Wapsi Square Forum

So i was sitting here at about 1 AM, typing, and i heard one of the kittens growling.

It sounded like the kind of thing you hear when they're scuffling and looking like they're trying to kill each other.

I figured it was Twilight tussling with Casey or Rocket, because she's the one who usually growls.

But it wasn't.

It was Casey.

By himself.

Under my chair.

Sounding, on further consideration, like he was really mad about something.

He seemed to be staring off into space. I reached down to pet him - he's been one of the sweetest and friendliest kittens i've ever had, and he likes to be cuddled or stroked or scritched - and he took a swipe at my hand.

Okay, sometimes cats, kittens especially, get excited and over-react.

I gave him a little tap - not even hard enough to be called a "swat" - to remind him to mind his manners ... and he took a serious swipe that left me with bleeding slashes across the back of my left hand.
I gave him a nudge with my toe to move him away from the chair ... and he bit my foot.

Hard.

Drew blood in four places.

Right now he's locked up in the back room.

As soon as a vet is open, he's going - and Steve and Helen will have to pay, since he's Maggie's cat - or else he's going to Animal Control.

And i hate to say it, because he's been such a sweet kitten up till now, but i think he's gotta go, no matter what.

What if Maggie, as she is wont to do, had gotten down on the floor and leaned over to get close as she petted him - and he'd slashed her face, as opposed to my hand?
I have had cats and kittens in my life pretty much full time when i was living where it was possible for the last sixty years ... and i have NEVER had one flip out this way.

How can i trust that he won't do it again?

Especially when he gets to be a pretty large cat, as he shows all the signs of becoming?

From what I read, that sort of sudden behavior might be an indication of "I'm in pain" - a wound hidden under fur, ingrown claw, internal injury, or something like that. A vet visit is definitely in order.

As to whether you can trust Casey in the future... that's a tougher call. If there turns out to be a specific health/pain problem which was causing that aggression, then correcting it might restore Casey to his former gentle nature, and he wouldn't necessarily be any riskier to be around than any other cat.

Something to teach Maggie very carefully (if you haven't already) is that she shouldn't ever "push" physical contact on an animal that is visibly upset... dog, cat, skunk, or whatever. Always respect whatever messages you're getting from the pet (or other animal). That's not always easy for young children to remember, though.

Hope it works out OK...

Dave wrote:From what I read, that sort of sudden behavior might be an indication of "I'm in pain" - a wound hidden under fur, ingrown claw, internal injury, or something like that. A vet visit is definitely in order.

As to whether you can trust Casey in the future... that's a tougher call. If there turns out to be a specific health/pain problem which was causing that aggression, then correcting it might restore Casey to his former gentle nature, and he wouldn't necessarily be any riskier to be around than any other cat.

Something to teach Maggie very carefully (if you haven't already) is that she shouldn't ever "push" physical contact on an animal that is visibly upset... dog, cat, skunk, or whatever. Always respect whatever messages you're getting from the pet (or other animal). That's not always easy for young children to remember, though.

Hope it works out OK...

This. TROLLCAT is a sweetheart. A few months back, he started jumping up on the table, hiding in the breadbox on a fairly high counter, nipping and clawing at everyone for just petting him...then he started revenge peeing. I noted him tearing chunks of fur out, dragging his butt on the floor, an odd shape to his abdomen, and massive sneezing fits.

After talking to several friends that were either vets, or vet techs/assistants, they suggested bathing him in dawn dishsoap mixed with Selsumnn Blue, and giving him a bit of Pumpkin and yogurt as "gooshy food", and finally, recommended a dewormer in his kibble.

Yup, turns out the neighbours cats that my kiddo played with had fleas, and TROLLCAT got them, some hid in his black fur where I could not see them, and in turn drove him to claw out fur in frustration and pain, and to add insult to injury, they gave him tapeworms, which both starved him, and caused an irritable bowel, with severe constipation. Two days after the first treatment, he started throwing them up.
Two weeks later, second treatment. Adjusted schedule of his flea drops with a bath preceding them(and a very careful series of routines to get him to not kill me while I bathe him because he's a hurricane rescue).

Now several months later, it's like he was never sick. He even let me pet his belly this morning.

So yeah, vet visit.