PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SEE THE SCRATCH
The guy was rubbing his cat’s tummy which triggered tough play in the cat which went way too far. The cat grabbed the guy’s arm in a “death lock” with his front paws and teeth and scratched with the hind claws. It’ll happen in a flash and if you try and pull away you make it worse. At this stage it is a lose-lose situation.
What I’d do is to (1) keep the grabbed arm passive and (2) grab the cat by the scruff of the neck with the free hand. This should partly immobilise the cat which should allow you to release the trapped arm. Of course it’s far better to be proactive and avoid this sort of event. It’s about understanding your cat, being aware of his/her mood and behavioural traits and respecting the wild cat within.
I just got scratched by a Maine Coon cat “Decker”
The battle scars remind us that are furry friends are wild cats at heart.
I had that happen at 4am – within one second…. when something startled my tuxedo kitty.
I threw my arms up to protect my face from her claws and ended up with deep razor scratches on my arm. The scratches didn’t bleed at all until about 5-8 minutes later when blood started coming out like this photo.
This was over 10 years ago and I still have scars. But it’s ok, a few battle scars never hurt anyone. 🙂
Wow. You’re tough. Do you use gloves and protection on your arms sometimes?
I’ve sustained the same, or even worse, from wrestling ferals into a trap. But, not from a domesticated cat.
The cat got over stimulated by the rubbing which caused it to trigger.