Does your cat attack you when you raise your voice?

15 years ago

The scenario usually goes like this:

I am sitting on the couch with my female cat Gidget laying next to me. I begin a conversation with someone on the phone or across the room which requires me to have a slightly raised voice [ sometimes I am just sitting and reading].

Next thing I know Gidget gets up talking and runs up to me and starts licking and bitting my hair. It has happened enough times now that I know she is not going to hurt me but to an outsider it does look like she is attacking to scratch my eyes out.

I have my suspicions but was wondering if any one else has any insight into this situation?

The background information:

We adopted Gidget and her brother when they were kittens and added them to our family including a dog and my husband and I.

Gidget tends to be antisocial with company, doesn't like to be picked up, very independent. Her brother is the exact opposite, lovebug etc.

Thanks for reading... Miranda

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Comments (6)

runsnwalken
15 years ago
Thats odd! Is she spayed?, hormones can wildly affect mood. Is the cat de-clawed?, is the cat tramatized by a move or mean people in the house?, thats very odd. Did another animal get added to your home? Did one of your previous animals die?

If none of these answers are a yes, you might need to find a feline behavior person or re home the cat into a barn cat suitation.
cat_mom
15 years ago
Our cat when I was growing up used to "attack" my sister and me if we were goofing around or if our dad was tickling one of us and we were yelling or laughing really loud. He didn't "attack" the instigator, he "attacked" the victim!
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green_panther
Original Author
15 years ago
To answer some of the questions:

Gidget is spayed. She is around 2.5 years old and 16 lbs. She has all her knuckles and toes and has free reign of the house and yard. She is a great mouser. No new family members have been introduced or removed from the household.

The very very last option would be to re-home her or make her a permanent outside cat. I do not think I would be able to ostracize her like that unless she repeatedly harmed me and I became scared of her.

If you would like to see pictures of Gidget and her family you can click on the picture below. {{!gwi}}From Sammy, Gizmo and Gidget

Here is a link that might be useful: Picasaweb Photo Album
runsnwalken
15 years ago
It depends- I'm sorry for subjesting such a extereme measure- however I have seen cases where it should have gone that way., She looks beautiful
green_panther
Original Author
15 years ago
Runsnwalken, Thank you very much for your advice and your compliment... no need to be sorry! It just helps for me to make all the information clear.... and I would love to know what she is trying to communicate with me when she does this.
lbr333
15 years ago
I have no idea what her behaviour is about....it doesn't sound aggressive....just puzzling....and scary for visitors to witness.....is that right? Nibbling and licking is usually related to grooming or suckling memories from kitten days with mum.....but why it's triggered with a loud voice I couldn't tell you....maybe mummy was vocal??

If you really want to change the behaviour, cats can be trained just like dogs (but don't tell them.....they find it embarrassing :D) There are many books out there to help. Sometimes simply re-directing the attention each and every time the unwanted behaviour happens can work if you're 100% consistant. Personally, I'm in the process of taming a feral boy and boosting my other guy's metabolism with Tellington T-Touch......I've only read one of the instruction books, but I'm having incredible (and quick) results!

Good luck!

She's a sweetie!! Looks like she's worth the trouble!!
Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Tellington TTouch

Does your cat attack you when you raise your voice?

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runsnwalken

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Does your cat attack you when you raise your voice?

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