Conference misery::feline_v1

    Re: Geoff's "temper tantrum".  Mandy's reaction to that doesn't
    surprise me -- I'd be surprised if the most well-adjusted cat in
    the world didn't freak out with something like that going on.  So,
    I think your vet really overreacted with the declawing.  (Let's
    not get into the declawing discussion again, though.  It's back
    in numerous places in this file, and what's done is done.)
    
    Judging from the cats  that I've had, the ones that like visitors
    still are very wary of being stepped on and so they give a wide
    berth to rooms with multiple people walking around, a neighbor who
    clumps around on high heels, and so forth.  They are tiny little
    folk down there surrounded by giants, and they need to be wary.
    Is there something about your new house or new visitors that's
    causing this type of worry?  Are you having multiple, noisy
    people over where before you had quiet folks who were sitting peaceably
    on the sofa or some such?  I'd just leave her in peace when folks
    come over -- if she wants to be left alone, leave her alone;  if
    she is cuddling and shows signs of wanting to leave that person
    and head for another room, let her leave.  If you're planning a
    noisy gathering, shut her in a bedroom with her food and litter
    and so forth, and post a note on the bedroom door.  I have the feeling
    that this situation is feeding on itself.  Also, expect the possibility
    of some adjustment problems when you bring her home from the vet's
    now, some pusses do have psychological difficulties after declawing.
    
    

No, the friends have not changed.  We tend to sit around the dinner
    table eating and playing card games ( most times quietly).
    You seem to think that this is a normal reaction to some one horsing
    around but I have to disagree with you.  I have had cats before
    and when my brother and one of his friends started to wrestle on
    the living room floor they did not start screaming and attack his
    assailant.
    We consider ourselves lucky that she didn't go for his face and
    do some permanant damage.  She is not harassed - she is left in
    peace.  Most times though she will sit on some ones lap but if they
    try to pet her or lift her to get up she starts hissing.
    This was not just a swat and a hiss.  She was attached to his arm
    and screaming a blood curdling scream that scared us half to death.
    
    Most of the time Mandy is the best and most loving cat in the world.
    I wouldn't trade her for anything.  Unfortunately declawing her
    front paws seemed like the only solution to a desparate situation.
    It was that or just not have any friends over to my cats house.
    I know you are only trying to help with your reply but I don't
    appreciate your trying to make us feel guilty for the declawing.
    
    I am happy to say that Mandy is home from the vets and is very happy
    and content to be home and to be sitting under her christmas tree.
    
    We would appreciate any more suggestions/solutions.
    
    Mandy and Suzanne.
                      

    Hi Suzanne,
    
    It sounds like Mandy had a real case of territorial protection.
    I must admit, though, she took it to extreme.  Some cats treat
    "intruders" with just passing curiosity, some (like mine) run for
    the safety under the bed offers.  Mandy may consider it her job
    to protect you, and her home, from anyone.  It's funny, though,
    that she was OK around a woman, but took an apparent dislike of
    the gentleman.  My oldest with fall all over a strange woman who
    comes into the house, but will run at the first sight of a man.
    
    Given her age, she may have been feeling her first "maternal instincts".  
    Perhaps spaying with calm some of this.  De-clawing is a tough
    decision, but I agree that you can't risk this type of attack again
    (unless Mandy has a good lawyer!).  If her territorial instincts
    are very strong, however, and she senses the loss of the chief
    protection mechanism, you may be in for quite a time.  But, I guess
    you can only wait and see how she mellows.  As for attacks being
    a normal reaction, of course it's not.  But, she obviously felt
    some threat, or she wouldn't have attacked to wildly.  As a teenager,
    I had a very gentle Labrador Retriever who would have shown a burglar
    where the good silver was kept.  One day, when my older brother
    and I started roughhousing, she went right for my brother's neck
    and held on until I called her off (of course, I waited until he
    was good and scared ;^).
    
    Who knows what goes on inside those little pea brains???  If she
    continues to show this negative behavior, your vet might be able
    to refer you to an animal behaviorist (OK, Mandy, just lie back
    on the sofa and start from the beginning...).
    
    Good luck!!
    Mary

    You mention that Mandy is a little over a year old.  I don't
    know if she's ever shown signs of being in heat yet, but I would
    suspect that, by this age, she's experiencing some hormonal
    fluctuations.   Perhaps these just coincided with the move to the
    new house and were the cause of her unusual behavior.  Now that
    she's been spayed you can wait and see if her behavior changes.
    
    Donna

    We are hoping that the spaying would calm her down around others.
    Perhaps it would reduce her maternal instincts to be territorial
    and to protect.  Or perhaps it is hormones and thus spaying will
    help.  We also thought that because she has moved around a lot she
    has become very protective of her home??  Or since she is an only
    child and is use to our undivided attention she may be jealous of guests??
    
    
    In either case, I hope you are both right (3 & 4).  We will just have to
    wait and see.  But who am I going to use as a guinea pig as the
    first guest??  Any volunteers?  Just kidding - I think mom is due 
    for a visit!?
    
    Suzanne
    

    She may just be an emotional cat.  My mothers cat can definitely
    be classified as an "attack cat".  She's a 7 year old persian (Muffin).
    Don't let the name fool you.  My mother told me that a couple of
    weekends ago while my parents were a away Muffin literally attacked
    my sisters girl friend.  My sister had her friend, Jeanine, stay over 
    and when Jeanine got up from the bed the next morning Muffin attacked
    her leg and Jeanine didn't step on her.  Muffin's also come close
    to attacking my sister-in-law.  The only people she tolerates are
    the people living in her house.  She barely tolerates me because
    on weekend I had to feed her.
    
    Kathy 

    
    I had a cat, Samantha, a number of years ago, who felt it was her
    duty to protect her house.  One day she was sitting on the kitchen
    table (I was in the livingroom) when the mailman walked in the back
    door.  He didn't knock or call out or anything.  He simply walked
    in and set the mail on the table.  Well, Sam let him have it - she
    hissed and screamed and yelled.  I thought she was being killed
    by something.  I ran into the kitchen to find the most startled
    mailman I've ever seen.  Needless to say, he never walked in again
    without knocking and getting her permission.
    
    Ande

    Ande,
    
    That story reminded me of another cat I know.  She was a gorgeous
    white shorthair that we had picked up as a stray.  We named her
    Aradia.  She went into heat and got so frenzied that she was renamed
    Erotica.  We had several cats of our own, so Erotica was spayed
    and given to a friend.
    
    This friend took our darling, affectionate Erotica to her house
    to live.  As it turns out, Erotica HATES people in uniforms.  A
    mail carrier came to my friend's door with a package, and Erotica
    BIT the mail carrier! The man called the dog officer about the vicious
    animal that attacked him.  The dog officer came to my friend's door
    with a warrant for poor Erotica's arrest.  When he got there, the
    kitty jumped into his lap and settled down.  The dog officer thought
    it was the funniest thing he had ever seen.  He tore up the warrant
    and sat down for a nice cup of tea!
    
    Erotica still lives with my friend.  My friend is very careful to
    put the cat in another room before answering the door, and she never
    worries about burglers ;-)
    
    Rita
    

    I thought I would update you on Mandy's situation.
    
    About a two weeks after the spaying and declawing occurred we decided
    it was time to have guests over.  Donna and Geoff ( the infamous Geoff)
    came over with two other couples came over for dinner.  When Geoff
    first entered, she started meowing and hissing right away.  She
    obviously remembered him.  We took Karen's suggestion and locked her in
    our bedroom with access to her food and litter. Well she wasn't to
    happy about that either.  She kept banging into the door and meowing
    loudly.  After about an hour we decided to open the door and let her
    come down at her own pace.  She immediately jumped on my lap and
    remained there throughout dinner.  After dinner we were sitting around
    watching a movie.  Geoff felt very uncomfortable and was just sitting
    there minding his own business.  I think we were all a bit tense,
    fearing that Mandy would strike again.  Well the funniest thing
    happened: Mandy got off my lap and slowly made her way over to Geoffs
    lap...We all held our breath!  She sat down on his lap and just stared
    at him for about 15 minutes.  Both of them sat there, both Geoff and
    Mandy were wee bit tense.  Well it was the funniest sight -  I think
    she was trying to say she was sorry!  After a while she let him
    pet her for a few minutes and then she got up and left and came
    back to my lap.  "See Mom, I'm a good girl" and she fell asleep.
    
    Now she seems to like people again...the more people there, the
    more people to pet her (she is very much a "give me your attention"
    cat).
    
    It seems the spaying mellowed her out a bit.  And now she eats like a
    pig!  Before the spaying we use to feed her one can a day and a dish of
    dry.  More often then not we would end up throwing 50% or more of it
    away; we were worried about her.  And all she would eat was chicken.  No
    fish or beef. Well now, as soon as we put the wet food in she gobbles
    it all up and then nibbles on the dry until the next meal.  And she
    isn't fussy anymore - she eats everything. 
                                        
    Thanks for your stories and the support!  It is a happy ending.
    
    Suzanne

    This reminds me of when Holly first came to live with Sweetie and
    me.  H is a territorial demon, and if she was being bad to Sweetie,
    I would put her in another room and close the door.   Apparently
    this was a fate worse than death, as she would instantly start wailing,
    and I could let her out basically immediately and harmony would
    then reign in the household.