Our Cat attacked my son

[Buford]

Not a bad thought. I *hate* it when people declaw their cats just because they're scratching at furniture (you're basically pulling off their fingernails), but it sure would seem to be a valid course of action in this case.

Please don't declaw a cat. If the cat is an issue, give it to someone who can deal with it. Declawing a cat is more than like removing fingernails; it removes the last segment of their toes - it'd be like having your fingers cut off at the first joint. Declawed cats have sore foot issues and can't clean or scratch themselves well or at all. It's a recipe for a miserable cat.

 

[Desert_Sky]

that and declawed cats become biters

 

[RICLARK]

Please don't declaw a cat. If the cat is an issue, give it to someone who can deal with it. Declawing a cat is more than like removing fingernails; it removes the last segment of their toes - it'd be like having your fingers cut off at the first joint. Declawed cats have sore foot issues and can't clean or scratch themselves well or at all. It's a recipe for a miserable cat.

If I have to get her declawed I will give her away, It causes them great pain after the procedure is done until it heals. Also all the other stuff you mentioned.

 

[conpewter]

I would probably get rid of the cat if it attacked my (young) son or daughter. On the other hand I know you are probably fond of the cat so that would be hard.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I once had a dog that was my best friend in the world, she bit me once (not playing) and I put her down. One of the hardest things I've ever done but there was no way I was going to have an animal in my house that could do that. If it were just my ex-wife (hmmm... maybe I should have just trained the dog to go after her ) and I, I may have let it go, but my oldest daughter was 2 months old at the time.

kids > pets.

 

[beerthirty]

Cat claws and teeth are serious sources of infection. they bury their crap, and if it has caught any rodents or bugs, then both their claws and teeth can harbor bacteria that can be potentially dangerous. The prey item pieces that stick to teeth and claws rot increasing bacterial growth. Every cat scratch I have ever had has left a scar. Use plenty of antibiotic ointment to help reduce any scarring and promote faster healing.

Oh, get rid of the cat. How would you feel if this happened again with the same animal?

 

[earlytimes]

we use this on our cat instead of declawing:
http://www.softpaws.com/
It's kind of a pain to keep up with, but better than declawing or having our furniture and kid torn up.

Having had a lot of pet cats in my life (growing up on a farm), I've noticed their personality varies greatly. Some get along great with people and kids, others act like the spawn of satan when it comes to putting up with stuff and not getting their way, and then you have everything inbetween. I'd give the cat another chance, but if it happens again, time to find it a new home. good luck.

 

[NWernBrewer]

kids > pets.

+1 - I don't have any animals because I have small children. When my youngest is 5-6 I may get a dog. He (Evan) is just too young (15mon.) to play with animals, we went to my uncle-in-law's house and my boy was playing with their cat and it gave him a pretty good swat (luckily,) it previously scratched him. Not bad, and on the arm - Evan just doesn't get it yet and probably won't for a while.

Hold judgement until you get back from the vet - if it was mine it may not have made it there, but it may be sick and it may still make a fine outdoor pet.

 

[Desert_Sky]

- Evan just doesn't get it yet and probably won't for a while.

quoted just because.........

 

[Homercidal]

quoted just because.........

LOL! Shame on you!

 

[jfrizzell]

Its a Bengal F4 whatever that means

F4 means it's 4 generations from wild cats - basically a domestic cat. Bengals are a gorgeous breed.

 

[Sherpa FE]

Please don't declaw a cat. If the cat is an issue, give it to someone who can deal with it. Declawing a cat is more than like removing fingernails; it removes the last segment of their toes - it'd be like having your fingers cut off at the first joint. Declawed cats have sore foot issues and can't clean or scratch themselves well or at all. It's a recipe for a miserable cat.

A good humane alternative to declawing, is to have the claws lasered. It is not painful, does not remove anything and the cats are up and running about the same day. Also the cats do not develop that "sensitivity" to their paws when you touch them.

I agree that something is wrong with the cat, and should be checked out.
I used to get attacked all the time when I was a kid, but that was due more to the fact that I was a mean kid, and deserved everything that I got.

 

[Sherpa FE]

F4 means it's 4 generations from wild cats - basically a domestic cat. Bengals are a gorgeous breed.

They are beautiful cats.

I am waiting unitl my kids get older to get my Egyptian Mau, the only naturally spotted cat.
http://www.cfa.org/breeds/profiles/egyptian.html

wish I could embed pics...I am sooo dumb...LOL

 

[janzik]

Ok, I just watched the damn cat go total ape $**** on my dog. He didn't do crap he was sleeping on the floor and the cat ran up and lit his face up. I locked her outside on the balcony in a kennel, something is wrong with her.

WTGDF!? It took your cat attacking your DOG for you to get rid of it? What in hell is wrong with you? Whether provoked or unprovoked if a household pet attacked my daughter or one of her friends or cousins, the pet would've been gone before I got back to my keyboard to write about it.

(edited because I just read back and found his age... still angry though..)

 

[kornkob]

Yeah! What Jan said!

Besides-- the cat is probalby some mutant cat/pit bull mix so it will kill your entire family and start in on the neighbors if you don't destroy it with fire immediately.
















*runs*

 

[BierMuncher]

Funny how quickly they go from this.....


























to this......











I'd also suggest you get a bigger dog.

 

[blacklab]

How is your son doing?

 

[xamers]

[in my best Charles Barkley voice]

And that's why I.... don't like cats.




Part ways. No animal is worth an injury to a child; no matter what PETA says.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Was just sitting here answering some thread earlier and I heard screaming. I got up and went into the hallway and our cat had my sons head in her paws kicking him in the face and biting him on the ear. She tore him up pretty bad and im not sure what the hell happened, I dont know if she was trying to play and was being to agressive or if she was really trying to hurt him. Cats cannot be disciplined like dogs because they dont respond and I dont know if I should get rid of her or give her the benefit of the doubt. I was so freakin mad when I broke it up I wanted to strangle her but I controlled myself. She has never done anything before and usually just plays with him and the dog but I do know cats are wild animals and can do crazy things sometimes.What are your thoughts?

The same thing happened to my daughter when she was about three years old, and we actually dropped off our cat at a shelter as a gut reaction, because clearly, a child's safety is more important than the well-being of a pet. In any case, we did some research and retrieved our cat a few days later, and are now extremely happy that we did. For one thing, he never did anything like this again, but we also took steps to minimize the damage in case he would have:

1.) Never use your hands to "play rough" with a cat - this makes them think that attacking humans is ok. They can be trained to change their behavior with a spray bottle or simply ignoring them when they act up, as long as you are consistent.

2.) Get your cat a collar with a bell, so that you know where he/she is. If the cat ever launches another attack, your child will hear the bell as a warning and can cover his face in time.

3.) Declawing a cat is inhumane and cruel, but SoftPaws nail caps are an excellent alternative to achieve the same thing. Basically, these are plastic caps that are glued over the trimmed claws, rendering them harmless. They stick for about 4-6 weeks. Just check the cat every other day or so and re-apply as necessary.

I hope things work out for you! They did for us!

EDIT: Definitely talk to a vet - the cat may just be sick or didn't get stimulated enough recently. There are drugs available that can calm them down temporarily as well.

 

[RICLARK]

How is your son doing?

He is doing just fine, he has some scrapes here and there on his scalp and face, but he is cool. The cat is out on the balcony in a kennel rolling around making strange noises. She is an inside cat and has got out once but we found her. The way she is acting seems like shes got friggin rabies for the way she is acting. I dont want to jump to any conclusions though ill just wait until tomorrow morning.

 

[tdavisii]

I say we blend it up (the cat) to a liquid. Dilute with spring water and ferment the devil cat juice.

 

[Laurel]

If your cat is patient, you could always consider clipping it's nails. My siamese is very well-behaved(besides eating any plastic bag in sight), but he chills and lets me clip his nails once a week. The little claw cover-up things wouldn't work for him because he chews on his toenails. It's very strange.

 

[blacklab]

He is doing just fine, he has some scrapes here and there on his scalp and face, but he is cool. The cat is out on the balcony in a kennel rolling around making strange noises. She is an inside cat and has got out once but we found her. The way she is acting seems like shes got friggin rabies for the way she is acting. I dont want to jump to any conclusions though ill just wait until tomorrow morning.

Glad to hear it.

That cat sounds psycho!

 

[jds]

You know what pet goes well with little kids?

Goldfish. On a high shelf.

However the wife just told me last week we will be getting a cat soon. not sure what I think about that yet. Its a Bengal F4 whatever that means

I think they're rated like hurricanes. F4 is pretty destructive.
Actually, from what I do know about Bengals, they need lots of exercise and play, or they get into trouble around the house. Lots of people recommend two, so they can keep each other occupied.

I would probably get rid of the cat if it attacked my (young) son or daughter. On the other hand I know you are probably fond of the cat so that would be hard.

SWMBO had three cats when we married. After our daughter was big enough to be mobile, two of them were remarkably patient, and let her climb all over them. Once she got older, they got less tolerant, and have given her warning slashes (no claws) and a couple of scratches when she got too rough with them.

The third cat became very defensive around kiddo, and would back into a corner and growl. That cat now lives at my office, and is the office mascot. I tried to take her back home, but there were some pretty major territory battles, so she's a permanent resident at the office now.

Given that she's 18 years old, that may not last much longer, but who knows?

 

[Rezilynt]

I'm glad to hear your son is ok. I'm not saying that this is what it is, but is possible - I raised a dog from a puppy and one day (at around 2 yrs old), he just snapped - started attacking anything and everything in sight. It ended up being a brain tumor. You made the right decision in getting the cat out of the house and making a vet appt. Good luck.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

...the wife just told me last week we will be getting a cat soon. not sure what I think about that yet. Its a Bengal F4 whatever that means

The F4 is the newer model of Bengal. It became fuel injected in 2001 and was then designated the F4i. F2's and F3's are all carbureted.

Glad I could help.

 

[wildwest450]

Im glad to hear your son is ok, BUT, next time what if he loses an eye? If he was attacked once, it's likely to happen again. I say dead cat ftw.

 

[BrewWench]

I think they're rated like hurricanes. F4 is pretty destructive.

LOL!

We trim our cats' claws - it's actually pretty easy once they get used to it and not a big deal at all. You can use the burrito method (wrapping her in a towel) which requires two people, but ours are so good at it now that it only takes one person, with no towel.

 

[BrewWench]

Encounters like this are almost never the fault of the animal.

Ditto. Let us know how the vet visit went! I hope it was just something weird and out of the ordinary.

 

[DeathBrewer]

cat attacks kid = no more cat

definitely check it out and see what's wrong with it if you're going to give it away...i suppose it's the right thing to do.

i personally would put a bullet in ANY animal that attacked a child of mine, no matter how much it meant to me.