Violent Cat

PrincessPlaty

Last Sunday there was a cat out in my backgarden it approcahed my 3 year old appearing very friendly and then attacked her.
I brought her indoors and shut the patio doors and the cat refused to leave the garden After about 3 hours he disappeared.

Monday afternoon it appeared in a bush outside my house, thinking it may have just been hiding from the sunshine i left it there.
Tuesday and Wednesday was the same, when i went to put out my rubbish late Weds night i noticed that it was still there and thought it was a bit odd, went over to check on it and it hissed at me but it seemed to be ok.
Thursday he was still there, by yesterday i had mentioned it to a friend of mine as i thought it was a bit odd that the cat hadnt appeared to have moved for nearly a week and the one time that it had it had attacked my daughter.

So yesterday afternoon i phoned the RSPCA who said they would pass it on to an officer, who called me back a few hours later and said that due to funds they wouldnt send someone out to check on it as i had seen it move last sunday and even if they did come out and check on it and decided that it needed to be checked over by a vet they would do that which would cost them just over £200 and then as long as the cat was healthy they would release it back where they found it because they didnt have the funds to keep them whilst they were looking for it to be rehomed. Suggested that i phoned the cats protection league, which i did and got an answer phone message stating due to annual holidays there was nobody available to take my call but to leave a message with my name and number and someone would call me back once a volunteer had checked the messages. I have still not had a call back.
I even tried the council to see if the local dog warden knew of any local cat rehoming centres that might be able to come and see if he was ok and got told they dont deal with cats unless it is dead and to ring them back if i find it dead :eek:

The cat was out there all last night and has been there all day today, i have tried giving it some food and it just hisses at me.

He looks like quite an old cat and he looks well fed and im wondering if he has possibly got lost and has possibly been attacked by another cat or a fox (my next door neighbours leave food on their doorstep to feed all the local cats and dont answer the door if anyone knocks s me asking them not to do it or if they recognise the cat is out of the question :rolleyes: ) This results in cats fighting a lot outside my house.

Has anyone any suggestions as to anybody that might be able to help, im concerned for my childrens safety should the cat attack again but also for the cats welfare as it hasnt moved very far in nearly a week that it may be hurt.

Any suggestions would really be appreciated as at the moment i seem to have run out of ideas

UKTigerlily

PrincessPlaty wrote: »

Last Sunday there was a cat out in my backgarden it approcahed my 3 year old appearing very friendly and then attacked her.
I brought her indoors and shut the patio doors and the cat refused to leave the garden After about 3 hours he disappeared.

Monday afternoon it appeared in a bush outside my house, thinking it may have just been hiding from the sunshine i left it there.
Tuesday and Wednesday was the same, when i went to put out my rubbish late Weds night i noticed that it was still there and thought it was a bit odd, went over to check on it and it hissed at me but it seemed to be ok.
Thursday he was still there, by yesterday i had mentioned it to a friend of mine as i thought it was a bit odd that the cat hadnt appeared to have moved for nearly a week and the one time that it had it had attacked my daughter.

So yesterday afternoon i phoned the RSPCA who said they would pass it on to an officer, who called me back a few hours later and said that due to funds they wouldnt send someone out to check on it as i had seen it move last sunday and even if they did come out and check on it and decided that it needed to be checked over by a vet they would do that which would cost them just over £200 and then as long as the cat was healthy they would release it back where they found it because they didnt have the funds to keep them whilst they were looking for it to be rehomed. Suggested that i phoned the cats protection league, which i did and got an answer phone message stating due to annual holidays there was nobody available to take my call but to leave a message with my name and number and someone would call me back once a volunteer had checked the messages. I have still not had a call back.
I even tried the council to see if the local dog warden knew of any local cat rehoming centres that might be able to come and see if he was ok and got told they dont deal with cats unless it is dead and to ring them back if i find it dead :eek:

The cat was out there all last night and has been there all day today, i have tried giving it some food and it just hisses at me.

He looks like quite an old cat and he looks well fed and im wondering if he has possibly got lost and has possibly been attacked by another cat or a fox (my next door neighbours leave food on their doorstep to feed all the local cats and dont answer the door if anyone knocks s me asking them not to do it or if they recognise the cat is out of the question :rolleyes: ) This results in cats fighting a lot outside my house.

Has anyone any suggestions as to anybody that might be able to help, im concerned for my childrens safety should the cat attack again but also for the cats welfare as it hasnt moved very far in nearly a week that it may be hurt.

Any suggestions would really be appreciated as at the moment i seem to have run out of ideas

I don't have any good suggestions, but hope your Daughter is ok. Maybe try Cats Protection again in case they're now open but simply didn't get the message, you could also see if they or the RSPCA could loan you a cage to catch it with, whether or not it'd work idk, you could well catch a fox instead!
Could you put a note through the neighbours door? I rarely answer mine but would respond to any notes left by neighbours & you'd have nothing to lose. Is he wearing a collar? Can you tell if he's been neutered? Often you can get a 'temperamental' entire tomcat hanging about, where I used to live the resident tomcat had the nickname 'Spit' due to his temper, here it's Gizmo (Which is his actual name), he's ok with people but lunges & hisses at my Dog & has no fear of her, they seem quite brave!

If he looks healthy maybe just keep an eye on him, you could try offering food but he may well have a home if he seems well fed. As to the concerns of him hurting your Daughter again, maybe you could keep a water pistol handy for if her approaches her? He'd more than likely then associate it with going up to her & learn to stop doing that?

I hope you get sorted, maybe if you post the rough area/county someone will know of local rescues which may help? Either way i'm sure others will be along soon with good advice!

ailuro2

A pair of leather gloves and a towel to wrap it in while you give it a look over to check for any wounds?

Or get it into a cat carrier and leave it at one of the charities doors along with the rough area you found it in, and maybe a bit of money towards it's care?

I'm shocked no-one can help you more.

Have you had a look in local shop windows, post office etc, for cards appealing for help with lost cats? Someone might be advertising it as lost and you've not seen it yet.

Hectors_House

Unless a cat is feral its unusual (in my experience) for them to be aggressive.

Cat will attack if they are in pain, for instance your cat will become bad tempered if it has painful teeth.

The RSPCA take some beating don't they. I know of two members of my immediate family who donate monthly through standing order so I'm sure they're not short of funds but just don't put the money where it should be!

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. LOL!

Is it possible that you can afford to take the cat to the vet yourself? You may well find that the poor thing has a terminal condition which would explain it hiding away from everyone and not moving. It's sadly one of the down sides of being a cat owner that they will go away and hide if they are dying but the vet will be able to find out if the puss is microchipped & help you find the owner.

I know that's a lot to ask of someone. It's the only thing I can think of...unlesss your local Cat Protection have got back to you today which I hope they have.

PrincessPlaty

I havent lived here long but from what the other neighbours have told my next door neighbours one is deaf and the other is agraphobic so im not sure leaving a note would work at all, i have lived here for nearly 3 months now and have never seen either of them

A woman from the RSPCA has just phoned me back weirdly enough i dont know whether she read my post :rotfl: but she is going to be round here in the next half an hour or so to try and get close enough to the cat to see if he is injured and to see if he is microchipped or not, if he is injured then she will take him back with her to receive treatment other than that she has said that she will have to leave him where he is

She did say though that if he is ok she will give me the number of their local rehoming centre and it will be down to me to ring everyday to see if they have a space for him which i suppose is better than nothing.

I have checked shop windows etc and the only one that is up is for an all black 7 year old cat and this one is black and white and looks a fair bit older than 7 so its unlikely it is the same animal.

I really dont fancy the whole trying to check him over myself i have a feeling the towel might scare him a lot more and after seeing what he did to my daughter i really dont want to upset him anymore than needs be i would much rather leave it to those that know what they are doing!! :eek:

Im in the south east essex area.

It just seems ludicrous that over 24 hours later when this cat has barely moved for a week to come and see if he is ok :eek: The bloke that phoned me back yesterday evening told me he was going to come out and just have a quick look at him last night but im guessing he didnt coz they wouldnt just be able to see him from walking past and i advised him of this :rolleyes:

PrincessPlaty

Hectors_House wrote: »

Unless a cat is feral its unusual (in my experience) for them to be aggressive.

Cat will attack if they are in pain, for instance your cat will become bad tempered if it has painful teeth.

That was my thinking and with the amount of cats that fight out here due to the neighbour leaving food out it was quite possible that he could have been attacked by another cat causing injury.

The woman from the RSPCA has just been out and has said that he has no visible signs of injury he appears to be well fed he just doesnt seem to be happy (going back to your original point surely there has to be a reason why ) he wouldnt let her near enough to scan him for a microchip he did try to attack her she decided the best course of action was to leave him and if he is still there in a week to call them back :rolleyes:

UKTigerlily

Hectors_House wrote: »

Unless a cat is feral its unusual (in my experience) for them to be aggressive.

Cat will attack if they are in pain, for instance your cat will become bad tempered if it has painful teeth.

The RSPCA take some beating don't they. I know of two members of my immediate family who donate monthly through standing order so I'm sure they're not short of funds but just don't put the money where it should be!

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. LOL!

Is it possible that you can afford to take the cat to the vet yourself? You may well find that the poor thing has a terminal condition which would explain it hiding away from everyone and not moving. It's sadly one of the down sides of being a cat owner that they will go away and hide if they are dying but the vet will be able to find out if the puss is microchipped & help you find the owner.

I know that's a lot to ask of someone. It's the only thing I can think of...unlesss your local Cat Protection have got back to you today which I hope they have.

This is true, the Brother of the Cat I have now kept wondering off to the neighbours yard, which was about a 6ft drop below ours, when he was dying. I had to send the ex over to get him & he did die at the Vet's :{

Many Cats are aggressive but not feral, plus of course pain &/or fear can contribute to it. I'm shocked at the RSPCA because they do have animal collection officers that should be able to catch any animals, even if it takes a while! He could have internal injuries for all they know, poor boy, at least he has you!

Might still be worth a note to the neighbours, maybe the deaf one will get back to you? Though from what you say they probably haven't even seen the Cat! I'll have a Google for other Rescues that may help

UKTigerlily

Are any of these near to you?

South East Essex Animal Trust
412 Rayleigh Road, Eastwood, SS9 5PT
Tel: 01702 552951

Mistley Place Park Animal Rescue Centre
New Road, Mistley, Near Manningtree, CO1 11ER
Tel: 01206 396048 Email: mistleyrescue@aol.com
www.mistley.org.uk

Chestnut Cat Sanctuary & Rescue Centre: Epping Essex: http://www.chestnutcatsanctuary.co.uk: Cat & kitten rescue centre based in Epping Essex. All come with neuter, vaccination, microchip & insurance. Open 7 days a week.Reg. Charity 1118075. Non profit Rescue Centre.

Danaher Animal Home: Essex: http://www.rspcaessex.org.uk/: The Danaher Animal Home is an Independent Charity, affiliated to the RSPCA, but entirely self funding.

Hopefield Animal Sanctuary (Brentwood, Essex) www.hopefield.org.uk[SIZE=-1] [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]A sanctuary for the life long care of abused and unwanted animals[/SIZE]

Paws And More Animal Rescue Essex: http://www.pawsandmore.org.uk: [SIZE=-1][FONT=Comic Sans MS,Tekton]S[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS,Tekton]trive to rescue animals in distress, animals that have been abandoned or harmed - or just not wanted anymore......escue dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, & birds - but can rescue other animals.[/FONT][/SIZE]

RacyRed

PrincessPlaty wrote: »

The woman from the RSPCA has just been out ....<snipped>.... he wouldnt let her near enough to scan him for a microchip he did try to attack her she decided the best course of action was to leave him and if he is still there in a week to call them back :rolleyes:

1. An elderly cat has been under a bush in your garden for a week.
2. The RSPCA officer couldn't get close enough to scan the cat, but decided that the cat was uninjured - even though it has not been seen to move much for a week?
3. The cat tried to attack the RSPCA officer and she knows you have a 3 year old daughter the cat has already attacked?

What the hell was she thinking about? Certainly not the welfare of the poor cat or your little girl. Do the RSPCA rescue any animals at all these days?

Try the organisations on UKTigerlily's list. I think that they might be much more helpful. Also, is there PDSA near you? When I asked them for help with a stray they offered me a lot of practical help like borrowing a carrier and so on, even though their cattery was full at the time.

The poor cat may well be very ill even though it looks in reasonable condition. It is possibly in pain, lost and confused. Could you maybe put a little food and water as close to it as you dare? If it sees you mean it no harm it may stop being quite so aggressive.

RacyRed

Sorry about the rant

On a more practical note, here are some lists of cats reported missing in Essex, maybe angry cat is listed? There are a few black and white ones.

National Pet Register

Animal Search UK

Purrsinourhearts

My Moggy (this is organised by postal district rather than county, so I've not ben able to narrow the search for you)

PrincessPlaty

RacyRed wrote: »

1. An elderly cat has been under a bush in your garden for a week.
2. The RSPCA officer couldn't get close enough to scan the cat, but decided that the cat was uninjured - even though it has not been seen to move much for a week?
3. The cat tried to attack the RSPCA officer and she knows you have a 3 year old daughter the cat has already attacked?

What the hell was she thinking about? Certainly not the welfare of the poor cat or your little girl. Do the RSPCA rescue any animals at all these days?

Try the organisations on UKTigerlily's list. I think that they might be much more helpful. Also, is there PDSA near you? When I asked them for help with a stray they offered me a lot of practical help like borrowing a carrier and so on, even though their cattery was full at the time.

The poor cat may well be very ill even though it looks in reasonable condition. It is possibly in pain, lost and confused. Could you maybe put a little food and water as close to it as you dare? If it sees you mean it no harm it may stop being quite so aggressive.

I completly agree with you!! Tbh i was pretty gobsmacked by her reaction!!

The next door neighbour has food and water on their doorstep but as stated previously it attracts a lot of cats out there i have been going out there everyday and trying it with bits of food although he is a little calmer when i do this and there is less hissing!! He wont eat it straight away but when i go back it has gone so im hoping that he is eating it. If i approach him without food though he is very aggressive. The RSPCA officer that came out actually told me not to do it though as it may encourage him to stay!! :rolleyes:

So i will keep doing as i am for now and give the organisations that tigerlily suggested a try there a couple that are reasonably near to me though they are out of the district that i live in they maybe able to advise on someone more local that could help.

I tried ringing the cat protection league back and got the answerphone again but did leave another message.

Its the fact that he could have underlying health problems that does concern me, a friend of mine recently rehomed 2 elderly cats under the impression that they were in good health after 3 days of one of them not eating or drinking she took him to the vets were she was told that he had a heart murmur which was quite bad and his teeth were rotten and he would need an operation, 3 days later the poor cat died he looked perfectly healthy!!!

I will start ringing around again in the morning wish me luck and i will keep you all updated thanks for all your help though