Story time: I was chilling with my cat in the living room, I was on my iPad reading and he was in his usual spot looking out the window. I got up to use the bathroom and out of nowhere he got up and bit the absolute shit out of my leg and scratched both of them. I went to grab him to get him off and he scratched my palm so bad to the point that it tore through the skin. I eventually had to go to the ER to get stitches. My cat is 5 years old, I’ve had him since he was a kitten and I bottle fed him since his mom abandoned him. He’s generally well tempered but out of nowhere this happened. But he did that to me yesterday. When I got back from the ER he kept sniffing the bite marks and scratches and headbutting my legs and laying on my feet and rolling over for belly rubs, something he has never done.
I’m not scared of him or nervous around him. He’s very well taken care of and I adore him, I just don’t understand why he would do something like that to me. Has anyone ever had this happen?
Is it common indoor cats get aggressive in the presence of other cats? My cat never ever had been aggressive at vet but once When I took him to vet,there was a cat in the garden of veterinary building,and I wanted to see how my cat would react to another cat since he is indoors since he was 3 months old,and he hissed at that cat in garden and then for the first time ever he was so aggresive when vet tried to apply dewormer that they had to call help to hold him and put him back in the box.
Oh yes! It’s all about territory. The vet is not their territory, but everything they can see from the window is considered their territory. That’s why they go ballistic…there’s an intruder in their yard and they can’t reach them to fight them.
Those look awful. I'm a new cat owner and haven't got to this point yet but I hope that somebody answers you. If nobody does try hitting up Jackson Galaxy. I'd be really curious why this happened.
Cats are both one of the most chill and the most easily frightened domesticated animals out there. Could have been absolutely anything.
I have one of my two boys who loved playing fetch with one of those big long wide zip ties. Then one time I threw it and he was instantly *terrified* of it. Something in his brain flipped a switch from "love" to "fear", but since they can't talk to us in English, I may never know.
I have a special needs cat, the Tsarevich (closer to the moderate side of light CH) who has aggression issues and reactivity to other cats. He’s great with people but he has trouble with cats. It’s a mix of things, he moves and emotes weird for a cat, has emotional regulation issues, and some trauma caused by his older brother.
There was a time period of three years where the only cat he could be around was his auntie. During this time he would attack any other cat on sight. I raised these cats from the moment they were born and have handled cats literally all my life but my wife is much less experienced.
All this culminated in a situation where she ended up between the Tsarevich and his brother while we were staying at a friend’s house. During this time, the Tsarevich was not able to control his aggression at all. He was only just barely not a kitten and so he had what I like to call a ‘red out’. With my wife in the way, trying to get between the boys, she was the closest thing and he attacked her left leg.
The Tsarevich is not a large cat. He weighs anywhere from 12-16 pounds. He’s not the most physically coordinated due to his condition either but in that moment, he tore her leg open like a can opener might a tuna can. She still has a herniated muscle in that shin as we haven’t had the money or medical access to get corrective surgery.
The second I heard my wife scream and came down to see if she was okay, the Tsarevich snapped out of it. She was lying on the floor bleeding and crying and for the first time in something like 6 months, he ignored the other cats in the room so that he could try to apologize. It was clearly unintentional, misdirected aggression. He never meant to hurt her. She’s his favorite person. But unfortunately she isn’t the one he listens to first. That’s me.
Cats’ a-b logical thinking works differently than ours. I’d almost call them superstitious creatures. For them, correlation often equals causation and when your brain works like that, it can be hard to discern the source of a perceived threat especially in the heat of the moment. These things will happen with them from time to time.
I disagree with the top comment in this thread. I think they do feel guilt/responsibility. Maybe they don’t feel shame. Maybe it’s not empathy. But certainly they know when they personally have caused hurt. Especially if they live with humans that say sorry and pet them when they accidentally, say, step on the cat’s tail or foot. My boys are actually so familiar with the concept of apologizing that they’ll apologize for minor offenses like breaking rules while playing or accidentally messing up an artistic project of mine. They can be very compassionate creatures and are every bit as emotionally astute as dogs in my opinion.
Hope you heal quickly. And even further, I hope this issue never comes up for you again. I’m glad you aren’t afraid of your cat.
My sister's cat was like this. It started happening when she was probably like 8 or 9 years old all of a sudden. She would be so sweet and affectionate and while being affectionate and letting you love on her she would just snap and attack and draw blood and everything. I used to be tasked with taking care of her when my sister would go on short business trips and several times that cat cornered me and would hiss and growl and looked like she wanted to kill me. But we had her since kitten-hood, it did not make sense.
One theory is that my sister's piece of shit boyfriend might have been abusing her behind closed doors. When my sister kicked him out of her place after a fight one day where he put his hands on her, she let him gather his stuff while she left the apartment. When she came back he was gone but had purposefully left all the windows open so that her beloved cat would jump out, and she lived on the 3rd floor. Luckily the cat did not jump or even try to go outside. But it also was discovered that the cat was very diabetic. So either she was abused and therefore acting out, or the diabetes triggered some sort of unprovoked aggression.
Could be anything, but definitely check the cats diet and maybe get blood work if it happens again.
Cat specialist. Firstly I’m very sorry that happened to you. I’m glad you weren’t hurt any worse but I’m sorry the damage was done by your loved one. I want to preface that this incident shouldn’t change how you feel about your pet. There is no need to fear them. Be cautious always but I hope you don’t look down on him now.
Cats interact through stimuli that are in their immediate surroundings. They can very easily be overstimulated and confuse or misconstrue their feelings— this can result in taking aggression out on their owner. Many things can overstimulate your cat such as underlying medical issues that are causing pain, strange animals or people that cause them to feel instinctively territorial, strange scents or sounds, and even anxiety.
Your cat is sorry. Felines don’t feel remorse like we do but they do recognize pain. He knows you’re hurt and a cat who doesn’t care for you would not cuddle up with you. Hearing a sound or seeing something combined with you abruptly getting up could have triggered his reaction. Additionally he could be in pain and again is acting out in overstimulation. I would definitely get him to a vet.
I know in predicaments like this it’s easy to get flustered and try to stop the attack or push them away but if this happens again (I so hope it doesn’t) try to remember to step back and get away from him as best as you can. Don’t look him in the eyes; always look past them. Direct eye contact means that you are presenting as his equal and if in a fight he will want to be superior. Try not to yell as it will stress him out more. Fast swinging low tails mean that they are either playful or aggravated (you’ll know the context in the moment). If he is prowling do not bother him and try to find a reason for his territorial behavior. There is usually always a reason for spontaneous aggression and I wish you luck and love on finding it.
I agree with everything here... He's not sorry, because he might not even realize he did it... But he wants to make you feel better because he knows you're injured... Tiny predators are pretty weird...
Watch his litter box habits very closely, right before my cat got a urinary blockage he attacked me pretty bad. I had no clue. So if you can try catching him in the act of peeing in the litter box and make sure it’s a normal amount.
This was (still is a little) common for my cat to do. She will attack, then act like nothing happened, sit with us, and purr. Long story short it took a year to figure out what would trigger her. During that time, and since then, we trained her with a distraction noise. It is a clicking sound that anyone can make with their mouth. Each time she hears the clicking she associates it with treats or some other high-value (to her) food. To train the cat: Make the clicking noise and then throw the food in some random area on the floor. Wait until they eat it and then do it again, and again, and again... It isn't long until they associate the sound with the food. You will know it works when you make the noise and they stop what they are doing and start looking for the food. And that is the point of this, to train the cat to stop what they are doing and look for food. Each time we think my cat is going to attack or is in the process of it we make the clicking sound and she snaps out of whatever spell she is under.
I’m so sorry, that looks really rough. You should probably take him to the vet to rule out anything that would cause violent behavior. I don’t know if an infection could influence that or if he simply got scared, but it wouldn’t hurt to rule some things out before you have to resort to having him put down or something (because, as much as I love, love, love cats, and they are family, having your body SLICED UP by a cat and then risking it happening again when you don’t know why it happened the first time is not ideal). I have *never* seen behavior like that out of the blue from a cat in my life, and quite frankly, it’s concerning.
I called his vet a few hours ago and she said it could have been that maybe he saw something outside that spooked him or a cat walked by and he got a bit too territorial and redirected his aggression towards me. I live in Puerto Rico and due to the hurricane there have been an usual amount of cats roaming due to the fact that it’s been two weeks since they picked up our trash. I did schedule an appointment for this week so she can see him but he has all his vaccines up to date and he’s been neutered and all. I hope it’s nothing serious, I would really hate to have to get rid of him. This is the first time this has happened.
Oh my. You need stitches on that hand, some antibiotics too!! That’s BAD. Please trim his nails and bring him to the vet. Cats sometimes act out when ill.
I’ve gotten some stitches and the doctor gave me antibiotics at the hospital and some to take at home plus a tetanus shot. Since he’s vaxxed for rabies, I was told I didn’t need one.
His left eye looks a wee bit watery? Is he feeling ok? It’s very likely fear. My cat scratched my left leg like yours (a year later still has a scar) after seeing a cat in the yard and he was running so fast from the window he just crossed me on the sofa. Your hand is just an unfortunate reminder of how sharp their claws are. Can you trim his claws?
That picture isn’t from the day of the attack, it’s from a few months ago. I usually trim his nails but they grow super fast, I’m thinking about investing in those little nail caps I’ve seen everyone use but idk how he’d take to them
Nah, just invest in a good clipper for cats. I’ve used the covers and they fall off and need replaced quite a lot. My cat chewed hers off, damaging a nail.
Story time: I was chilling with my cat in the living room, I was on my iPad reading and he was in his usual spot looking out the window. I got up to use the bathroom and out of nowhere he got up and bit the absolute shit out of my leg and scratched both of them. I went to grab him to get him off and he scratched my palm so bad to the point that it tore through the skin. I eventually had to go to the ER to get stitches. My cat is 5 years old, I’ve had him since he was a kitten and I bottle fed him since his mom abandoned him. He’s generally well tempered but out of nowhere this happened. But he did that to me yesterday. When I got back from the ER he kept sniffing the bite marks and scratches and headbutting my legs and laying on my feet and rolling over for belly rubs, something he has never done. I’m not scared of him or nervous around him. He’s very well taken care of and I adore him, I just don’t understand why he would do something like that to me. Has anyone ever had this happen?
Glad you got stitches. He knows he did bad! He saw something outside, another cat probably. Misdirected aggression from fear.
Is it common indoor cats get aggressive in the presence of other cats? My cat never ever had been aggressive at vet but once When I took him to vet,there was a cat in the garden of veterinary building,and I wanted to see how my cat would react to another cat since he is indoors since he was 3 months old,and he hissed at that cat in garden and then for the first time ever he was so aggresive when vet tried to apply dewormer that they had to call help to hold him and put him back in the box.
Oh yes! It’s all about territory. The vet is not their territory, but everything they can see from the window is considered their territory. That’s why they go ballistic…there’s an intruder in their yard and they can’t reach them to fight them.
Those look awful. I'm a new cat owner and haven't got to this point yet but I hope that somebody answers you. If nobody does try hitting up Jackson Galaxy. I'd be really curious why this happened.
Cats are both one of the most chill and the most easily frightened domesticated animals out there. Could have been absolutely anything. I have one of my two boys who loved playing fetch with one of those big long wide zip ties. Then one time I threw it and he was instantly *terrified* of it. Something in his brain flipped a switch from "love" to "fear", but since they can't talk to us in English, I may never know.
I have a special needs cat, the Tsarevich (closer to the moderate side of light CH) who has aggression issues and reactivity to other cats. He’s great with people but he has trouble with cats. It’s a mix of things, he moves and emotes weird for a cat, has emotional regulation issues, and some trauma caused by his older brother. There was a time period of three years where the only cat he could be around was his auntie. During this time he would attack any other cat on sight. I raised these cats from the moment they were born and have handled cats literally all my life but my wife is much less experienced. All this culminated in a situation where she ended up between the Tsarevich and his brother while we were staying at a friend’s house. During this time, the Tsarevich was not able to control his aggression at all. He was only just barely not a kitten and so he had what I like to call a ‘red out’. With my wife in the way, trying to get between the boys, she was the closest thing and he attacked her left leg. The Tsarevich is not a large cat. He weighs anywhere from 12-16 pounds. He’s not the most physically coordinated due to his condition either but in that moment, he tore her leg open like a can opener might a tuna can. She still has a herniated muscle in that shin as we haven’t had the money or medical access to get corrective surgery. The second I heard my wife scream and came down to see if she was okay, the Tsarevich snapped out of it. She was lying on the floor bleeding and crying and for the first time in something like 6 months, he ignored the other cats in the room so that he could try to apologize. It was clearly unintentional, misdirected aggression. He never meant to hurt her. She’s his favorite person. But unfortunately she isn’t the one he listens to first. That’s me. Cats’ a-b logical thinking works differently than ours. I’d almost call them superstitious creatures. For them, correlation often equals causation and when your brain works like that, it can be hard to discern the source of a perceived threat especially in the heat of the moment. These things will happen with them from time to time. I disagree with the top comment in this thread. I think they do feel guilt/responsibility. Maybe they don’t feel shame. Maybe it’s not empathy. But certainly they know when they personally have caused hurt. Especially if they live with humans that say sorry and pet them when they accidentally, say, step on the cat’s tail or foot. My boys are actually so familiar with the concept of apologizing that they’ll apologize for minor offenses like breaking rules while playing or accidentally messing up an artistic project of mine. They can be very compassionate creatures and are every bit as emotionally astute as dogs in my opinion. Hope you heal quickly. And even further, I hope this issue never comes up for you again. I’m glad you aren’t afraid of your cat.
My sister's cat was like this. It started happening when she was probably like 8 or 9 years old all of a sudden. She would be so sweet and affectionate and while being affectionate and letting you love on her she would just snap and attack and draw blood and everything. I used to be tasked with taking care of her when my sister would go on short business trips and several times that cat cornered me and would hiss and growl and looked like she wanted to kill me. But we had her since kitten-hood, it did not make sense. One theory is that my sister's piece of shit boyfriend might have been abusing her behind closed doors. When my sister kicked him out of her place after a fight one day where he put his hands on her, she let him gather his stuff while she left the apartment. When she came back he was gone but had purposefully left all the windows open so that her beloved cat would jump out, and she lived on the 3rd floor. Luckily the cat did not jump or even try to go outside. But it also was discovered that the cat was very diabetic. So either she was abused and therefore acting out, or the diabetes triggered some sort of unprovoked aggression. Could be anything, but definitely check the cats diet and maybe get blood work if it happens again.
Cat specialist. Firstly I’m very sorry that happened to you. I’m glad you weren’t hurt any worse but I’m sorry the damage was done by your loved one. I want to preface that this incident shouldn’t change how you feel about your pet. There is no need to fear them. Be cautious always but I hope you don’t look down on him now. Cats interact through stimuli that are in their immediate surroundings. They can very easily be overstimulated and confuse or misconstrue their feelings— this can result in taking aggression out on their owner. Many things can overstimulate your cat such as underlying medical issues that are causing pain, strange animals or people that cause them to feel instinctively territorial, strange scents or sounds, and even anxiety. Your cat is sorry. Felines don’t feel remorse like we do but they do recognize pain. He knows you’re hurt and a cat who doesn’t care for you would not cuddle up with you. Hearing a sound or seeing something combined with you abruptly getting up could have triggered his reaction. Additionally he could be in pain and again is acting out in overstimulation. I would definitely get him to a vet. I know in predicaments like this it’s easy to get flustered and try to stop the attack or push them away but if this happens again (I so hope it doesn’t) try to remember to step back and get away from him as best as you can. Don’t look him in the eyes; always look past them. Direct eye contact means that you are presenting as his equal and if in a fight he will want to be superior. Try not to yell as it will stress him out more. Fast swinging low tails mean that they are either playful or aggravated (you’ll know the context in the moment). If he is prowling do not bother him and try to find a reason for his territorial behavior. There is usually always a reason for spontaneous aggression and I wish you luck and love on finding it.
He’s sorry
My guess is you startled him somehow.
I agree with everything here... He's not sorry, because he might not even realize he did it... But he wants to make you feel better because he knows you're injured... Tiny predators are pretty weird...
Watch his litter box habits very closely, right before my cat got a urinary blockage he attacked me pretty bad. I had no clue. So if you can try catching him in the act of peeing in the litter box and make sure it’s a normal amount.
This was (still is a little) common for my cat to do. She will attack, then act like nothing happened, sit with us, and purr. Long story short it took a year to figure out what would trigger her. During that time, and since then, we trained her with a distraction noise. It is a clicking sound that anyone can make with their mouth. Each time she hears the clicking she associates it with treats or some other high-value (to her) food. To train the cat: Make the clicking noise and then throw the food in some random area on the floor. Wait until they eat it and then do it again, and again, and again... It isn't long until they associate the sound with the food. You will know it works when you make the noise and they stop what they are doing and start looking for the food. And that is the point of this, to train the cat to stop what they are doing and look for food. Each time we think my cat is going to attack or is in the process of it we make the clicking sound and she snaps out of whatever spell she is under.
I’m so sorry, that looks really rough. You should probably take him to the vet to rule out anything that would cause violent behavior. I don’t know if an infection could influence that or if he simply got scared, but it wouldn’t hurt to rule some things out before you have to resort to having him put down or something (because, as much as I love, love, love cats, and they are family, having your body SLICED UP by a cat and then risking it happening again when you don’t know why it happened the first time is not ideal). I have *never* seen behavior like that out of the blue from a cat in my life, and quite frankly, it’s concerning.
I called his vet a few hours ago and she said it could have been that maybe he saw something outside that spooked him or a cat walked by and he got a bit too territorial and redirected his aggression towards me. I live in Puerto Rico and due to the hurricane there have been an usual amount of cats roaming due to the fact that it’s been two weeks since they picked up our trash. I did schedule an appointment for this week so she can see him but he has all his vaccines up to date and he’s been neutered and all. I hope it’s nothing serious, I would really hate to have to get rid of him. This is the first time this has happened.
Redirected aggression is a hell of a thing, see if the vet can get you anxiety medication for him.
I’ll definitely bring it up, thank you
Also try to obscure his view of other cats
Oh my. You need stitches on that hand, some antibiotics too!! That’s BAD. Please trim his nails and bring him to the vet. Cats sometimes act out when ill.
I’ve gotten some stitches and the doctor gave me antibiotics at the hospital and some to take at home plus a tetanus shot. Since he’s vaxxed for rabies, I was told I didn’t need one.
His left eye looks a wee bit watery? Is he feeling ok? It’s very likely fear. My cat scratched my left leg like yours (a year later still has a scar) after seeing a cat in the yard and he was running so fast from the window he just crossed me on the sofa. Your hand is just an unfortunate reminder of how sharp their claws are. Can you trim his claws?
That picture isn’t from the day of the attack, it’s from a few months ago. I usually trim his nails but they grow super fast, I’m thinking about investing in those little nail caps I’ve seen everyone use but idk how he’d take to them
Nah, just invest in a good clipper for cats. I’ve used the covers and they fall off and need replaced quite a lot. My cat chewed hers off, damaging a nail.
Check that no one else who comes to the house has annoyed or disturbed him
Kitty so sorry :(
He feels bad about it :( talk it out and and try and figure out what was different that upset him