Cats Attacking People

Aggressive cats are not so dangerous usually as dogs, but no owner is amusing to be bitten or scratched by his cat, and don't want to expose a child to a wound or to a fright. Although the bites and scratches of the cats are in the habit of being less harmful than the wounds done by the dogs, they can provoke diseases. Sometimes the wounds become infected or already they are infected with the bacillus Bartonella hensalae, which produces "the  fever scratch of the cat ". Normally, this infection does not produce to a healthy person no more than some inflamed ganglions, but if anybody whose immune system is already compromised- as who is receiving chemotherapy –it can cause a serious disease. In the United States, annually there are more than 20,000 cases of disease of scratch of cat.

Why does a cat attack people?
Frequently it's the pain what does that a cat normally of good character becomes aggressive. If our cat attacks us suddenly without apparent reason, it is necessary to do a review to him if he has some wound. It is necessary to do that the veterinarian does a complete examination to him, to discard some latent disease as the anger, an urinary disease or the hiper thyroidismo.

Then there will be necessary to look for the reason in another place. A very frequent motive of aggression is the fear. This is easier to see in a cat that has been bad socialized, has been bad-treated in some moment of his life or has managed to associate a concrete fact -as the visit with the veterinarian- with the distress and the fear. The corporal language of these cats will indicate that they are intimidated or scared. If they are harassed in excess, they will attack.

The playing attack is in the habit of being directed against the members of the family and it's produced almost always in cats that have been raised without his mother or that have weaned very soon. These kitties have not had the normal socialization and cannot repress the bite or stuff the nails during the game, as they could made if they had grown with the mother and his little brothers of litter.

A mom cat suppresses the moment that any kitty which is too much rude whereas, without the advantage of this discipline, the kitty does what it seems to him. Starts behaving in this way when he is playing with the persons and, if the character of the animal is friendly, the owners cannot correct in time this type of assaults.

The predator aggression is normal when it is directed against rodents and birds, but some cats can start to lurk and jump on the feet or hands of their owner. If the goal is a child or a baby, this behavior is dangerous and it is necessary to avoid it, although we should enclose the cat or put a strap until he is dominated well. It is necessary to use the skill of scaring to prevent his predator ambush and put a sleigh-bell in a necklace, to be in knowledge of the cat's motions and anticipate an imminent attack.

Sometimes, a cat attacks to his owner when he cannot approach another cat tha the sees or smelling (forwarded aggression). And sometimes it can happen that a cat gets a claw to the owner while this one petting or caresses him. This is in the habit of happening with cats in which the aggression has to be with his status (and it is stranger in the cats than in the dogs). These types of cats ask for attention in inopportune moments, when the owner is speaking by telephone, for example, or they put in the middle of a corridor or a narrow entry when someone wants to pass. There are cats that look fixedly at his owners to try to intimidate them. For this problem it is necessary professional help, which normally goes to reduce the mutual contact, to avoid the situations of clash and react rapidly before a sign of imminent aggression. There must no be physical punishment, because it increases the aggressiveness of the cat. In some cases the veterinarian can prescribe some psychoactive medicine in order that the cat is calm while one treats him.

Q/A Nijinski, our one year-old Siamese, is with us since he was 12 weeks old. He is very sociable, but he is in the habit of being sudden when he is playing and sometimes he bites and scratches. My 5 year old son likes to play with the cat, but I am worried of him ending up being wounded. 

Sometimes, this behavior turns in cats with a bold character, which owners, without realizing, have encouraged him to play aggressively. Do that your son plays without hands, directing Nijinski's attention to objects that roll or toys in the end of a long string. The toys must be kept far from the body of the child. If Nijinski gives signs to attack, scare to him shouting loudly or doing a strong noise, calling then his attention with a suitable toy. Take care that he does too much exercise, in order that his energy is venting.