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tenayaBrindle just bit my face like he was taking a bite from an apple. I have 3 deep puncture wounds on my right cheek. He was loving one minute, lots of head butts and nuzzling, then bam. No warning. I don't know what to do with this cat; he just can't be trusted.
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(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-19 11:56 pm (UTC)I can bring it up in class and see what my teacher (Dr. Vet) has to say.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-20 05:52 am (UTC)To make a long story short, Brindle camped out under our birdbath almost 4 years ago when he was around 10 months old. He was quite self sufficient and had a "I don't need anyone" attitude. We started to feed him because of the rate he was killing the song birds and because it was a cold, rainy November. He moved into the house without too much trouble and adored our older cat, Reggie. He was already neutered and was in excellent shape.
His issues seemed to be about rejection, control and independence. When we first got him, you could not say the word "no" to him without him flying into a rage and stalking/attacking you. By that I mean simply saying a firm "no"; he would scream and fling himself at your ankle and bite and scratch. So, we quit saying no, and as he really didn't need much in the way of reprimanding, it wasn't a big deal.
He is very loving, with head butts, nuzzling and rubbing against the legs. If you pick him up he melts in your arms and flexes his feet and stares at you adoringly. If you let him down or move away from him before he's had his fill of loving, he screams and attacks, instantly, without warning. Through the years, this has gotten reduced to happening just occasionally because we've tried to make him feel loved and wanted. He seems to anticipate being rejected and he goes into rage instantly. Reassuring him has helped tremedously.
Tonight, I was petting him on the countertop and he was very affectionate. He gave every indication of wanting to be picked up. I started to pick him up and he immediately bit me. My guess would be that he assumed I would be taking him away from where he wanted to be and didn't like it. He had just eaten and usually he likes a bit of cuddling at that point. No warning at all.
He's a very pretty orange tabby with long, silky hair--the sort of cat you would think would look great on a satin pillow. Our theory is he was bought to be a fluffy loving pet, and he has a soul of a warrior lion, creating conflict with his previous owner. Previous owner must have gotten tired of the attitude and attacks and dumped him in our neighborhood. He has has a flea allergy and has had reactions to two different flea medications (Advantage and Frontline.) The skin condition can make him irritable, though at the moment, it's present but resolving from a flareup a couple of weeks ago.
I guess my question is should we continue to be careful around him, or should we try to 'get tough' by holding him down by the scruff? Would a display of 'alphaness' help him to understand who's boss, or, like before, just make him angry about being dominated? Frankly, I don't think I'll be picking him up again any time soon. But I worry that that will be viewed as a rejection and cause him to backslide even further.
I've had a great number of cats and this is the first one that has ever harmed me. I'm baffled. Thank you for asking, but I quite understand if Dr. Vet doesn't want to offer advice.
Le Reply
Date: 2005-08-29 03:35 pm (UTC)Dr. Vet says that he probably bit you because he got overstimulated. Its very possible to over-pet a cat and that's the most likely reason he freaked out on you. She says you can try to "get tough" with him if you like but it will have one of two outcomes:
1. It works
2. He gets even more pissed and freaks out.
#2 is the most likely outcome in this situation. The best thing to do is keep what you've been doing. Reassure him but back off if he starts showing signs of wanting to go away or of overstimulation. The signs are usually: crouching down a bit and his tail going rigid and twitching.
He most likely is reacting to being abandoned and that's why he flips out at time. Just keep being patient and avoid him if he gets that way. With time he may calm down and not have so many frequent flare ups.
That's from Dr. Vet. My own cat, Bastard (and yes that is his real name) is as close to being feral as a domestic cat can get and still be a pet. He only lets my dad touch him, my mom only at night or me every once in a while. I just learned to read his body language and not breach his critical space when I didn't think it was a good idea. Its taken me 7 years, give or take, but he finally lets me approach him without running off.
I hope that helps for what its worth!
Re: Le Reply
Date: 2005-08-30 02:42 am (UTC)He was extremely regretful after he bit me. He didn't try to come in, and ran from me in the yard as I think he fully expected to have been disowned. When I called to him, he looked stunned, then ran to me with that little kitten type run they do when they regress, mewing that kitten type meow. He's licked my hand quite a bit and has been very restrained and careful...as have I. In fact, he's been coming inside a bit more (it's been over 100 during the day.) He really seems to be trying harder.
"signs are usually:crouching down a bit and his tail going rigid and twitching." I knew about the twitching tail, but not about the rest. I'll keep an eye out for that.
Thank you for the info. Being a softie, I guess I wanted to be sure that I wasn't 'enabling' him to continue in bad behavior. I know if he were a dog, this behavior would never be tolerated. I don't know why cats are different, but they are. And he really is the sweetest thing. Usually. And I've healed up pretty much. The deepest puncture has left a scar, but hopefully that will disappear in a few weeks. Again, thanks for asking for me. I deeply appreciate it.
Re: Le Reply
Date: 2005-09-04 09:43 pm (UTC)::shrugs:: Sounds like he really loves you though.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-20 10:36 am (UTC)Bratty was definitely affectionate, but if I petted him "too much" (and how much was too much varied constantly), he got 'overstimulated', according to the vet's columns in Cat Fancy, etc. During the time I had him, there were several articles about the phenomenon in magazines I read, so I could only deduce that it was more common than you might think. Somewhere in the middle of being petted, the instinctive area of the cat's brain switches from pleasure/pet to 'something's attacking me'- pow! In Brat's case, apparently common to declawed cats, he bit. Oh boy, did he bite. He had the jaws of a crocodile, I swear. He drew blood on me many times. And a couple of times, the only way I could get him to let go was to whap him upside the head hard, or toss him halfway across the room. He meant serious bizness.
It drove me crazy because it often happened in the middle of an affectionate cuddle, and you tend to take it personally, even when you know better. Sometimes I could see the warning signs (twitching tail and etc.) and backed off; other times there was absolutely no warning. I learned to live with it, but I think I only got it on the face once. Wheelz has nipped me on the face too, but it's a love nip gone wrong kind of thing.
So...no answers, but I do understand what it's like to deal with a cat who does this kind of thing.
See you later - literally ;-)
P.S.
Date: 2005-08-20 10:37 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 02:56 am (UTC)I had heard about them getting over stimulated, but not that their brains went to 'somethings attacking'. It makes sense, though. He's loving and smart; I know it's not a conscious decision he's making, so that switch in the instinctive reactions does explain it. He's gotten overstimulated when I've been outside gardening and he'll attack my hand. He bites so hard with such intensity one does have to grab his head and disengage his teeth to get free, followed by a whap to the butt. He calms down from that pretty soon and usually, I know I'm to blame for not acting on that 'was that a tail twitch' hunch and trying to disengage quicker. This bite to the face was shocking.
Sweet Reg nipped me once as a kitten and that was it (he's 13 now.) Scooter only has his two bottom fangs, but his claws are the sharpest I've ever seen. He tends to use just enough pressure to trap the hand so it has to pet him more. He's pretty careful.
And after talking it over, we decided to not 'get tough' as we thought it would just make things worse. He's very apologetic and has been on his best behavior since he bit me.
Thanks for the input!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-30 06:15 pm (UTC)Mostly I get 'reminder' nips from Wheelz & Snicky, but Snicky doesn't control them as well as Wheelz does, so sometimes she draws blood. Sigh.... What's a mother to do?
I'm glad you're still "bite free"!