Serious cat problem

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

My sister has a female cat she got from the shelter when the cat was still a kitten. She raised her carefully, and they've been inseparable. However, about a week ago, something strange happened. They were on the bed, the cat was lying on top of her, and they were both almost asleep. The cat was purring, and happy. After over an hour like this, the cat suddenly woke and bit my sister's hand. Deeply. She had to go to the emergency room because the teeth had penetrated to the bone. No provocation was apparent.

A little while ago, almost exactly the same thing happened a second time-- the cat had gotten off the bed after a session of petting, but then suddenly jumped back up and attacked her, hissing and biting her thumb. Again, no provocation of any kind. Just a sudden attack.

What could be so suddenly setting a gentle, loving cat off against her owner? She's almost scared to let her stay in the room tonight for fear of being attacked again. It's truly bizarre, and not a little upsetting.

Any ideas? (Nothing apparent has changed over time-- all is as it has been.) The cat is about two and a half years old.

[SoCalDem]

1. The cat needs to see the vet.. She may have an intense pain somewhere

and that's her reaction.. :(

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. This is what I am thinking too.

When normally tame animals turn on you and bite a lot of times it is because they are hurting. Good luck with her. I am so sorry.

[Fridays Child]

4. Maybe when she's relaxed, some foreign object begins to move...

...in her intestinal tract. I wonder if she's had any tarry stools.

[Don_G]

3. Someting Has Happened

With the cat or your sister.

Either way, we're only getting half the story third hand.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

5. You have what I have.

Due to Texas law, the cat must be examined by a vet in any case, since she reported it when she went to the emergency room. Hopefully they'll find out what's wrong then they look at her.

[petrock2004]

6. it could be F.I.P.

"feline infectious paratinitis" (i think i spelled that wrong)

the only reason i say this is

1. we had a cat when i was a kid who had this disease and she would fly off the handle and bit really deeply, and jump at things that weren't really there

2. it is the "AIDS" of the cat community - it spreads very easily and has wiped out whole cat populations

:( i'm not sure if there's any medicine for it that works, and gosh i'm not saying that that's what it IS or something, but it just might be.

so... just ignore what i said and take her to the vet! :shrug:

good luck!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

7. I hope that's not it

There are two other cats in the house! (I know you weren't trying to freak me-- I took it for what it was, which is just another possibility.)

[grasswire]

9. here's some info on FIP

It sounds like a horrible disease. But I didn't see anything in a few minutes of googling about biting or hostile behavior.

There is no treatment for FIP.

http://www.fabcats.org/is17.html

[REP]

11. FIV is Feline AIDS, not FIP

FIP is like SARS; both are community-acquired coronavirii. FIV is passed the same way HIV is, though cats usually don't get it from dirty needles, and are more likely to pass it fighting than screwing.

A cat with FIP is very sick: won't eat; labored breathing; distended abdomen; listless. I very mch doubt the cat has FIP; I agree with the poster who suggested that the cat be examined for injuries or illness causing pain.

[arcane1]

8. I know that sometimes cats (mine included) get over-stimulated

if they get a good intense petting, and will bite sometimes. Hell mine has bitten me many times under those conditions if I pet her to the point she's drooling :)

and occasionally, but not much, during play she will do that. Otherwise she's a sweetheart.

But this sounds a little more intense than mine.

also, is she "fixed" or not?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

10. Yes, she's fixed

--Oh, you mean the CAT?? :evilgrin: (So sorry--sibling humor. It's allowed. As long as she never finds out I said that.....)

[Lisa0825]

12. My kitty is the first cat I ever had, so....

I wasn't used to cat behavior. When she was about 2 years old, she didn't want me petting her anymore. She used to love me to scratch right at the base of her tail. when I tried that, she would bite me, and she never bit before.

It turned out that my lack of knowledge of how to care for a cat was to blame. I'd been told cats clean themselves well enough, so I didn't have to bathe her. I'd also been told by the vet that the flea treatment that basically sterilized the fleas so they wouldn't reproduce would be enough. well, after 2 summers without a bath, and with fleas that were sterile, but not dead, she's had a buildup of flea waste in a place she couldn't clean, and it irritated her skin. A good bath and better flea treatment solved the problem.

Cats tend to be very stoic about pain and illness unless it is severe. she may have had a problem for a while, and it just got bad enough for her to get testy about it.

I hope your sister will find out that it is a problem that is easy to solve. I know how hard it is to lose a furry family member.

[Algorem]

13. Sounds a litter panful.

http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/cataggres.html http://vetinfo4cats.com/catindex.html

[pretzel4gore]

14. the cat's crazy!

just kidding....it sounds like she thinks she's being hurt by sis somehow.
I have 3 cats. I leave window open so they can get in/out...and a problem has developed. this strange cat kept slipping into house, eating the food left out. I've gotten to know her a bit; she no longer fears me. She's a gorgeous furball of a thing, very sweet and...well hungry! I don't mind feeding her, indeed i gladly do so, but she has a collar and belongs to someone...she looks healthy etc, but she is almost daily presence here, and i wonder if feeding her maybe bad idee(?) I put note on her collar, hoping to talk with owner (the note disappeared) but the cutie still comes over. Question: should i drive her off, to avoid buildup of artificial dependence etc? The cat does go home; she around for few hours a day....
Any advice be appreciated...