cat attack

[midgecat]

thank you.  i think she was a rather sorry puss cat for a few days.  she's much loved so they'll get over it but cousin's face is still quite a mess.

[Leighs Gang]

It's heart breaking when your furr babies lash out at you, when we first introduced Dora and Sparkle was feeling very threatened she lashed out and grabbed either side of my face with her claws  - I cryed my eyes out, but after initially talking very sternly to her I then went back up to her and told her i understood her anxiety - she rewarded me with lots of purring and a very soory look on her face    Hope all is going well now with your Cousins cat x

[Skiddaw]

The Munchkin recently reacted in a very similar way following a static shock- which unfortunately, came from me rather than the computer! It was when the weather was very cold & dry and I think the soles of my slippers were to blame. You could literally see sparks when I bent to cuddle him and my goodness did he move! I still have the scars on my leg to remind me of it 

[sheilarose]

I think she probably got an electric shock, too. As she's easily spooked this will have caused her to freak and she will have jumped for the easiest upwards escape routes (cats always go for height when startled), and your friend's face was the cat's natural escape route.
In all my years of owning much loved and loving cats, there's just no predicting these spooked moments, nor controlling the involuntary use of claws to escape them. Animals are supersensitive to electricity so if you get a little belt off your car door that makes you wince, if you were a cat it would send you 20 feet into the air.

So, not an attack, a static belt that accidentally hurt your friend.

Check out my avatar - Big Sam hasn't had a shock yet but my Beau won't go near the keyboard since he had a similar event, thankfully he just went vertically upwards and sent my G&T flying.

Don't worry, this sort of thing happens so infrequently that it will almost certainly never ever happen in your experience again, but I would ask your cats not to sit on the computer when your trying to work. 

[midgecat]

thanks.  we're hoping that it was just a moment of madness caused by seeing some reflection in her glasses.  the cat isn't blamed or punished though quite naturally my coz is a bit wary of her.  particularly anxious in case anything else happens when grandchildren visit.  of course she takes all the usual precautions but when this seems unprovoked it makes it hard to have confidence it won't happen again. 

[Fire Fox]

Some kind of reflection on the glasses, flickering from the computer screen perhaps?

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

If she got  a static shock it would have hurt and this maybe could be the reason, please tell your friend not to blame the cat and to give her loads of cuddles cos she will be upset that she hurt her human.

I believe feliway diffussers act better than the spray, if she goes down this route.

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

Marble is a pretty nervous and timid cat. She's off at the slightest noise and has caused an unintentional scratch or two but rarely sits on laps. I had to get some Feliway for other issues but it has generally helped her calm dowm and be a bit more confident. May be worth a try.

Is there anything in particular that happenened at the same time, even something small? For example, today I was sitting on the bed and Marble jumped onto the bed but caught the edge of a plastic bag hanging on the door handle so that it rustled and she jumped out of her skin, almost to the other side of the bed. Could have easily caused an injury!

[Gillian Harvey]

I wonder if she picked up some static from the screen which spooked her and caused her to lash out?

[midgecat]

feeling really shocked and upset this evening.  my cousin just phoned to say she's had to go to casualty for tetanus jab.  her cat was sitting on her knee whilst she was at the computer (the cat's choice and something she does most days) and suddenly launched herself at my cousin's face.  got a huge scratch that would have seriously damaged her eye if she wasn't wearing glasses and lots of other scratches.  she's had the cat about a year and nothing similar before.  she's a timid cat but has seemed pretty happy and they've got on well together.  prior to that she was living with a friend but there were problems with the friend's cat hence her being rehomed.  she's about 5 years old.

normally she's fairly easy going and happy to be picked up though as i say quite timid and panics at the slightest noise.  can't see what provoked this and anxious about whether it will happen again.

any ideas what could be going on?