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Cats/cat attack

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Expert: - 8/7/2009


Question
About 8 weeks ago we adopted an 18 month male cat from a rescue society. He was neutered right before we got him and he had come from inpound so there was no history on him. We thought we had found the perfect cat, he greets you at the door, he loves to be with you, he gets along with my other cat and he lets my 2yo carry him around the house. One night my husband made a donald duck noise, it sounds like two cats fighting, and the cat attacked him. My husband had to get 4 sutures from the bite and he had to push the cat off to get him to stop biting. A week later we put the cat in carrier and my husband made the sound the cat went crazy. My question is would you keep the cat or return it to the rescue society? My worry is we have a 2yo old daughter and I do not want to put her at risk. This is the only time the cat has done anything wrong, other than this the cat is a very loving cat.  Thanks

Answer
Johnna,

It would be really nice if you had a good history of this cat.  I suspect this attack fetish is why the shelter ended up with the cat to begin with.  If you do not trust him, return him and explain the reasons to the shelter so they have a history.  I suspect this cat needs to go into a quiet home without kids or strahge noises.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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