primitive's friend attacked by cat

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=243x35489

Oh my.

It's a little hard to follow; it wasn't the tencats primitive who got attacked by a cat, but a friend of the tencats primitive who got attacked by a cat.  The tencats primitive kindly provided a photograph of the mauled friend at the end of the post (not duplicated here).

tencats  Donating Member  (133 posts) Tue Jul-29-08 03:00 PM
Original message

Whoa! ...."Attacked by my own cat....Please help.... What would you do?"
   
Not tencats, not this time thankfully.

I've only ever suffered a few deep bite wounds that got infected but didn't quite do me in. Then theres always the many of superficial scratch wounds to my arms legs hands from my ever loving cats. I talked with this girl briefly yesterday and sent her on to an expert in cat behavior. I think this could happen to to anyone that has a really big stressed-out fully clawed pet cat. It does remind me again to be careful though.

Her story:
"I have had two wonderful cats for the last six years. They are my babies.. they sleep with me, eat with me... I love them. Then came my boyfriend's dog. My cat Max took really well to the dog after a few introductions.. My other cat, Lenny, however, was NOT happy. One day I decided to pick him up and put him in my room so that he would stop freaking out while the dog was over. The dog was asleep in another room... I picked Lenny up to take him into my room to close the door. He turned towards me in my arms (he's a big Main Coon Cat.. 25lbs), put his ears back and jumped towards my head claws out and mauled me. I had to get 14 stitches and passed out from blood loss.... He lost one claw in the attack because he ripped my skull down to the bone.

This has been devastating for me on so many levels. At first I didn't realize how much I would be impacted by this... I mean, he is my baby...so gentle and such a lover... but he was so scared and out of his mind that he attacked me even though he was unprovoked.

Many people have told me I should put him down, which I disagree with. Other's say that I should have him de-clawed... which I am considering, but feel bad about. He is already 6 years old, it would be a HUGE change for him. But what most concerns me is that I no longer feel for him the way I used to. it has been two months since the attack, and my scars are still fresh. I don't let him sleep with me anymore and hardly ever touch him. I can't look at him the same way.. I don't even know if I love him anymore.

Call me crazy, but this REALLY has me down. What should I do.. what would YOU do if it were your baby that attacked you and scared you for life??? Do I give him to someone else? Do I keep him and get over it? Do I put him down? Do I de-claw him?

Please help.. I'd love to know your thoughts.. I'm tearing up inside."

I dunno.

I got Gustav and Abbie and Snow and Junior and Apricot and Floyd and Gordon and Harold and George and Ellie and Leo and William, all of them cats.  I've never been mauled, once, by any of them.

It must have something to do with my respect for them as what they are, cats.

BrklynLiberal  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-29-08 03:41 PM
Response to Original message

1. Obviously something else somewhere in the environment may have terrified the cat.
   
I do not think that declawing is needed, and I certainly do not thing he should be put down.

I think they both need some calming...Rescue Remedy for instance. I suggest this because if she is nervous around the cat, he will sense it. Maybe this will help when the dog comes over. Was this cat ever attacked by a dog?

The only thing I might suggest is to have the cat thoroughly checked by a good vet to make sure that there is nothing physically wrong with him. Perhaps she touched some part of him that was very painful, and that is what caused this reaction.

Maine Coons are known for their docile nature, and especially if she loved this guy as much as it seems...they need to reconcile and try to start over again.

As last resort, if she feels she simply cannot be loving to him anymore, perhaps she should rehome him.

"Rehome"--now, that's a new word.

roody  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-29-08 05:37 PM
Response to Original message

2. He was freaked out. He still needs your love.
   
Can you forgive him? Can you start over?

MiniMe  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-29-08 06:18 PM
Response to Original message

3. Its most likely the dog
   
Doesn't matter if the dog was sleeping in another room, the cat knew he was there. I was mauled by a cat when I was about 2 at somebody elses house when the mom turned on the vacuum cleaner. The cat freaked out and tried to climb me. I don't remember it at all, but it may be part of the reason I am mostly a dog person.

If your friend puts the cat in the other room before the boyfriend comes over, the cat will feel like he is being replaced by the dog. If she tells the boyfriend to leave the dog at home, the boyfriend may take offense to it. I might start by having the boyfriend coming over without the dog and see how the cat reacts to the boyfriend without the dog in the room. That would at least let her see if the cat is reacting to the boyfriend or the dog. And if she puts it as "lets see what happens if..." instead of saying the dog can never come over, it would at least be a place to start.

IndyOp  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-29-08 07:08 PM
Response to Original message

4. I think she may need to rehome the cat - if she can find someone who is willing to take him on. The situation sucks, but if the dog stays in her house I don't see that things are going to get any better.

MiniMe  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-29-08 11:21 PM
Response to Reply #4

7. Is the boyfriend living there or does he just come over to spend time?
   
It sounds like a new relationship since they are just trying to introduce the pets. JMHO, but I wouldn't rehome the cat yet.

yellerpup  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-29-08 07:20 PM
Response to Original message

5. I adopted a feral kitten who could barely stand to be touched.
   
He liked me well enough at feeding time, and he would come and engage me for play a game of --not fetch--more like a game of toss and keep, and afer a few years he discovered that he liked centrifugal force and I would sling him over my shoulder for a ride through the house. The ride on the shoulder thing worked great as long as he didn't have to look at me. No cuddling in the arms, no cuddles, just a fling and a ride looking backwards over my shoulder. It was an odd relationship (lasting 14-1/2 years) but he was my baby and we loved each other.

One day as I was walking through the kitchen with my baby over my shoulder the ceiling light flashed out with a pop. He clawed my breast deeply with his hind paws and I put him down quickly but gently before he could grab my face. Man, that hurt! I went into the bathroom and I was crying because it hurt (!) and also because my feelings were hurt. I couldn't believe he did that to me! If I'd had insurance I probably would have gotten a couple of stitches, but I didn't so I washed the wound out with peroxide, poured mecurichrome into it and bandaged it while bawling the entire time. When I wiped my face afterward, I noticed that he was peering around the corner of the bathroom door at me with a very worried expression on his face.

I sat down on the step without trying to touch him and he did not try to come near me either, but he wanted to be with me. I told him how much I was hurting but didn't call him names (like Bad Kitty, etc.--no scolding) and that I was afraid of him now and how could I ever trust him again because I thought we were getting to be good friends after three years or so. Then, I got up and left him to think it over. I know he didn't understand my words, but he got it completely because he never, ever, for the rest of his life threatened me with fang or claw. We were in a few more situations in his lifetime where he could very well have lost control of himself, but he never made that mistake again.

I hope your friend will give her baby another chance. He probably feels terrible about what he did. I agree that he should be checked out to see if he has a physical problem. Oh yes, and keep him and the dog separate. He will appreciate it if she shows sympathy for his doggie-terrors.

in search of sanity  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-29-08 09:55 PM
Response to Original message

6. What a tough situation
   
If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't know what to do either.

Whatever her ultimate decision is, I'd support her in it.

MagickMuffin  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Wed Jul-30-08 08:52 AM
Response to Original message

8. If it was me in that situation I would ask the boyfriend NOT to bring his dog over until I reestablished my relationship with my cat. Of course there would always be a trust issue, but reconnecting with each other would be paramount.

The boyfriend should understand the conditions of restricting the dog from coming with him. It is her home and he is a guest. If there is a fenced yard I might consider letting the boyfriend bring his dog but only with the condition that the dog stays outside.

I have known of people who got their cats de-clawed that were older than hers, however, it is a cruel remedy. I wouldn't do it myself. And as others here have stated she should get the cat checked out to find out if there is some unknown factor to his behavior. I seriously think it has to do with the dog intruding on his territory.

I just recently tamed 3 feral kitties and so far they have been very loving and have never attacked me. They were probably 6 or 7 weeks old when they started letting me touch them. They are now indoor kitties. They just turned a year old this June. The youngest one died on July 4th, she suffered from unknown ailments she probably was born with.

AZBlue  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Wed Jul-30-08 11:31 PM
Response to Original message

9. It's not the cat's fault and he shouldn't be punished.
   
She needs to really think hard and if she can't bring herself to regain the trust then she should give Lenny up. He should NOT be de-clawed or put down. It was not his fault - the dog should have been introduced properly to the cats (it sounds as if he just came over and, in the cats' eyes, intruded on their territory) and then if things weren't going well, the dog should have been put up in a room, not Lenny. Lenny was on his own territory and that should have been respected, he should not have been the one to be rejected and punished (again in his eyes) by his owner. He was only acting out because he was being threatened and its quite understandable. I'm sure he never ever meant to hurt her.

If she does give him up, the wisest thing would probably be for him to be an only cat and definitely no dogs in the new house. I wouldn't lie about the situation, but I would explain it honestly - that the reaction he had in this one instance is not indicative of his overall personality.

CountAllVotes  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-31-08 11:18 AM
Response to Original message

10. it is the dog/boyfriend
   
One of them (or both of them) the cat does not like. I had a Maine Coon and he could be a mean SOB when he wanted to be (and yes, he clawed me more than once and I have the scars to prove it). However, I LOVED that cat!

Sadly, a neighbor that had a tomcat was teasing him. He did not like being teased and he liked the woman and the tomcat she had even less. He nipped her on her ankle and the woman was threatening to sue me because of it. Then suddenly, someone tried to poison my beloved cat. Luckily he lived through it but I could see I had to do something ASAP.

I found a local animal rescue (a no-kill shelter) and it did not look good as to his placement in a new home given the situation (I told the person running the no-kill rescue what happened and was advised that this happened because of the woman's tomcat).

He got very lucky and they found him a new home within one week on a small ranch where he could hunt day and night which is what he did best and what he liked to do the most. Best I know, said Maine Coon is still alive.

That was a very difficult decision to have to make but it was best for the cat if someone was trying to kill him I decided. Having him put down was not an option to me.

In this case, it doesn't sound like the owner likes the cat anymore and the cat knows this, so it is a loser of a situation for all involved IMO.

My advice would be to try to find another home for the cat and I agree with others, de-clawing is a very cruel option that I would not consider on any level. It will only anger the cat more and lead to personality disorders and needless pain/trauma for the rest of his life.

On edit: I might add that the new home he went to was one that had no other cats or any dogs. I was advised that the placement has worked out well but was told that Maine Coons can very often be a "one person cat".

Stupid primitives.  Primitives look at cats as ego-fulfillment toys, rather than as.....cats.

[Bondai]

I had to get 14 stitches and passed out from blood loss.... He lost one claw in the attack because he ripped my skull down to the bone.

 

BULLSHIT!

[Toastedturningtidelegs]

  I'm sorry but I laughed uproariously over this

He turned towards me in my arms (he's a big Main Coon Cat.. 25lbs), put his ears back and jumped towards my head claws out and mauled me. I had to get 14 stitches and passed out from blood loss.... He lost one claw in the attack because he ripped my skull down to the bone

Remember her cats are lovers Good Kitty!

[Flame]

It is a CAT.  It acted like a CAT.  And they were surprised by this???

Tell your "friend" to put her big girl panties on and deal with it, already.  "I don't feel the same way toward him anymore"  Give me a friggin BREAK.

Any idiot know that when a cat is in "stress" mode (Ie, a dog in HIS house that he hates), don't pick it up, unless you know what the hell you are doing and be prepared for all four feet worth of claws.  

Seriously, these people should be banned from owning animals.


(oh, and if it were MY cat, and my "boyfriend", the cat would come first and the dog could stay home when the boyfriend came over)

[DumbAss Tanker]

"Don't piss off Mr. Kitty."

Can't say I've ever had a cat do anything like that, unless holding it touched a sore spot from a fight, a fall, gas pains or something of the sort.  I can state with assurance that the cat that did as much damage as described here would be not "re-homed," but rather "re-plane-of-existenced" in very short order.

[JohnnyReb]

I can state with assurance that the cat that did as much damage as described here would be not "re-homed," but rather "re-plane-of-existenced" in very short order.

Nawh......I'd just declaw it......myself.......45 cal. or 12 ga. should do the trick.

[miskie]

the only time I have been "mauled" is when my cat grabs my hand with claws or does that claw exercise thing that cats are known to do. When the cat gets in one of those moods, she gets to go outside.

And then we are both happy.

[Chris_]

Hey, live in sin and bad shit happens.

Moving in together is one of the stupidest things people can do.

[BlueStateSaint]

As Coach says, if you treat cats as cats, there won't be any problems.

I know that I'm a "chief of staff" to Oreo.  I know that, even though she likes to stay warm (or cool, seeing that it's summer) and dry, there are times that she wants to go out and kill something.  So, we've got toys to keep her instincts sharp.  Yet, at the same time, she thinks nothing of wanting to get under the covers on our bed and snuggle with us (yes, I let her).  I don't treat Oreo as a dog, or a child.  But, Oreo knows that she's loved and cherished.  She even likes Ellen, to the point of twisting her neck around to have Ellen "scratch that spot!"  (I take care of that, as Ellen still has no idea what's going on.)

But, we treat Oreo as a cat.  Not a human.  So, we expect Oreo to act like a cat.  She doesn't disappoint.

[MrsSmith]

Cats are cats, just as with any animal (even humans), they can freak and do major damage.  If you can't handle that fact, you shouldn't have them.

My daughter's cat is normally pretty gentle and loves to be petted, but she gets all wound up at times, tears around the house like a maniac.  At those times, even after she's settled down, she'll swipe with her claws when you walk by.  Mr Smith has been clawed several times like that.  My daughter usually isn't, maybe because she's smaller enough that cat can't reach her as easily.  Cat has swiped at me a very few times, I swipe right back and that usually puts an end to it for months.

Some animals really think they should be "The Boss."  If no human in the house disabuses them of that notion, they tend to be more violent when irritated or scared.  If at least one human makes it clear that the animal in question will never be higher than #2, a lot of them will be calmer, maybe even feel safer, and have more trust that their humans can protect them from outside dangers.  Of the animals I used to see go in and out of animal shelters, those that were raised with gentle but firm discipline were much better off than either the abused or the spoiled.

[Toastedturningtidelegs]

People would to do well to remember what cats really are!....they are minerature lions...They have all the same instincts,all the same characteristics of a lion only they are small. Cats can't kill ya like a lion but they can hurt you as the dummie found out.

[asdf2231]

Ummm... My cats are my best friends. 

Eddie, who went walkabout and came home to us a month later, has been sleeping tucked under my arm at night for the last 6 years.  Tucker can consistantly wheedle table food out of me with his jedi cat powers.  I love them.

And if one of them ever mauled me or a family member in such an unprovoked fasion I would do them the courtesy of giving them a running fling before blowing them to hell and gone with a 20 Gauge in the back yard.

We have had ONE cat bite in our house and upon investigation it was forgiven because my daughter stepped on a tail HARD and was bitten on the foot and then pulled the genius move of smacking a cat who was already in full fight or flight mode. Eddie was hanging from her forearm by his teeth when I finally got into the other room.

If one of my babies went Mentado and mauled someone to the tune of 14 stiches and a faint I would not be agonizing on the interwebs about what to do.  I would be digging a small hole in my back yard.

[mamacags]

I once tried to shave my cat with an electric hair trimmer.  He tore me the hell up!  I was bleeding from like 20 places and it still looks like I got a boob job where he tore up my chest.  He was still a kitten too.  A Maine Coon could very well f a person up like that.  That one sounds like it is bigger than a bobcat.

[asdf2231]

I once tried to shave my cat with an electric hair trimmer.  He tore me the hell up!  I was bleeding from like 20 places and it still looks like I got a boob job where he tore up my chest.  He was still a kitten too.  A Maine Coon could very well f a person up like that.  That one sounds like it is bigger than a bobcat.

See I would classify that as a "Provoked" attack, lol.

[Tantal]

Any animal that slices me to the bone and causes me to lose consciousness due to blood loss will eventually walk in front of a bullet................probably sooner rather than later. Just sayin'.

[BlueStateSaint]

I once tried to shave my cat with an electric hair trimmer.  He tore me the hell up!  I was bleeding from like 20 places and it still looks like I got a boob job where he tore up my chest.  He was still a kitten too.  A Maine Coon could very well f a person up like that.  That one sounds like it is bigger than a bobcat.

See I would classify that as a "Provoked" attack, lol.

Yeah, I could see your point, asdf . . . 

[djones520]

I had to get 14 stitches and passed out from blood loss.... He lost one claw in the attack because he ripped my skull down to the bone.

 

BULLSHIT!

You've obviously never been the victim of a pissed off cat.  A cat that big, I don't doubt her claim at all.

[mamacags]

I once tried to shave my cat with an electric hair trimmer.  He tore me the hell up!  I was bleeding from like 20 places and it still looks like I got a boob job where he tore up my chest.  He was still a kitten too.  A Maine Coon could very well f a person up like that.  That one sounds like it is bigger than a bobcat.

See I would classify that as a "Provoked" attack, lol.

Yeah, I could see your point, asdf . . . 

Well to kinda try to defend myself.... I got him at the dog pound.  He didn't know how to clean himself so he had a big mat of poo poo on his hairy little kitty butt.  My last cat let me shave him if he got his long hair tangled so I didn't think twice about trying it with this one.  From then on I took him to the vet who would have to gas him to shave him every year.  The vet assistant tried to shave him without the medicine once, ONCE.

[asdf2231]

 

[BlueStateSaint]

 

H5, asdf! 

[tuolumnejim]

The DUmmies post just reinforces my belief that they are to stupid to have pets. 

[Splashdown]

I came into this thread half expecting to see that UP went apeshit on another DUmmie.

[asdf2231]

I once tried to shave my cat with an electric hair trimmer.  He tore me the hell up!  I was bleeding from like 20 places and it still looks like I got a boob job where he tore up my chest.  He was still a kitten too.  A Maine Coon could very well f a person up like that.  That one sounds like it is bigger than a bobcat.

See I would classify that as a "Provoked" attack, lol.

Yeah, I could see your point, asdf . . . 

Well to kinda try to defend myself.... I got him at the dog pound.  He didn't know how to clean himself so he had a big mat of poo poo on his hairy little kitty butt.  My last cat let me shave him if he got his long hair tangled so I didn't think twice about trying it with this one.  From then on I took him to the vet who would have to gas him to shave him every year.  The vet assistant tried to shave him without the medicine once, ONCE.

If someone came after MY ass with an electric clipper you better BELIEVE I would claw them to shreds.