HISSIE ATTACKED ME!!!!

[lynnkay]

It was about 10 last night. I went to pick her up and put her in my lap. Before I ever pick her up, I will say 1-2-3. May sound silly, but that is my cue to her, that I am going to pick her up. And Hissie knows this cue well. She was all ready for me to pick her up and put her in my lap. I bent over to pick her up and she turned on me something awful. She growled, hissed and scratched me pretty good. Hissie has not done me this way in approx. 2 yrs. She would have bit me, if I had not moved my hands quickly. I am not mad at my old girl. I just do not understand, where this behavior came from. I can do anything to this cat. I can pet her in places, that not even my husband can. Hissie rather be in my lap, than anywhere else. When we first brought Hissie into the house, she would turn on us. She had been on the streets for a good while and was obvious she had been abused. So, we understood. We gave her plenty of love and patience. And bit by bit, Hissie became the sweet kitty that she truly is. She is a nervous cat. We have company, she will hide and become anxious. But, we understand that is how Hissie is and we give her that respect. But, Hissie is like a gentle baby with me. When she attacked me last night, I have to admit it hurt my feelings quite a lot. When she was so sick before and after the surgery, she was the best little patient. When she was in such pain, she still was that gentle kitty with me. I am just shocked that Hissie turned on me like this. We have to battle to give her the meds. But, that was hours earlier, when we gave her the meds. She gets so upset when we dose her, but she is always over it within minutes. After she attacked me last night. she went into our bedroom and I simply could not get her to come back out. Just now she came out of the bedroom. She is presently lying at my feet, while I am on the computer. I am currently in the dining room, where my computer is. When Hissie attacked me, I never got mad at her. I cannot get mad at my old girl ever. I respect the fact that she has been abused and is old. And I just love her too darn much to ever get mad at her. I am not here to vent. Just to lick my wounds I guess. Thank you my friends, for listening to me yet again. God Bless

[MJIthewriter]

Waldo and Sahib are both very kind cats, but sometimes they will get grouchy and scratch or bite me.  Animals can't verbally tell you they are having a bad day or just not in the mood. Heck, they can't even say, "Excuse me."  

When they communicate with each other, they may scratch and bite to say, "Leave me alone."  That may be what Hissy is saying, along what other people here have noted.

Unlike people, who tend to feel hurt and upset after a conflict (and dwell on it for several hours or days), animals tend to quickly forget that moment ever happened.  Likely Hissie will gladly accept you picking her up the next time and be just as friendly as she was before that moment.

Unless there is a physical concern, then you may have to check with the vet again...

[dominosarah]

I have this sort of thing on occasion with the beagle.  She is an old girl with health issues and she gets real snappy with me at times especially if she is tired.  She would never have done that a few years ago.  I dont get mad at her either....I just give her her space and then she comes around and lays on my lap.  I realize i am talking about a dog here too.......Try not to take it too personal as that is their way of yelling at us.  She knows you are a good mom to her and so do we........hugs to you and your babies       sara, the beagle and S

[Jade59]

Hi Lynn,

I'm sure PK is exactly correct.  

I really have nothing more to add to PKs advise other than to just say it's a good sign that she's sitting at your feet and not hiding, I think : )

Maybe Hissie was just having a "moment"  

I'm here for you Lynn : )

[PrettyKitty1]

Lynn,

I think she attacked you as a sign that she didn’t want to deal with anything at that moment. And since she has been so stressed out, it is understandable. Animals have good and bad daysm I'm sure you are aware. Last night Hissie was having a rough time, probably.  Most likely, she is just stressed and tired of vet visits, moving in and out, car rides, and meds. She is old, and for an old girl to be patient is an accomplishment. I think she has been very patient lately. She is sick, and probably doesn’t feel well just yet. She really doesn’t know why you’re forcing her to take meds, so she reacts accordingly. IMO, this is what’s going on. Its her letting you know she’s had enough.

You could talk to the vet, I guess, and tell them about her not wanting to take more meds.  You could tell them she has bee putting up a fight and she has attacked you. I remember one of my posts to you recently, which said to basically add fiber to her foods if she gets stressed. I sort of saw THIS coming. At the shelter I volunteer is the same story with old kitties. So, what they do is they add fiber to the food. Ask your vet if instead of giving her the meds, see if you could add physillium husk to her foods. I will now post information on it, from the website www.catnutrition.org.  You can trust the info on this website. I honestly trust only websites which end in .org, .edu, and .gov.  Any reference ending in .com I don’t even bother reading unless it comes from a veterinarian. Here it is:

PSYLLIUM
This is easy. Almost any regular grocery store or health food store carries containers of plain whole psyllium husks or psyllium husk powder. Remember to get loose powder rather than capsules that you need to individually open. You can also order psyllium husks from plenty of places online. If you want to read more about "why psyllium," please see Michelle Bernard's wonderful online essay on the subject. You'll note on the recipe that I use that not all cats require psyllium in their diet. If your cat has been eating low-quality commercial food for several ears, especially dry food, she may have lost bowel elasticity and may benefit from the extra fiber. As a general rule, I recommend using psyllium when an adult cat first gets raw food, particularly if the cat has been eating a lot of dry food. At least one study suggests that cats on processed, cooked diets lose bowel elasticity over time, so it can be a good idea to try psyllium and then judge whether or not to continue based on your cat's stools.
I rarely add psyllium to my adult cats' diet except during 'hairball season.' Some cats seem to get constipated without additional fiber, whereas other cats seem to get constipated if they get too much fiber. Each cat is unique, and you'll have to judge which works best for your cat.


So now you see, you can add physillium husk to prevent constipation and hairballs. Any fiber source is what really helps with hairballs. Hope this helps. But talk to the vet before doing any changes.

Keep me in the loop...