking and horrific cat attack wounds as part of the research for a special effects job I did a few years ago that would scare the pants off of most cat owners, if she really wanted to hurt you, believe me she would have not just gone for your ankles.


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thank you so much.

It was just so scary because she prowled around me so I backed off and walked away but she kept following me then suddenly pounced and went crazy and I couldn't get her off me. I finally did and ran into the boys room and slammed the door shut but she was trying to carry on getting to me. It was so awful.

I know she's highly stressed, I know she did it out of fear. Maybe she just wanted to stay with my other vat. They were snuggled up on my bed at the time.

To go for me like that though has terrified me. I couldn't get away and I'm worried she could attack again. I've 3 children(((

I'm too scared to go near her now(( The vet said to leave her in her own room for now and she has the feliway plug in.


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Plus I'm worried about my leg incase it becomes infected((


----------



## IndysMamma (Jan 15, 2009)

I would work with the feliway for a few weeks at least and start from scratch with dog + cats...

lots of scent swapping with a soft cloth rubbed over each of them, don't leave them together unsupervised for a couple weeks, have the dog on a lead around the cats and us a sharp 'no' and redirect if the dog tries to chase... poor kitty babba is just stressed and nervous and I'm sure will soon settle down as everything else calms down.

If you're worried about the scratches then you can always add a handful of salt to a warm bath and sit in if for half an hour (may sting) but the antibiotic cream should be more than enough to prevent problems


----------



## firstprincess (Mar 1, 2011)

Firstly I'm a veterinary nurse and as long as you thoroughly clean a scratch wound, you are usually ok. You have an antibiotic cream so try not to worry.

It sounds like your cat has been through a lot recently, a trip to the vets, surgery and then a confrontation. I think he or she must have been very stressed. If you think back to how scared you were.... She would have been much more scared than you to do what she did.

I think lots of rest, attention and feliway. Don't act scared around her as she will sense that. And as someone recommends you need to re intergrate your other pets scents so she gets used to them$

She would have smelt different on return from the vets also

Hope all turns out ok x


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thank you both.

I'm too scared to let her out around me(( The vet said let her be alone for a few days.

It was so scary her doing that to me, she just flipped and went wild(( I panic everytime I think of it. I'm a nervous wreck, had 2 hrs sleep(

I cleaned the deep scratches with tcp straight away and I had instant bruising around them which is going yellow/brown today. GP said I was worrying over nothing but I'd never been attacked like that before( I'm using the antibiotic cream.

Thank you both very much x


----------



## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

I think what has been said is great advice. She was probably very scared, and on top of that you took her away from the comfort of her cat friend towards where she had earlier experienced something very scary, I'm not trying to point the finger but I think it would have been best to leave her. Sooty was bombproof so never had any issues with him but Storm was a very nervous cat when he came to live with us, but we left him well alone if we noticed he was stressed or scared as cats defend themselves if they feel threatened.


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thank you very much. The vet was very reassuring tonight and told us that she is just very highly stressed and we hope that this will pass.

She has always been a timid cat, but she has never turned on one of us like this, she is usually really affectionate.


----------



## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

Sweetie said:


> Thank you very much. The vet was very reassuring tonight and told us that she is just very highly stressed and we hope that this will pass.
> 
> She has always been a timid cat, but she has never turned on one of us like this, she is usually really affectionate.


I know this may sound obvious, but read up about cat body language. It wil l help you detect any signs of stress or even aggression brought on by stress early and means you can walk away before its too late. It means she can settle and calm herself down. It is also worth teaching your children that she is sensitive and what to look out for, if they are old enough of course. Teaching them that will bee a huge help to you, your children and your kitty, and any future kitties that may be of nervous disposition. Big hug!


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thank you so much. I shall look into it. I hope in future I can spot it early on, I did though and walked away and she followed me then attacked

t


missye87 said:


> I know this may sound obvious, but read up about cat body language. It wil l help you detect any signs of stress or even aggression brought on by stress early and means you can walk away before its too late. It means she can settle and calm herself down. It is also worth teaching your children that she is sensitive and what to look out for, if they are old enough of course. Teaching them that will bee a huge help to you, your children and your kitty, and any future kitties that may be of nervous disposition. Big hug!


----------



## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

Sweetie said:


> Thank you so much. I shall look into it. I hope in future I can spot it early on, I did though and walked away and she followed me then attacked
> 
> t


Probably because you had already picked her up and started walking with her when she was still feeling scared. Even though she might have not been showing signs at that precise moment it probably would have been best to leave her for a few hours after being chased by your dog, some kitties take a bit longer to settle unfortunately  I think there are even videos on youtube that show and talk about the different body languages


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thank you.

I really hope I relax, I'm too scared to have her around the house. I'm petrified after such an attack. I feel really bad for feeling like this, but Noone was there and saw how nasty it was( it wasn't a scratch and run. She went wild and was attacking me like something possessed(

I'm still sore and upset so maybe it isn't the right time to try and mix. I go to her if Hubby holds her and I stroke her and giver her her meds, but if she's walking around I can't be around, I'm scared.

I hate feeling like this, I know she's not well and very scared so she never meant the attack out of malice

Thank you xx


----------



## KirstyLouise (Mar 17, 2011)

Ah hun all the advice thats been offered is the best. ive only been a cat owner since Feb and cant imagine what you went through by the sound of it i would be the same.

Hope things get better for you soon xxxx


----------



## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

Sweetie said:


> Plus I'm worried about my leg in case it becomes infected((


I wouldn't worry too much about that. As long as you cleaned the scratches, should be fine.

Pain and fear can cause this type of reaction. She probably thought that you were taking her to the vet again (and you were!). Give her some time to recover from her ordeal.
Remember because she is ill, all your recent interactions with her have been either to take her to the vet or to give her meds, so she is justifiably fed-up. And then the dog as well. Be patient.


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thank you all for your help. Here is a little update.

Sweets was at the vet again twice this week as her biopsy site opened right up, all the stitches had buckled open. She was really unhappy, still very touchy and we were taking the vets advise, leaving her to relax in her room, let her out when the house is quiet (ie when we all go out for the day or something) letting her having peace at night in her own room, not letting her mix with our other cat.... but her wound became infected and all open.

Yesterday she had to go back in and have another op. They had to take away excess skin and restitch her. It all looks so much neater and we pray that this time she heals well and she starts recovering.

The vets had her for 24 hours, they praise her behaviour and think her attack on me was due to fear and pain from her operation. They said that once she did scratch a vet, it was when she heard a dog bark, so they do think our dog confronting her and scaring her has caused a big fear.

I am still very scared of her and won't be around the house with her when i am on my own. I know she was scared, and didn't mean it but I am frightened and not only was I scatched badly but I broke my toe trying to get her off me so of course I am not myself right now, feeling rather nervous of her. I do understand she wasn't well though and didn't mean it I am just so worried how to learn to trust her again and be relaxed as she gave me no warning. IF she suddenly started prowling at my feet again in the future how would i get away unhurt? as they day she did it she went for me when i tried to walk away and just leave her alone It is just a fear I now have, especially with having 3 little ones.

She is an indoor cat so we are around her alot, I dont' want to feel scared in my own home and I certainly do not want my lovely cat to feel scared. I just want her to be the Sweets we had


----------



## owieprone (Nov 6, 2008)

sorry to hear about your poorly cat and her reaction to things post op. Don't worry too much as everyone else has said she's been under a lot of stress and will be fragile for a time, so won't react normally. she will most likely return to normal after a few weeks if not a month or so. if she's had an op picking her up might be sore, so don't do that for a while. i fyou want loving let her come to you when she's up for it.

be 'wary' of her, and give her a nice wide berth, you might want to give her some dog free space, we give bubs our room and close the door so she knows she is safe, she picks the carpet to let us know when she wants out (we think she's stressed by our other 2 cats).

could you get a child gate for the stairs so only cat can go up them? so she constantly has a safe escape without you needing to open doors, or shut her in, if that's not an option?

also you now know what your cat's warning is now. you can pre-empt this, as you say by walking away but if that doesn't work we find a good clap over the head is enough to warn them that mauling isn't a good idea. we have to do this to bubs quite alot, once she's calmed down she loves us as usual.

hoe that helps mate... bit of patience and she'll be back to her usual sunny self in no time.


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thanks.

I am still very wary of her as she is acting so nervous when out around the house and very grumpy When she went for me she gave me no warning either, she just prowled around my feet, followed me out of the room as i walked away from her then she just attacked me ripping my legs to shreads:-( I am still badly bruised 11 days later.

I can't imagine a tap on her head would stop her if she did it again I am carrying water around with me to spray as the vet told me to just incase she went for me again.

She has the kids playroom to herself, we keep the door shut and as you say she scratches when she wants to come out but she at the moment prefers t o stay in her room. I feel guilty but I also feel really wary when she is out so right now being sore with a bruised leg and broken toe I am still fragile but feeling so guilty when she is in her room. The vet said it is fine as she has had 2 ops in 2 weeks, had a scare of the dog and she needs space to get well incase she bursts open these stitches aswell. She has her tray, food, bed and toys, she seems happy enough.

I am just worried things won't ever go back to normal and she won't be Sweets again and I won't feel safe It was a nasty attack with no fore warning so I am still on edge I guess, and she is still acting really scared and not friendly



owieprone said:


> sorry to hear about your poorly cat and her reaction to things post op. Don't worry too much as everyone else has said she's been under a lot of stress and will be fragile for a time, so won't react normally. she will most likely return to normal after a few weeks if not a month or so. if she's had an op picking her up might be sore, so don't do that for a while. i fyou want loving let her come to you when she's up for it.
> 
> be 'wary' of her, and give her a nice wide berth, you might want to give her some dog free space, we give bubs our room and close the door so she knows she is safe, she picks the carpet to let us know when she wants out (we think she's stressed by our other 2 cats).
> 
> ...


----------



## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

I am so sorry to hear you are going through this but PLEASE do not clap over her head! She has already been terrified by a dog and had a tough time at the vet so scaring the life out of her even more will not help. AND PLEASE do not spray her with water!!! Your vet is frankly an idiot to suggest this! 

All this is going to do is make her absolutely terrified of you! 

Please please do not spray her or touch her negatively when she does this. Imagine if you were frightened of something, and lashed out only to be sprayed with water! Sorry but this is some of the worst advice given by a vet ever.


Be calm around her, ignore her when she goes for you (I know it can be very very tough and a reaction is normal but do your best to not reward the behaviour in any way.)


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

I would never hurt her, that is why I said I could not imagine that helping the situation. So no I won't tap her. I would be worried how she would react to that anyway, lol!

I haven't used the spray as she hasn't given me reason to. The vet did suggest it though??? I had never heard of it.

When she went for me i was walking away from her. I had picked her up to go pop her in the cage downstairs to go to the vet and she wriggled so I put her straight back down and walked away from her, she followed me out prowling at my feet and looking like she was going to attack. I then had nowhere to go and she just went nuts, ripping my leg to pieces. How would i ignore that if she did it again?? I was terrified as I couldn't get her off my leg It was only because I finally shook her off my leg and ran into my sons room and shut the door that I got away, and even then she was coming at me for more

I understand the poor girl has been through alot and I love her dearly, but it is so hard to not feel scared around her after her attacking me like that, and I am worried for my children incase she hurts them and scars them.


gloworm*mushroom said:


> I am so sorry to hear you are going through this but PLEASE do not clap over her head! She has already been terrified by a dog and had a tough time at the vet so scaring the life out of her even more will not help. AND PLEASE do not spray her with water!!! Your vet is frankly an idiot to suggest this!
> 
> All this is going to do is make her absolutely terrified of you!
> 
> ...


----------



## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

As I said I understand in that sort of situation it is very difficult as some reaction is necessary to escape!

In the particular situation you described I would not have picked her up after the first incident, as most cats dont like being picked up so to pick up an annoyed cat is fuel to the fire. Depending on where it took place I would ust leave the area and put something between me and the cat if possible (shutting it in a room etc)

Do you have any friends/relatives who can help by taking her on for a little bit? I understand the dangers with children around her as as well behaved as children can be they will often do things which will annoy the cat (stroking/picking up can atagonise a cat already in a heightened stage of annoyance) if you were close to me I would offer to take her on and look after her as maybe she just needs somewhere to chill out for a bit...

I 100% understand that you are scared of her, but she will know. I had a very bad riding accident a couple of years back and I was so terrified after it, and EVERY horse I rode could tell, and horses that would never do anything wrong would be flying off with me, making the fear worse and worse etc. When she senses you are scared, she won't know that you are scared of her, she will just sense that you are scared and then in turn SHE will be scared because shes like 'well if shes scared I better be scared too cos something scarys going on!'


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thanks for your reply.

No I have noone to help me out, as my close friend has cats and I know Sweets doesn't mix well with other animals, it took her ages to get used to our kitten.

No the day she went for me I picked her up off my bed to carry her downstairs, she wriggled so i popped her down thinking she would just walk with me but no then she prowled at my feet, i thought oh no, so i walked out and she followed me so i couldnt close the door on her, she just attacked my legs and went really mad I hadn't picked her up the day before or anything. She'd had her op 6 days prior to the attack and the day before our cat Holly had chased her up the stairs and given her a fright so we know she was really upset and anxious after that. Holly is always away from our cats as she doesn't mix at all with them (She's a border terrier). So i think that the night before made her highly anxious, aswell as the op 6 days prior to that. He stitches had opened wide so i was taking her to the vet to get checked out.



gloworm*mushroom said:


> As I said I understand in that sort of situation it is very difficult as some reaction is necessary to escape!
> 
> In the particular situation you described I would not have picked her up after the first incident, as most cats dont like being picked up so to pick up an annoyed cat is fuel to the fire. Depending on where it took place I would ust leave the area and put something between me and the cat if possible (shutting it in a room etc)
> 
> ...


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Sorry I meant our dog holly, not our cat. I am getting myself confused, lol!

Holly pushed passed me and got out into the other part of the house and chased Sweets up the stairs. She didn't hurt her but gave her a chase


----------



## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Hopefully it is just pain related and she is still associating you with that pain. Hop she improves soon.


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Hopefully. I think it is a mixture of the post op problems she has had plus the dog giving her a fright.

She has her own room where she likes to be right now. She has her own tray, food, toys, bed etc... she seems very happy in there and doesn't want to come out much so she must need her own space right now. She has been through an awful lot in recent weeks having her op then needing to go back for a second one.


----------



## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

What was the Biopsy for, and have you had the results yet? It might be that she is in pain more than just from the op? Is she on painkillers?

I'm really sorry to read all this though, I can imagine how terrified you are hun.

I will say though ... be strong. You are stronger than her. If it happens again over come fear and pick her up, hold her at arms length until you can pop her somewhere (her room?) to calm down in peace. Try and be confident and remember that she can't kill you and you can prevent her from hurting you.

I would also suggest perhaps consulting a behaviourist if possible.

In the mean time I hope her treat helps, it should be with you tomorrow  If nothing else she may well benifit from thrashing out some of her pent up anger/frustration/pain/fear (whatever it may be) on her new treat.

(((hugs)))

Sorry if I've repeated anything that's already been said, I'm having trouble focusing tonight as I have a migraine


----------



## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Oh also ... the Feliway, where is it located?

If you can get hold of two, one for upstairs and one for downstairs give it a go. Have one in her room where she is spending a lot of time atm, and the other in a high traffic area. Then hopefully there will be enough of the calming stuff floating around the whole house. One Feliway alone won't be enough for a house, and if it's a big house you might need more than 2 as well.

But you should only need to use them for a short time until she starts coming around to her old self, then you can gradually wean her off them if that makes sense?

Perhaps having a Feliway spray to hand would be a good idea too, perhaps to spray around the bottom of your trousers when you're going to be around her? It might just work with any luck


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.

I shall get the spray, that is a very good idea. At the moment i am wearing wellies when she is around as my lower leg is still healing.

I am just scared she may attack me again and she just went wild and really did hurt my leg. It has been 2 weeks and the yellow bruising is only just healing. The scratches are finally scabbing nicely too but i have some scars, which i hope will fade soon. It just really frightened me and she gave me no warning, but i do understand she was highly stressed and anxious, she had been through alot bless her. I love her but am frightened I won't ever feel safe with her around the house again

She had a biopsy done as she had 2 lumps on her neck that had been there for 6 months, the vet had kept an eye on them but they got larger. Luckkily they were benign but the cut they made was rather large. She had had 2 ops now to restitch it, staples etc.... and she keeps scratching them open We are at the vet twice a week at least and it is costing us a small fortune. So right now we couldn't afford a behavourist on top of all of our vet bills

She had metacam for 2 weeks but we ran out yesterday so tomorrow i hope they will give me some more as I am taking her back, her wound is all open again, really yellow and horrible. The vet treated it yesterday with antibiotics

I just want her to be well, then we can start to rebuild our relationship and she may be herself again.

Thank you xx



Aurelia said:


> Oh also ... the Feliway, where is it located?
> 
> If you can get hold of two, one for upstairs and one for downstairs give it a go. Have one in her room where she is spending a lot of time atm, and the other in a high traffic area. Then hopefully there will be enough of the calming stuff floating around the whole house. One Feliway alone won't be enough for a house, and if it's a big house you might need more than 2 as well.
> 
> ...


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

I forgot to say the Feliway is in her room at the moment, it's been on for 2 weeks now since she attacked me.

She isn't out and about around the house at the moment very much but I will buy one for upstairs. Thank you.


----------



## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Aww the poor love, she really is having it rough! I can only imagine how painful her wounds must be 

I can totally understand your own pain too! But if you can be strong she will pick up on that rather than your fear. We used to have a feral called Boots, he was a fabulous cat. I only managed to get near him once I overcame my fear. He seemed to sense it and would then allow me to fuss him and tickle his tum. 

Feliway tends to take a couple of weeks to work to it's full potential, so now is about right. But if she is in a lot of pain still you might not notice the benefits just yet.


----------



## Sweetie (Jul 4, 2010)

Thank you Aurelia.

I hope you replies have got to you in pm xxx



Aurelia said:


> Aww the poor love, she really is having it rough! I can only imagine how painful her wounds must be
> 
> I can totally understand your own pain too! But if you can be strong she will pick up on that rather than your fear. We used to have a feral called Boots, he was a fabulous cat. I only managed to get near him once I overcame my fear. He seemed to sense it and would then allow me to fuss him and tickle his tum.
> 
> Feliway tends to take a couple of weeks to work to it's full potential, so now is about right. But if she is in a lot of pain still you might not notice the benefits just yet.


----------

