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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2004Article: Cat who put owner in hospital from bite wounds to be destroyed.
From http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=1636&u_sid=1087959 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael Kelly: Cat puts owner in 'horror movie' BY MICHAEL KELLY WORLD-HERALD COLUMNIST A 4-year-old cat attacked its terrified owner in Omaha last weekend, causing 48 puncture wounds and extensive bruising and bleeding. The unprovoked attack shocked the owner, jewelry designer Marisa Adamson, 26. She ended up in a hospital on an IV with antibiotics. "He leapt on me," she said Wednesday. "I was trying to run away. I couldn't get him off me. It was like a horror movie." A veterinarian called the attack the worst of its type that she has seen in 23 years of practice. "I've never known anyone to receive near the severity of injuries that Marisa did," said Dr. Karen Campbell of the Bellevue Animal Hospital. "This is extraordinary in its severity." Though rare, what happened is a well-known cat phenomenon called "redirected aggression." It typically occurs, the vet said, when a cat looks out a window, sees another cat and gets agitated. The owner might try to console the pet - and the cat attacks the owner. Saturday night, Marisa's husband, Ben, was at work. She was home in their Old Market apartment with their two cats. Ernie is a 17-pound gold-colored cat purchased four years ago from a pet store in Lincoln. He had been a good pet. Ernie got into a shopping bag, and Marisa heard him scrapping and tangling with the bag. By the time she walked into the room, wearing pajamas, the cat was out walking. He hissed, and his tail puffed up. She reached down to pick up the bag and the cat angrily jumped on her - biting her hands, arms and right leg. She screamed. He'd sink his teeth into her, shaking his head. After a struggle, she eventually pushed him off and into the bathroom, shutting the door. With all the blood, the apartment looked like a crime scene. Marisa called Ben, who rushed home and helped clean her wounds and bandage her. By the next morning, she had bled through the bandages. There were severe bruises as big as the palm of a hand, as well as the many puncture wounds. Marisa spent four hours at Bergan Mercy, where doctors heavily bandaged both hands. The bandages were removed Wednesday afternoon. Physicians feared that she would need surgery on her hands, but she found out that won't be necessary. Marisa (Barlow) played soccer at Bellevue West High School and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She stands 5-foot-5 and is healthy and strong. But the usually docile, lovable cat attacked so viciously, she said tearfully, that "I feared for my life. It was like he was trying to take me down. It was horrible." The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. Dr. Campbell, who has treated the cat for years, said she believes that the trigger for the attack was the shopping bag. When Marisa picked it up, the cat felt threatened and redirected its aggression toward her. The vet, who owns three cats herself, said she might have done the same thing as Marisa - or tried to console the cat. When cats show any sign of aggression, Dr. Campbell said, it's best to back off and shut the door. Though attacks like this can happen, she added, they are rare. The day after the attack, Ernie hopped onto Marisa's bed and acted as friendly as ever. She discussed with Ben and the veterinarian what to do next, and decided the cat will be destroyed. Dr. Campbell said it's doubly difficult for Marisa - suffering wounds and emotional trauma, and deciding she could never again trust the pet she loved. "My heart is broken for her." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just goes to show that anything with teeth, no matter how sweet it is normally, can bite under the right circumstances.  Signature-- ~kaeli~ User: The word computer professionals use when they mean 'idiot'. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace >When cats show any sign of aggression, Dr. Campbell said, it's best to >back off and shut the door. Though attacks like this can happen, she >added, they are rare. My cat went through a similar anger phase. There was an outdoor cat that would spray on my floor to ceiling windows and upset my cat. The cat would do it at night in front of my bedroom window. If I tried to calm my cat he attacked my head and face severely. I closed all the blinds, cleaned the windows, would try to shoo away the outdoor cat, would leave him alone when he was upset. I couldn't sleep with Boots for a couple of weeks because I was so frightened. My nose bled for three days, my head was cut up, he just missed my eye. He never did anything like that again and got super calm as he got older. >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in >a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. Declawed. That speaks volumes. > >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in > >a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. > > > Declawed. That speaks volumes. I was thinking the same thing. > >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in > >a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. > > > Declawed. That speaks volumes. That was my first thought. It sure sounds like misdirected (or "redirected") aggression, but a declawed cat is much more likely to bite than one that has not been declawed. After all, the only protective device the poor cat has left...and now they are talking about euthanizing him! MaryL >From: "MaryL" carstan101@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER >> >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in >> >a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >MaryL It's really sick, isn't it? They mutilate the cat, then when it exhibits a behavior most likely linked to that mutilation, they destroy it? Sometimes I really hate people, you know? Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm I never saw the original article but I find it hard to believe that a cat would attack a human without a reason. Could it be the human lied and was abusive to the cat? Yeah, declawing is abusive as it is mutilation but it sounds to me that their is more to this story than what the cat's human was telling. SignaturePanther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs! www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com > > > >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > MaryL circa Fri, 7 May 2004 09:48:03 -0700, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Cat Protector (catprotector@cox.net) said, > I never saw the original article but I find it hard to believe that a cat > would attack a human without a reason. Could it be the human lied and was > abusive to the cat? Yeah, declawing is abusive as it is mutilation but it > sounds to me that their is more to this story than what the cat's human was > telling. Oh, good christ, you moron. Yes, it is entirely possible that the cat did what was described. They clearly discussed misplaced aggression in the article, and I've seen it myself in cats who have never been subject to a second of "abuse". My parents' cat has done it, and my own Alex, who anybody here knows was *never* mistreated, did it, as well. Must you ALWAYS assume abuse? The real abuse here was that the cat had been declawed. Larua SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. > That was my first thought. It sure sounds like misdirected (or > "redirected") aggression, but a declawed cat is much more likely to bite > than one that has not been declawed. After all, the only protective device > the poor cat has left...and now they are talking about euthanizing him! I have to actually disagree here. Misdirected aggression is really not affected by the clawed status of the cat. I live with a cat with misdirected aggression. She's fully clawed. If we bang a door, carry in a strange object, or do anything out of the norm she basically has a meltdown. There's been many a day where we had to put her in the bathroom to give her time to calm down so she wouldn't hurt us or the other cats. Misdirected aggression isn't a behavioral problem, really. A cat that didn't have true misdirected aggression isn't going to develop it from being declawed. People who are frightened get a surge of adrenaline that wears off rapidly. In cats that adrenaline can last over twenty-four hours in their system. The cat becomes upset and is unable to "come down" from that state. It is truly a frightening experience. Until you've come through your own front door carrying something like a pumpkin and had to deal with a hissing, hysterical feline attacking your face, you can't really understand what's it like to live with one of these cats. They are truly dangerous and it isn't their fault...something is faulty with the hard wiring in their brains. Sometimes medications work. Heather has taken Prozac for more than a year because her misdirected aggression also causes urination issues. The meds reduced her symptoms but didn't cure them. We still have days where she'll stalk in circles screaming and growling and lashing out at anyone who gets close. Herding her to the bathroom is a struggle in itself. Misdirected aggression is almost like a seizure disorder. The cat isn't choosing to attack because it doesn't have claws and feels threatened. It is attacking because it has lost control over its own actions. They really don't even know who you are when they are in that state. I know a misdirected aggression cat that suffered a meltdown and attacked the owner's greyhound. The greyhound was severely bitten on the face and paws. In the greyhound's struggle to escape the cat, it knocked the owner's pregnant daughter down the stairs and sent her into premature labor. Luckily the dog, cat, and baby were all fine...and that cat was fully clawed. I know another cat that trapped the owner in the bathroom for over five hours until animal control was able to trap it. Again, fully clawed. A severe true misdirected aggression cat is more dangerous than a vicious dog because they won't stop coming at you. And cat bites are VERY dangerous because they almost always get infected. I'm been lucky with Heather...she's dangerous but we're usually able to get her to a safe place where she can work through the surge on her own. Her misdirected aggression is rated as moderate. I don't know what I would do if she was a severe case. A misdirected aggression cat can make you a prisoner in your own home. I agree declawing is bad...sure. But there is no reason to attack this woman for that choice in this case. This cat is no different than a dog that attacks people. You need to do behavior modification, find out the triggers, and perhaps try medication to get in under control. Some people aren't willing to live with an animal that could hospitalize them because it spotted a strange cat out the window. Two years ago at the Atlantic City Conference I attended a conference by one of the leading doctors in the field of feline behavior. She showed us videos of cats in misdirected aggression states. Frightening stuff. This woman is very anti-declaw...expect in these cases because these cats can be so dangerous and declawing makes no difference as far as the problem they have and may save the owner some wounds, even though most of the damage will come from the teeth. I'm not sure I agree with that...but I'm bringing it up to show you just how severe this problem is. I have nothing but sympathy for this owner. It is really, really hard to live with an animal then can attack at any time...and sometimes you can't even tell what triggered it. I love Heather and would never give her up...but the cat is evil. It isn't her fault...but she's evil and she can be very scary. She's my baby and my love...but damn, she's evil. At our clinic we recently put to sleep a young golden retriever. The dog was only two years old and had already bitten five people badly. Three clinics in the area had told the owner he was not allowed to bring the dog to them. It wasn't anything the owner had done he had the dog since puppy hood and had another dogs in the past. He took the dog to Penn, tried meds, tried behavior mods the fact of the matter was that the dog had a problem in its brain. Pets can be mentally ill just like people can. The dog was dangerous and could have eventually killed someone, especially if it went after a small person or child. It took four people to restrain this dog so we could touch it and we had to use a door technique of restraining. Even then the dog still did bite one of us. I don't support putting animals to sleep for reason like this; even dangerous ones but I understand why some people feel it is necessary. I think this woman should definitely try some things first and makes sure this IS misdirected aggression and not something else and than try some behavior mods and meds but it really isn't her fault for declawing or anything else she might have done. Sethran Sethran, Thank you so much for your post. It helped me understand about a cat I had years ago who would attack me. Priscilla Signature"I think I might give growing up a miss. After all, I've left it rather late, and what would be the point?" Chris Malcolm in alt.support.menopause Priscilla H Ballou <phb@shell01.TheWorld.com> dumped this in news:c7glpf $668$7@pcls4.std.com on 07 May 2004: > Sethran, > > Thank you so much for your post. It helped me understand about a cat I > had years ago who would attack me. > > Priscilla Same here. re: my post about how evil Shamrock has become. SignatureCheryl >I agree declawing is bad...sure. But there is no reason to attack >this woman for that choice in this case. This cat is no different [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >not sure I agree with that...but I'm bringing it up to show you just >how severe this problem is. I understand what you are saying about misdirected aggression as a medical disorder, however I question your opinion that declawing makes no difference in regards to this problem--in light of Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine's warning that aggressive cats should not be declawed because it tends to make them more aggressive rather than less so. How well are the triggers for these attacks understood? Is stress a potential trigger? > I understand what you are saying about misdirected aggression as a medical > disorder, however I question your opinion that declawing makes no difference in > regards to this problem--in light of Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine's > warning that aggressive cats should not be declawed because it tends to make > them more aggressive rather than less so. How well are the triggers for these > attacks understood? Is stress a potential trigger? I don't claim to know for sure that declawing can't be a factor. Knowing what will trigger a misdirected aggression state is very hard to pin down. In Heather's case there is a wide range of things that can trigger her off. The central aspect tends to be a quick surprise. A banging noise, an animal noise on the television, carrying something she hasn't seen before...anything that is very quick and sudden can trigger her. Sometimes she might just jump and act nervous for a few minutes. Sometimes it can result in a full blown "attack". Because Heather is only moderate in the scale, she doesn't actually attempt to cause damage, at least not so far. She tends to circle and only attack if someone gets too close to her during the time it takes for her to come out of the state. So yes, stress is a factor. The stress I'm talking about with Heather is of the sudden, quick type that one can't prepare for. But I'm sure that long-term stressors do play their role as well...such as being declawed and dealing with the stress of that. So perhaps declawing a potential misdirected aggression cat could lead to attacks happening more often or perhaps happening earlier in life. However...the point I want to make is that declawing does not CAUSE misdirected aggression because misdirected aggression is not a behavioral issue. Saying declawing causes it would be like saying having a pumpkin outside the house caused it...it triggered it but that's not the same thing. There are many forms of aggression and they can't be all lumped in together. I would never recommend declawing a fearful cat because that could quickly lead to aggression. Cats may also have territorial aggression or inter-cat aggression and many other types. These types of aggression are behavioral issues that declawing won't solve and might make worse. Misdirected aggression isn't behavioral. They really aren't aware of their actions. Once they are triggered all the distractions, praise, and treats in the world aren't going to help. The only thing to do is to wait...and sometimes that might mean getting stuck in one room of your house because the cat is stalking outside your door. Again, I don't personally recommend declawing period. But dealing with a cat with this issue is something most people can't really imagine. It is a real organic problem. My vet has compared it to living with a paranoid person who isn't on medication. I have lived with such a person and that's actually a pretty good comparison. You never know what's going to be the new monster this time around. The cat that was just purring on your lap could suddenly go at your throat just because a car backfired down the street. In a severe case this can happen weekly or even daily...and the damage can be very, very bad. The expert at the conference wasn't talking about declawing normal cats or moderate cats...she was talking about cats with a history of severe, dangerous misdirected aggression. Even then she made the point that declawing isn't really going to help...misdirected aggression cats aren't normally trying to warn you off. They are trying to kill you and for that cats use their teeth. Declawing just means they can't hold on as well while they're gnawing on you. Again...don't recommend declawing. Don't like it, still think it is wrong, you know the song by now. But blaming the owner for an organic disease of the pet is wrong. You can blame her for not trying hard enough or for contributing unnecessary stressors (like declawing) but you'll also have to blame me for watching a show about wolves (which triggered Heather so badly she didn't come down for almost two days). But declawing didn't cause it...the potential was always there and would have almost certainly have come out if the cat was fully clawed. Almost all of the misdirected aggression cases I know are fully clawed. I know this group is heavily anti-declaw. I'm with you all in the fight, okay? But declawing really isn't the cause of every single problem that happens with cats. If declawing this cat is what made it attack the owner, then explain why Heather does the same thing with claws? Or the cat who attacked the greyhound? Or the cat that locked its owner in the bathroom? Declawing causes behavior issues...we know this. But it doesn't cause seizure like states where a cat is unable to stop attacking and no longer knows its owner. "Sethran" <domrunner@comcast.net> wrote \ > I know this group is heavily anti-declaw. I'm with you all in the fight, okay? But declawing really isn't the cause of every single problem that happens with cats. Who SAID that it is? You are beginning to sound like you have an agenda. Nobody in this thread. > "Sethran" <domrunner@comcast.net> wrote \ > > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Who SAID that it is? You are beginning to sound like you have an agenda. > Nobody in this thread. This group has an agenda...and it is an agenda I believe in. I would like nothing better than to see declawing become outlawed in all states. I think declawing is a basic respect issue...people who declaw aren't respecting the cat as a separate individual who can suffer and feel pain. But this thread demonstrates what happens when an agenda becomes more important than the facts. I know most people haven't lived with a cat with misdirected aggression and don't understand how it works. But how many declawed cats do you know that would put their owner in the hospital? Attack suddenly without warning and then act like nothing happened? Go into an aggressive state that the owner is forced to flee from? These are hallmarks of true misdirected aggression. Everyone is so eager to blame declawing that they are ignoring how strange and odd such behavior is. That simply isn't normal for any cat...clawed or declawed. If I have an agenda, it is to see behavioral problems better understood so that less cats end up getting put to sleep like the one in the article. If people understood behavioral issues, they wouldn't declaw because they know it highly increases the risk of them. But they also would understand that some problems are NOT behavior and that they need to seek out help for them. A cat that tries to kill the owner over a paper bag is a cat that needs to go see a certified behavior vet because it isn't going to get better and could happen again. It isn't the cat's fault...but such an animal needs help to make it safe to live with. I just don't like seeing owners get blamed for things that really aren't their fault...because I know it isn't my fault Heather is like she is. But when you have to tell people they can't bang a door coming in and then explain why, you always get the look like you either made the cat crazy or you are crazy for living with her. Education is the key in all things, right? Sethran > "Sethran" <domrunner@comcast.net> wrote \ > > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Who SAID that it is? You are beginning to sound like you have an agenda. > Nobody in this thread. One just has to hang out here a while. Priscilla > > "Sethran" <domrunner@comcast.net> wrote \ > > > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Priscilla To see the anti-declaw agenda, or what? I don't quite get you. circa 7 May 2004 21:52:12 -0700, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Sethran (domrunner@comcast.net) said, > Again, I don't personally recommend declawing period. But dealing > with a cat with this issue is something most people can't really > imagine. It is a real organic problem. My vet has compared it to > living with a paranoid person who isn't on medication. I have lived > with such a person and that's actually a pretty good comparison. You > never know what's going to be the new monster this time around. Good lord, you and I have had the same life! ;-) Seriously, though, my parents' cat does the misdirected aggression thing, but only with *me*. We don't know the cat's origins (he was found wandering around a highway rest area), but there is something about me that triggers it in this cat. He is the only animal I've ever encountered in my life that reacted badly to me (and this includes animals that were supposedly "vicious" who I had nuzzling me within minutes), and he has, on several occasions, *chased* me through my parents' house. What triggers it in him? Besides my presence, of course, we have no idea. I have certainly never abused the big fat rat bastard. :-) Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. "Laura R." <UseFirstInitialPlusRobinson@technologist.com> wrote: > > I have certainly never abused > the big fat rat bastard. :-) Gnarly's daughter (who my Mom raised from kittenhood) hated me so much that the sound of my voice--or maybe it was my smell, or both-- made her hiss. She liked to hide under my mother's covers. I just walked in the room to care for my mother and this bed lump hissed and SPIT. circa Sat, 08 May 2004 15:49:31 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Mary (rosefan@email.com) said, > > I have certainly never abused > > the big fat rat bastard. :-) [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > She liked to hide under my mother's covers. I just walked in the room to > care for my mother and this bed lump hissed and SPIT. Camille is a jumpy little girl. One second, she's all over me, licking my hands and feet. The next minute, I walk into a room she's in when she didn't realize I was coming, and she hisses and runs. Then she feels guilty, comes out from wherever she ran and starts the licking again. <G> Sounds like Gnarly's daughter was more like Big Fat Rat Bastard than Camille, though. ;-) Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. >"Laura R." <UseFirstInitialPlusRobinson@technologist.com> wrote: > > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >She liked to hide under my mother's covers. I just walked in the room to >care for my mother and this bed lump hissed and SPIT. Oh, man, that's funny! >--- >Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. >Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). >Version: 6.0.676 / Virus Database: 438 - Release Date: 5/3/2004 > >"Laura R." <UseFirstInitialPlusRobinson@technologist.com> wrote: > > > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > >--- Yep, and here I was her "savior" and all. I adopted Gnarly pregnant and flew with two of her kittens across the country so that my mom and sister might adopt them. And that is how the one little beast thanked me! On the bright side, it made my mother laugh at a time when she had little to laugh about, as she was very ill. I would just walk around the bed to get medicine or ANYTHING and the bed lump would start. She was not, however, brave enough to come out of the covers. I think she inherited her Mama Gnarly's less-than-stellar kitty intellect and cowardice. circa Tue, 11 May 2004 10:25:52 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Mary (rosefan@email.com) said, > Yep, and here I was her "savior" and all. I adopted Gnarly pregnant and flew > with two of her kittens across the country so that my mom and sister might [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > come out of the covers. I think she inherited her Mama Gnarly's > less-than-stellar kitty intellect and cowardice. Damn, pissy cats are just the BEST, aren't they? :-) Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. > Damn, pissy cats are just the BEST, aren't they? :-) > > Laura You know, my favorite furkid is the pissy one (Rowan). *LOL* Signature-- ~kaeli~ Why do people who know the least know it the loudest? http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace circa Wed, 12 May 2004 09:38:57 -0500, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, kaeli (tiny_one@NOSPAM.comcast.net) said, > > Damn, pissy cats are just the BEST, aren't they? :-) > > > > Laura > > You know, my favorite furkid is the pissy one (Rowan). > *LOL* I think that's why parents always have a soft spot for their most troubled children- when you have to put extra effort into something you love, I think you grow some extra love in the process. :-) Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. > circa Wed, 12 May 2004 09:38:57 -0500, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, > kaeli (tiny_one@NOSPAM.comcast.net) said, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > troubled children- when you have to put extra effort into something > you love, I think you grow some extra love in the process. :-) I like that idea. *smiles* Signature-- ~kaeli~ Reading while sunbathing makes you well red. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace >circa 7 May 2004 21:52:12 -0700, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, >Sethran (domrunner@comcast.net) said, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >> >Good lord, you and I have had the same life! ;-) ***KNOCK*** ***KNOCK*** ***KNOCK*** "Let me in!! I've Chaaaaaaaaaaaanged!" >Seriously, though, my parents' cat does the misdirected aggression >thing, but only with *me*. We don't know the cat's origins (he was [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Laura > >circa 7 May 2004 21:52:12 -0700, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, > >Sethran (domrunner@comcast.net) said, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > ***KNOCK*** ***KNOCK*** ***KNOCK*** "Let me in!! I've > Chaaaaaaaaaaaanged!" Hahahaha!!!!! > >Seriously, though, my parents' cat does the misdirected aggression > >thing, but only with *me*. We don't know the cat's origins (he was [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > > >Laura circa Tue, 11 May 2004 05:11:56 -0400, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, equalizer <> (equalizer <>) said, > >> Again, I don't personally recommend declawing period. But dealing > >> with a cat with this issue is something most people can't really [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > ***KNOCK*** ***KNOCK*** ***KNOCK*** "Let me in!! I've > Chaaaaaaaaaaaanged!" Oh, I never let them come back. I do try to date, er, make the same mistake only once. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. >The only thing to do is to wait...and >sometimes that might mean getting stuck in one room of your house >because the cat is stalking outside your door. Been there. While at the time there was no other option, it also is a little bit... embarrassing? :-/ Teri circa 07 May 2004 20:51:54 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Yngver (yngver@aol.comnospam) said, > I understand what you are saying about misdirected aggression as a medical > disorder, however I question your opinion that declawing makes no difference in > regards to this problem--in light of Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine's > warning that aggressive cats should not be declawed because it tends to make > them more aggressive rather than less so. Because they've lost their first line of attack/defense. I'd rather have a scratch than a bite, and I think I'm qualified to say so given my stint in the hospital because of a situation like the one in the original post. :-) > How well are the triggers for these > attacks understood? Well, it's understood that the things that trigger the attacks may not make any sense to people, but as far as I know, there's not a magic list of triggers. > Is stress a potential trigger? Yes. Definitely. For example, a cat who suffers misdirected aggression may be more volatile after a move into a new home, or after the introduction of a new cat/dog/person into the household. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. > I agree declawing is bad...sure. But there is no reason to attack > this woman for that choice in this case. There is good reason to say that she probably experienced more bites due to her cats mutilated front feet. Declawed cats compensate for their very real feelings of being rendered defenseless via paws by becoming biters. As many here know, I had my first cat declawed when I was in my 20s and really didn't know what it was-something I deeply regret. Already an ill-tempered cat, she became more fearful and a biter. (I did keep her until she died at age 20.) > There is good reason to say that she probably experienced > more bites due to her cats mutilated front feet. Declawed > cats compensate for their very real feelings of being > rendered defenseless via paws by becoming biters. If this were a true misdirected aggression cat then the state of its paws would not have made a difference in the number of wounds received. I completely agree with you that declawed cats are more likely to become biters because they are aware of their lack of claws and are not able to give the normal "warning" swipes. Cats and dogs operate the same way when threatened. First they give signs such as growling and flattening the ears. If that is ignored cats have the option of moving up to swiping while dogs raise their lips. Declawed cats don't have that option and move straight to biting. Misdirected aggression cats don't give warnings. They escalate straight to trying to seriously hurt you. I'm serious...it is truly frightening to live with these cats sometimes. You have to understand that the cat is not thinking at this point, however you believe cats think. He isn't going "Oh, I don't have claws so I'll bite you multiple times instead, but if I had claws I'd just swipe and that would be it...". He's going "holy sh.t...what was the noise, die die die die...." A cat's most dangerous weapon is the bite. If the cat had claws she'd just be getting treated for slash marks as well as bite wounds. Maybe declawing does indeed raise the possibly of such attacks occurring...but I'm positive it doesn't make them more serious because it is a serious attack to begin with. > As many here know, I had my first cat declawed > when I was in my 20s and really didn't know what > it was-something I deeply regret. Already an > ill-tempered cat, she became more fearful and > a biter. Which is sad and I'm glad you've decided not to do it again. But an ill-tempered cat isn't the same as a cat with misdirected aggression. A fearful cat isn't the same. This is an entirely different level. Sethran (and his crazy little Heather) circa 7 May 2004 22:02:55 -0700, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Sethran (domrunner@comcast.net) said, > If this were a true misdirected aggression cat then the state of its > paws would not have made a difference in the number of wounds > received. But it *would* make a difference in how the wounds were inflicted, and bites are far more dangerous than scratches. Period. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. >> I agree declawing is bad...sure. But there is no reason to attack >> this woman for that choice in this case. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >cats compensate for their very real feelings of being >rendered defenseless via paws by becoming biters. Actually no (or not necessarily anyway). Seamus, who has all claws, will occasionally out of the blue attack me (not a redirected aggression thing, just sometimes if he doesn't want to be moved off the middle of the newspaper that I am trying to read, or something), and the force is all from his teeth and rabbit kicking with his hind claws. The front legs are only used to hang on to me, it is the teeth that dig in deep and tear. I can't say I have ever been scratched by his fronts. Teri circa Sun, 09 May 2004 03:30:27 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, teri (teric@enter.net) said, > >> I agree declawing is bad...sure. But there is no reason to attack > >> this woman for that choice in this case. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > that dig in deep and tear. I can't say I have ever been scratched by > his fronts. There are several different topics getting muddled together here: 1. Declawing increasing a cat's likelihood to become a "biter". 2. Cats who suffer severe, pathological episodes of misplaced aggression. 3. The weapons used by a cat in the midst of an episode of misplaced aggression. What your cat is doing is not what Sethran is talking about- a pathological misplaced aggression. A true episode of misplaced aggression of the kind Sethran describes is SCARY, and it doesn't end in a few seconds. These cats will *chase* you and attack you for minutes, or even HOURS. It's not simple overstimulation or extra energy- it is a fugue state for the cat. There's nothing like it. The cat is *psychotic* while this is happening. Declawed cats *do* tend to be more likely to be biters *in general*, in my experience. It has nothing to do with whether they suffer P.E.M.A. (which I just made up on the spot because I'm tired of typing "pathological episodes of misplaced aggression, so don't google it. ;-) ) Declawed cats simply use the only weapons they have left, which as it happens, are more dangerous weapons than the ones they would normally use first if they still had them. Cats who suffer pathological misplaced aggression episodes and who happen to be declawed are obviously going to rely entirely on their teeth as weapons. Cats with claws will use both their claws and their teeth during these episodes. Different topics. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. > There are several different topics getting muddled together here: > [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > Different topics. thanks for making this post. the prospect of trying it exhausted me. >From: Laura R. UseFirstInitialPlusRobinson@technologist.com >Cats who suffer pathological misplaced aggression episodes and who >happen to be declawed are obviously going to rely entirely on their >teeth as weapons. Cats with claws will use both their claws and their >teeth during these episodes. I personally believe a declawed cats common state is one of a cat that feels less defenseless. I feel that misplaced aggression in declawed cats is probably more likely. Can I prove it? No. Just a theory. Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm >What your cat is doing is not what Sethran is talking about- a >pathological misplaced aggression. A true episode of misplaced [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >energy- it is a fugue state for the cat. There's nothing like it. The >cat is *psychotic* while this is happening. Uhh... I know, been there. I have two cats ;-) Seamus, the occasional attack biter, and Jewel who has had me trapped in (and out of) various rooms of the house while she wanted to kill me. Btw, as far as your Mom's cat trying to attack you, and only you, one possibility is the scent of a cat you bring on you that triggers it? Jewel has smelled lots of cats on lots of people including me, but the last time I went to the Humane Society and visited the cats there she did the yowling, stalking, hissing, spitting, growling, it is not really Jewel behind those eyes - thing when I got home. Just a thought. Teri circa Sun, 09 May 2004 23:52:01 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, teri (teric@enter.net) said, > Btw, as far as your Mom's cat trying to attack you, and only you, one > possibility is the scent of a cat you bring on you that triggers it? Trust me, we've thought of that. This has been going on for about a decade now. It probably is something about the way I smell, and we figure it reminds him of something that we don't know about due to his history. Since I live in a different part of the country than my parents do, he doesn't see me very often, and it usually takes him a few minutes to figure out that it's me, his nemesis. After that, all bets are off. :-) However, it definitely isn't the scent of another cat that does it. There are many visitors to my parents' house who have cats, and he doesn't do it to them. Also, I'm usually at my parents' house for days to weeks at a time, so there's not even a lingering scent of my cats by the time I leave there, as I've generally washed my clothes by the time I leave. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. >However, it definitely isn't the scent of another cat that does it. >There are many visitors to my parents' house who have cats, and he >doesn't do it to them. Yep, same here like I have said, not all other cat smells trigger it, just certain ones. Just so other people know that it could happen that way. Teri circa Tue, 11 May 2004 01:00:02 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, teri (teric@enter.net) said, > >However, it definitely isn't the scent of another cat that does it. > >There are many visitors to my parents' house who have cats, and he > >doesn't do it to them. > Yep, same here like I have said, not all other cat smells trigger it, > just certain ones. > Just so other people know that it could happen that way. Certainly. :-) Big Fat Rat Bastard is just a bastard. He doesn't need a reason. :-) Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. > Uhh... I know, been there. I have two cats ;-) Isn't Jewell the one who went psycho on you in the basement when you dropped something while carrying her? >Isn't Jewell the one who went psycho on you in the basement when you dropped >something while carrying her? Exactly... well close. It started when Seamus jumped onto an open paper bag, then she knocked over a bunch of picture frames because she was so startled, which got her puffed up and hissing. As she started to go up the steps, I was behind her and I dropped the food processor. Wasn't carrying her though. Teri Sethran, This is a very interesting and informative report on misdirected aggression. I do believe that the results of declawing also contribute to the overall picture (but agree that misdirected aggression should not be classified as behavioral). However, I learned a lot from the information you provided, and I thank you for taking the time to describe the problem so clearly. MaryL (take out the litter to reply) Photos of Duffy and Holly: >'o'< http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly) http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in") Sethran, I would also like to thank you for your post. Hopefully you have educated some of the disbelievers that a cat can truly get into such a state that they can cause severe injuries to a person, and that declawing has nothing to do with it. My cat Jewel has had one bad episode of this (also triggered by the noise involving a paper bag), and two much milder and shorter episodes when I came home after having petted other cats. I think some "stranger" cat smells must trigger this while others don't, because I have often pet or held other cats and these were the only times she had any reaction. Have to tell you, it scares the crap out of me when this happens though. You are right, I don't think they have any idea who you are while in this state, all they can feel is fear and the need to defend themselves from the perceived threat (you :-( ). It is a horrible horrible thing. Thank you again for info. Teri circa Sat, 08 May 2004 01:18:03 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, teri (teric@enter.net) said, > Sethran, I would also like to thank you for your post. Hopefully you > have educated some of the disbelievers that a cat can truly get into > such a state that they can cause severe injuries to a person, and that > declawing has nothing to do with it. Declawing doesn't cause misdirected aggression, but it DOES change what the cat uses to attack. That is the point that some are completely missing here. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. >circa Sat, 08 May 2004 01:18:03 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, >teri (teric@enter.net) said, [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Laura I'm siding with Sethran here. If an attack is due to misplaced aggression then the claws are only used to hang on while gnawing. The cat's sole purpose at this point is to maim, and claws are not the weapon of choice. -mhd circa Sat, 08 May 2004 18:11:08 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, hamandcheese@betweentheknees.com (hamandcheese@betweentheknees.com) said, > >> Sethran, I would also like to thank you for your post. Hopefully you > >> have educated some of the disbelievers that a cat can truly get into [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > cat's sole purpose at this point is to maim, and claws are not the > weapon of choice. I've been the target of this kind of attack. Have you? Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. >> I'm siding with Sethran here. If an attack is due to misplaced >> aggression then the claws are only used to hang on while gnawing. The >> cat's sole purpose at this point is to maim, and claws are not the >> weapon of choice. >> >I've been the target of this kind of attack. Have you? Not the initial target of the attack, but I had to get between my cats after a stray tom on our deck episode. Lots of incidental scratches, but the bites *were* for real. I think the most god awful noise they were making made the most lasting impression on me however :-) -mhd > >I've been the target of this kind of attack. Have you? > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > -mhd Right on target, Laura. >From: Laura R. UseFirstInitialPlusRobinson@technologist.com >Declawing doesn't cause misdirected aggression, but it DOES change >what the cat uses to attack. That is the point that some are >completely missing here. I don't believe declawing causes misplaced aggression either. However, I believe a declawed cat can become more aggressive than a clawed one as he may be in a constant state (although perhaps a low level state) of defenselessness. Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm How do you love a cat like this? > Sethran, I would also like to thank you for your post. Hopefully you > have educated some of the disbelievers that a cat can truly get into [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Thank you again for info. > Teri circa Tue, 11 May 2004 02:34:12 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Frank (fbolackNOSPAM@cfl.rr.com) said, > How do you love a cat like this? How do people love ugly, bratty children? Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. "Laura R." <UseFirstInitialPlusRobinson@technologist.com> wrote > How do people love ugly, bratty children? How did I love my first husband, let me count the ways ... circa Tue, 11 May 2004 09:05:53 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Mary (rosefan@email.com) said, > "Laura R." <UseFirstInitialPlusRobinson@technologist.com> wrote > How do > people love ugly, bratty children? > > How did I love my first husband, let me count the ways ... 1. When you kicked him out the door... 2. When he drove away... 3. When he signed the divorce papers... (just guessing) Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. circa 7 May 2004 11:27:13 -0700, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Sethran (domrunner@comcast.net) said, > I have to actually disagree here. Misdirected aggression is really > not affected by the clawed status of the cat. I live with a cat with [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > their fault...something is faulty with the hard wiring in their > brains. Agreed. *However*, a declawed cat who suffers from misdirected aggression tends to use teeth instead of claws (since it has no claws), and that is where the biting and subsequent infection that lands the human in the hospital comes from. Cats' mouths can be incredibly toxic, while their claws tend to be less likely to cause the kind of infection that their teeth do. I think that is the point people are making- the declawing isn't necessarily the cause of the aggression, but it *is* the cause of the cat using its teeth in its attack. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. domrunner@comcast.net (Sethran) wrote in message Very informative post, thanks. Do you know if antipsychotics were ever used to treat these animals? This looks like a psychotic episode but with a very short duration. > I have to actually disagree here. Misdirected aggression is really > not affected by the clawed status of the cat. I live with a cat with [quoted text clipped - 87 lines] > > Sethran > domrunner@comcast.net (Sethran) wrote in message > > Very informative post, thanks. Do you know if antipsychotics were ever > used to treat these animals? This looks like a psychotic episode but > with a very short duration. Different medications are indeed used to treat the disorder. Heather took Prozac for about a year before we weaned her off of it and it seemed to work well for her. Before Prozac she would fly into frenzy at minor things and would often urinate in the living room while she was in the agitated state. Strangely, Heather's misdirected aggression was very focused. Most misdirected aggression cats will attack the nearest living person or animal. Heather almost always went after my older cat Nic, even if he was in the next room. If something frightened her she would puff out, scream, and then run around the house looking for him. She would swat him a time or two, urinate, and then start to circle and scream. She never actually hurt him...I don't believe she actually had her claws out. Even the vets at Penn were puzzled as to why she seemed to believe he was the source of all evil in the world. After being on Prozac for a few weeks she was noticeably more calm and the number of attacks decreased. She also stopped the urinating almost entirely. Prozac can have negative effects on the liver, however, so we made sure to have baseline blood levels and tested her regularly. I weaned her slowly off the Prozac to see how she would do and the attacks stayed mild and infrequent. After Nic died and we decided to adopt another cat I put her back on it to ease the introduction process, as we were very afraid the stress of a new feline would return her to her old state. Or at least I attempted to put her back on it...she has turned out to be impossible to pill and it simply wasn't worth the stress to her or us. Despite this she has done well with the introduction period and has not attacked the new cat. During major attacks we also sometimes treated her with a small dose of Ace when possible to help calm her down. Though not related to misdirected aggression, Heather is also almost impossible to handle at the vet's office. Ace worked but made her too sick and dizzy for too long. Now we've learned to actually inject her with a painkiller several hours before her appt time. She remains alert and active but becomes very mellow and friendly. We used to have to muzzle and cat bag her...now she requires no special measures in the way of restraint. Understand that I don't actually like treating animals with medications like this. We thought long and hard before using Prozac on Heather. In the end I decided to try it not for us but for her. Imagine living in a state where you are constantly on edge, waiting to be scared, and being unable to control your own actions when frightened. She's a much happier cat now even without the Prozac but the Prozac is what let us make headway. The pain killer is also for her...she would raise her own blood pressure so high during an office visit that she would vomit and have alot of bleeding if we had to draw blood. Though my coworkers like not having to worry about getting their faces ripped off, I'm sure. Depending on the cat, the age, and the severity of the attacks there are several different medications out there to help treat this disorder. I haven't experienced it myself but I've heard some alternative treatments work well...I know a cat who was treated with acupuncture and was not cured but did calm down enough to live with. Sethran (who's having a whole new set of issues with the new kitty...can't I ever get a normal cat?!) > At our clinic we recently put to sleep a young golden retriever. The > dog was only two years old and had already bitten five people badly. <snip> > It took four people to restrain this dog so we could > touch it and we had to use a door technique of restraining. Even then > the dog still did bite one of us. Your clinic may want to invest in a lockpole. One good person on the pole and someone else watching the door... once the dog's on the pole and held against a wall, the other person injects PreMix via basically a 3-foot long pillstick. Absolutely no need to get close enough to be bitten. > I don't support putting animals to > sleep for reason like this; even dangerous ones.but I understand why > some people feel it is necessary. *blink* And what DO you support for animals that have a history like this retriever you mentioned? Is there a difference between what's done for a privately owned animal and one in a shelter setting? > > "MaryL" <carstan101@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote in message > news:<109mpv2hfj12c5d@corp.supernews.com>... [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > retriever you mentioned? Is there a difference between what's done for a > privately owned animal and one in a shelter setting? I'm not sure how my name got into this part of the thread. I responded to Sethran with a very short post thanking Sethran for an informative article on misdirected aggression. Suddenly, my name appears in this message in a way that makes it appear that I am associated with a clinic and writing a message about putting a golden retriever to sleep. I know it is sometimes difficult to sort out the different authors, but this association has made several "leaps." MaryL > Your clinic may want to invest in a lockpole. One good person on the pole > and someone else watching the door... once the dog's on the pole and held > against a wall, the other person injects PreMix via basically a 3-foot long > pillstick. Absolutely no need to get close enough to be bitten. Yeah..I really wish we would. It isn't that we don't know there are better ways...my clinic simply refuses to invest in equipment to help their own employees avoid severe wounds. We've got great surgical and medical equipment...they just don't care if a person gets hurt. We've been begging for years for a stick pole. > > I don't support putting animals to > > sleep for reason like this; even dangerous ones.but I understand why [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > retriever you mentioned? Is there a difference between what's done for a > privately owned animal and one in a shelter setting? I'm sorry, I phrased that badly. I do believe that in the case of the golden retriever the owner made the right choice. I meant I don't like doing it...but I do understand why it needs to be done. The dog was dangerous, he'd already tried everything we could think of and Penn suggested, and there was zero improvement. For everyone's safety there was no choice but to put down the dog. The dog itself had no quality of life...he had to be kept muzzled at all times or otherwise restrained, as it would even go after the owner without warning. It is a sad fact of life that aggressive animals like that dog sometimes need to be put to sleep for the protection of society. So I do support it in that I think it is the right choice and I'm willing to help with it...but it still makes me feel very sad and sick inside. I think there is a difference between a shelter situation and a privately owned pet, though. Shelters really don't have the time or money to invest in aggressive animals. Because of the sheer numbers of animals killed every year, shelters can't afford to figure out just why an animal is acting agressive and ways to work with it. Not to mention the moral, legal, and ethical questions involved in adopting out an animal known to be aggressive. The owner of a pet has an obligation to try and do their best to work with their animal and figure out the root cause of the problem and ways to work with it. I wouldn't respect a pet owner who wanted their pet put down because it snapped once over a bone. That's a serious issue and it needs to be addressed quickly (biting is always a serious issue)...but it is something that can be worked with and fixed. However, sometimes animals are so aggressive that you can't work with them or the problem is organic and can't be fixed. In those cases, the owner of a pet may have no choice but to PTS the animal for their own safety and the safety of those around them. Sethran > > Your clinic may want to invest in a lockpole. One good person on the pole > > and someone else watching the door... once the dog's on the pole and held [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Sethran This is outrageous. I wonder if your clinic would respond in a more positive way to the need for safety equipment for their employees if they were reminded that they could expose themselves to a major lawsuit if someone is injured. If that won't do it, I suggest that someone contact the local media and see what a public relations fiasco this could be for the clinic if the information is publicized. MaryL circa Fri, 7 May 2004 05:41:34 -0500, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, MaryL (carstan101@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER) said, > > >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in > > >a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > than one that has not been declawed. After all, the only protective device > the poor cat has left...and now they are talking about euthanizing him! When I got Alex, he was a year old and had been declawed. He was always a biter, and when he bit through my finger and hands to the bones, he landed me in the hospital. (He got outside and when I dragged him out from under the porch to bring him back in, he attacked my hands- big time.) Fortunately, at no point was my big boy ever removed from my home, and euthanasia was never even a consideration. I had many wonderful years with him (after I got out of the hospital <grin>), but I do think that part of Alex's biting behaviors were the result of his original owners having declawed him. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. > >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in > >a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. > > > Declawed. That speaks volumes. Yeah, I was tempted to mention it, but figured it spoke for itself. Plus, people are pretty tired of hearing me rant about that issue. *LOL* Signature-- ~kaeli~ The best part of having kids is giving them back to their parents. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace Sounds to me the cat was vaccinated and declawed AFTER the attack, from the article. > >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in > >a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. > > > Declawed. That speaks volumes. > Sounds to me the cat was vaccinated and declawed AFTER the attack, from the > article. I agree, now that I reread it. But why would they do that--i.e. go to that trouble and expense for a cat they had to know was going to be executed due to the severity of the attack? >> Sounds to me the cat was vaccinated and declawed AFTER the attack, from >the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >trouble and expense for a cat they had to know was going to be executed due >to the severity of the attack? I reread it too, and although it is not well-written, it seems apparent the cat had already been declawed prior to the attack. The attack happened on a Sat. and the owner was interviewed on Wed., while the cat was (and apparently, give the article date of May 6, still is) in quarantine for ten days. Actually, according to the dates, this cat is still alive because the quarantine period has not yet elapsed. I suppose writing letters would not do much good to save the cat at this point, however. > I reread it too, and although it is not well-written, it seems apparent the cat > had already been declawed prior to the attack. The attack happened on a Sat. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > has not yet elapsed. I suppose writing letters would not do much good to save > the cat at this point, however. I would be willing to write, call, email, anything we could do. Many people don't understand that declawed cats may become aggressive due to feelings of defenselessness, and turn into biters. Even if the cat cannot be saved, if we could educate a few people it would be worth it. >I suppose writing letters would not do much good to save >the cat at this point, however. I assume the letter would include an offer to adopt the cat? SignatureWhy oh why didn't I take the blue pill? << Declawed. That speaks volumes. >> And now the cat gets to be destroyed, how sweet. Candace (take the litter out before replying by e-mail) See my cats: http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace "One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human." (Loren Eisely) >From: kaeli tiny_one@NOSPAM.comcast.net >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in >a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. ARGH!!!!!!!! Was the cat declawed before or after the attack, do you know? Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm > >From: kaeli tiny_one@NOSPAM.comcast.net > > >The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in > >a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. > > ARGH!!!!!!!! Was the cat declawed before or after the attack, do you know? Before, since they destroyed it soon after. That's what I was thinking, anyway. Signature-- ~kaeli~ The best part of having kids is giving them back to their parents. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace >> >From: kaeli tiny_one@NOSPAM.comcast.net >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >Before, since they destroyed it soon after. That's what I was thinking, >anyway. I agree. I don't see why they would have had the cat declawed after the attack if they were going to have it put down anyway. And since the attack was described as bite wounds, no scratches mentioned, it seems pretty obvious what happened. People tend to forget, I guess, that cat bites are generally far more serious than cat scratches, and when a cat is declawed, biting is what's left. >From: kaeli tiny_one@NOSPAM.comcast.net >darnit7 >@aol.comnolitter enlightened us with... [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >Before, since they destroyed it soon after. That's what I was thinking, >anyway. F**ckers! :( Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm circa Fri, 7 May 2004 07:41:39 -0500, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, kaeli (tiny_one@NOSPAM.comcast.net) said, > > ARGH!!!!!!!! Was the cat declawed before or after the attack, do you know? > > Before, since they destroyed it soon after. That's what I was thinking, > anyway. sh.t. I didn't see that part; I thought it was still in quarantine (which is bad enough). Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. My neighbors wife used to do that. She'd come home half in the bag and chew him up for saying hello. Substance abuse or sexual frustration or the need for a decent manicure I suppose. > From http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=1636&u_sid=1087959 > ------------------------------------------------------------------ [quoted text clipped - 92 lines] > Just goes to show that anything with teeth, no matter how sweet it is > normally, can bite under the right circumstances. > From http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=1636&u_sid=1087959 > ------------------------------------------------------------------ [quoted text clipped - 69 lines] > The cat, which had been vaccinated and declawed on its front legs, is in > a 10-day quarantine at the Nebraska Humane Society to check for rabies. And they still don't understand why this happened...? Sounds like self-defense to me. -L. This has "made for TV movie" written all over it. I find it *really* hard to believe that a house cat could cause "severe bruises the size of the palm of her hand" -- did the cat attack her with a baseball bat, or what? And the extent of her other injuries is difficult to swallow also, given the cat was declawed. I'm thinking there's more to the story than this article is saying. -- M9 > From http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=1636&u_sid=1087959 > ------------------------------------------------------------------ [quoted text clipped - 100 lines] > http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart > http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace > This has "made for TV movie" written all over it. I find it *really* hard > to believe that a house cat could cause "severe bruises the size of the palm > of her hand" -- did the cat attack her with a baseball bat, or what? And > the extent of her other injuries is difficult to swallow also, given the cat > was declawed. I'm thinking there's more to the story than this article is > saying. -- M9 I have received massive bruises from a cat, so I know it is very possible. The cat that attacked me had claws, though. Liz |
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