Expert: Norman Auspitz - 1/5/2012

Question
Thank you so much for reading this and helping me. I have been having anxiety attacks sine 12 noon, and it has just past midnight. I am paranoid to be in my cats company.

Today my brother called to tell us his wife was in labour. I was lying on my bed in my bedroom, my cat lying right next to me as always. I jumped off the best and raced to the next room and I screamed in excitement to get on the other end of the phone. While running in I hit my leg on the corner of a dresser and screamed ouch. The next. Thing I know, my 11 year old female calico physically jumped and attacked me over 4 or 5 times. I began screaming loud and crying as she kept flying at me, I got backed up into the corner of the bedroom and couldn't got out. She bit me drawing blood and dug her nails in so much that a nail was still stuck in my skin hrs later. She howled a blood curdling noise, she yelped, spit and showed her teeth before she attacked each time. I tried grabbing pillows to push her away and she just crawled up them and went over them to keep attacking me. My husband ran in and tried to swipe her away from me and got bit himself. Then dad walked in and picked up the blanket and threw it over there. Then my husband raced me out and I went to the hospital. I've been hyperventilating and when I have to talk about it I re live it all.
Could it be I startled her? I'm scared she will just attack me as I sleep. I leave in a day and a half to go back to where I live now which is australa. I come back every year for 4 weeks and leave her with my parents.
Mom and dad said she seemed to be wandering around looking for me, crying like she does when I leave for the 11 months.
They say that she cries every single night with a stuffed monkey in her mouth and the first night I come home she stops that and doesn't do it the entire time I'm here.

Please, please help me.
Horrified and terrified of my beautiful cat

Answer
Nancy,

Cats are very sensitive to loud noises. Also, at 11 years of age, she would be considered geriatric and, I am wondering, if a medical issue has arisen. I am not a vet, but I would have her checked out by your vet, including her thyroid levels. Usually, sudden changes of behavior tend to be triggered by medical issues. However, your loud "ouches" may have put her on her guard and made her feel threatened or there may even have been a combination of circumstances.

When a cat gets into that fight/fright/flight mode, instincts take over, and all they can think is that everything is a threat and they must defend themselves.  They forget all their "friends" and may go into attack mode when all this is going on.

By the way, if this ever happens again, a wet towel thrown over top of the cat will, essentially, paralyze it! It then should be taken to an interior room of the household and left alone in the dark to settle down.  Usually, within a few hours, most cats do settle down.
Once they have had time to calm down, they tend to go back to normal.

To reiterate, I would give your vet her history and see if there is anything medical going on with her.  Hopefully this is a one time thing.  Please let me know if you find out everything.

Best regards... Norm.