My cat bit me and my husband, now fuming and a bit scared of cat!!!

[Italiangreyhound]

We got a new cat last month, from a rescue centre. he is a 6 year old neutered male short haired domestic cat. He was very loving and nice when we got him.

He has been with us about 7 weeks and all was going well.

He is a big eater and seems to meow for food A LOT.

We have just come back from two nights (just over two days) away and a very cat friendly nice lady (who has been here almost once a week for the last 7 weeks) was looking after our cat for us.

When we arrived back tonight at about 11.00 the cat was in and waiting for us, looking through the door. I went straight in, gave him a pouch of food (100g) and there was water and dry food out and obviously he had had wet food too as dirty cat dishes so I know she has been in twice a day feeding him. She had texted to say he was happy to see her.

He was very meowing and so I petted him a lot and talked to him.

Then I walked into the hall and he ran after me and put his teeth around the back of my calf. He did not draw blood but I would definitely call it a bit, rather than a nip. With in one or two minutes he had run up to DH who had bare feet and bitten his foot and drawn blood. I was so angry and a bit scared. I didn't know what to do. I was told never to hit or smack cats so I did not but I was scared so I didn't want to be in the same room with him.

He continued to meow so I Gave him some Dreamies and then after a few more minutes a 50g pouch of food. He is nor furled up on the sofa like nothing has happened. I am fuming and very upset. I can't take him back to the rescue centre because I feel it is not fair and the kids will be so upset but I am worried he will bite one of the kids (aged 10 and 4). I am not sure if he was hungry or angry we went away or what. I feel really sad now because I just never expected him to turn nasty on us and I feel I can't trust him now. This probably sounds like an overreaction but I am juts not sure what to think. I can't walk around my house scared of the cat!

[EnlightenedOwl]

he's grand he's still got half left!

[Italiangreyhound]

Yes, Butterflywings168 very cruel but I think it was a long time ago. I wasn't advocating for it.

shaska sounds like that scene in Die Hard where Rene Russo and Mel Gibson compare scars, only tamer, I hope!

tacal we love our pets but people come first!

[tacal]

That's really good that your cat is back to normal Italian

Thank you for making me feel better about returning my cat

[RubbishMantra]

Ah, the classic double punch and running away QOD. MCat used to do that. Now he just sits there purring after his attacks, pretending you imagined it. Gaslighting bastard.

[shaska]

"My doc did eye my multiple scratches and puncture wounds on my hands once, and asked if I self-harmed."

Oh god I'm glad I'm not the only one. I work freelance so I meet a lot of new people and genuinely the number of times I've caught people looking at my hands and had to explain that it's just the madcat, not self inflicted. On the other hand (heh) I've met some lovely cat people who've shown me their war wounds in return so I guess it balances out.

[Butterflywings168]

Oh that ocelot article made me as do YouTube videos of people who have essentially wild cats (F1-3) in small flats with no outdoor access. It is cruel.

[Italiangreyhound]

QOD thanks.

RubbishMantra what did you say... cat mania!!!

tacal re I couldnt put up with it. I feel guilty and sad that I returned her to the rescue. My home was not the right home for her. It was making us all unhappy, including the cat. She was rehomed within 5 days to a home without children. I like to think she is happy now and has an experienced owner who knows how to handle her. I didnt know how to handle her and ds was getting upset by it. Ds and I now have a gorgeous, gentle cat who has never bitten or scratched us. PLEASE do not feel guilty. You did the right thing 100%. Your child MUST come first. My dad died 10 years ago and my mum strggled on with the cat for a while but was scared of it (he was horrible) and so she took him to a rescue centre. It was the best way.

Re cattery..

I am worried for us the cat would feel he had been returned but also they are expensive where we live and we are not well off. (And Dh can be a bit meanie money-wise!!)

PinkSparklyPussyCat re the claw up the nostril and the bite on the nipple! I would not put up with that, from anyone or anything!

Fluffycloudland77

Re Dh wanted him. I wanted a rescue. I hope dh does the looking after him bit!

Just to report UPDATE............ cat is fine, no more biting incidents and seems happy and calm. We go away in one month again so watch this space!!! Thanks all, you certainly helped me. I found it all very emotional and hard, I am the kind of non-violent, give me my rights type person, and so any kind of incident tends to set me off!! THANK YOU ALL.

[QOD]

My cat doe tthis

Bastard bitey boy gets over excited and he is well known for running in a room at a visitor and launching at them, quick double punch and a bite. .. then runs off

[RubbishMantra]

"I did draw the line at the claw up the nostril and the bite on the nipple!"

Yikes! I thought I suffered, waking up to MCat casually nibbling on bare toes and fingers!

My doc did eye my multiple scratches and puncture wounds on my hands once, and asked if I self-harmed.

[tacal]

I have decided to try a cattery when we go away. My new cat needs a lot of attention. I think she would feel anxious if she were left alone for too long at home with a stranger coming in twice a day. The lady who runs the cattery assures me that she gives the cats a lot of attention.

[tacal]

I couldnt put up with it. I feel guilty and sad that I returned her to the rescue. My home was not the right home for her. It was making us all unhappy, including the cat. She was rehomed within 5 days to a home without children. I like to think she is happy now and has an experienced owner who knows how to handle her. I didnt know how to handle her and ds was getting upset by it. Ds and I now have a gorgeous, gentle cat who has never bitten or scratched us.

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

H is a bitem, kicker and scratcher but I just let him get on with it and wear my scars with pride! I bought him a Kong Kickeroo for bunny kicking but my arm is so much better!

Normally I can put up with whatever he does but I did draw the line at the claw up the nostril and the bite on the nipple!

[Fluffycloudland77]

1. Dh wanted him. I wanted a rescue.
   
2. He was really shy when we viewed him. He got over that on the journey home though.
   
   I wouldn't have another and I know another Bengal owner who says the same.

[Italiangreyhound]

Have stared a new thread on Ocicats, if anyone wants to Ocicat chat! Or Bengal chat!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_litter_tray/2391575-Just-really-curious-about-ocicats

[Italiangreyhound]

Fluffy a Bengal, are you mad my dear??? Did you know what you were getting into?

I looked at pictures of lovely Bengals and an Ocicat for re-homing and liked the look but read up and thought oh no!

Can anyone tell me the difference between a Bengal and an Ocicat. Is this like an ocelot. Are ocelots allowed as pets or are they wild?

mashable.com/2014/10/25/living-with-an-ocelot-in-a-manhattan-apartment/

[PeppermintCrayon]

the look of astonishment when I've shouted at him to stop biting me or dh. It's like "what? this isn't fun for you too?

yy to this!

[PeppermintCrayon]

Was it a hard bite? My cat bites my feet and ankles sometimes, it's more a kittenish thing than aggressive.

[Fluffycloudland77]

It means the look of astonishment when I've shouted at him to stop biting me or dh. It's like "what? this isn't fun for you too?

I have a Bengal though.

[Italiangreyhound]

Fluffycloudland77 what does sad faces and complete astonishment that biting you and bunny kicking your arm has made you shout at them. mean?

[Italiangreyhound]

Lonecatwithkitten thank you. I guess I am lucky our last cat was not like that. I would never own a Bengal, I read about them because I kept seeing photos from the rescue centres and they are beautiful but I would never own one, too difficult.

I am so sorry you have been bitten so much, you are a braver person than I am!

butterflyballs Re He also would rather knock on his cat flap so we open the door than use the cat flap. He will also jump on the windowsill and look through the window wearing his sad face so one of goes through to open the door!! They can be quite lazy, can't they.

cozietoesie Re And I talk to them a lot - always answer every single miaow or yowl. Maybe they sometimes secretly think 'Oh Gawd - it's her again' but most of the time they seem to like all the attention. That might be something for you to consider - whether you can raise the general verbal attention level.

I do talk to him quite a lot. I talk to him like he is a child!

EnlightenedOwl Hope your cat is OK toothless.

Ruhrpott Re I find the best way to deal with that is to turn round and face him, look him in the eye and talk to him rather than walk away. Walking away backwards, facing him also helps to calm him down. Very helpful.

RubbishMantra Re I worship them both equally though. You too are better than me.


shaska Re I think of it as similar to the way little kids at birthday parties will often burst unexpectedly into howling sobs - the emotions just all get a bit much and come out in strange ways. that is helpful.

tacal Re I had a rescue cat who was a biter and scratcher. She made us really unhappy. My ds has a scar on his forehead from where he was scratched. It goes from his hairline down to the top of his nose. Everyday I was getting bitten and scratched. When my family came to visit they went away with bites that had broken the skin. They were scared of my cat. I am so sorry, not sure how you put up with that really. It is upsetting when pets are not nice, I guess we love them like people sometimes but they are not people and it is hard to know when what they are doing is 'normal' or not!

Fluffycloudland77 Not sure we will go for a cattery? Does anyone have positive or negative experiences of them, please?

patienceisvirtuous it really did upset me, I took it very personally, I am a sensitive soul!

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Yes we all put up with it, it is a feature of owning and semi domesticated pet, those with Bengals put up with it even more as they are still classed part wild cat.
Cat bites can become infected, but not often I have been bitten every other week at least for 17 years by either patients or my own cat. I have only needed antibiotics twice. But in general cat bites smart a bit, but rarely do serious damaged. Compared to dogs cats give much, much better signals before they bite out of fear or aggression.

[Fluffycloudland77]

sad faces and complete astonishment that biting you and bunny kicking your arm has made you shout at them.

[RubbishMantra]

Haha, mine has a nice line in sad faces too. Mournfully staring through the cat flap. Which he went out of 5 minutes previously. If I'm lucky, I may get an angsty yowl. He's the Franz Kafka of the cat world. Or maybe Morrissey.

[butterflyballs]

In answer to do I just put up with this...Yes we do. It's just him. He's 14 and has so many quirks and this is one of them. He also would rather knock on his cat flap so we open the door than use the cat flap. He will also jump on the windowsill and look through the window wearing his sad face so one of goes through to open the door!!

[cozietoesie]

One characteristic of my relationships with my cats is that I'm very active in them. Generally, they do what they want as long as they abide by the few House Rules but I'll call them to come to me or go looking for them for a quick Hello if they haven't been seen for a bit. And I talk to them a lot - always answer every single miaow or yowl.

Maybe they sometimes secretly think 'Oh Gawd - it's her again' but most of the time they seem to like all the attention. That might be something for you to consider - whether you can raise the general verbal attention level. (They don't get a whole load of physical touching unless they ask for it - I mostly leave that to them to decide.)