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Housesitter is scared of attack cat
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Ellen Cotter
May 29, 1995, 3:00:00 AM5/29/95
to
I need some advice for dealing with an attack cat. I am the housesitter
mentioned in the subject line. About a week ago, I house-sat for a woman who
warned me at the outset not to try to pet her cat, a large 10-year-old Siamese
named Bridget. (This cat, BTW, is huge -- the size and shape of a possum.)
At any rate, I followed those directions and did not try to pet the cat. For
the first couple of days, the cat and I had a distant but cordial relationship,
marred only by occasional hisses from her when I walked too close to her.
My last night at that house, I bent down to pick something up from the floor
about 4 feet from the cat, and the cat charged me, yowling, growling, and
hissing. I screamed and ran, and the cat chased me around the living room
(go ahead and laugh; it's funny) until I shut myself in a back room of the
house. Bridget hissed at me a few more times when I came out the next morning,
but she didn't come near me. Her owner told me (when I reported what had
happened) that Bridget is very unpredictable and that this was likely to
happen again.
Now the problem: This woman seems to want me to house-sit again, and I need the
money too badly to turn her down. However, I'm afraid of her cat. Are there
any preventive measures I can take the next time I go over there? Should I
bring my little squirt bottle that I use to train my cat, and squirt Bridget
with water if she comes at me again? I'm too embarrassed to tell this woman
how unnerved I am by her cat, but I wouldn't want to use any aversive
measures without her permission. Any ideas?
Ellen
Ellen M. Cotter "Skeleton glows in dark,
University of Alabama at Birmingham is somewhat poseable"
Department of Psychology -- my mother
UAB might, but probably does not, agree with anything I say at any time.
mentioned in the subject line. About a week ago, I house-sat for a woman who
warned me at the outset not to try to pet her cat, a large 10-year-old Siamese
named Bridget. (This cat, BTW, is huge -- the size and shape of a possum.)
At any rate, I followed those directions and did not try to pet the cat. For
the first couple of days, the cat and I had a distant but cordial relationship,
marred only by occasional hisses from her when I walked too close to her.
My last night at that house, I bent down to pick something up from the floor
about 4 feet from the cat, and the cat charged me, yowling, growling, and
hissing. I screamed and ran, and the cat chased me around the living room
(go ahead and laugh; it's funny) until I shut myself in a back room of the
house. Bridget hissed at me a few more times when I came out the next morning,
but she didn't come near me. Her owner told me (when I reported what had
happened) that Bridget is very unpredictable and that this was likely to
happen again.
Now the problem: This woman seems to want me to house-sit again, and I need the
money too badly to turn her down. However, I'm afraid of her cat. Are there
any preventive measures I can take the next time I go over there? Should I
bring my little squirt bottle that I use to train my cat, and squirt Bridget
with water if she comes at me again? I'm too embarrassed to tell this woman
how unnerved I am by her cat, but I wouldn't want to use any aversive
measures without her permission. Any ideas?
Ellen
Ellen M. Cotter "Skeleton glows in dark,
University of Alabama at Birmingham is somewhat poseable"
Department of Psychology -- my mother
UAB might, but probably does not, agree with anything I say at any time.
Znofyl
May 30, 1995, 3:00:00 AM5/30/95
to
Here's a serious answer to your question, because I own an "attack cat"
and my pet sitter had to go through the same thing you did. I have a 10
pound nuetered black and white male named Miko (pronounced "Meeko') who is
very tempermental and a holy terror to strangers when I am not around. He
lives in a multi-cat household (6 others) and sort of gets along with
everyone else unless they "insult" him in some way and all hell breaks
loose. In any case, he would literally try to attack our care-giver when
we were on vacation and she was totally rattled. I had a hard time
understanding this, as this person trains attack dogs and this cat is 10
pounds, plus I've done professional pet care myself and it really is no
big deal, but she was upset. There are several things you can do right off
that work with dogs as well as cats:
1. DO NOT RUN. The most important thing is to assert your dominance
IMMEDIATELY with a cat like Miko. If he thinks for a minute he can
intimidate you, HE WILL.
2. Don't attempt to be friendly with such a cat. Ignore him
completely, as you did before. If that doesn't work and he is still
aggressive:
3. BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS. Water works every time. Right in the face,
immediately when the bad behavior starts. It shocks the hell out of him
and will give him a whole new reason to respect you. Use it as often as
you need to.
Our caregiver has asserted her dominance with Miko and there have been
no problems since them. Don't let the cat intimiate you, it's only a cat
after all! Feel free to e-mail if you have any other questions! :)
and my pet sitter had to go through the same thing you did. I have a 10
pound nuetered black and white male named Miko (pronounced "Meeko') who is
very tempermental and a holy terror to strangers when I am not around. He
lives in a multi-cat household (6 others) and sort of gets along with
everyone else unless they "insult" him in some way and all hell breaks
loose. In any case, he would literally try to attack our care-giver when
we were on vacation and she was totally rattled. I had a hard time
understanding this, as this person trains attack dogs and this cat is 10
pounds, plus I've done professional pet care myself and it really is no
big deal, but she was upset. There are several things you can do right off
that work with dogs as well as cats:
1. DO NOT RUN. The most important thing is to assert your dominance
IMMEDIATELY with a cat like Miko. If he thinks for a minute he can
intimidate you, HE WILL.
2. Don't attempt to be friendly with such a cat. Ignore him
completely, as you did before. If that doesn't work and he is still
aggressive:
3. BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS. Water works every time. Right in the face,
immediately when the bad behavior starts. It shocks the hell out of him
and will give him a whole new reason to respect you. Use it as often as
you need to.
Our caregiver has asserted her dominance with Miko and there have been
no problems since them. Don't let the cat intimiate you, it's only a cat
after all! Feel free to e-mail if you have any other questions! :)
Judith Rogow
May 30, 1995, 3:00:00 AM5/30/95
to
May I add one "extra" to a well written answer?
Put about a half-tsp of lemon extract in the water gun (one that holds
about a pint and shoots a heavy stream is ideal) it doesn't hurt the cat,
but he will be so busy trying to get (what to him is a stench) cleaned up
that he will forget you altogether.
I had to (reluctantly) do this to my neighbour's cat, and he now stays off
my porch and out of my flower garden!
HTH
-=JR=-
spur...@iag.net
May 30, 1995, 3:00:00 AM5/30/95
to
ALI0...@unccvm.uncc.edu
May 31, 1995, 3:00:00 AM5/31/95
to
Believe it or not, I used to have the same problem! I house sat for
people whose cats would swat my rear end (claws out) if I even tried
to sit down on THEIR couch. YOOWWWWWWWWWWWCH! But I needed the place
to stay over Christmas too bad to turn down. I would let the dogs
sleep with me but never the cats; when the owners got home they were
concerned because the cats were sulking and the dogs had suddenly
taken to getting on the bed as if they were ALLOWED too, had I per
haps...? Ooopsy...
There are a couple of things that might help. A. Stay out of Bridget's
way as much as possible. Wait to go get something until she wanders
somewhere else. Do not ever get "in her face" as you probably did when
you bent down near her--cats can interpret a direct gaze as a challenge
or a threat, unless they are in love with you, and Bridget is rawther
not. B. Try not to squirt her with water or use any other "punishment"
type behavior. You'd likely learn the meaning of what it is to have a
cat hate your guts, in my personal opinion. Try leaving her a special
little toy or bit of a favorite, very special food someplace she can
enjoy it each time you come to see her. She may develop a better feel-
ing about you. C. Read up on cat body language and learn the signs of
impending irritation--flipping tail, laying ears back, eyes getting
real wide, etc. GIT BACK before she gets too annoyed to control herself.
D. Get a vet or other pet care professional (groomer, perhaps?) to
show you how to use your own positioning to get an unruly animal into
submission if it really goes ballistic. Today I had to tackle my Dringo,
who's normally a sweetie but now has a sore mouth and hates his medicine
and decided to beat me up: I basically tackled him from above, sat over
him, pulled his mouth open by pulling back slightly on the scruff of
his neck, and he had no choice. He'll thank me someday...:) While you
mustn't hold an adult cat BY the scruff of the neck, you can gain con-
siderable control of a wayward kitty by grasping that area and also
firmly grasping the hindquarters. Another trick in an emergency is to
dump an afghan or blanket over the cat. Some beasties will chill out.
If you're ever in the Godawful position of having to give Bridget any
medicine I would recommend swaddling her thoroughly! These techniques
are for emergencies and are never to be used aggressively but feeling
you could get the upper hand in a scary situation might increase
your confidence.
With luck, you should never have to =intervene= with Bridget, just
keep out of her way. Cats know when people are afraid of them. Around
Bridget, picture yourself as being calm, and project a feeling of
calm, benevolent authority. Maybe you will fool yourself into feeling
that way.I am very lucky that a friend gradually helped me to develop
confidence and to feel comfortable around cats, which used to scare me
out of my wits--now I don't ever want to without cats! Good luck with
Bridget. (Hmm, if she isn't declawed maybe you could ask to have her
claws clipped so she is less likely to give you a nasty scratch? Might
make you less nervous, which in turn might take the fun out of attack-
ing you for the little fuzzfiend -- Meredith
people whose cats would swat my rear end (claws out) if I even tried
to sit down on THEIR couch. YOOWWWWWWWWWWWCH! But I needed the place
to stay over Christmas too bad to turn down. I would let the dogs
sleep with me but never the cats; when the owners got home they were
concerned because the cats were sulking and the dogs had suddenly
taken to getting on the bed as if they were ALLOWED too, had I per
haps...? Ooopsy...
There are a couple of things that might help. A. Stay out of Bridget's
way as much as possible. Wait to go get something until she wanders
somewhere else. Do not ever get "in her face" as you probably did when
you bent down near her--cats can interpret a direct gaze as a challenge
or a threat, unless they are in love with you, and Bridget is rawther
not. B. Try not to squirt her with water or use any other "punishment"
type behavior. You'd likely learn the meaning of what it is to have a
cat hate your guts, in my personal opinion. Try leaving her a special
little toy or bit of a favorite, very special food someplace she can
enjoy it each time you come to see her. She may develop a better feel-
ing about you. C. Read up on cat body language and learn the signs of
impending irritation--flipping tail, laying ears back, eyes getting
real wide, etc. GIT BACK before she gets too annoyed to control herself.
D. Get a vet or other pet care professional (groomer, perhaps?) to
show you how to use your own positioning to get an unruly animal into
submission if it really goes ballistic. Today I had to tackle my Dringo,
who's normally a sweetie but now has a sore mouth and hates his medicine
and decided to beat me up: I basically tackled him from above, sat over
him, pulled his mouth open by pulling back slightly on the scruff of
his neck, and he had no choice. He'll thank me someday...:) While you
mustn't hold an adult cat BY the scruff of the neck, you can gain con-
siderable control of a wayward kitty by grasping that area and also
firmly grasping the hindquarters. Another trick in an emergency is to
dump an afghan or blanket over the cat. Some beasties will chill out.
If you're ever in the Godawful position of having to give Bridget any
medicine I would recommend swaddling her thoroughly! These techniques
are for emergencies and are never to be used aggressively but feeling
you could get the upper hand in a scary situation might increase
your confidence.
With luck, you should never have to =intervene= with Bridget, just
keep out of her way. Cats know when people are afraid of them. Around
Bridget, picture yourself as being calm, and project a feeling of
calm, benevolent authority. Maybe you will fool yourself into feeling
that way.I am very lucky that a friend gradually helped me to develop
confidence and to feel comfortable around cats, which used to scare me
out of my wits--now I don't ever want to without cats! Good luck with
Bridget. (Hmm, if she isn't declawed maybe you could ask to have her
claws clipped so she is less likely to give you a nasty scratch? Might
make you less nervous, which in turn might take the fun out of attack-
ing you for the little fuzzfiend -- Meredith
Frank Potter
May 31, 1995, 3:00:00 AM5/31/95
to
Ellen is properly nervous about housesitting in the company of a
poorly-behaved cat. I have two reactions: it is quite okay to bring a
squirtgun of water to bear upon said kitty when she is misbehaving. It
will get her attentin right awya and you can't make the situation much
worse than it is.
Another interesting technique that I have heard about (it may not be all
that relevant in these circumstances): pick her up by the scruff of the
neck and growl at her. This is what mamas do to kittens and it may trigger
some atavistic impulse that will persuade her to mellow out some. Not
necessarily off the ground since this cat is something of a behemoth, but
enough for her to get the idea.
poorly-behaved cat. I have two reactions: it is quite okay to bring a
squirtgun of water to bear upon said kitty when she is misbehaving. It
will get her attentin right awya and you can't make the situation much
worse than it is.
Another interesting technique that I have heard about (it may not be all
that relevant in these circumstances): pick her up by the scruff of the
neck and growl at her. This is what mamas do to kittens and it may trigger
some atavistic impulse that will persuade her to mellow out some. Not
necessarily off the ground since this cat is something of a behemoth, but
enough for her to get the idea.
Or maybe a huge dog costume...
Znofyl
Jun 3, 1995, 3:00:00 AM6/3/95
to
Though I understand the suggestion of "grabbing by the scruff of the neck"
to gain some type of dominance over an attack cat, I can't IMAGINE anyone
even attempted to do this with Miko. Whoever dared try it would have a
screaming tumbleweed of claws to contend with, BELIEVE ME. Some cats just
are very domineering, the way some dogs are, and you must assert your
right to exist with them or they will make your life miserable. Forget the
"giving him treats" bit with Miko, he would consider an offered palm an
insult of some kind and it would make things Infinitely worse.
I love this cat dearly, which is hard to believe given what I have
written about him, but he is a truly one person cat and has never treated
me with anything but total (almost obsessive) love and devotion. As such,
I truly understand him, and though I obviously want the best for my cats
when I am gone and don't even want to think of them being hurt or upset,
sometimes Miko's "cage" must be rattled for strangers to get along with
him. Kindness from strangers simply does not work, it makes things worse.
to gain some type of dominance over an attack cat, I can't IMAGINE anyone
even attempted to do this with Miko. Whoever dared try it would have a
screaming tumbleweed of claws to contend with, BELIEVE ME. Some cats just
are very domineering, the way some dogs are, and you must assert your
right to exist with them or they will make your life miserable. Forget the
"giving him treats" bit with Miko, he would consider an offered palm an
insult of some kind and it would make things Infinitely worse.
I love this cat dearly, which is hard to believe given what I have
written about him, but he is a truly one person cat and has never treated
me with anything but total (almost obsessive) love and devotion. As such,
I truly understand him, and though I obviously want the best for my cats
when I am gone and don't even want to think of them being hurt or upset,
sometimes Miko's "cage" must be rattled for strangers to get along with
him. Kindness from strangers simply does not work, it makes things worse.
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