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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be seriously pissed off that a cat attacked my child on the way to school?

69 replies

daisychair · 13/05/2015 11:17

I have seen this cat around quite a lot, I'd probably describe it as a kitten, never seen it behave in this way before. This morning, just outside the school gates, it leapt at him, scratched his leg and tried to bite him before running off. I am fairly convinced that the owner walks it to the school with her every day. I've often seen it walking with her and seen it coming out of the house I believe she lives in. This woman saw what happened and quickly crossed the road before I could turn around and say something to her. I am fuming! It looked really sore and was bleeding, slightly swollen and bruised. I have contacted the school to tell them that a staff member must know who she is and they need to tell her not to bring her crazy pet to the school anymore. They don't allow dogs onto the school grounds, I think the same should apply to aggressive cats! The scratch looked quite sore and I think my son was very shocked, as this cat has previously come up to us looking for fuss, so he thought the cat was nice.

When I got onto the school playground, I was told that the cat had been on the playground, hissing and attempting to attack other children and a parent had had to kick it away from her daughter. They said they believed that some kids had been teasing it and it had gone crazy. What kind of person either takes a crazy cat into a school, or allows people to taunt it to the point where it gets into this state?! I intend to mention this to the other mother when I see her - hopefully the urge to slap her for just walking off while her pet attacked my son will have worn off. I actually feel SO angry about this and don't think I'm being unreasonable at all. I will probably see the woman tomorrow, what should I say to her?

OP posts:
Original poster
daisychair · 13/05/2015 12:11

I am overthinking this now, probably shouldn't have posted here. It's the woman's behaviour which has really annoyed me. If that had happened and she hadn't been around, I'd still be a bit annoyed that an animal attacked him out of nowhere, but I wouldn't exactly be blaming the owner, especially since it had been teased by some kids. I hate feeling like I'm a pushover all the time, like someone can watch their cat hurting my child and I'll turn around to him and try to explain it away and not say something to her.

OP posts:
TaliZorahVasNormandy · 13/05/2015 12:12

Definitely a water pistol. Take it when you do the school run and squirt the cat if it gets close.

DeeWe · 13/05/2015 12:25

It isn't necessariliy theirs. We have one that lives down the road and it sometimes follows us all the way up to the shops, waits for me to come out again and follows us back again. Confused Not sure why as we haven't ever done anything to encourage it, and it can be quite difficult walking around with a cat circling us. It's quite a nice cat though.

BangaloreStories · 13/05/2015 12:29

Water pistol.

Original poster
daisychair · 13/05/2015 12:36

I think it's unlikely that the cat will attack again, to be honest. It's always been very friendly in the past, but I suppose if children keep teasing it, it probably will. I think the cat does belong to her. I've seen it coming out of their bedroom windows. I wouldn't have even had time to squirt it with a water pistol, I didn't realise what was happening until it was on his leg and then it darted off again. I feel a bit calmer at the moment, anyway. Am currently pregnant and ever so slightly hormonal... Getting so worked up about this incident is not good for me!

OP posts:
DayLillie · 13/05/2015 12:37

A friend had one that used to follow the next door neighbour to work at a local shop, then it would follow someone from the shop back home and eventually she would get a phone call from someone saying that they had her cat, 5 miles away. Thankfully, it grew out of it.

If it was this woman's cat, she is mad to let it follow her to school, with all the traffic problems etc and school children that entails! I would have shut it in the kitchen.

Jessica2point0 · 13/05/2015 12:46

Water pistols work well. We had to have one for a cat that kept coming in our garden and attacking our cat. It doesn't hurt them, they just don't like water.

BettyCatKitten · 13/05/2015 12:57

I'm quiet envious, I wish one of my cats would follow me to schoolGrin

Signlake · 13/05/2015 13:04

I obviously wouldn't allow my dog to attack a person so why on earth is it acceptable for a cat to do so? My younger sisters friend had her eye very badly damaged by a cat that leapt up at her as a child, if it were a dog it would have been put to sleep. I think the law should be changed to make ALL pet owners responsible for their animals

ScarletFever · 13/05/2015 13:31

my cat used to walk us everywhere, the school, the pub etc but then he got hit by a car and doesnt go as far now - we do have to shoo him back if we're going out for a walk

he's a nice friendly cat though....

Allwayslookingforanswers · 13/05/2015 13:39

My cat tries to follow me, I have missed many a train because I had to return the cat home.

I would tell school about the cat being teased and I would mention to the owner what happened.

If you are worried then keep a distance from the cat or do as others have suggested and carry a water pistol.

TheElementsSong · 13/05/2015 14:10

Our cat used to come for walks with us around the neighbourhood when the DTDs were small and just toddling. Now they zoom around much too fast for her little legs to keep up and so she doesn't bother. Just sits by the garden steps looking like the most pathetic abandoned waif until we get home. I think this is a ploy to get pity strokes from passersby.

She's very gentle though and certainly wouldn't attack anyone.

drycoughssuck · 13/05/2015 14:30

MN has suddenly turned into world of deranged psycho-kitties.

LilacWine7 · 13/05/2015 14:40

Try clapping your hands at it and shouting or hissing when it comes near you. As others have suggested, spraying it with water from a small plant-mister will also be a deterrent.
Some cats do like going for ankles and it becomes a game. My friend's cat used to lie in wait for people on stairs then ambush them, sinking teeth into heels! Thick socks helped.

I know being scratched/bitten by a cat is unpleasant, but they rarely cause a serious wound. Unlike a dog, an aggressive cat can't do much real damage, and the owner can't be expected to keep it indoors all the time. She should try to keep it inside during school start/finish times though.

Signlake · 13/05/2015 14:52

Lilac my sisters friend had her eye VERY badly damaged by a cat when she was little. Her mum was helping her into the car when the cat leapt up and scratched her face. I guess her mum had startled it when she opened the car door

Happybodybunny12 · 13/05/2015 14:53

ptolony oh dear hope you never meet me and say vile things like that love. I would punch you too.

Happybodybunny12 · 13/05/2015 14:54

Mind you cats usually run like mad when confronted with small children.

Tis a parallel universe mumsnet sometimes. Grin

Signlake · 13/05/2015 14:55

Also cat bites/scratches can become quite seriously infected, much more than that of a dog. I don't think OP is over reacting, I'd have complained to the owner and possibly the school. I'd have also mentioned to a teacher about the students upsetting the cat

addstudentdinners2 · 13/05/2015 14:57

I think the law should be changed to make ALL pet owners responsible for their animals

Yes, and all people responsible for provoking them accountable too.

No disrespect to you OP as YANBU in this situation but I have seen both cats and dogs treated appallingly by children and adults alike and then people get all pearl-clutchy when they react.

When I was growing up we had a cat. One time I pulled her tail (I was old enough to know better) and got scratched. My mum shrugged and said it would teach me not to do it next time. It did. Most of the time when cats are aggressive it's in response to their boundaries being breached.

Purplepoodle · 13/05/2015 15:00

Super soaker

Signlake · 13/05/2015 15:01

Yes, and all people responsible for provoking them accountable too.

Couldn't agree more. I was brought up to respect animals as are my children. However if I was walking my dog and a small child threw something/hit him and my dog lunged, that would absolutely still be my responsibility as he's my pet and I wouldn't have been supervising accordingly. The same should go for cats as well

BarbarianMum · 13/05/2015 15:03

add that's all very well except that it wasn't the OP's son doing the teasing, was it? It's not OK to have animals around that attack passing children.

addstudentdinners2 · 13/05/2015 15:05

Barbarian no I know, I said the OP WBU. I was just trying to stop everyone have a go at the animal, as generally speaking they don't behave like that without provocation. Not from the OP's son in this case, but from someone.

addstudentdinners2 · 13/05/2015 15:05

WNBU, even!

addstudentdinners2 · 13/05/2015 15:06

The same should go for cats as well

I'm sorry, but if a child threw a stone at my cat and my cat scratched that child, I wouldn't blame my cat in the slightest.