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I’ve seen a lot of mean, nasty stray cats lurking in alleyways that could just about take your hand off with one vicious swipe of its paw. These are cats you probably don’t want to mess around with if you aren’t interested in a premature visit to your doctor.
However, for the most part, cats are not aggressive towards people, but if you find yourself with one that is, it can be a real nightmare. Cat bites and scratches are not usually as harmful as those from a dog, but it’s still not nice for an adult to be attacked by a cat, and much worse for a child.
Even though dogs tend to be much more aggressive than cats, there are still more than 20,000 cases of cat-scratch disease in the United States every year. If you are badly bitten or scratched by a cat, make sure you clean the wounds with an antiseptic solution as soon as possible to prevent infection.
So, why exactly do cats turn aggressive and attack people? Well, there are several reasons:
A cat in pain tends to lash out. If your cat is normally good-natured, but suddenly strikes out at you for no reason, in all likelihood they have somehow sustain an injury or illness. If this behavior continues, it’s a good idea to take it to a vet and have it checked out.
A fearful cat can also be dangerous. A mature cat that was never socialized properly when younger, or a cat that has been mistreated at some time in its life can lash out through fear. Some cats may also start to direct the kind of stalking behavior normally reserved for prey at their owner’s hands or feet. This can be particularly upsetting if it’s directed at small children, so be careful.
Sometimes an owner can be the victim of re-directed aggression, such as when the cat attacks the owner when it cannot get at its intended target, perhaps another cat it can see or smell.
Cats rarely play status games the way dogs do, but on occasion you will get one that thinks it’s Top Cat and indulges in behavior where it challenges the owner to prove it’s wrong. The best solution for this behavior is professional help from a cat behavior specialist to sort this out before it has a chance to escalate out of control.
In summary, here are some do’s and don’ts if you find yourself with an aggressive cat:
Have the cat checked over by a vet for signs of illness or injury.
Scale down the amount of physical contact with the cat.
When it goes into ‘attack mode,’ try to startle it with a loud noise as a diversionary tactic.
Don’t get too close when playing with the cat. Try to stay ‘at arms length’ by using a toy on a string held away from the body.
If the cat’s behaviour becomes intolerable, it may be necessary to confine it to a cage, particularly if a young child is at risk.
Don’t make prolonged eye contact, always look away from the cat’s eyes after a few seconds.
Some people will strike a cat when it becomes overly aggressive. Don’t do it. Physical punishment will only make the cat more aggressive.
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Glenn Cutforth is a writer, eBook publisher and graphic designer.
Visit his websites at: The Complete Cat.com and Self-Help and Wellness.com
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I have had this male cat since he was a kitten. He is in loving home well taken care of. I do work and am gone and he is alone about three days,( during the day). I thought I got the lunging, biting problem solved, but I bought a toy with a fish on the end of it. He wants to play all the time. When I don't play with him, he lunges and bites. He bit me twice today, drew blood and very painful. He is now in the bathroom with his kitty liter and food with the light out for the night. I don't know what to do, he wants to occupy all my time I have had him at the vet and he is fine. I have had cats all my life, even a natural bob tail cat and also a cat for 20 years, never bit me. I just don't know what to do I have asked my vet for a tranquilizer but he doesn't want to do that. although I did get some but they made him drouzy, which I don't want to do, maybe they were side effects. I am lost for a solution. I can't trust him, he catches me off guard while I am watching TV or making out bills, etc I am so sad about this because he can be so loving one minute and the next a stinker. Sincerely, LaFaun
i have a real cat problem: i do not own any pets, however, stray cats seem to be attracted to my house. for a while, they were using my front yard as a giant litter box until i got a trap and caught about 6 that i had to turn over to animal control. for a few months, that seemed to take care of it, but now i have about 3 new cats - all large, aggressive ones - surrounding my back yard. instead of running away, they have aggressively approached me when i exit my car to enter my house. this has given my sister 2 severe anxiety attacks. i am not interested in killing the cats, i just need something that will get them to leave. please help!
address@removedFor some reason my siamese cat attacks me when I am sick. I don't get it.
My e-mail address is
address@removed. Thanks for your help.I too have this problem. I took in a Siamese cat when my friend's roomate was allergic, and he got along with the entire family fine. He hated my other cat though, who was just a Callico. They picked on each other, and I thought over time they would get better, but it only seemed to get worse. When I eventually moved out he was fine, but now he's too overly attached to just me, and attacks everyone else extremely - latching, biting, kicking. He even began to start attacking me. I took him to get him fixed, hopefully that will make things better, but I have to move again and I'll be bringing a roomate into the picture, along with her dog. I also bought scent stuff that makes him feel more naturally at home to help with being alone when I'm at work... but if anybody else has any ideas of how to get him to get along with others, please let me know. I also don't want to ahev to put him to sleep - I know no shelters will take an aggressive cat.
I am the owner of a 9 year old Siamese cat, named Oscar. I've had Oscar since he was a few weeks old. Over the past seven years, Oscar will randomly attack myself or my family. These attacks are quite unprovoked. For example, my wife was laying on the floor reading to my son when the cat jumped on her arm and left two deep, deep puncture wounds. I have also been laying in bed, asleep, and the cat has been laying next to me sleeping. He, for no reason at all, will lunge and sink his fangs into my arm. These attacks seem to be getting more frequent over time. Last winter, I took the cat to the vet to have him checked out. The vet found no medical evidence which would lead us to believe that he is sick or in pain. He has been around myself, my wife, and my children for his entire life and has continued to exhibit this random, sporatic, behavior. I have reached out to some shelters, etc...but, because he is known to be a 'biter', no one will accept him due to the liability. I truly don't want to have him put to sleep, however, I cannot afford to jeapordize my family's safety. That may sound like an over-dramatic statement, however, my wife has even had her head attacked. Oscar has chased me through my house before lunging at my body, and my children are fearful of the cat also. If you have any thoughts, advice, comments, please let me hear from you. He is well taken care of, loved, and shown affection. There are no outside forces which are believed to be causing this issue.