Sorry if this is a repeat, but I hadn't seen anything here about it.
I've never heard of such a thing.  What do you suppose happened? My
first thought was rabies, but they've ruled that out.

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http://www.intelligencer.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=98953&catname
=Local+News
Pet cat shot by police in bizarre ordeal

By Jeremy Ashley
Local News - Tuesday, February 22, 2005 @ 10:00

An otherwise “loving family pet” was shot dead by police after the tabby
cat went berserk and terrorized a city family late last week, The
Intelligencer has learned.

The bizarre ordeal began when the family’s 12-year-old daughter arrived
home from school Wednesday evening and began petting the feline,
‘Mickey,’ in the living room of their east end home.

“He was just your average, playful cat,” who never had any behaviour
problems before the incident, recalled the homeowner, who asked her
family’s name not be used. “He was a sweet and loving household pet.”

While her daughter was stroking the long-haired white and orange tabby
in the living room, the feline leisurely walked downstairs.

But when Mickey emerged from the basement-area of the home, it was “ ...
a different animal ... it looked as though it was possessed.”

Ears flat back, hair standing on end and eyes bulging, Mickey lunged
across the dining room and attacked her daughter, biting through her
jeans and slicing into her leg.

When the cat released its grip, it continued coming at the girl,
shrieking and hissing.

“I had to intervene ... he was coming right at her again,” the mother
recalled.

The husband arrived home a short time later and managed to corner the
cat in the living room until his wife and two children could sneak out
the back door to safety.

“So I stood there having a stare-off with this cat for 20 minutes until
the officer arrived,” he said, adding that both animal control and
police were called to the scene.

While it ran wildly around the interior of the brick bungalow, the cat
continued shrieking and began defecating throughout the home.

“You could actually hear the cat screaming from the other side of the
street,” he said.

A city police officer arrived at 5:20 p.m., according to Insp. Merle
Foster, and was informed of the animal’s behaviour.

“The daughter had been taken to the hospital by her mother for treatment
.
.. and the information we received from animal control was that they
were not going to attend until after a meeting they were currently
attending.”

There was a concern the animal could get lodged in the crawl space of
the home, which was under partial renovation.

“I said ‘If that cat got into the crawl space in the frame of mind it’s
in, it’ll be a nightmare to get it out. And there’s no way, after being
viciously attacked by this cat, that we’re ever going to trust it
again.’ ”

He asked the officer to, if given the chance, put the animal down.

As the constable entered the home, the cat ran up the stairs and stared
the officer down.

Speaking to The Intelligencer on condition of anonymity, the constable
said he had “ ... never seen an animal act like that before — it was
like it was possessed or something, hissing and growling.”

The officer shot the cat square in the chest with his Beretta
.40-calibre handgun.

“Even after he shot it, that cat was so hopped up — we’re talking about
a little, eight-pound cat — Mickey ran down the hall into the bathroom
and jumped into the tub,” the husband recollected. “He didn’t die for at
least five minutes ... he was all nerves and adrenaline ... he wasn’t in
his right mind.”

Foster, meanwhile, said a use-of-force report will be submitted as part
of police protocol, however, “We did this at the request of the
homeowner ... and, quite frankly, I completely support the actions of
the officer in this situation.”

“For all he knew, that animal had rabies.”

Government test results earlier this week confirmed the feline didn’t
have rabies. An autopsy to determine the exact cause of the animal’s
behaviour is not scheduled, however.

As to why details of the incident were not released by police, Foster
was blunt.

“I have no idea,” he said. “I don’t know why this wasn’t released
earlier.”

Without knowing the animal’s history, Dr. Kim Drysdale of the Belleway
Veterinary Hospital on Highway 62 said it would be hard to pin-point the
exact cause of Mickey’s wild behaviour.

“There are cats out there that are a little bit aggressive,” whether
because of its natural disposition or a medical ailment of some sort,
she said.

“There are viruses that can cause changes in behaviour (and) ... there
are some cats that just are not as genetically friendly as others.”

But, usually, there are warning signs the animal is not right in the
head, Drysdale added.

“Most people seem to think it’s out of the blue, but when you get a
detailed history there are smaller incidents that lead up to a major
outburst .. but who’s to say, I wasn’t there, I haven’t interviewed
these people or seen the cat.”

And an angry feline can be a handful — even more vicious than an
aggressive dog, Drysdale said.

“A cat with a behaviour problem or serious aggression problem can be a
force to be reckoned with. But that’s not normal — most cats are pretty
nice and social.”

“We have heard stories about people not being able to leave their homes
because their cat was blocking the doorway. So some cats can be
aggressive.”

If any household pet shows aggression, the family should contact their
veterinarian for advice, she said.

While the family has nothing but praise for the officer involved, the
conduct of the current animal control company contracted by the
municipality — Tweed-based Municipal Animal Control — is another story.

When the service was initially called — before police arrived at the
scene — the family was told it could be up to a three-hour wait for an
officer to arrive, “ ... because they were just about to go into a
meeting,” the female homeowner said.

“I told them that wasn’t good enough, and he said ‘Well, I’ll try to
break my back and come in before then.’”

After the police officer arrived at the scene, police dispatchers
attempted several times to contact the animal control officer, but to no
avail.

“When I arrived home from the hospital with my daughter, there was a
card put in my door from them,” the female resident said.

Heide Elliott of Municipal Animal Control was tightlipped when asked
about the incident.

“All I can tell you is that the cat was cleared of rabies by the public
health (unit).”

Elliott did confirm the company responded to the incident — but didn’t
arrive until after the cat had been shot.

“There was a timing issue ... we ended up going down after the incident
with the police to pick up the body and take it to the lab for testing.”

For the family, who owned Mickey since he was seven weeks old, the cat
will always be remembered as a loving pet.

“Mickey was just a sweet little thing ... and had never shown any kind
of aggression before this,” the female resident said. “It was as though
he didn’t recognize any of us ... and didn’t know where he was, the way
he was looking around the home.

“Mickey was our pet and we loved him ... but in that state he wasn’t the
cat we knew.”

“He was just wild,” continued her husband. “We really had no choice but
to do what we did.”

The officer who shot the animal paid a visit to the family the next day,
he added.

“He wanted to check up on (our daughter) and make sure the family was
doing all right.”

The couple’s daughter was treated and released at Belleville hospital
for her leg wound and is currently taking antibiotics to prevent an
infection.

“The Belleville police officer was very compassionate — and I think he
was just as shocked as I was to see an animal act in that manner. I
would tell anybody who has a cat that starts acting odd to take it
seriously.”