What would you do if a 'stray' cat attacked you?
By J_Dawgs
@J_Dawgs (217)
United States
November 1, 2007 8:29pm CST
Ok this was referred to on another post on mylot here once before and I feel I want to ask another view on it as I want to know what others would do in my situation. Say you have cats outside the home your living in and they are being fed by the people you are living with (there isn't much I can do about that or wasn't at the time). Anyways, one day you go out to feed dogs you have that are of your own and are approached by another stray cat that you saw a few days earlier. The cat approaches me and I try to 'shoosh' it away so it doesn't bother the other cats as that is what I was told to do as we didn't want more strays coming around the house. All of a sudden the cat starts to hiss and meow very mean like at me. Of course the first thing I do is pick up the nearest rake to defend myself. I did not hit the cat with it or anything to make the cat come after me in any fashion I just slowly picked up the rake in case he was to attack. He kept coming closer and getting louder and doing it faster and faster once he got so close I decided it was close enough and 'shooed' him with the rake (I did not hit him). The cat lunges at the rake upon which I THEN did take it upon myself to push him away with the rake until he left.
Now, I will explain something that I know will be brought up. Yes, a few days earlier the cat did come around and I did "shooe" it off and try things to scare it away as I was told there were not to be any more strays in the yard or around the house.
So anyways I fliped out about the cat attacking me and one day my brother 'caught' it and brings it up to me into my face and says "ok, everyone says they couldn't catch this thing now what?". I friggin freaked out on him, and he wondered why? DUH! That dang thing just attacked me and you think I want you to come hold it in my face for a while? Anyways, tell me what you guys think about it. Did I react the wrong way? Do you think I "freaked" out or did I react like any 'sane' person would have after being attacked by a stray cat? Don't get me wrong here I love animals. All kinds of animals, I have 2 dogs my self still.
For further update by the way the cats outside the house that were strays were gotten rid of to avoid any other strays coming around the house as yes I do know that there is and was a problem with that and so did the people around the house here. That is part of the reason that they were gotten rid of. There is one small cat that was left out side but no others come around any more. Just my two cents. ((((By the way I included a picture just in case I hurt the cat in any way lol))))
Peace Out
~*~J_Dawgs~*~
5 responses
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
2 Nov 07
I love cats and I feed stray cats around my estate. Just outside my apartment area, there are quite a number of such strays and over time, some of them have become very buddy with me, because I feed them often and they get acquainted with me.
Cats are quite shy animals, and keep their distance if they don't know you. But once they warm up to you, they can be very friendly, and they enjoy the affectionate attention you can give to them. But when they are not acquainted with you yet, they can appear to behave menacingly. It's probably their instinctive defence mechanism at work to ward off danger from unfamiliar people coming too close to them. They will hiss often (especially the kittens and younger ones). Some cats will even bite you if they don't like you to pat them, but sometimes this biting is done playfully.
The cat you encountered probably hissed at you because you got too close and it felt threatened. I think if you didn't aggravate the situation by reacting in a way that felt threatening to the cat, it might have not attacked you. Cats need time to warm up to you. One way is to leave them a little food - they are usually tempted by the food, shy to approach the food at first, but after a while they cannot resist. If you feed them a couple of times, after a while, they know that you are friendly towards them and will not harm them. Then they will approach you in a more friendly manner after that.
There was a kitten that was always hungry for food, but wouldn't let me go near her or touch her. After leaving food for her four or five times, she put aside her shyness and reservation, and one day, she let me touch her - a little at first, then eventually she wasn't shy anymore, and now when I meet up with her, she will wrap herself around my arms and legs. That's when she becomes very lovable and friendly.
So perhaps you might have over-reacted, and got the cat scared too and attacked you as a way of retaliation. Try to get to know this cat better, and a good relationship may be built up over time.
1 person likes this
@J_Dawgs (217)
• United States
3 Nov 07
ok see you didnt even read my post did you?....i DIDNT want the cat around so WHY would i feed the thing? we were trying to limit the number of cats around the house....after this response i dont even think you are getting the point that i never wanted the cat around in the first place...i didnt want to "build a relationship" or any of that....
Peace Out
~*~J_Dawgs~*~
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
3 Nov 07
Apologies, it's just a sharing of opinions, so don't have to get mad...I did read your post, twice. The cat is so lovable from the picture you posted, so I'm not sure why you don't want it around the place. As a cat lover (and since you say you are also an animal lover), I was just trying to steer you towards changing your mind about wanting to get rid of that cat. Regardless, cats normally do not attack people unless they are provoked or frightened whereupon they set upon the aggressors in self-defense. That's probably what happened in your case. :)
1 person likes this
@J_Dawgs (217)
• United States
3 Nov 07
i understand it was just your point of view and i know you were just trying to state your case and i understand. i just didnt see the point in the post as i had stated in mine that i didn't want it around in the first place. anywasys, on another point the cat in the picture isn't any of the cats around the house here its just a funny picture i found i thought i would share thats all. Just to clear up any confusion on any case that it may be.
Peace Out
~*~J_Dawgs~*~
@J_Dawgs (217)
• United States
3 Nov 07
we had animal control drop off a professional metal trap used to humanely trap them that would not hurt them. They were caught easily the female went right in with some bait inside. Though the male didn't want to go in. My fiance actually had to actually help lure him in and help trick him to going in. Once he was in he was picked up also. Animal control came and picked them up once they were trapped. The one that attacked me was never trapped but once the others were trapped and taken off and the baby was put where it was more by itself the others went away just like i thought they would. Its been a while now and no others have really shown up. There was one that was a ways down the street but not near our place. So I am not that worried about it and I think it got picked up also because there is a person up the stree that does what we did on a normal basis. That is how we did it though.
Peace Out
~*~J_Dawgs~*~
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
2 Nov 07
Since you and I have discussed this before I will simply repeat my views on it.
First, if there are strays outside and the ppl that live in the house are feeding them...yes, they are going to stay and other strays are going to show up. They are hungry and you are offering free food...it's natural.
Second, a cat is about a 10th the size of what you are...they are little, you are big...they only have two defenses-scratching and biting. They are not the most pleasant defenses but all the same they are alone in the world and have only themselves to take care of them.
I understand your feelings about being attacked, I honestly do...especially since I had that happen as you well know and I would have never put the cat up to you BUT the cat didn't come back around you...it was "caught" and forced up by you...in other words, put the blame on the person that did it, not the cat.
As for the shooing the first time, I was there when you did that and, as I recall, it wasn't a simple shooing. The cat had come up by me, I was petting it by the road and you came out yelling at it trying to scare it off. It ran under your car and you went around the car stomping your feet and trying to chase it off. Considering your size compared to the cat...I can see where it was scared.
I'm not saying the cat was right in attacking you but I see why it behaved the way it did. People in general need to realize 2 things, I think,
1) if you feed strays they will consider your yard their home and stay there. You can't feed them and then "get rid of them"...it would be like going to the store to buy groceries and they chase you away after letting you pick them all out.
2) a pet is a responsibility, whether it is a pet you bought or was given to you or whether it is a stray. If they get hurt or sick, you care for them. They become attached to you and rely on you. If you don't want the responsibility, don't get the pets to start with. To take in and feed an animal and then "get rid of it" (meaning turning it into the pound) is cruel to the animal.
I do know there was a cat at the farmhouse, Pumpkin, that we were told was vicious and mean and we should stay away from and she had attacked you, I believe, very badly at one time. We befriended her and she was a wonderful cat that loved to come in and play with us and get petted and loved on. So, maybe they can tell that maybe your more of a dog person then a cat person.
This is my views and are simply meant to help in whatever ways they can.
"COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS"
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~
1 person likes this
@J_Dawgs (217)
• United States
2 Nov 07
i dont know but all i can say about being a cat person is that we have one cat still and it cant stay away from me for anything. it rubs up on me and loves on me and everything and all. so i mean cats do like me and all so i dont think its that cats dont like me. as even you know i used to have a cat 'shocker' who even had her kittens ON me (i know kinda odd). just my two cents.
Peace Out
~*~J_Dawgs~*~
@misheleen73 (6037)
• United States
2 Nov 07
I was once attacked by a cat, bitten and scratched. My finger got very swollen and I had to have a ring cut off at the hospital. It was in a house with other cats and dogs. The cat knew me, but decided to attack. Just like dogs, not all cats are wonderful. I know people will say they are small, etc. But you did fine protecting yourself. I could have killed the cat that attacked me, but we just took it to the pound. It never really got along well with any of the other cats either. Have the people stop feeding strays and they'll move on to where the food is.
1 person likes this
@kwenge (2487)
• Kenya
2 Nov 07
I have seen and heard a cat almost kill someone. Dont dare scare a stray cat, they are dangerous animals though small. This guy found a cat in a room where his birds live and tried chasing it away. it scratched his face, tore his cloths and it almost removed his eyes. You dint act badly at all. cats can be bad/dangerous.
1 person likes this
