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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you would have your cat PTS if they showed signs of aggression towards you or your children.

113 replies

bumbleymummy · 11/05/2015 18:25

I've just been thinking about this recently. A lot of people seem to have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to dogs - if they growl/snap/bite that's it - aggressive behaviour - and, in many cases, PTS but people don't usually feel the same way about cats even if they hiss/growl/scratch/bite.

OP posts:
ragged · 11/05/2015 22:29

I have an aggressive cat that lashes out for no good reason. We lovebomb the blighter revenge.

I've had cat scratch fever & even been bitten badly by a cat (my fault). I've never had a bad dog bite.

We had a biting dog when I was a kid (much loved, never bit us kids, mind, just other people... regularly).

I probably would pts any 'pet' animal very aggressive to me if I felt sure it'd be just as bad to other people. I'm not sentimental about animal lives.

Sparklingbrook · 11/05/2015 22:30

A cat scratching someone and them dying of vv rare cat scratch fever is not comparable to being savaged to death by a dog. [confused[

Gabilan · 11/05/2015 22:39

"A cat scratching someone and them dying of vv rare cat scratch fever is not comparable to being savaged to death by a dog. [confused[ "

A couple of people said that no-one ever died of a cat attack. Technically they have, because you can die from an infection caused by a cat bite or scratch.

No, it's not the same as someone's dog attacking a toddler and I wasn't implying that it was, simply correcting the assumption that cats are always safe.

WeAllHaveWings · 11/05/2015 22:42

My db had a cat which would hide at the bottom of his open staircase and attack any ankles that came down drawing blood daily and other fun but painful ambush games. I stopped visiting my db at his home until the cat died.

Why would anyone have any pet that did that? If it couldn't be trained out of the behaviour it would be out of my home very quickly, either rehomed (being truthful to new owners) or PTS,

Sparklingbrook · 11/05/2015 22:43

Technically. Ok.

Methe · 11/05/2015 22:44

Dead is dead, isn't it?

It's not only about being dead anyway.. Why should a person have to live with an animal they are scared of or have to pussyfoot around constantly? Having pats is supposed to be rewarding, not terrifying.

Methe · 11/05/2015 22:44

Pets*

Sparklingbrook · 11/05/2015 22:47

I have no official figures to back this up but I am guessing dogs have killed more people than cats.I don't know of any dangerous cat breeds known for their vicious nature.

If I had a cat like the Op describes I would rehome it for the sake of the cat and the children.

Gillg57 · 11/05/2015 22:52

We had a cat for 14 years who regarded us as sport. For example, she could hold a grudge (e.g. breakfast not provided on time) and launch an attack because of it hours later. Getting into bed could be a challenge as she hid underneath so she could swing off your ankles while you got into bed. But we all loved her eccentricities dearly and were devastated when she eventually died of ill-health. Is that logical? No, but it is true. :)

hiddenhome · 11/05/2015 22:54

What you have to understand is that cats allow you to live in their homes and the occupants of the home must learn to read the cat's body language in order to discover how it is feeling. A cat who is vicious is either stressed or in pain. Both these things can be dealt with. It's rare to find yourself with a randomly vicious cat who is positively dangerous.

My eldest cat doesn't like being touched and she will attack you if you do so, so I just taught the dcs never to touch her. They've never been bitten or scratched. They respect her personal space.

Gabilan · 11/05/2015 22:54

Thing with having feral cats is that you realise that even domestic cats aren't really all that tame. Cats just do weird shit. One of mine has spent the evening running away from something, I just can't work out what. She runs up to me, chirrups at me, and then buggers off at high speed as if it's my fault. It's not dangerous, well not unless she trips me up on the stairs, but I do seem to have opened up my home to a couple of small furry demons.

Tomorrow I'll have to play that game where I have to relocate anything that's small enough to be carried by a cat because they both like to play poltergeist.

Devora · 11/05/2015 22:58

I've just googled it and yes, there are a very few deaths due to infection from bites or scratches, but even these are vv rare. As for a cat actually mauling someone to death - can't find any evidence of that!

The title of the article was 'Apocalypse Meow'.

As I said earlier, I've had a horrendously infected cat bite and yes, without antibiotics it might have killed me. But that could also be true of scratches inflicted by all sorts of things. Some cats are just mean, but the odds are they won't finish off your nipper.

Gabilan · 11/05/2015 23:21

"I have no official figures to back this up but I am guessing dogs have killed more people than cats. I don't know of any dangerous cat breeds known for their vicious nature."

I suspect much of that is to do with the size of the animal. Both cats and dogs are predators so they both have an instinct to kill. That kicking thing cats do with their hind legs? That's so they can disembowel something.

In fairness to dogs, we have deliberately bred some of them to enhance their aggression. Some terriers, hounds and guard breeds can be very aggressive because we've taken a predatory animal, selectively bred it to enhance its killer instincts, given it to a dimwit with no knowledge of animals who can't train it properly and then shut it in a confined space with a small defenceless child. You'd think we were trying to be stupid.

Cats on the other hand, whilst they are predators, are smaller and on the whole not selectively bred and not bred by us for aggression. So it's not really surprising that any viciousness on their part tends just to result in something that needs TCP and a plaster.

DixieNormas · 11/05/2015 23:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MsPerfect · 11/05/2015 23:53

Watch "My Cat from Hell".

Excellent show and the bloke on it does well explaining cat behaviours and why a cat is violent.

It is american though, so most of the cats can't go outside and have an insane amount of pent up energy.

Usually it's just a case of working out the extra energy through play and letting the cat have a safe space to watch their territory from.

Butterflywings168 · 11/05/2015 23:55

That's because on average a dog is able to do more damage. Assuming we are talking about adult, average and above sized animals.
A dog can kill a baby or small child, a cat can't. It's that simple. Which is really not the same as saying that all dogs would.
No animal of any kind should ever be left alone with a baby / small kid though. For the sake of both. A cat scratch or bite could cause a nasty infection which obviously is best avoided.
For any persistently aggressive animal the process should be: consult vet/ behaviourist etc, rehome, repeat, only if several rehomes don't work out pts.
It's never an animal's fault for being an animal, it's the owners who don't bother to understand it and keep it under control

Coyoacan · 12/05/2015 00:01

What a frankly silly question. When did you has hear of someone being killed by a cat?

I've lived with all sorts of cats in the 65 years I've been on the planet and never once had to see a doctor about anything a cat has done to me.

Butterflywings168 · 12/05/2015 00:02

Devora, I have a bird phobia due to an encounter with an evil pet parrot as a toddler Sad

Butterflywings168 · 12/05/2015 00:05

AAaand I went to flick TV channels and The Birds is on Confused Envy Sad spooky. Sorry for the sidetrack.

Butterflywings168 · 12/05/2015 00:08

Yy fellow butterfly, cats are usually only aggressive if they feel cornered.
I do think people, especially dc, don't pick up on dog and other animals' cues as well.

MrsTedCrilly · 12/05/2015 00:08

No I would re-home them to a child free person if the cat was intentionally seeking out to attack. If the cat was being defensive I would teach my kids to give it space. Our cat can be fiesty but strangely only with us adults, he is patient with our baby or just runs away from him! From watching 'My cat from hell' the guy on it turned many aggressive felines into pussy cats with basic techniques, so I think they should be given a chance.

Butterflywings168 · 12/05/2015 00:13

Oh Ms I love My Cat From Hell Smile

Original poster
bumbleymummy · 12/05/2015 14:46

Lots of crazy cat stories!

It just seems that of a cat draws blood from using a scratch/bite as a warning say, for example, if a child is annoying them then they are more likely to be given the benefit of the doubt. I think a dog snapping as a warning (even if they don't draw blood) is less likely to be seen as 'excusable' even if the child is annoying them/they have something else wrong and it is completely out of character for them.

I feel kind of bad for dogs! Even though I know that they could technically do more harm if it progressed on from a warning. It seems that cats are allowed to express their annoyance/frustration moreso than dogs without people judging them negatively for it.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 12/05/2015 14:53

Cats aren't dogs though, why are we comparing them?

Original poster
bumbleymummy · 12/05/2015 14:55

It's comparing attitudes to people's opinions of injuries caused by common domestic pets. :) you don't have to join in if you don't any to.

OP posts: