cat

Question
I have a one year old, spayed cat who meows at me and then suddenly she is clawing at my face with talons out. She has never done this before. When she meows I give her attention and she attacks me.  The past week her behavior has been quite strange. Even when she is curled up with me i stop rubbing her and she meows so i go back to rubbing her and she bites. She has not done this before.

Answer
Alice,

It is possible that the cat is exhibiting what is called Redirected Aggression. That happens when a cat sees a strange cat outside and  becomes territorial, but can't get to the strange cat to defend her territory. You may not see the animal that the cat sees. The cat then turns on the closest animal member of the family and fights with them as if they were the other cat. They have been known to attack people if no other animals are in the house.

The first thing you need to do is block the window past the cat's eye level of the window she can see another cat out of (out of sight, out of mind). If it is allowed to go on your cat may develop a permanent personality change. Also put the cat in a room by itself for at least 4 hours to calm down when she behaves like that.

Here is a link to an article about Redirected Agression towards humans:
(copy and paste, or type, the whole link into your address bar)

http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/aggression_to_people/redir_to_humans.h...

There is a very popular cat calming spray and plug-in you can use called Feliway. It is available at pet stores or on-line. It copies relaxing pheromones that cats produce from rubbing their faces on things.

There is also a calming product that you can add to the cat's food or water that reduces anxiety called Bach's Rescue Remedy. It is available on-line and in health food stores. Here is a link about it: (copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar) http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

Sometimes in situations like yours, another cat about the same age and temperament helps. Cats need a friend to roughhouse with, play kitty games with, and be a comfort to them when they are alone. 2 cats are easier to care for than one because it takes the pressure off of you to keep one cat amused. A solitary cat has a tendancy to be more destructive also, usually out of boredom.

If your cat is still being very stressed the vet can put her on "kitty Prozac" for a short term (usually 2 weeks) until he calms down. You may want to speak to the vet about it.

But first make sure it's not a medical issue causing her behavior. Whenever a cat changes it's behavior noticeably you should take it to the vet for a checkup. Pain from ear problems, tooth problems, etc. can cause aggression.

Tabbi