A cat owner in Oregon, USA says that his Himalayan cat has a history of violence. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is not the cat that is violent or out-of-control as described, but that the cat lives in a home that is unsuitable for a domestic cat. In short, the out of control criticism leveled at this cat could quite possibly better describe the people, the house holders, who look after him/her.
This is the story. A Himalayan cat weighing 22 pounds, scratches the baby in the home. He has been described as having, “attacked a baby”. I think attacking a baby is different to scratching a baby and it is almost certain that the cat scratched the baby because the baby provoked, in some way, the cat.
The fault here is neither with the baby nor the cat. The fault is clearly with the parents who failed to supervise the interaction between the cat and the baby or failed to separate them when they were not around to supervise. Nearly all cats get along with babies even new babies; they tend to ignore them but that said sensible precautions should be taken and they were not taken in this instance. Therefore blame should be placed upon the cats owners, the parents.
Returning to the story, after the cat scratched the baby, the baby’s father kicked the cat. Then the cat, predictably, became enraged and terrorised the family forcing them to retreat into the bedroom (or was it the bathroom) where the man called police. The cat was screaming we are told. The police arrived and managed to snare the cat and put him into some sort of cage. The cat was left at the home and it is not clear what the intentions of the family are in relation to their cat.
My advice, regarding their intentions, should be to ask some honest and serious questions about their behaviour and how they are managing and caring for their cat and their baby. That should be the focus of their attention rather than their cat and in the meantime I would also advise them to ensure that their cat is re-homed in a suitable home that is calm and which feels safe for the cat. The cat should not be taken to a rescue centre because we know what the outcome will be bearing in mind that the owner will describe his cat as having a history of violence. That is a death sentence.
Update: the family are keeping their cat. They indicate that he’ll be receiving medication, which, personally, I strongly disagree with.
Original story
The point I made is that we don’t know if the cat is aggressive or is being defensive in a hostile home. I say the cat has demonstrated defensive aggression because this doppy man hit his cat. Why are you assuming the cat is inherently aggressive? That is incorrect and if you are a troll (Woody) don’t respond rudely, please.
Giving an aggressive animal away to someone else is only pawning off your own problem on someone else and opening yourself up to easily winnable liability lawsuits (winnable on behalf of the recipient of your aggressive animal). Giving away an aggressive animal is never an answer and never solves the real problem — people who allow aggressive animals being bred for household pets.
If you have to wear boots in your house to accommodate an aggressive pet there’s something seriously wrong. People like that desire being abused and disrespected, even in their own homes — they are mentally and emotionally damaged in the very first place.
Wow. Thanks. Never knew.
All the more reason for humans to treat them with respect 😉 Kicking a cat because the cat scratched your child because the child pulled the cat’s tail is not on in my opinion.
It’s based on kittens born to domestics so I think it would apply across the board.
That’s a pretty good percentage, Sarah.
Would that apply to ferals?