Cat Viciously Attacked My Mother Twice.

[rosieglow]

Having read this thread, I am wondering whether your cat's behaviour is being triggered by a memory of something in your mother's posture/smoking by the door/door being ajar/what your mother is wearing - clothes/perfume, etc. You mentioned that when your mother had showered your cat is OK again. This may be pointing to something scent-related, e.g. smoking, something you mother has touched en route to your home, her perfume...?

Hope this helps. 

 

[2ketzels]

your cat seems to be afraid - perhaps of smoke, of the smoking? why would your mother put secondhand smoke near the cat anyway - and fire?

or....perhaps your mother is doing something she hasn't told you?....like not heeding the cat's warnings. cat's behaviour doesn't come out of the blue - it's usually in reaction to something and since it's ONLY your mother, there must be something about her or what she's doing or not doing. for instance, when i was in my teens, i look back and see the reason why my kitty would jump on my mother's side/leg, hook her nails in and climb up her! now that I'm a senior, I realise the kitty was overly hungry!! and, also my mother was not very sensitive to animals (or people and she was also stingy). mother apparently wasn't feeding the cat enough, thus the 'starvation' move from the cat, having waited all night and thruout the day for the one feeding. I think she wasn't feeding it often enough. the cat identified food with Mother - the cat never attacked me but then i never fed it.

perhaps your mother should stop feeding the cat and you should - AND read about feeding so you are knowledgeable and read about behaviour so you know how to relate to kitty. sometimes people treat kitties as 'things' much as they take other people for granted too, but you can't do that with an animal such as a cat. I think kitties are rather straightforward so the idea of transferring aggression would seem to me to be 'projection' on your part.

just some ideas....

p.s. kitties are not usually violent with the vet because they're in a strange situation; even the worst is docile, in my experience

 

[tbone1]

Similar Problem here, the cat attacked my Mother too, also lots of blood. With this cat it was about food. She was hungry and that was one way she let us know.

 

[2ketzels]

yes, you can't be stingy with carnivores..............

 

[heavenskitty]

Cats hate the smell of cigarettes. There is a reason why she doesnt let ur mom out of her room..she doesnt want the smell and she associates your mom with that smell..cats have sensitive noses...us as humans we will tell the person "ugh I hate that smell" she is obviously upset at your mom.

Another scenario. ..Your mom comes inside and for some reason your mom scolded her or did something she didnt like and its enough to have done it 2xs and kitty has it in her head...so her reaction is to attack before your mom does whatever it is she does or did. Maybe your mom doesnt know she is doing something wrong..

I have had many customers come to pick up prescription meds for their pets for anxiety...Xanax being one..generic name Alprazolam 2.5 mgs. Usually pets are afraid of storms or just get anxiety so we give them that. Ask your vet.

 

[2ketzels]

RIGHT on!!

 

[beaverlaker]

There have been a lot of good suggestions, but I just want to add one that I didn't see.  Is your mother in good health? Or is she suffering something that the cat can smell?

 

[stephiedoodle]

Hbad behaviour doesnt just randomely start something in your mothers behaviour scent posture what ever is causing your popr kitty to lash out I had this peoblem with my girl wjich ccame a combination dehydration her bed post on her tree breaking and my daughtet being a very bouncy jerky mover now the tree is fixed added water to food and daughters being taught slow and steady we are sewing progress. Does your mother have trpuble getting arpund are her movements jerky or off balance at all? Hailey could see that is threatening

 

[donnajean]

You have some great answers here.

How long has your mother been around this cat in the house, on a daily basis ?

I am assuming your cat has been spayed ?

I would have her checked out at the vet.... just encase there is something physically going on with her.

Is your mother in good health ? Like another poster has asked, animals are super sensitive and have the ability sometimes to detect actually something wrong with their humans. Read once where a owner of a cat had her cat suddenly start kneading around her chest area and continued this until the woman did a self examination and detected a lump which turned out to be breast Cancer.... Weird.....

Also , cats do not like the smell of cigarette smoke as another person had posted....

Of course as another person had replied she could be detecting another cat's scent outside.....

Maybe she just doesn't like your mother smoking.....

It is strange she suddenly just started this, something obviously is  not right.....

 

[miss van]

Could the smoking scent have something to do with it?????

 

[james dickson]

Thanks for all the responses guys! Great suggestions all around.

Good news so far: The last couple of days Hailey has been very happy and calm. She only seems to lash out when my mother is finished smoking. My mother usually smokes outside actually, and she has been doing this again. But when she comes back inside, Hailey would start up again. She's been putting Hailey in a room with the door closed when she smokes now, and that's working well. No more aggression. My mum did not change cigarette brands, so I'm not certain if it's the smell that upsets Hailey. Mum's been smoking forever.

I didn't take her to the vet because the day I was planning to, she was perfectly well behaved again the entire day and night.

To answer some of Donna's questions:

Yes she is spayed

My mum is around her every single day

She is in decent health, no changes that I'm aware of

 

[betsygee]

Wait--are you saying your mom used to smoke outside but lately has been smoking inside near the door?  

 

[molldee]

I bet it's the smoking. Your mom shouldn't be smoking inside with a cat anyway...

 

[james dickson]

She alternates between inside by the door and outside on the porch. I hate the smell too and the long term side effects of second hand smoke, but eventually I just got tired of telling her over and over again to always smoke outside no matter how cold it is.

 

[mycatwasthebest]

as a smoker who had a cat for 16 years I'm gonna guess this has SOMETHING to do with the smoking...it could even be the wind is bringing in the scent of another cat, or maybe the scent of smoke on your mother and her clothes literally drives the cat crazy (my cat hated smoke but loved the taste of unlit cigarettes, when I wanted to see her go nuts I'd let her lick the paper)

 

[stephiedoodle]

You lets your cat lick the cigarette paper @mycatwasthebest all sorts of things I could say to that but lets stick with that very unhealthy for the cat! And James I sseriously suggest a visit to the vet and predominently suing to your mother that she smokes outside and outsideonly and where possible wash her hands ect after to try and reduce the scent. Is she going to touch the cat after smoking or not i.e petting her or simply just walking. Your cat needs to associate your mother with positivity or learn that this latching on behaviour is not desired. Positive reinforcement would be first to try so get oyur mother to play with Hailey and feed her. If she doesnt feel safe sitting on the floor and trailing a toy mouse about she could try toys such as Da Bird heard somegreat things about this though I am in the UK so it is only available to me online. Or other wand toys with feathers or mice. If thats not an option she could try throwing bits of kibble here and there for hailey to chase and catch this will mean kitty gets a work out and knows if she behaves she will get rewards from your mother. If this doesn't work I suggest automatic time out which means locking Hailey in a room for a while on her own after the bad behaviour has occured so she knows when she attacks she will get locked away for a short period of time 2-3 minutes should do it but if shes still being anti social when mother puts her in time out shut door and leave her for longer.

Hailey will only react worse to being sprayed/spanked/scruffed these three S words will just elicit fearful and more violent behaviour from hailey and on a more regular basis.

 

[lilgraykitty]

These all seem like wise suggestions. But to help i have a question. What does your mom wear when she smokes? The same shoes or diffrent ones? If its the shoes she may have stepped where a cat has marked maybe even on your door. Just wash the shoes and the door.

 

[mycatwasthebest]

 
You lets your cat lick the cigarette paper @mycatwasthebest all sorts of things I could say to that but lets stick with that very unhealthy for the cat!

why do u say that?

she never swallowed tobacco. an unlit cigarette was like a tube of catnip to her (before she even liked catnip). also, she was a Mexican cat, until she slept more in her old age she took a siesta EVERY DAY from 12-3 for over a decade

 

[stephiedoodle]

The uk and just seems potentially harmful struck me as odd I guess certainlt somethinf I wouldnt do my self but then I dont smoke never have

 

[jcat]

She alternates between inside by the door and outside on the porch. I hate the smell too and the long term side effects of second hand smoke, but eventually I just got tired of telling her over and over again to always smoke outside no matter how cold it is.

It really sounds like the smoke is setting Hailey off. Maybe your mother could compromise - use an e-cigarette when she wants to stay inside and only smoke her real cigarettes out on the porch.