Biting cat

[Dawn in Ohio]

Do you think an animal shelter would take a cat with a history of biting?

[Teachin'Mine]

Many shelters are taking any and all cats - and euthanizing them. :confused:

 

Have you had this cat for a long time? Did it always bite? Sometimes when a cat is sick it may begin to bite. If that's not it, could it be that the cat has tried telling you in other ways to stop doing something, but you ignore those warnings? Cats will twitch, flick their tail and do other things to warn you that they're not happy before they will bite. Most cats will bite only as a last resort - of course there are exceptions.

[Nakia]

I've never known a cat to bite unless it was in pain. And even then it's rare.

 

But yes, shelters will take the cat. And it will probably be euthanized. Most cats and kittens that go into shelters are euthanized.

[2cents]

Mine all bite...love bites. Cats don't always know that their bites hurt human skin. My fur babies all bite but they are trained to stop when we tell them 'no' or 'easy'. We also halt play when they get overexcited and try to bite. They aren't doing it in a mean way. They're just playing and forget sometimes that their people aren't covered in protective fur. There are good resources on the net that have info on how to discourage this type of behavior.

 

If the biting is mean spirited then I'd have the cat checked by the vet because as prev poster said, it could be feeling ill. If it is not spayed or neutered, that may also be a factor in behavior.

 

Unfortunately, the odds are that a cat surrendered to a shelter because of biting will be considered a bad risk for adoption and because of liability issues will likely be put down.

[Catwoman]

I've never known a cat to bite unless it was in pain. And even then it's rare.

 

But yes, shelters will take the cat. And it will probably be euthanized. Most cats and kittens that go into shelters are euthanized.

 

:iagree:

 

Does the cat actually attack people and bite them, or is it when people try to pick him up or pet him? Does he bite other animals or does he bite people?

 

Many of us have had lots of cats, so if you can give us more details, we might be able to help you.

[tmulcahy]

Mine all bite...love bites. Cats don't always know that their bites hurt human skin. My fur babies all bite but they are trained to stop when we tell them 'no' or 'easy'. We also halt play when they get overexcited and try to bite. They aren't doing it in a mean way. They're just playing and forget sometimes that their people aren't covered in protective fur. There are good resources on the net that have info on how to discourage this type of behavior.

 

If the biting is mean spirited then I'd have the cat checked by the vet because as prev poster said, it could be feeling ill. If it is not spayed or neutered, that may also be a factor in behavior.

 

Unfortunately, the odds are that a cat surrendered to a shelter because of biting will be considered a bad risk for adoption and because of liability issues will likely be put down.

 

My cat bites too. It is never severe....rarely leaves a mark and if it does it is small.

[mcconnellboys]

I've had cats all my life and have one now (an orange, female tabby) who bites us all the time if we don't watch her very carefully.

 

She is declawed and I believe she started using her teeth in place of her claws. So there ARE some cats that WILL bite!

 

She only likes to be petted in a certain way and in certain areas and if you trespass into other areas or touch her in ways that are displeasing to her, she bites you. She bites you when she wants to play. She bites you when she wants more food in her dish. She is excessively territorial and will attack small people, under about 4 feet, if they wander the house alone (because she knows if we are present we will fuss at her). She will not generally bite them, unless they scare her in some way. She bites adult size visitors who get in her space (within a couple of feet of her) and don't get out pretty quickly. She is the most finicky animal I've ever owned and I never would have believed it unless I'd seen it for myself.

 

We've had her since she was tiny and nothing has ever happened to her, except the declawing (which was when she was very young), that I can think of that would have made her this way.... She is a completely indoor cat and always has been; she is spoiled and not neglected in any way....

[Matryoshka]

Most cats give love bites to some extent or another. If it doesn't break the skin, it's not really biting - if they wanted to harm you or were malicious, they could take your whole finger off.

 

Case in point, I did know one really malicious cat (not mine, fortunately). I am a huge cat person, have had multiple cats my whole life, and know how to handle cats. This cat would sneak up behind you, and completely unprovoked (like, your body part was not moving enticingly or anything), take a piece of you, turn and run and leave you bleeding like a stuck pig.

 

If the cat's like that - oy.

[Nakia]

I guess I need to know what kind of biting we're talking about, lol. I was thinking of biting in a hateful way in my pp. We did have two different cats who would "bite" if they got tired of you petting them. And "bite" is pushing it. It was really more like just opening their mouth and touching their teeth to your hand. :) Just enough to say, "Okay, I'm tired of that now."

[Nakia]

Most cats give love bites to some extent or another. If it doesn't break the skin, it's not really biting - if they wanted to harm you or were malicious, they could take your whole finger off.

 

Case in point, I did know one really malicious cat (not mine, fortunately). I am a huge cat person, have had multiple cats my whole life, and know how to handle cats. This cat would sneak up behind you, and completely unprovoked (like, your body part was not moving enticingly or anything), take a piece of you, turn and run and leave you bleeding like a stuck pig.

 

If the cat's like that - oy.

 

Oh my gosh! Sounds more like a tiger than a house cat. OUCH!

[Matryoshka]

I guess I need to know what kind of biting we're talking about, lol. I was thinking of biting in a hateful way in my pp. We did have two different cats who would "bite" if they got tired of you petting them. And "bite" is pushing it. It was really more like just opening their mouth and touching their teeth to your hand. :) Just enough to say, "Okay, I'm tired of that now."

 

 

Yeah, we have one now that is prone to doing that, and swatting at you too - even after he jumped up on your lap and demanded to be petted. But then it's "oh, I'm done so stop now, bite/swat" - we've nicknamed him Mr. Prickles. But he's really a sweet cat, not malicious at all. The bites never break skin (and we make sure his claws are clipped). I do tell guests to stay away from him, though. :tongue_smilie:

[Nakia]

Yeah, we have one now that is prone to doing that, and swatting at you too - even after he jumped up on your lap and demanded to be petted. But then it's "oh, I'm done so stop now, bite/swat" - we've nicknamed him Mr. Prickles. But he's really a sweet cat, not malicious at all. The bites never break skin (and we make sure his claws are clipped). I do tell guests to stay away from him, though. :tongue_smilie:

 

Cats are so funny. We've always had several cats (we have 4 right now), and we've found no two are alike. I just love them!

[Dawn in Ohio]

Well, we've had Mimi since she was a very young kitten. She is almost 2 now. She is friendly to our family and only rarely gives little bites to my son who likes to tease her.

 

But when we were gone for a few days over Christmas, I hired the neighbor boy to come and feed Mimi. He said she was very agressive. She hissed a lot and he was afraid she would hurt him.

 

Because of other issues (her peeing in the basement; our allergies; our upcoming move; her aggressive behavior to our older cat) I decided to put an ad in the newspaper looking for someone to adopt her. I got lots of people who were interested. One family came over to meet her. I had put her in her carrier before they showed up. When they walked over to the cat carrier, she went CRAZY! Hissing and screaming and squealing like nothing we'd ever heard before. It was terrible! Needless to say, the family chose not to take Mimi. At this point I was doubting that we'd find a home for her. But one elderly lady called several times and sounded very interested. I told her how Mimi had acted to the other family, but she said she would try her out for a few days and see if she adjusted.

 

Monday morning, this lady named Lois came over to meet Mimi. It went pretty well. Mimi hissed some, but wasn't overly mad about things. She got into her carrier quietly and left for Lois's house.

 

At 2pm, Lois calls to tell me that Mimi hasn't ventured out of her cat carrier yet. We agreed that it would just take time.

 

Tuesday morning, Lois calls and says that Mimi got out of the carrier during the night but she can't find her anywhere. She says I might have to come over and help find Mimi. Also there is no sign that she has eaten anything.

 

Tuesday night, Lois calls. She found Mimi under her nightstand. She put gloves on and when she tried to get her out Mimi bit her. Lois is sure that we've abused the cat, or that the cat is sick. "I've never seen a cat act like that." She wants me to come and get Mimi and bring a copy of her rabies certificate.

 

Well, during the day Tuesday I had stopped at the vets office to get a copy of Mimi's records to send to Lois. Guess what? We are 2 months late for Mimi's rabies shot!!

 

Wednesday morning I went to get Mimi. Lois freaks out when she sees that the cat is late for her rabies shot. She is still bleeding from the bite and wants me to bandage it up for her!! I was crying through most of this, just feeling terrible about this sweet lady getting bitten. I had already made an appointment with the vet for that afternoon to talk about putting Mimi to sleep. And Lois insistent that we have a rabies test done on Mimi, "because there is something wrong with that cat."

 

I went to the vet Wednesday afternoon and told him this crazy story. He agreed that we should put her to sleep... BUT he couldn't do it right away. Because of the bite, we have to quarantine her for 10 days to make sure she doesn't have rabies. Even though she is a totally indoor cat and there is no possible way she has rabies! (Or we could put her to sleep and send her head away for testing, but understandably he didn't want to do that.) So I brought Mimi back home with me. Arg!

 

Lois called asking to be reimbursed for the cost of her antibiotics.

 

I feel terrible knowing my cat can be so aggressive. I don't think it is wise to keep a cat who will attack strangers. But of course it breaks my heart to put her to sleep. And she is being as sweet as ever now that she is back home. What's up with that?!

[TeenagerMom]

Well, we've had Mimi since she was a very young kitten. She is almost 2 now. She is friendly to our family and only rarely gives little bites to my son who likes to tease her.

 

But when we were gone for a few days over Christmas, I hired the neighbor boy to come and feed Mimi. He said she was very agressive. She hissed a lot and he was afraid she would hurt him.

 

Because of other issues (her peeing in the basement; our allergies; our upcoming move; her aggressive behavior to our older cat) I decided to put an ad in the newspaper looking for someone to adopt her. I got lots of people who were interested. One family came over to meet her. I had put her in her carrier before they showed up. When they walked over to the cat carrier, she went CRAZY! Hissing and screaming and squealing like nothing we'd ever heard before. It was terrible! Needless to say, the family chose not to take Mimi. At this point I was doubting that we'd find a home for her. But one elderly lady called several times and sounded very interested. I told her how Mimi had acted to the other family, but she said she would try her out for a few days and see if she adjusted.

 

Monday morning, this lady named Lois came over to meet Mimi. It went pretty well. Mimi hissed some, but wasn't overly mad about things. She got into her carrier quietly and left for Lois's house.

 

At 2pm, Lois calls to tell me that Mimi hasn't ventured out of her cat carrier yet. We agreed that it would just take time.

 

Tuesday morning, Lois calls and says that Mimi got out of the carrier during the night but she can't find her anywhere. She says I might have to come over and help find Mimi. Also there is no sign that she has eaten anything.

 

Tuesday night, Lois calls. She found Mimi under her nightstand. She put gloves on and when she tried to get her out Mimi bit her. Lois is sure that we've abused the cat, or that the cat is sick. "I've never seen a cat act like that." She wants me to come and get Mimi and bring a copy of her rabies certificate.

 

Well, during the day Tuesday I had stopped at the vets office to get a copy of Mimi's records to send to Lois. Guess what? We are 2 months late for Mimi's rabies shot!!

 

Wednesday morning I went to get Mimi. Lois freaks out when she sees that the cat is late for her rabies shot. She is still bleeding from the bite and wants me to bandage it up for her!! I was crying through most of this, just feeling terrible about this sweet lady getting bitten. I had already made an appointment with the vet for that afternoon to talk about putting Mimi to sleep. And Lois insistent that we have a rabies test done on Mimi, "because there is something wrong with that cat."

 

I went to the vet Wednesday afternoon and told him this crazy story. He agreed that we should put her to sleep... BUT he couldn't do it right away. Because of the bite, we have to quarantine her for 10 days to make sure she doesn't have rabies. Even though she is a totally indoor cat and there is no possible way she has rabies! (Or we could put her to sleep and send her head away for testing, but understandably he didn't want to do that.) So I brought Mimi back home with me. Arg!

 

Lois called asking to be reimbursed for the cost of her antibiotics.

 

I feel terrible knowing my cat can be so aggressive. I don't think it is wise to keep a cat who will attack strangers. But of course it breaks my heart to put her to sleep. And she is being as sweet as ever now that she is back home. What's up with that?!

 

 

My cats are terrified of other people. They love us to death are sweet, kind, gentle with the kids, etc. But when a stranger to them comes over, they hide, they hiss, they claw, etc.

 

I take it as my fault because they are not socialized will enough. My older cat is better, but the kitten is just terrified. I won't have either of them put to sleep or try to rehome them because they are our cats & they love us. They just don't like other people. Period.

[Farrar]

Mine all bite...love bites. Cats don't always know that their bites hurt human skin.

 

 

Mine gives love bites too. But he does not know how to stop. He gets really overexcited really easily, begins to purr like motor being revved up, and turns over to show his belly like he wants you to pet it. He probably does, but if you do, he'll sink his teeth into you. Dh and I know his signs and know not to touch if he's all excited. Unfortunately, some guests in our home haven't listened and have gotten blood drawn by him. Once he went right up to my mother and both dh and I were in the midst of trying to say, "Don't touch him!" when she reached out and gave him a very gentle pet on the head and he grabbed right hold of her and gave her a nasty, nasty bite.

 

So... I guess I also challenge the notion that cats don't bite unless they're in pain. Mine bites when he's happiest and pretty much only when he's all happy.

 

Part of me would love to get rid of the cat, but there's nowhere to send him. He's a fat old cat. He still mouses okay. But he also has litter box issues. Sigh.

[Catwoman]

I may be totally off-base, but it sounds to me like the neighbor boy may have done something very, very mean to your cat while you were away. :angry: The poor cat is probably afraid of being hurt again.

[Dawn in Ohio]

I may be totally off-base, but it sounds to me like the neighbor boy may have done something very, very mean to your cat while you were away. :angry: The poor cat is probably afraid of being hurt again.

 

I don't think so. I drive him to school 3 days a week and think he is a super kid. Besides his mom came with him!

[beaners]

I may be totally off-base, but it sounds to me like the neighbor boy may have done something very, very mean to your cat while you were away. :angry: The poor cat is probably afraid of being hurt again.

 

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion at all. Cats can be incredibly territorial if someone comes into their environment.

 

I stayed with a friend of mine for a while, and her boyfriend had a cat that would act the same way toward me if I came home and no one else was back yet. It sounds ridiculous that an adult would be afraid of a cat, but that cat would spit and lunge at me. It was pretty intimidating. I have four well-loved cats of my own, so it certainly wasn't malicious treatment on my part.

[Dawn in Ohio]

My cats are terrified of other people. They love us to death are sweet, kind, gentle with the kids, etc. But when a stranger to them comes over, they hide, they hiss, they claw, etc.

 

I take it as my fault because they are not socialized will enough. My older cat is better, but the kitten is just terrified. I won't have either of them put to sleep or try to rehome them because they are our cats & they love us. They just don't like other people. Period.

 

What do you do with the cats when you go on vacation?

[Paige]

I guess I need to know what kind of biting we're talking about, lol. I was thinking of biting in a hateful way in my pp. We did have two different cats who would "bite" if they got tired of you petting them. And "bite" is pushing it. It was really more like just opening their mouth and touching their teeth to your hand. :) Just enough to say, "Okay, I'm tired of that now."

 

Most of my cats have done that. They never break my skin but they have repeatedly drawn blood on my kids. I don't believe the cats bite/warn them any more than me, but that the kids are so jumpy and as soon as the cats put their teeth on them, they jerk their hands away- effectively scratching themselves on the cats' teeth. If it's that kind of biting, I think that is normal.

[missmoe]

We had a cat from a shelter that bit. It took about a year to break her of the habit. Whenever she would bite, I would tap her on the top of nose and tell her no. She was never the tamest of cats, but she did learn to stop biting.

[kitten18]

Well, we've had Mimi since she was a very young kitten. She is almost 2 now. She is friendly to our family and only rarely gives little bites to my son who likes to tease her.

 

But when we were gone for a few days over Christmas, I hired the neighbor boy to come and feed Mimi. He said she was very agressive. She hissed a lot and he was afraid she would hurt him.

 

Because of other issues (her peeing in the basement; our allergies; our upcoming move; her aggressive behavior to our older cat) I decided to put an ad in the newspaper looking for someone to adopt her. I got lots of people who were interested. One family came over to meet her. I had put her in her carrier before they showed up. When they walked over to the cat carrier, she went CRAZY! Hissing and screaming and squealing like nothing we'd ever heard before. It was terrible! Needless to say, the family chose not to take Mimi. At this point I was doubting that we'd find a home for her. But one elderly lady called several times and sounded very interested. I told her how Mimi had acted to the other family, but she said she would try her out for a few days and see if she adjusted.

 

Monday morning, this lady named Lois came over to meet Mimi. It went pretty well. Mimi hissed some, but wasn't overly mad about things. She got into her carrier quietly and left for Lois's house.

 

At 2pm, Lois calls to tell me that Mimi hasn't ventured out of her cat carrier yet. We agreed that it would just take time.

 

Tuesday morning, Lois calls and says that Mimi got out of the carrier during the night but she can't find her anywhere. She says I might have to come over and help find Mimi. Also there is no sign that she has eaten anything.

 

Tuesday night, Lois calls. She found Mimi under her nightstand. She put gloves on and when she tried to get her out Mimi bit her. Lois is sure that we've abused the cat, or that the cat is sick. "I've never seen a cat act like that." She wants me to come and get Mimi and bring a copy of her rabies certificate.

 

Well, during the day Tuesday I had stopped at the vets office to get a copy of Mimi's records to send to Lois. Guess what? We are 2 months late for Mimi's rabies shot!!

 

Wednesday morning I went to get Mimi. Lois freaks out when she sees that the cat is late for her rabies shot. She is still bleeding from the bite and wants me to bandage it up for her!! I was crying through most of this, just feeling terrible about this sweet lady getting bitten. I had already made an appointment with the vet for that afternoon to talk about putting Mimi to sleep. And Lois insistent that we have a rabies test done on Mimi, "because there is something wrong with that cat."

 

I went to the vet Wednesday afternoon and told him this crazy story. He agreed that we should put her to sleep... BUT he couldn't do it right away. Because of the bite, we have to quarantine her for 10 days to make sure she doesn't have rabies. Even though she is a totally indoor cat and there is no possible way she has rabies! (Or we could put her to sleep and send her head away for testing, but understandably he didn't want to do that.) So I brought Mimi back home with me. Arg!

 

Lois called asking to be reimbursed for the cost of her antibiotics.

 

I feel terrible knowing my cat can be so aggressive. I don't think it is wise to keep a cat who will attack strangers. But of course it breaks my heart to put her to sleep. And she is being as sweet as ever now that she is back home. What's up with that?!

:grouphug: That's just awful.

 

We had a cat that was pretty vicious. He really only liked DH, he tolerated me a little but he would randomly jump out and bite me (hard) and he hated everyone else.

One time we sent him to my parents' house while we were out of town. When they tried to get him back in the crate to bring him home, he freaked. They spent about 20 minutes trying to catch him and when they did, he bit my mom. I don't want to scare you, I will just say that the infection was VERY bad and our homeowners' insurance paid all her medical bills.

 

 

:grouphug:

[TeenagerMom]

What do you do with the cats when you go on vacation?

 

 

My mother comes over & feeds them. They usually run & hide while she is here, but have started getting used to her since she has kept my kids at my house for the last 4 months while I go to work. When they were too fussy with her, she just ignored them & put their food & water out without trying to touch them.

 

Mom is pretty familiar with cat behavior. They had 3 cats w/3 completely different personalities for over 10 years. One is a sweetheart & loves everybody. One was a sweetheart that loved you on HER terms. And the 3rd, well, she just flat out didn't like ANYONE but my StepDad:glare:.

[Catwoman]

I don't think so. I drive him to school 3 days a week and think he is a super kid. Besides his mom came with him!

 

Sorry if I misjudged the boy, but it sounded like your cat became a biter after you returned home from the vacation, so that's why I was suspicious. I'm sorry if I misinterpreted your original post, but in my experience,most cats don't just suddenly turn nasty if they don't have a medical issue or haven't faced any sort of trauma.

 

Again, I didn't mean to jump to conclusions, but I was looking for some sort of link that might have caused the change in the cat's behavior.

[Dawn in Ohio]

Sorry if I misjudged the boy, but it sounded like your cat became a biter after you returned home from the vacation, so that's why I was suspicious. I'm sorry if I misinterpreted your original post, but in my experience,most cats don't just suddenly turn nasty if they don't have a medical issue or haven't faced any sort of trauma.

 

Again, I didn't mean to jump to conclusions, but I was looking for some sort of link that might have caused the change in the cat's behavior.

 

No problem. :) You see, I don't think it is a change in personality. It is just a side of her personality that we hadn't seen too much of. She hisses at any visitors to the house. So she is always unfriendly to strangers. When she went to the vet a year ago she was very mean. I think when we were on vacation and someone else came to the house, she felt protective and be came even more dangerous.

[Dawn in Ohio]

When they tried to get him back in the crate to bring him home, he freaked. They spent about 20 minutes trying to catch him and when they did, he bit my mom. I don't want to scare you, I will just say that the infection was VERY bad and our homeowners' insurance paid all her medical bills.

 

 

:grouphug:

 

Lois was wearing leather gloves when she tried to get Mimi. And 24 hours later she was still bleeding! (She is on blood thinners....) So it was a bad bite. I'm glad she went to the doctor and got antibiotics. I hope I don't hear from her lawyer... :001_unsure:

[DawnM]

Just so you know, if the cat is quarantined for 10 days and it is determined that he does have rabies, it is too late for the human.

 

When we had a bat incident we were told we had a total of 10 days to accept rabies treatment or it wouldn't work.

 

We were also told that any time rabies is suspected the animal needs to be put down and his/her brain tested for the disease immediately to determine if the animal had it and if the humans need treatment. Here in NC we were told to take it to an animal control center and they would take it up to Raleigh for immediate testing. I am sure your state has something similar.

 

I don't want to scare you, but we were told this from the CDC in Atlanta who called us (a bit of a long story.)

 

Dawn

[Dawn in Ohio]

Just so you know, if the cat is quarantined for 10 days and it is determined that he does have rabies, it is too late for the human.

 

When we had a bat incident we were told we had a total of 10 days to accept rabies treatment or it wouldn't work.

 

We were also told that any time rabies is suspected the animal needs to be put down and his/her brain tested for the disease immediately to determine if the animal had it and if the humans need treatment. Here in NC we were told to take it to an animal control center and they would take it up to Raleigh for immediate testing. I am sure your state has something similar.

 

I don't want to scare you, but we were told this from the CDC in Atlanta who called us (a bit of a long story.)

 

Dawn

 

Yeah, this is what our vet said. But he doesn't suspect rabies. I'm surprised that he didn't take the most aggressive route just to be safe.

[Shelly in IL]

They are a great way to get really sick. My older neighbor man was bitten by a cat, he had paralysis in his finger for years, until he died (unrelated). Look up cat bites, and maybe cat biting won't sound like such a small problem any more. Especially if it is done hard to draw blood. Our cat bites and scratches (in a fun way, if that is possible, but doesn't draw blood) playing with our boys. Way different than an willful attack.

[DawnM]

I rented a room from a gal with a vicious cat. That thing would bite if you weren't playing with it and it wanted to be played with. It would bite when it was tired of being played with, and it would come up and bite your leg for no reason while you were sitting.

 

She finally took it to the pound and they put it down immediately. I actually believe that aggressive animals should be put down. They are a danger.

 

I love animals, but aggression cannot be tolerated.

 

Dawn

 

They are a great way to get really sick. My older neighbor man was bitten by a cat, he had paralysis in his finger for years, until he died (unrelated). Look up cat bites, and maybe cat biting won't sound like such a small problem any more. Especially if it is done hard to draw blood. Our cat bites and scratches (in a fun way, if that is possible, but doesn't draw blood) playing with our boys. Way different than an willful attack.

[Dawn in Ohio]

They are a great way to get really sick. My older neighbor man was bitten by a cat, he had paralysis in his finger for years, until he died (unrelated). Look up cat bites, and maybe cat biting won't sound like such a small problem any more. Especially if it is done hard to draw blood. Our cat bites and scratches (in a fun way, if that is possible, but doesn't draw blood) playing with our boys. Way different than an willful attack.

 

I do take the biting seriously. I am pretty sure Mimi is going back to the vet soon to be put to sleep. But is it tough for my kids to understand because she is so sweet to them. So I wanted to hear someone tell me that putting her to sleep was the right option, even though it is hard to do.

[Teachin'Mine]

I'm still not understanding why you have to do what you plan. If she's okay with your family and your kids love her, why? If it's just a problem when you go away, I would think that you could board her with a vet and explain that she's nasty with strangers. They will be familiar with that and know how to care for her while she's there. If it's more about the peeing in the basement, behavior towards your other cat, allergies and your upcoming move, then those are different issues. There are different strategies to deal with each of those, but you have to decide what your priorities are.

 

Regarding the way your cat behaved with Lois, this is completely normal!!! Cats seldom take to a new home right away. They are confused, scared and timid and many would lash out if pulled out from under furniture. It takes them time to feel comfortable in a new home and with a new person. Generally it's recommended that they're contained in a small room and given time to meet their new owner in their own time and way - this can take a week or more.

 

I would heavily consider your children when you make your decision. :grouphug:

[Outdoorsy Type]

I had an orange tabby that would attack and bite. We got him young, and he was never abused, and yet he would jump at visitors or bite them. :confused: I would have put up with it longer, but I was pregnant and getting ready to move cross country to a rent house. DH found a family that wanted him for an outdoor cat. When we visited the area a year later the mom said he was a much nicer cat outdoors, and was doing fine.

 

So I do think some cats are more aggressive. I'm sorry for what you went through with your kitty. :grouphug:

[Matryoshka]

Tuesday night, Lois calls. She found Mimi under her nightstand. She put gloves on and when she tried to get her out Mimi bit her. Lois is sure that we've abused the cat, or that the cat is sick. "I've never seen a cat act like that."

 

Some of my MIL's cats have acted like that. Now, some of them may have been abused as kittens - she's gotten them all from shelters. She is a huge cat person and loves these cats like her babies.

 

But some of them are not friendly to outsiders. She had one that was terrified of my dh. Who is also a huge cat person and animal lover - the kind who would drive into a tree rather than hit a squirrel in the road (I've told him if the kids are in the car, the kids are more important and he is to flatten the squirrel over hitting the tree...) But this cat acted like he was the devil incarnate. Usually she just avoided him. But she would spit, hiss, and if he had attempted to touch her, I'm sure he'd have lost a limb. MIL's current cat doesn't like him much either. Dh reads cats well enough to interpret the murderous looks and just stay away. He's not fond of the rest of us either. This same cat is very gentle with MIL.

 

I think some cats are just one-person or at least familiar-person cats and can't handle new people. Then they go into some kind of defending-their-lives mode because they're scared, and yes, then they really bite, especially if cornered like Mimi was.

 

I agree with the other poster about the rule being to keep them in a room alone for a while - at least a week or more. We had one cat that when we got him, he hid under the dresser for ages. He ended up being one of the sweetest, friendliest, most sociable cats we've ever had - once he got used to his new home and new people.

Edited January 27, 2012 by matroyshka

[Catwoman]

I am in agreement with those who are wondering why you don't just keep the cat, and not expose her to many strangers. Your kids love her, and quite honestly, I don't necessarily blame her for biting people under the circumstances she was experiencing. You and the kids werent there to protect her from the strangers, so she felt she had to defend herself.

 

I am usually the first person to recommend that someone not keep an animal that bites, but this does not seem to be a "vicious animal" situation, but rather a "frightened animal" issue.

 

How horrible it would be for a sweet family pet to be put to sleep just because she is afraid of strangers. If she had bitten your kids, I would feel entirely different about this.

 

I truly believe that if the woman who was bitten had known more about how to handle a frightened cat in a new environment (which means NOT to try to handle the cat,) she would never have been bitten. I wish she had realized that while some cats acclimate quickly to a new home, others take weeks or even months to feel comfortable.

 

I hope that, if you can't keep Mimi yourself, that you are able to find someone who will give her another chance at happiness.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Catwoman

[Shelly in IL]

I did not mean to sound harsh to you. Obviously you are concerned and are in the middle of a sad situation with your kitty and your kiddos and this older woman. I just wanted to point out that these bites can be quite serious, and the reason you are getting rid of her in the beginning is her aggressive behavior. Others should realize that you are contemplating all options, not just trying to put her down. Some animals are unfortunately aggressive and cat bites are dangerous.

[mcconnellboys]

Some cats are just extremely territorial.

 

Also, you may already know that if you have several cats and one has to go to the vet without the others, they will all hiss and fight with him when he gets back because he smells different, etc. I think that for our lone cat, we are the rest of her group and she just is not willing to accept strangers who smell differently.

 

I'm sorry, but this lady knew the history of your cat and should not have tried to handle her, even with gloves on. I'm afraid she brought this on herself.... I'm sorry about the situation. If you were close enough to me, I'd take the cat, but I'm afraid mine would eat her....

[lailasmum]

That sounds like normal cat behaviour to me, being taken to a strange environment by a strange person and then being forcibly removed from her safe place under the night stand I would expect a cat to bite. It would be surprising if the cat hadn't bitten or scratched her. The thing to do would have been to have put food, water and litter tray near by and shut the door and leave the cat alone to acclimatise in that room. Then occasionally go in and sit nearby quietly, ignore the cat for a bit and then leave and repeat. It takes a week or two not just a couple of days. They're tame wild animals not living soft toys.

 

The woman who took the cat has obviously had minimal cat experience.

 

Maybe try a cat lover with more experience handling and introducing cats to their home.

Edited January 27, 2012 by lailasmum

[Live2Ride]

Well, we've had Mimi since she was a very young kitten. She is almost 2 now. She is friendly to our family and only rarely gives little bites to my son who likes to tease her.

 

But when we were gone for a few days over Christmas, I hired the neighbor boy to come and feed Mimi. He said she was very agressive. She hissed a lot and he was afraid she would hurt him.

 

Because of other issues (her peeing in the basement; our allergies; our upcoming move; her aggressive behavior to our older cat) I decided to put an ad in the newspaper looking for someone to adopt her. I got lots of people who were interested. One family came over to meet her. I had put her in her carrier before they showed up. When they walked over to the cat carrier, she went CRAZY! Hissing and screaming and squealing like nothing we'd ever heard before. It was terrible! Needless to say, the family chose not to take Mimi. At this point I was doubting that we'd find a home for her. But one elderly lady called several times and sounded very interested. I told her how Mimi had acted to the other family, but she said she would try her out for a few days and see if she adjusted.

 

Monday morning, this lady named Lois came over to meet Mimi. It went pretty well. Mimi hissed some, but wasn't overly mad about things. She got into her carrier quietly and left for Lois's house.

 

At 2pm, Lois calls to tell me that Mimi hasn't ventured out of her cat carrier yet. We agreed that it would just take time.

 

Tuesday morning, Lois calls and says that Mimi got out of the carrier during the night but she can't find her anywhere. She says I might have to come over and help find Mimi. Also there is no sign that she has eaten anything.

 

Tuesday night, Lois calls. She found Mimi under her nightstand. She put gloves on and when she tried to get her out Mimi bit her. Lois is sure that we've abused the cat, or that the cat is sick. "I've never seen a cat act like that." She wants me to come and get Mimi and bring a copy of her rabies certificate.

 

Well, during the day Tuesday I had stopped at the vets office to get a copy of Mimi's records to send to Lois. Guess what? We are 2 months late for Mimi's rabies shot!!

 

Wednesday morning I went to get Mimi. Lois freaks out when she sees that the cat is late for her rabies shot. She is still bleeding from the bite and wants me to bandage it up for her!! I was crying through most of this, just feeling terrible about this sweet lady getting bitten. I had already made an appointment with the vet for that afternoon to talk about putting Mimi to sleep. And Lois insistent that we have a rabies test done on Mimi, "because there is something wrong with that cat."

 

I went to the vet Wednesday afternoon and told him this crazy story. He agreed that we should put her to sleep... BUT he couldn't do it right away. Because of the bite, we have to quarantine her for 10 days to make sure she doesn't have rabies. Even though she is a totally indoor cat and there is no possible way she has rabies! (Or we could put her to sleep and send her head away for testing, but understandably he didn't want to do that.) So I brought Mimi back home with me. Arg!

 

Lois called asking to be reimbursed for the cost of her antibiotics.

 

I feel terrible knowing my cat can be so aggressive. I don't think it is wise to keep a cat who will attack strangers. But of course it breaks my heart to put her to sleep. And she is being as sweet as ever now that she is back home. What's up with that?!

 

Any knowledgable cat person would have known better than to grab for a cat that's hiding. Some cats take weeks to settle, some a few days. That being said,I'd stick said kitty outdoors as long as she isn't declawed. Hissy kitty would now have plenty of space to come and go at will. We have a couple like this and they are very happy outdoors. They climb trees to get away when needed and we have a 'safe' place for them to escape to. Works for both.

[Catwoman]

I agree with your assessment of why the cat behaved as she did, but I have to disagree with the idea of putting the cat outside. If Mimi has never been an outdoor cat, I don't think she would survive it. She has no knowledge of how to take care of herself, has no clue about predators, wouldn't know how to cross a street safely, etc.

 

Also, she would probably feel terribly rejected if she has always been an inside cat with a family to fuss over her and love her, and suddenly she found herself alone outdoors.

 

I feel so sad for her. I wish I could take her in.

 

 

Any knowledgable cat person would have known better than to grab for a cat that's hiding. Some cats take weeks to settle, some a few days. That being said,I'd stick said kitty outdoors as long as she isn't declawed. Hissy kitty would now have plenty of space to come and go at will. We have a couple like this and they are very happy outdoors. They climb trees to get away when needed and we have a 'safe' place for them to escape to. Works for both.

[Dawn in Ohio]

The woman who took the cat has obviously had minimal cat experience.

 

Maybe try a cat lover with more experience handling and introducing cats to their home.

 

So back to my original question. Would a shelter take her?

[Nakia]

I gotta agree with the pp that Lois should have left Mimi alone. I know you feel responsible because Mimi is your cat, but really Lois should have known better.

 

I don't know what I'd do in your situation. It's a tough call. I wouldn't have an animal that bit my kids, but you say the cat is sweet with your kids. I don't know how I'd explain to my kids that we were getting rid of/putting to sleep their beloved cat. Well, I guess I just wouldn't because we'd probably just keep her.

 

I know you have other issues with her. I'd try and separate those from the biting issue and see if you can figure out how to handle each one. Maybe you'll be able to keep her after all.

 

:grouphug:

[Nakia]

So back to my original question. Would a shelter take her?

 

Of course. The shelter will take any cat. And they will probably euthanize her because that's what happens to the majority of animals that go into shelters.

[Catwoman]

So back to my original question. Would a shelter take her?

 

Yes, and she will be put to sleep. That is almost definite.

 

The only exception would be a no-kill organization that places unwanted pets in foster homes until they are adopted, or that charges a fee for the pet's care. One organization I know of, offers an "adopt a friend" program where you choose a homeless pet and pay $10 per month to help with his living expenses while he awaits adoption. Maybe there is that kind of place in your area, so you could support Mimi until she finds a new home.

 

I'm sorry to be nosy, but if your kids love the cat, why aren't you keeping her?

[Lara in Colo]

[I'm sorry to be nosy, but if your kids love the cat, why aren't you keeping her?

 

From what I read, because the cat is agressive to strangers and pees in the house.

So she is supposed to let this cat destroy her house and never go on vacation just so that a cat can have a nice, long life?

 

Sometimes you just cannot fix what is broken.

 

This is not a person, it is a cat. An agressive, possibly causeing legal action cat.

 

OP: Lois was warned that the cat was agressive and took it anyway?

She is responcible for her own damages.

[DarlaS]

Lois was wearing leather gloves when she tried to get Mimi. And 24 hours later she was still bleeding! (She is on blood thinners....) So it was a bad bite. I'm glad she went to the doctor and got antibiotics. I hope I don't hear from her lawyer... :001_unsure:

 

I hope you have a witness that the cat hissed at her while it was still in your house before she decided to take it home anyway.

 

I don't think you are entirely to blame here. You didn't try to hide your concerns, were completely honest about he behavior to another family, and she took a gamble everything would be okay.

[Sputterduck]

Just so you know, if the cat is quarantined for 10 days and it is determined that he does have rabies, it is too late for the human.

 

When we had a bat incident we were told we had a total of 10 days to accept rabies treatment or it wouldn't work.

 

We were also told that any time rabies is suspected the animal needs to be put down and his/her brain tested for the disease immediately to determine if the animal had it and if the humans need treatment. Here in NC we were told to take it to an animal control center and they would take it up to Raleigh for immediate testing. I am sure your state has something similar.

 

I don't want to scare you, but we were told this from the CDC in Atlanta who called us (a bit of a long story.)

 

Dawn

 

Yep. Except when I was bit 3 times by a stray litter of puppies here, my insurance company said I had to go to the States * immediately* and get my first vaccine and immunoglobulin. I delayed it a day trying to get the shots here, but when that didn't work and my insurance company called back to see if I had been successful, they freaked out on me. So we drove up in the middle of the night.

[Dawn in Ohio]

I hope you have a witness that the cat hissed at her while it was still in your house before she decided to take it home anyway.

 

I don't think you are entirely to blame here. You didn't try to hide your concerns, were completely honest about he behavior to another family, and she took a gamble everything would be okay.

 

Thanks. Right... I think she knew the risk she was taking. And she was sure Mimi would adjust. I honestly thought she would too.

 

Everything was fine until Mimi bit her. Then she was SURE that we had abused Mimi or that Mimi was sick.

[ThreeBlessings]

OP-

 

I completely agree that Lois really should have known better to try to grab a hiding animal like that. I hope she takes every last bit of the antibiotics and keeps a close on on her wound. Cat bites can be very, very bad. My sister was bitten by my cat and it got horribly infected. She was on my back porch and when her son opened the door my cat ran out. My sister was afraid the cat would run away and grabbed her and wouldn't let go. The cat hissed and tried to get away and she grabbed again getting a tighter hold on her, pulling her hair and that's when my cat bit her on her hand. The cat had never bit before, nor after this incident. My sister didn't blame her. The bit didn't look bad, but it did draw blood and even though we squeezed the wound and cleaned it out right away it got horribly infected. It was awful. There is a certain bacteria cats can have in their mouths that is very bad.

 

All that said, I'm so sorry you are in this situation. I too have a cat that bites (not the cat who bit my sister). She is not a mean cat, she is a very nervous cat. She was born in my home and has never been abused or mistreated. She is a sweet cat, but I've decided to quarantine her for lack of better choices. She bit my youngest daughter who was always very sweet and gentle with our cats. My daughter had taken a curtain tieback out of the laundry basket, the cat was sitting on a dining room chair. Dd was slowly waving the tieback in front of the cat to try to get her to play. The cat bit her, hard enough to draw blood. I saw the whole thing. Since then she has bitten my son once and me several times. She is a lap cat and loves affection. Each time she has bitten since that first time it has been because she was being gently put off a lap, except for once she bit me when I petted her on the head because she wasn't aware I was there I think and it surprised her. She has drawn blood biting twice, twice left marks, but didn't draw blood. Other times she didn't bite hard enough to leave a mark.

 

Putting her outside or rehoming her just isn't an option in my opinion. I would feel so responsible if she were to bite someone else. We've been lucky and not had any infection from her bites, but I've seen how awful it can be and I can not have her around my children anymore. We tidied up our garage as well as we could and made her a nice spot out there with a cat bed, food, water, litter box, and an oil radiator heater. It is the best I can do right now, though it makes me sad for her and feels wrong.

 

Dh says he wants to turn half the garage into a room, leaving the other half for storage, but I'm not sure when we will financially be able to manage that. I think I'll feel better about it once it is actually a room without storage clutter in it, though I seriously doubt it bothers the cat at all. I do pet her and take care of her needs and I'm not afraid of being bitten as long as I know she knows I'm there. I also block her from getting on my lap when I'm petting her so that I don't have to put her off my lap, as that is a trigger to her. I am afraid she will bite the kids because kids are loud, kids tend to move quickly, etc. and she is just too nervous to deal with that. She can't bite just because someone is trying to play with her or pets her gently on the head and she didn't realize they were there. Not okay. :(

Edited January 27, 2012 by ThreeBlessings

[Dawn in Ohio]

Yes, and she will be put to sleep. That is almost definite.

 

The only exception would be a no-kill organization that places unwanted pets in foster homes until they are adopted, or that charges a fee for the pet's care. One organization I know of, offers an "adopt a friend" program where you choose a homeless pet and pay $10 per month to help with his living expenses while he awaits adoption. Maybe there is that kind of place in your area, so you could support Mimi until she finds a new home.

 

I'm sorry to be nosy, but if your kids love the cat, why aren't you keeping her?

 

Lots of reasons: She hasn't been in the basement in over a year and still it smells of cat pee. We are going to try to sell our house this spring. Don't want her to ruin the new house. It doesn't seem responsible to keep a cat that might bite visitors. Don't want to pay lots of money for her care when we go on vacation.

 

There are lots of no-kill shelters around here. I can get on their waiting list. Just can't see her ever adjusting to another owner, so I'm not I should bother them.