JustErin said:

Cats don't get jealous and attack, they respond out of fear. Chances are that cat was abused and/or terrorized to the point that it felt it had to defend itself.

It's disgusting that people still have the mentality that animals that "attack" need to be destroyed.

Unless it's a neurological disorder or disease, domestic pets are in "attack" mode due to their shitty treatment and environment.

Well said. I should also bring up that shameful killing of sharks in Australia due to an increase of attacks on humans. Err...they're only doing what comes naturally when humans enter THEIR domain.

Humans are consistently stupid and embarrassing in their treatment of the creatures we share this planet with. Aaargh!

[Edited 3/11/14 17:56pm]

JustErin said:

NinaB said:

Why is the cat 22 lbs? I can't stand the thought of a cat being kicked Sounds to me like the cat needs rescuing. Dread to think what kind of a life it's had in that household.

I just finally watched the video. No surprise the cat is fat when you look at how fat the owner is.

Clearly they are not the brightest of people.

I have no idea why the media is reporting this as an attack. It's the other way around, the kid hurt the cat so it defended itself, then the father kicked the cat so it was terrified and responded accordingly. From what I've seen so far on this, the family is irresponsible and abusive towards this cat and it should be removed.

Poor kid, I hope they take better care of him.

All I have to say is that sometimes--SOMETIMES--cats will attack for no reason. Mine did. It's called the Jekyll/Hyde syndrome.

Let me just say that I grew up on a farm and since then have had so many pets--outside and inside--and have always considered myself a 'cat' person. We got Boots about 2 years ago as a kitten. He lived in the house with us. He slept with my grandson (from age 2) and he was never ever ever hit, abused, or mistreated. I've never hit, kicked, or hurt any animal. I won't even kill a spider. And Boots never showed any signs of aggression.



He did like to sneak out of the door and sit with me on our garden bench outside. One day I was sitting there with Boots in my lap, drinking a cup of tea. I was rubbing him and he was purring and nuzzling me. He moved over and sat on the other side of the bench. I got up and walked towards the cedar tree...he was just sitting there all quiet and then all of a sudden jumped on me and bit me through my pants leg. He was hanging on with his claws. It hurt like hell and I shook him off. I had two holes in my leg and was bleeding like crazy. I never knew a cat bite could hurt that much. I even took pics ad still have a scar almost a year later.

I was in tears...one because of the pain and two because I couldn't believe Boots had attacked me like that. I guess you could say my feelings were hurt. So I wrote several experts asking what would make a cat go from purring to attack mode in a split second...that's when I learned about this Jekyll/Hyde thing. I'd never heard of it and thought it was crazy. I mean, I'd had cats and dogs my entire life and never been bitten even once.

Cat Attacks - Play or Prey Behaviour?

The behaviour of cats is sometimes a wonder. Why would a peaceful, purring puss suddenly turn on its owner, biting, clawing and raking the very hand that pats it?

Contented one moment - demented the next is a good description of such behaviours. Jekyll and Hyde cats is another descriptive term given to the cats that employ this deviant 'good guy-bad guy' routine. If your cat attacks you in this manner, solving the behaviour calls for a bit of cunning.

Take a close look at your cat the next time this happens. While patting him or her, watch the eyes and ears and the tail. Usually a dilation of the pupils or a 'black eyed' look heralds the change in mood when aggression is on the way.

The ears will sometimes flatten onto the back of its head, although not always, and the telltale tail will usually start swishing. You may not see all of these signs. Chances are they will happen so quickly that you're more intent on removing the embedded claws and teeth from your flesh than worrying about a detailed analysis of the cat's stereotypic communication cues!

However, if you do see these behaviours, move away from your cat or tip it off your lap if you can.

When a cat attacks when you are cuddling it, it will often wrap its front feet around your forearm, and then embed its claws and its teeth into your flesh. It may then rake your skin with its back claws, thus causing quite an injury.

http://www.pethealth.com.au/Page/cat-attack-viscious-cat-aggressive-cat-angry-cat-biting-cat-clawing-cat

kitbradley said:

luv4u said:

The cat scratched the baby's face, father reacted by kicking the cat.......... Some cats do get jealous of babies when they are not the centre of attention. Cats have been known to try and smother a baby.

Cats don't intentionally smother babies out of jealously. That's an old wives tale. The danger of a dog mauling a baby is far greater than a cat smothering it. I don't care how much you consider them a part of the family, no animal, whether a dog or cat, should ever be left alone with an infant. Only very irresponsible, silly pet owners allow it to happen. These are animals, not human beings.

On another note, a 22 pound cat scurrying on top of a refridgerator??? I'm surprised he was able to scurry anywhere. That is one morbidly-obese cat!

[Edited 3/11/14 9:22am]

noimageatall said:

All I have to say is that sometimes--SOMETIMES--cats will attack for no reason. Mine did. It's called the Jekyll/Hyde syndrome.

Was he growling like the cat in the article? If not he may have thought he was playing with you. kittens pounce on and scratch and chew on each other all the time.

My cat seems to think of me as mom and plays around with my son a lot more than me. Depending on your relationship sometimes the cat thinks you're a playmate.

Sometimes they can pounce so fast that you're not sure what happened...I saw that once on that show My Cat From Hell.

Anyway, those people in the story have no business owning cats if they're gonna kick him around for acting like a cat.

nextedition said:

lazycrockett said:

Cats are Evil beasts.

No they are not, if you threat them with care they are the best....when you don´t, they can get aggressive (not every cat by the way), but so would a human being. if someone pulls your leg all the time you get aggressive too.

When my son was a little over a year old I caught him pulling on our cat and trying to pick him up, (damn cat was huge). I was only a few feet away fixing his food and in that short time he had climbed out of his playpen...he was on a mission.

The cat just sat there letting my son pull on him,

The same cat would always meow to get our attention whenever one of my kids was crying and wouldn't stop till somebody picked the kid up.

noimageatall said:

All I have to say is that sometimes--SOMETIMES--cats will attack for no reason. Mine did. It's called the Jekyll/Hyde syndrome.

Let me just say that I grew up on a farm and since then have had so many pets--outside and inside--and have always considered myself a 'cat' person. We got Boots about 2 years ago as a kitten. He lived in the house with us. He slept with my grandson (from age 2) and he was never ever ever hit, abused, or mistreated. I've never hit, kicked, or hurt any animal. I won't even kill a spider. And Boots never showed any signs of aggression.



He did like to sneak out of the door and sit with me on our garden bench outside. One day I was sitting there with Boots in my lap, drinking a cup of tea. I was rubbing him and he was purring and nuzzling me. He moved over and sat on the other side of the bench. I got up and walked towards the cedar tree...he was just sitting there all quiet and then all of a sudden jumped on me and bit me through my pants leg. He was hanging on with his claws. It hurt like hell and I shook him off. I had two holes in my leg and was bleeding like crazy. I never knew a cat bite could hurt that much. I even took pics ad still have a scar almost a year later.

I was in tears...one because of the pain and two because I couldn't believe Boots had attacked me like that. I guess you could say my feelings were hurt. So I wrote several experts asking what would make a cat go from purring to attack mode in a split second...that's when I learned about this Jekyll/Hyde thing. I'd never heard of it and thought it was crazy. I mean, I'd had cats and dogs my entire life and never been bitten even once.

Cat Attacks - Play or Prey Behaviour?

The behaviour of cats is sometimes a wonder. Why would a peaceful, purring puss suddenly turn on its owner, biting, clawing and raking the very hand that pats it?

Contented one moment - demented the next is a good description of such behaviours. Jekyll and Hyde cats is another descriptive term given to the cats that employ this deviant 'good guy-bad guy' routine. If your cat attacks you in this manner, solving the behaviour calls for a bit of cunning.

Take a close look at your cat the next time this happens. While patting him or her, watch the eyes and ears and the tail. Usually a dilation of the pupils or a 'black eyed' look heralds the change in mood when aggression is on the way.

The ears will sometimes flatten onto the back of its head, although not always, and the telltale tail will usually start swishing. You may not see all of these signs. Chances are they will happen so quickly that you're more intent on removing the embedded claws and teeth from your flesh than worrying about a detailed analysis of the cat's stereotypic communication cues!

However, if you do see these behaviours, move away from your cat or tip it off your lap if you can.

When a cat attacks when you are cuddling it, it will often wrap its front feet around your forearm, and then embed its claws and its teeth into your flesh. It may then rake your skin with its back claws, thus causing quite an injury.

http://www.pethealth.com.au/Page/cat-attack-viscious-cat-aggressive-cat-angry-cat-biting-cat-clawing-cat

I remember years ago my mother telling me of her experience. This was when I was a kid. My mother had agreed to babysit 3 kids of her friend and husband for an evening. While babysitting she got an awful feeling and the cat was giving her the heeby jeebies (the cat was always a good cat). Anyways she had this bad feeling come over her and she told the 3 kids to get into one of the bedrooms and she and they stayed in the room with the door closed. The cat chased them and started howling and making loud noises and went mad crazy scratching at the door and trying to get in and was acting all mad and crazy for a long while. Scared the shit out of her, left her shaking. She told her friends when they came home from their evening out. Next time that cat was always in a room when they went out. Her friends eventually got rid of it after it bit their young daughter.

Another event. Our next door neighbours years ago had this beautiful siamese cat. I love siamese cats, and it was friendly too. One day I went over there to hang out with my best friend and noticed the cat was not there. I asked and was told they got rid of it, I said why???? They said it had a temper. One day it got into trouble and was told off (I forget for what), then the cat went downstairs and tore the hell out of their sofa, destroying it (I did not ask how or the details of the damage). End of cat. Dunno if they got it a new home or sent it to the humane society. I liked that cat

babynoz said:

noimageatall said:

All I have to say is that sometimes--SOMETIMES--cats will attack for no reason. Mine did. It's called the Jekyll/Hyde syndrome.

Was he growling like the cat in the article? If not he may have thought he was playing with you. kittens pounce on and scratch and chew on each other all the time.

My cat seems to think of me as mom and plays around with my son a lot more than me. Depending on your relationship sometimes the cat thinks you're a playmate.

Sometimes they can pounce so fast that you're not sure what happened...I saw that once on that show My Cat From Hell.

Anyway, those people in the story have no business owning cats if they're gonna kick him around for acting like a cat.

No he wasn't growling at all. He'd just been sleepy and purring in my lap. It just surprised me so much because of all the animals I've had since childhood none of them has "played" with me like that. We still have Boots btw. But he has his bed out in the storage shed. He sits with us outside and stays on the patio but my son is scared he will bite Jayen so he's not in the house. Sad to say I'm scared of him now.

All animals are capable of attacking for no apparent reason. There was a case a couple of years ago here in Michigan where the family dog ate the family's recently-born infant. The father was on TV, crying, swearing up and down the dog showed absolutely no signs of aggression in the past and telling people, if you have a large dog and an infant in the same home, get rid of the dog because it simply isn't worth the risk. I will never forget that as long as I live. So sad.

interesting. i'd never heard that about the cat jekyll/hyde phenomenon, noimageatall. i've never had a cat or dog, always birds. birds are really direct. when they are grumpy, they'll let you know right off. birds will flatten their feathers back and open up their beak while staring at you. sometimes they'll sort of dart their head forward like a warning near-bite. they can bite really hard, even the little ones. when i see the feathers flatten and beak open up, i know i should back off whatever i'm doing. i acknowledge the threat and pretend fear (even when they merely threaten me), which symbolically tells them they're in charge of the situation and usually keeps them from actually biting. in this way, they let me know what i can and cannot do. yeah, they own me

XxAxX said:

interesting. i'd never heard that about the cat jekyll/hyde phenomenon, noimageatall. i've never had a cat or dog, always birds. birds are really direct. when they are grumpy, they'll let you know right off. birds will flatten their feathers back and open up their beak while staring at you. sometimes they'll sort of dart their head forward like a warning near-bite. they can bite really hard, even the little ones. when i see the feathers flatten and beak open up, i know i should back off whatever i'm doing. i acknowledge the threat and pretend fear (even when they merely threaten me), which symbolically tells them they're in charge of the situation and usually keeps them from actually biting. in this way, they let me know what i can and cannot do. yeah, they own me

I've never had a bird. But with this cat attack I'm sticking to fish now. My son can keep Boots! I have ghost shrimp and goldfish and I swear if any one of them jumps out of the tank at me when I try to feed it and bites me I'm through with pets altogether. I'll get a pet rock, give the fish to the cat, and fry the shrimp.

kitbradley said:

All animals are capable of attacking for no apparent reason. There was a case a couple of years ago here in Michigan where the family dog ate the family's recently-born infant. The father was on TV, crying, swearing up and down the dog showed absolutely no signs of aggression in the past and telling people, if you have a large dog and an infant in the same home, get rid of the dog because it simply isn't worth the risk. I will never forget that as long as I live. So sad.

OMG horrible.

Sounds like the family might have a history of violence...

...Get rid of the baby and keep the cat...

...It'll be cheaper

luv4u said:

Why keep an animal with a history of violence? They should have taken that cat to the pound and had it destroyed.

I am surprised the family dog did not react by protecting the family

I'm sorry, but I just got a flash of what the dog might have been thinking, "Sheeeit! I ain't got not truck with you! Carry on, you crazy muhhunchie!"

I'm a cat lover and yes, sometimes cats will attack for seemingly no reason, but there is always a reason. They should get the cat examined to see if there is some underlying health issue.

This might be the answer right here: "The baby's father kicked the cat in the backside, which sent it into a rage," Well, there you have it. How would you react if someone just up and kicked you in your ass?

[Edited 3/13/14 16:57pm]

Shyra said:

Steadwood said:

Shyra said:

I'm sorry, but I just got a flash of what the dog might have been thinking, "Sheeeit! I ain't got not truck with you! Carry on, you crazy muhhunchie!"

I'm a cat lover and yes, sometimes cats will attack for seemingly no reason, but there is always a reason. They should get the cat examined to see if there is some underlying health issue.

there is.....it's got a sore arse

Shyra said:

Shyra said:

luv4u said:

Why keep an animal with a history of violence? They should have taken that cat to the pound and had it destroyed.

I am surprised the family dog did not react by protecting the family

I'm sorry, but I just got a flash of what the dog might have been thinking, "Sheeeit! I ain't got not truck with you! Carry on, you crazy muhhunchie!"

I'm a cat lover and yes, sometimes cats will attack for seemingly no reason, but there is always a reason. They should get the cat examined to see if there is some underlying health issue.

This might be the answer right here: "The baby's father kicked the cat in the backside, which sent it into a rage," Well, there you have it. How would you react if someone just up and kicked you in your ass?

[Edited 3/13/14 16:57pm]

I just had to do it...

kitbradley said:

luv4u said:

The cat scratched the baby's face, father reacted by kicking the cat.......... Some cats do get jealous of babies when they are not the centre of attention. Cats have been known to try and smother a baby.

Cats don't intentionally smother babies out of jealously. That's an old wives tale. The danger of a dog mauling a baby is far greater than a cat smothering it. I don't care how much you consider them a part of the family, no animal, whether a dog or cat, should ever be left alone with an infant. Only very irresponsible, silly pet owners allow it to happen. These are animals, not human beings.

On another note, a 22 pound cat scurrying on top of a refridgerator??? I'm surprised he was able to scurry anywhere. That is one morbidly-obese cat!

[Edited 3/11/14 9:22am]

I also agree that they should not have left the baby alone with a cat that was known to have violent tendencies.

missfee said:

Well, apparently there was a reason why the cat attacked the baby (which still doesn't make it right) but the baby pulled the cat's tail. Here's the video of the 911 call:

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/911-Call-Reveals-Family-Held-Hostage-by-Fat-Cat/191277635870/Comcast/Today_in_Video/?cid=hero_sf_TIV

[Edited 3/11/14 9:56am]

That explains it.

OldFriends4Sale said:

missfee said:

According to the vid link I posted, the parents don't want the cat destroyed, they said that they are willing to give the cat "another chance"....which it sounds like they want the cat back? They didn't fully say that the cat was going to return to the home but they didn't say that the cat would be letting the cat go either. It's puzzling because in their own words they said that the cat "has a history of violence"....if that's the case then why is it in the home with an infant? Something doesn't compute.

I say the same, something isn't being told. "give the cat another chance"... They aren't trying to understand how to live with a cat. They need to subscribe to Cat Fancy and call that guy that helps pets in trouble with their owners.

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Jackson Galaxy is the guy that you're referring to. I love watching his show. It's amazing how he can help crazed cats and their owners/other animals get along.

kitbradley said:

All animals are capable of attacking for no apparent reason. There was a case a couple of years ago here in Michigan where the family dog ate the family's recently-born infant. The father was on TV, crying, swearing up and down the dog showed absolutely no signs of aggression in the past and telling people, if you have a large dog and an infant in the same home, get rid of the dog because it simply isn't worth the risk. I will never forget that as long as I live. So sad.

The only thing my grandma loves is animals, especially cats. We had many while growing up. I have seen
a cat go shit-monster crazy without even being provoked. We wern't allowed to hit our cats and they
were well cared for and spoiled.

One day one of the cats suddenly started making this terrible hissing/growling noise.
We thought it was odd because the cat was sitting by itself, not being bothered by anyone. Suddenly
it flew into a rage.
It ran towards us hissing and slapping at us, eventually launching itself at my cousin and ripping
its claws down her face,neck, and chest.
Once it landed on the ground it ran and climbed up the curtains, fucking freaking out the entire time.
It also attacked another cat that came into the room.
We ended up running outside and watched through the sliding glass door as it destroyed the living room.

It freaked out like that two or three more times before my grandma decided to remove it from our home.

[Edited 3/13/14 23:31pm]

people seem to forget,

if we woke up tomorrow

the size of our cats, or smaller,

they would snack on our soft spots...

Steadwood said:

Sounds like the family might have a history of violence...

...Get rid of the baby and keep the cat...

...It'll be cheaper

I'm on the cat side

i can think of 2 people who had violent cats like this, just like some dogs (& people!) they just aren't wired up right

KingBAD said:

people seem to forget,

if we woke up tomorrow

the size of our cats, or smaller,

they would snack on our soft spots...

Cats jump from the good side to the dark side of the force whenver they feel like it.