evil cats

[dan no1]

why are cats evil and can sometimes turn on you for no apparent reason? i was stroking my tom cat charley, he was purring and he suddenly turned nasty and attacked me!! my arm went all bruised and swollen.

does anyone know whay because i'm very weary of him now.  

[Merlin]

First, cats are not evil. The main thing to understand if you want to get along with a cat is that he will do what he wants to do when he wants to do it and where.

If he did really attack you, maybe he has a sensitive place, a wound or a sore that you stroked?

Maybe e didn't actually attack you - if I stop stroking my Siamese, he wil put his paw on my arm and 'pull' it to get me to stroke him some more. But Siamese's claws are always out, so it could look like he was attacking me when he wasn't.

Was there any hissing, laid-back ears and bared teeth (the cat's, I mean!)? What did he do after he 'attacked' you.

[mrs.pudding]

sometimes this is their rather violent form of play!  Also, as Merlin says, he may have a sore spot somewhere (from a scratch or a bite or something).  One of my cats is quite incapable of being stroked for more than 30 secs. After that she has to have a go at me.  When the cat grabs you try and relax and let him let go of you.  If you pull away or try to wallop him, he'll dig in with his claws and teeth.  Touching their stomachs can make some cats turn very funny as well.

[dan no1]

after he attacked me, he ran off

[moosa]

I reckon your cat is like mine and just doesn't particularly liked being stoked unless he's in a good mood! My cat will put up with it for a little while but if you continue he soon gets bored and will do what your did. When you stroke him if you see any signs of him becomin aggitated I'd back off, cats like their own space!

[Pythoness]

Read Dr. Nicholas Dodman's book The Cat Who Cried For Help!

You say he is a "tom" cat, here in the US that means a male cat who is not neutered.  If he is not nuetered, that would be part of your problem.  Male cats can get very rowdy, especially with all their hormones coursing!  If he is neutered:  Some cats just don't like specific areas of their bodies touched.  We have one here who is perfectly fine being petted on her head and back, but if you try to touch her belly (which is a sensitive area for most animals) she will dig in with teeth and claws.  Of course, she does this with the kids no matter what, but they tease her and deserve it.  Some cats get very overstimulated by petting and will seem to turn on you, you just have to learn their body language and know when they are saying "enough is enough" without getting phsyical.  Just because the cat is purring does not neccessarily mean he is enjoying it - cats will also purr when in extreme pain or when ill, so it's not true that they only purr when happy.  Watch out for "tail lashing", or the tail going back and forth in a whippy motion, this usually signals that a cat is irritated even when by all other appearances it seems fine.  Some cats, after a round of petting, get very playful and some cats want to play very rough.  (It is not a wise idea to encourge rough play, unless you are willing to deal with the scratches and bite marks that inevitably ensue.)  Anyway, Dr. Dodman's book has some very good chapters about cats that get overstimulated during petting and go from affectionate to aggressive at the drop of a hat - so read it!

[dan no1]

Thank you Pythoness! i will indeed consider reading this book.  Hope its available here in the UK!

[CiderMonkey]

When i was young my cat was laying on my chest while i was in bed with his face just next to my chin. All of a sudden he just bit me on the chin - i hadn't been stroking or touching him or made any sudden movements or anything. I don;t know why he did it. It didn't hurt too much but i was a bit upset. My mum told me it was just his way of telling me he loved me (looking back now this was obviously just a way to make me feel better!). Maybe he just got fed up with my breath going on his face?

[dan no1]

Aren't cats strange?!  my cat is strange in another way because he can mither and mither to be fed and when you put it down, he sniffs it and walks off.  its not that he doesn't like it cos he's eaten it before and will eventually come back to it. we've had him for a few years now (from being a kitten), but sometimes he behaves as though we've only just got him, and sometime legs it when you walk over near or towards him as if he's frightened. does anybody else's cat do or act like this?

[Merlin]

He wants you to hand-feed him - so he can bite you again!!!

What breed of cat is it? How old? He might have been mithering (whatever that is) for something else - another stroke maybe! He might have been mithering (what is that?) for attention.

Most cats won't let you stroke their tummies until they really trust you, if ever.

[peachy_puss]

cats r NOT evil...so u say he's tom cat..? mabey he was in a fight with a oother cat i was sore somewere...and u could have just hurt him while patting him there.... and i have a tom cat and he's kinda snooty like that he may just scrach 4 no reason ...? or it could be that i was a annoying him..?