Attacked By Momma Cat & Now I'm Scared

[Nola Ignatius]

A young pregnant cat showed up in my backyard. For a month I petted & feed her outside. I then brought her inside & put her in a spare bedroom to deliver in. Only 8 days later she delivered one kitten. Since she was still large & I read cat usually have more than one I brought her & her baby to the vets. The vet confirmed she only had one.

On day 2, after I fed Mom & cleaned the bed I was laying on the floor talking to her & petting her head when she attacked me. After many bits I was able to get out the room. i could not bring myself to go in on day 3. Today was day 4 & I have so much fear about going in the room. I went in this am & used a pole to move the cat box, food, & water close to the door. When I went back in this evening she charged me again. When will she return to her sweet self? What can I do? HELP!!!

I haven't seen the baby since Mom attacked & I'm worried about him. Mom looks to be 6-7 months old so I assume a first time Mom.

 

[susieqz]

you need advice from the normal cat lovers on this site.
i'm afraid i take a VERY hard line with that kind of aggression.
personally, i'd enter the room wearing very heavy clothes, carrying a club.
if she attacked me, i'd hurt her.
i am alpha female here.
i'm sure there is a better way, perhaps more suited to your temperment.
i hate that you are going thru this.
you have my best wishes.

 

[orange&white]

Leave the club behind for the baseball field or golf course, but I would put on your thickest heavy winter clothes including gloves and go in to see if the kitten is all right.

You may need to get a humane trap and trap the mother and then put her in a smaller area like a large dog crate, where there is room for a box for her and the baby, plus a litter box and food and water. You'd want to drape a blanket over it so she feels more secure, like she's hiding.

She is just a kitten, now with a kitten. It sounds like she's terrified being trapped indoors. You do need to try and keep her inside while she weans the kitten if that's at all possible.

Alternately, can you seek help from the community? Is there a feral rescue group who could come trap her and the kitten and put her with some fosters who have experience with the wilder ones?

Last thought: Is there any chance that she has rabies? Your city or county health department should have some records if there has been any recent outbreak in your area. That is a remote probability (she is probably not rabid).

 

[valentine319]

I totally agree with start calling and see if you can find a rescue working with feral cats. It would be the best bet at getting her all the shots she needs and a place to see if she can be domesticated more or if getting the kitten old enough for adoption.

 

[Sarthur2]

She sounds frightened and in very protective mode over her newborn.

Since she was friendly before, it's likely her hormones. Cats can be very defensive over predators when they have kittens, especially in the beginning.

Give mom her space, and give it time. Mom will probably calm down once the kitten is past 3-4 weeks old.

I do not think you need to do anything drastic at this point.

I do agree that mom may need a carrier or closet to hide in with her kitten for privacy, though mom needs the whole room too.

Mom does not need shots right this minute. She should get them when she is spayed when the kitten is 8 weeks old.

 

[jcat]

if she attacked me, i'd hurt her.
i am alpha female here.

Not only should any type of violence/abuse directed at an animal be condemned, it would be counterproductive. This is a mother protecting her young from a perceived threat; increasing the threat would only escalate her attacks. The goal here is to allow her to calm down.

I agree that she needs some small private place to hide her kitten. Even a large cardboard box turned on its side or with a large entrance hole should work. If possible, put a Feliway plug-in in the room and talk softly to the cat. This is all new to her, but she should calm down, especially since she sounds like a stray rather than a feral.

You're at your most vulnerable when scooping her litter box. It might help to elevate it (on a low coffee table, for example, where it's not likely to fall off) so your face isn't close to the floor. You can put a kitten litter box on the floor once the kitten is moving around. By that time mom should have settled down, so her box can go back on the floor.

I've found work gloves, a jacket, and cheap paintball leg protectors useful when dealing with an "attack cat".

Very frightened cats watch your every move, so you can use body language in addition to your voice to try to reassure her. She'll hear you outside the room, but letting her know in a gentle voice that you're coming in won't hurt. "Are you hungry?" or " Hello, sweetie" would do. Once inside, move slowly, follow a routine (putting down food, giving fresh water, picking up dishes, then scooping her box) and signal your intentions. I've found that stopping, pointing at a dish, for example, and saying, "I'm just going to pick up your dirty dish" before actually doing so makes a feral or very frightened stray less fearful of a sudden move on my part. Routines reassure cats.

Above all, don't get too close to her kitten yet. She'll probably settle down shortly. Right now you can experiment with finding treats she loves, like cottage cheese or cat milk that will distract her and allow you to handle the kitten once it's exploring outside the nest.

 

[StefanZ]

Yes, do have protective clothes. I will add, do have protective googles or at least, big glasses (?). Cats attacking for real a bigger animal go at the eyes.

Having protective gears, and the litter higher up so you arent vulnerable, will give you more safety and thus, courage. You will not look afraid, and thus, not either put her into battle preparedness.

You can also try with Feliway - adapter or spray. Calming relaxing music. Perhaps even with Dr Bachs Rescue Remedy, or similiar...

Someone mentioned a control of rabies threat in your county. Yes, it may be wise, if we want an total safety. Its NOT probable she has, but the risk higher here than in most other cases of people bitten by a cat.


OK, what you wont be able is the customary weighting of the kitten, etc. This must wait. Contend with the most necessary care of the momma, and hope for the best...

 

[Nola Ignatius]

Thanks for all the info. I had to put mom & baby on hold. I'm sitting in the ER waiting to see Dr. To get antibotics for the bites. I had a knee replacement 2 months ago that why I couldn't get away from her fast.

 

[orange&white]

I'm so sorry! I hope everything goes all right and you heal up soon.

 

[Sarthur2]

Antibiotics are a good idea!

 

[Norachan]

How are you now N Nola Ignatius ? Did the doctor give you antibiotics?

How is the mother cat and her baby?

I think it's just a case of a very protective mother cat that feels scared. I'm sorry you got hurt. If you can't find a shelter to take the cats just keep putting food and water where she can get to it and leave her alone for now. Cats usually know what to do with their kittens and she'll calm down when she realises she is in a safe place.

Please keep us updated.

 

[orange&white]

Please give us an update N Nola Ignatius . We worry if we don't hear back.

 

[Nola Ignatius]

I'm feeling much better. The ER put me on antibiotics. I got scolded for not coming in after the attack. Lesson learned.

I saw baby move yesterday from across the room. He is know the size of my hand. I'm not seeing any poop in the bed. Mom is not in the bed during the day. She is sleeping under the bed. Is this normal?
Yesterday he was a week old. Will she be less protective by now?

 

[Alejandra Rico]

I think It is normal, she seems to be looking for a safe place that looks like a tiny cave. It is not unusual for cats to hide under beds because they don't have to worry about so many fronts.
A friend of my mother has a very agressive cat and when she has to leave the town and I go to take café of her animals, I just take the litter box out of the room, clean It and then come back in and put it in its place. This cat is different, though, I think she has some mental disorder, unlike your kitty momma, who is just behaving according to her instincts and hormones.

 

[valentine319]

You probably have a bit of time before the protective phase goes down. Someone else should have a good time line for you.

 

[Nola Ignatius]

I think It is normal, she seems to be looking for a safe place that looks like a tiny cave. It is not unusual for cats to hide under beds because they don't have to worry about so many fronts.
A friend of my mother has a very agressive cat and when she has to leave the town and I go to take café of her animals, I just take the litter box out of the room, clean It and then come back in and put it in its place. This cat is different, though, I think she has some mental disorder, unlike your kitty momma, who is just behaving according to her instincts and hormones.

Thank you!

 

[Nola Ignatius]

You probably have a bit of time before the protective phase goes down. Someone else should have a good time line for you.

Thank you!

 

[valentine319]

Latest i would think is total of 12 weeks.how are you doing? I'm hoping a few antibiotics and nothing besides that for the bites.

 

[Norachan]

I'm glad that you're OK.



Good news that you've seen the kitten too. Why would there be poop on the bed? Do you mean from the kitten? Mother cats eat all of their kitten's waste, so you won't see any of it.

How does she react when you go into the room now?

Just talk to her softly and don't look in her direction unless you need to. If you do make eye contact blink slowly to show you mean her no harm. For a predator to close his/her eyes in front of another animal is a sign of trust. Blinking slowly shows you trust her and are asking her to trust you.

If you can get some classical harp music to play at a low volume to her it will help her to calm down. For some reason cats respond to the sound of the harp. A Feliway diffuser is very useful too. I have two diffusers and the Feliway spray. It's good to spray on your hands before going near to or attempting to handle a nervous cat.

FELIWAY

I'm not suggesting you try to handle her yet, but maybe in the future when you feel more comfortable around her.

There really is no time scale for how long this will take. Every cat is different. Keep us updated on how she reacts and pay close attention to her body language. This will give us a better idea of how things are progressing.

Thank you so much for helping her and for being so patient even though she lashed out at you.

 

[Nola Ignatius]

Latest i would think is total of 12 weeks.how are you doing? I'm hoping a few antibiotics and nothing besides that for the bites.

The bites are healing up nicely & my stomach is handling the antiboitics. So all is good with me.

At least once a day Momma comes up to me talks
& rub up against my leg. I haven't had the guts to pet her yet.
I know I need to try & pet her. I also know I need
To handle the baby. I plan to do that this weekend.