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  #1  
Old August 30th 03, 02:06 AM
Angela Ryan
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Posts: n/a
Default Cat vs Human

I consider Gizmo to be fairly well domesticated, that was until last night.
We were watching TV together (yes, she watches TV then talks to me in the
ads) when she wanted to play, so I started tickling her.....all was good for
a while until she bit me and started swiping me and hissing. I hadn't been
doing anything to her I wouldn't normally do, things she always
loves......for some reason she chucked a spastic last night then ignored me
for an hour (sat in front of the heater, facing it, not looking at me, not
even purring)......so, I kept watching TV and alas, she came back and
started sucking up again and things were OK for the rest of the night. She
even let us sleep in this morning (just as well as it is Saturday).

It just reminded me that our furry feline friends really are animals and
will defend themselves if necessary.

Either that or she had a case of PMT (hmmmm.....shes desexed.....maybe not)

We are still friends this morning so I think I am worthy of her attention
now!!!

Angela (and the savage Gizmo)


  #2  
Old August 30th 03, 03:25 PM
JHBennett
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Posts: n/a
Default

Angela,
Undoubtedly I'll be castigated for mentioning this, but I have some
thoughts about animals/pets attacking their masters. Except for my
encounter with Miss Kitty (our former feral), which I provoked--and handled
stupidly--I've never been bitten by an animal, although friends and family
members sometimes have by the same critters I've been around.
A really super dog and I once attended obedience school and the question
came up regarding what to do about a dog growling or becoming menacing. The
trainer said the thing to do was strike them sharply, under their chin, and
slam their mouth shut. Likely it would cause them to bite their tongue, but
the snap would also cause a jar to their brain, thus changing any particular
thought they might have at the moment. A few weeks later, he was behaving
badly--as though he'd do as he darn well pleased (this was a 130 pound
German Shepard) and retreated under the kitchen table from me. As I was
reaching in for his chain collar, he got as far as the beginning of a growl.
Since my hand was so close to his chin, I instantly slammed his mouth shut,
which also drove his head into the underside of the table, causing all the
tableware to rattle and clatter. It was quite a racket and must have made a
lasting impression on him. He never offered to get nasty and mean with me
or any other member of the family...ever again, in all the time he was with
us.
The times I've been around other animals which have become menacing,
I've worked with that key thought the trainer mentioned of *changing their
minds* by doing something to break the pattern of what was unfolding. Once
it was acting as though I was completely indifferent to the animal's
presence, once I chased a dog away, and another time--my scariest
encounter--I was confronted by a dog, on a pitch dark night. I couldn't see
the dog, which sounded large, and he was very menacing, blocking my path.
In that case, all I could do was give the universal "No!" command, followed
by "go home" and some other authoritarian verbal orders. Whatever it was
worked and he vanished back into the night.
The thing of it is, you, us, we people, are at the top of the food chain
and the big creatures in charge. We're the bosses and, while it's nice and
fun to kid around about *them* being our masters or our equals, it just
isn't so, nor can it be. I don't know what was going on in your pet's mind,
but would offer that she apparently believes she can discipline you, in her
way, for whatever infraction you committed. If she thinks that, it's
dangerous and dumb, my friend.
In the same situation you had, where your cat bit you, I would have
instantly slapped her and knocked her to the floor. I wouldn't have hit her
hard enough to hurt her, but I would have *changed her mind* and left her
with the knowledge that I had a physical power, and ability to use it, far
greater than she had ever imagined. The message would have been, we can be
nice, or, if you insist on being nasty, you have no idea what you're in for.
The better choice, kitty, is to be nice to the boss.
Anyway, that's my thinking on the matter and I'm sure somebody will tell
me how I'm wrong ;-)
Cheers,
Jack

"Angela Ryan" wrote in message
...
I consider Gizmo to be fairly well domesticated, that was until last

night.
We were watching TV together (yes, she watches TV then talks to me in the
ads) when she wanted to play, so I started tickling her.....all was good

for
a while until she bit me and started swiping me and hissing. I hadn't been
doing anything to her I wouldn't normally do, things she always
loves......for some reason she chucked a spastic last night then ignored

me
for an hour (sat in front of the heater, facing it, not looking at me, not
even purring)......so, I kept watching TV and alas, she came back and
started sucking up again and things were OK for the rest of the night. She
even let us sleep in this morning (just as well as it is Saturday).

It just reminded me that our furry feline friends really are animals and
will defend themselves if necessary.

Either that or she had a case of PMT (hmmmm.....shes desexed.....maybe

not)

We are still friends this morning so I think I am worthy of her attention
now!!!

Angela (and the savage Gizmo)




  #3  
Old August 30th 03, 05:33 PM
m. L. Briggs
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 11:06:05 +1000, "Angela Ryan"
wrote:

I consider Gizmo to be fairly well domesticated, that was until last night.
We were watching TV together (yes, she watches TV then talks to me in the
ads) when she wanted to play, so I started tickling her.....all was good for
a while until she bit me and started swiping me and hissing. I hadn't been
doing anything to her I wouldn't normally do, things she always
loves......for some reason she chucked a spastic last night then ignored me
for an hour (sat in front of the heater, facing it, not looking at me, not
even purring)......so, I kept watching TV and alas, she came back and
started sucking up again and things were OK for the rest of the night. She
even let us sleep in this morning (just as well as it is Saturday).

It just reminded me that our furry feline friends really are animals and
will defend themselves if necessary.

Either that or she had a case of PMT (hmmmm.....shes desexed.....maybe not)

We are still friends this morning so I think I am worthy of her attention
now!!!

Angela (and the savage Gizmo)

IMO tickling (?) a cat is one of the most dangerous things one can
do.
  #4  
Old August 30th 03, 08:49 PM
Hopitus2
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Duh....I have *no* idea how to tickle a cat! Probably a good thing.......

"m. L. Briggs" wrote in message
...
: On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 11:06:05 +1000, "Angela Ryan"
: wrote:
:
: I consider Gizmo to be fairly well domesticated, that was until last
night.
: We were watching TV together (yes, she watches TV then talks to me in the
: ads) when she wanted to play, so I started tickling her.....all was good
for
: a while until she bit me and started swiping me and hissing. I hadn't
been
: doing anything to her I wouldn't normally do, things she always
: loves......for some reason she chucked a spastic last night then ignored
me
: for an hour (sat in front of the heater, facing it, not looking at me,
not
: even purring)......so, I kept watching TV and alas, she came back and
: started sucking up again and things were OK for the rest of the night.
She
: even let us sleep in this morning (just as well as it is Saturday).
:
: It just reminded me that our furry feline friends really are animals and
: will defend themselves if necessary.
:
: Either that or she had a case of PMT (hmmmm.....shes desexed.....maybe
not)
:
: We are still friends this morning so I think I am worthy of her attention
: now!!!
:
: Angela (and the savage Gizmo)
:
: IMO tickling (?) a cat is one of the most dangerous things one can
: do.


  #5  
Old August 31st 03, 01:51 AM
John Biltz
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 7:25:34 -0700, JHBennett wrote
(in message ):

No, I agree with you. If a pet attacks me it is gone. Hell, if a spouse
attacks it should be gone. I take my safety seriously. But with a pet
you have to consider others as well. If it is willing to attack you
would happen to someone else? I don't push animals and I wouldn't
consider something I did to provoke one to apply. Maya bit me once while
trying to pill her. My fault, you put your fingers in an animals mouth,
you take you chances. She scratched me once but she was scared by the
electric clippers I was holding, again my fault. But, I would never
allow a situation where I feared for my safety.

Angela,
Undoubtedly I'll be castigated for mentioning this, but I have some
thoughts about animals/pets attacking their masters. Except for my
encounter with Miss Kitty (our former feral), which I provoked--and handled
stupidly--I've never been bitten by an animal, although friends and family
members sometimes have by the same critters I've been around.
A really super dog and I once attended obedience school and the question
came up regarding what to do about a dog growling or becoming menacing. The
trainer said the thing to do was strike them sharply, under their chin, and
slam their mouth shut. Likely it would cause them to bite their tongue, but
the snap would also cause a jar to their brain, thus changing any particular
thought they might have at the moment. A few weeks later, he was behaving
badly--as though he'd do as he darn well pleased (this was a 130 pound
German Shepard) and retreated under the kitchen table from me. As I was
reaching in for his chain collar, he got as far as the beginning of a growl.
Since my hand was so close to his chin, I instantly slammed his mouth shut,
which also drove his head into the underside of the table, causing all the
tableware to rattle and clatter. It was quite a racket and must have made a
lasting impression on him. He never offered to get nasty and mean with me
or any other member of the family...ever again, in all the time he was with
us.
The times I've been around other animals which have become menacing,
I've worked with that key thought the trainer mentioned of *changing their
minds* by doing something to break the pattern of what was unfolding. Once
it was acting as though I was completely indifferent to the animal's
presence, once I chased a dog away, and another time--my scariest
encounter--I was confronted by a dog, on a pitch dark night. I couldn't see
the dog, which sounded large, and he was very menacing, blocking my path.
In that case, all I could do was give the universal "No!" command, followed
by "go home" and some other authoritarian verbal orders. Whatever it was
worked and he vanished back into the night.
The thing of it is, you, us, we people, are at the top of the food chain
and the big creatures in charge. We're the bosses and, while it's nice and
fun to kid around about *them* being our masters or our equals, it just
isn't so, nor can it be. I don't know what was going on in your pet's mind,
but would offer that she apparently believes she can discipline you, in her
way, for whatever infraction you committed. If she thinks that, it's
dangerous and dumb, my friend.
In the same situation you had, where your cat bit you, I would have
instantly slapped her and knocked her to the floor. I wouldn't have hit her
hard enough to hurt her, but I would have *changed her mind* and left her
with the knowledge that I had a physical power, and ability to use it, far
greater than she had ever imagined. The message would have been, we can be
nice, or, if you insist on being nasty, you have no idea what you're in for.
The better choice, kitty, is to be nice to the boss.
Anyway, that's my thinking on the matter and I'm sure somebody will tell
me how I'm wrong ;-)
Cheers,
Jack

"Angela Ryan" wrote in message
...
I consider Gizmo to be fairly well domesticated, that was until last

night.
We were watching TV together (yes, she watches TV then talks to me in the
ads) when she wanted to play, so I started tickling her.....all was good

for
a while until she bit me and started swiping me and hissing. I hadn't been
doing anything to her I wouldn't normally do, things she always
loves......for some reason she chucked a spastic last night then ignored

me
for an hour (sat in front of the heater, facing it, not looking at me, not
even purring)......so, I kept watching TV and alas, she came back and
started sucking up again and things were OK for the rest of the night. She
even let us sleep in this morning (just as well as it is Saturday).

It just reminded me that our furry feline friends really are animals and
will defend themselves if necessary.

Either that or she had a case of PMT (hmmmm.....shes desexed.....maybe

not)

We are still friends this morning so I think I am worthy of her attention
now!!!

Angela (and the savage Gizmo)






  #6  
Old August 31st 03, 06:08 AM
JHBennett
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"John Biltz" wrote in message
thlink.net...
On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 7:25:34 -0700, JHBennett wrote
(in message ):

No, I agree with you. If a pet attacks me it is gone. Hell, if a spouse
attacks it should be gone. I take my safety seriously. But with a pet
you have to consider others as well. If it is willing to attack you
would happen to someone else? I don't push animals and I wouldn't
consider something I did to provoke one to apply. Maya bit me once while
trying to pill her. My fault, you put your fingers in an animals mouth,
you take you chances. She scratched me once but she was scared by the
electric clippers I was holding, again my fault. But, I would never
allow a situation where I feared for my safety.

[[[[[snip]]]]]]

I appreciate the reinforcement, John (Wow, talk about tossing behavioral
jargon around!). But, when you think about it, that's how animals
communicate what the limits are to other animals, via some physical sign of
force or warning. You make a very good point about the safety of others who
might be around your pet. And how many times have we heard something like,
"that's the first time Precious has ripped the throat out of a child." Most
pets are very accepting and protecting of children in a family, but, then,
there are some which should be carefully watched and monitored. Truth be
known, that's likely a good practice with any pet.
Cheers,
Jack


  #7  
Old August 31st 03, 08:08 AM
LOL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"JHBennett" wrote in message ...
Angela,


(selective snipping for length)

, and another time--my scariest
encounter--I was confronted by a dog, on a pitch dark night. I couldn't see
the dog, which sounded large, and he was very menacing, blocking my path.
In that case, all I could do was give the universal "No!" command, followed
by "go home" and some other authoritarian verbal orders. Whatever it was
worked and he vanished back into the night.
The thing of it is, you, us, we people, are at the top of the food chain
and the big creatures in charge. We're the bosses and, while it's nice and
fun to kid around about *them* being our masters or our equals, it just
isn't so, nor can it be. I don't know what was going on in your pet's mind,
but would offer that she apparently believes she can discipline you, in her
way, for whatever infraction you committed. If she thinks that, it's
dangerous and dumb, my friend.


Cheers,
Jack



Mike has always been a mean cat. He's always been a biter, and though
it's happened less and less over the years (he's now 11) occasionally
he would just *attack* - he would get a strange look in his eyes, and
there was no stopping him unless you could throw up a barrier of some
kind, like shove a pillow in front of you to block him. It was almost
like a seizure of some kind, and was pretty scary, just because it was
so weird. He could do some damage whenever this happened.

That said, there is a limit to just how much damage a 10 pound cat can
do to a 100 pound person. Assuming you can keep the cat from your
face and eyes, bad scratches is about the extent of it. In my
experience, under ordinary circumstances the commanding voice thing
will do the trick. If an animal is completely out of control, all
bets are off, of course.

I have my own scary dog encounter, and would like to ask your opinion.
Once, DH and I were out walking at night, when a man pulled into his
driveway across the street. Big, *big* rottweiler leaped out of the
back of his truck and headed for DH and me, barking and snarling like
he meant business. My DH did not grow up around pets, and his
instinct is to run, which he began to do, grabbing my arm. The dog's
owner was running into the street after the dog, trying to catch him
before he could get to us. I snatched my arm away from DH and yelled
******!!!NO!!!******* at the dog in my very best commanding voice.
The dog froze in his tracks. So did DH and the dog's owner insert
ladylike snort of glee

I like dogs, and like rotties, but I know this man and can easily
believe he'd trained this dog to be mean. The shout at least stopped
the dog long enough to let his owner get to him, after he himself had
shaken off the "NO" command g but what would you suggest in that
situation? We were not carrying a stick or anything, and the dog
outweighed me by at least 30 or 40 pounds. Humans aren't *always* at
the top of the food chain, in a situation like this.

------
Krista
  #8  
Old August 31st 03, 08:18 AM
Yoj
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"LOL" wrote in message
om...
"JHBennett" wrote in message

...
Angela,


(selective snipping for length)

, and another time--my scariest
encounter--I was confronted by a dog, on a pitch dark night. I

couldn't see
the dog, which sounded large, and he was very menacing, blocking my

path.
In that case, all I could do was give the universal "No!" command,

followed
by "go home" and some other authoritarian verbal orders. Whatever

it was
worked and he vanished back into the night.
The thing of it is, you, us, we people, are at the top of the

food chain
and the big creatures in charge. We're the bosses and, while it's

nice and
fun to kid around about *them* being our masters or our equals, it

just
isn't so, nor can it be. I don't know what was going on in your

pet's mind,
but would offer that she apparently believes she can discipline you,

in her
way, for whatever infraction you committed. If she thinks that,

it's
dangerous and dumb, my friend.


Cheers,
Jack



Mike has always been a mean cat. He's always been a biter, and though
it's happened less and less over the years (he's now 11) occasionally
he would just *attack* - he would get a strange look in his eyes, and
there was no stopping him unless you could throw up a barrier of some
kind, like shove a pillow in front of you to block him. It was almost
like a seizure of some kind, and was pretty scary, just because it was
so weird. He could do some damage whenever this happened.

That said, there is a limit to just how much damage a 10 pound cat can
do to a 100 pound person. Assuming you can keep the cat from your
face and eyes, bad scratches is about the extent of it. In my
experience, under ordinary circumstances the commanding voice thing
will do the trick. If an animal is completely out of control, all
bets are off, of course.

I have my own scary dog encounter, and would like to ask your opinion.
Once, DH and I were out walking at night, when a man pulled into his
driveway across the street. Big, *big* rottweiler leaped out of the
back of his truck and headed for DH and me, barking and snarling like
he meant business. My DH did not grow up around pets, and his
instinct is to run, which he began to do, grabbing my arm. The dog's
owner was running into the street after the dog, trying to catch him
before he could get to us. I snatched my arm away from DH and yelled
******!!!NO!!!******* at the dog in my very best commanding voice.
The dog froze in his tracks. So did DH and the dog's owner insert
ladylike snort of glee

I like dogs, and like rotties, but I know this man and can easily
believe he'd trained this dog to be mean. The shout at least stopped
the dog long enough to let his owner get to him, after he himself had
shaken off the "NO" command g but what would you suggest in that
situation? We were not carrying a stick or anything, and the dog
outweighed me by at least 30 or 40 pounds. Humans aren't *always* at
the top of the food chain, in a situation like this.

------
Krista


I don't have any suggestions, other than what you did, but I'd guess
that's the best thing you could have done. Running is a VERY bad idea
in such a situation. If you stay put, you might be attacked, but if you
run, you definitely will be.

Joy


  #9  
Old August 31st 03, 09:42 AM
Angela Ryan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Angela Ryan" wrote in message
...
I consider Gizmo to be fairly well domesticated, that was until last

night.
We were watching TV together (yes, she watches TV then talks to me in the
ads) when she wanted to play, so I started tickling her.....all was good

for
a while until she bit me and started swiping me and hissing. I hadn't been
doing anything to her I wouldn't normally do, things she always
loves......for some reason she chucked a spastic last night then ignored

me
for an hour (sat in front of the heater, facing it, not looking at me, not
even purring)......so, I kept watching TV and alas, she came back and
started sucking up again and things were OK for the rest of the night. She
even let us sleep in this morning (just as well as it is Saturday).

It just reminded me that our furry feline friends really are animals and
will defend themselves if necessary.

Either that or she had a case of PMT (hmmmm.....shes desexed.....maybe

not)

We are still friends this morning so I think I am worthy of her attention
now!!!

Angela (and the savage Gizmo)


Clarification.....normally Gizmo likes being tickled......this is the only
time she has stepped the bounds.....I did not feel the need to discipline
her

I think perhaps I might have hit a sensitive spot.

Angela


  #10  
Old August 31st 03, 09:00 PM
polonca12000
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I'm so glad you and your husband got out of the situation unharmed. You
really knew how to react.
Best wishes,
--
Polonca & Soncek

"LOL" wrote in message
om...
snip I have my own scary dog encounter, and would like to ask your
opinion.
Once, DH and I were out walking at night, when a man pulled into his
driveway across the street. Big, *big* rottweiler leaped out of the
back of his truck and headed for DH and me, barking and snarling like
he meant business.



 




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