my cat (mother of 4 kittens) attacked me!
 

so a few days ago, my neighbors decided to pop in and claim one of my cat's kittens for themselves. the kittens being only 1 month old and still suckling for their mother, i told my neighbor that it wasn't possible since the kitten and mother are still not ready for separation. after she insisted on her having experience with young kittens and with my mother by her side, i was cornered and had no chance but to "give it a try."

while my neighbor was deciding on which kitten to take, i heard a deep guttural growl coming from outisde my room and when i opened the door my cat sandy (the mother of the kittens) was standing their with her back arched and fur standing on end. i was confused by her behavior because she hadn't seen the stranger to her entering the house and neither did she know what was happening inside the room (i'm guessing it's a mother's instinct?). but when she saw my neighbor holding the box (carton box she was supposed to carry the kitten in) i grabbed the box from her and threw it across the room. sandy attacked it, and after a few seconds of horrible screeching and clawing at it, she looked my way with the most terrifying look and attacked my head.

what she did was to defend her kittens, but she attacked me specifically because i was like the second mother to the kittens and she's always known that (when she gave birth on of the kittens got stuck in a hole in the cupboard she was in and i saved it, i also used to always move their nest and she never had a problem, i was also potty-training them and helping with them with eating solid food) so she must have instinctively victimized me for trying to separate her from her kittens.

anyway, after the incident my mom trapped her in a room downstairs with her kittens (with a supply of catfood and water, don't worry) and took me to the hospital. we decided after that that we keep her trapped their for a few hours until she cools down. so the next morning, i opened the door to the room and the second she saw me, she hissed and looked ready to attack me again, so i retreated quickly. i decided that she might need a few days until she's alright with me again. but the same day, my mom went inside the room to fetch something, and sandy seemed cool and had no problem, until my mom carried a box to move it from her way. here, sandy got into the same position she was in before she attacked me the day before, but my mom escaped before she could do anything.

after a few hours my mom opened the door for her and she walked out seeming cool and like she forgot everything, not even glancing my mom's way. but just then my little sister's friends were visiting and, again, sandy became all terrifyingly aggressive. they managed to run into a room before she attacked them. we again put her back inside her room. her almost-attack happened again today as my mom was in her room and just innocently nudged a box containing pens out of her way.

my mom called the vet that immunized sandy when she was still a kitten (and also installed that traveling chip thing) and told him about our situation. he, according to my mom, said that sandy is from now on an aggressive and dangerous cat, and we should get rid of her (but i honestly think my mom didn't explain it right to him). this confuses me because sandy's only becoming aggressive when she claims one of our actions as a sign that we're going to steal her kittens, and PLUS she's only acting that way because of what was about to happen the other day when our neighbor was picking out a kitten. she's not attacking unprovoked.

so, really, i don't know what to do. sandy's actions, in my eyes (even though i'm the only injured victim), seems like natural behavior and it's our own fault for it. so please, what should i do? will spaying her bring her back to her normal behavior? (she NEVER minded it when guests and strangers came to look at her kittens and pet them) if not, is there any other solution? or should i just get rid of her? (i really [[I]really[/I]] don't want to. :( it's not her fault. plus we've been inseparable for the past year and a half. :'( )

First off welcome to the forum.. You may not like what i'm about to say, but. Please get your cat spayed there are far too many unwanted cats and kittens in the world already. Don't give your neighbour one of the kittens as she obviously doesn't know much about kitten care. You should have plain and simple said no to her taking a kitten. 4 weeks is far too young to take a kitten from its mother. I would change vets if his sollution is to re-home or put to sleep your cat. Of course she's upset with you right now, wouldn't you be. And have no doubt she saw you as a threat to her babies. I would first get her spayed as soon as possible then give her time to forgive and forget.

Wow!! I can tell from what you have written you are a caring young person who is trying to do the best thing possible for your cat.
First off - please do not allow anyone to take any kitten from the mom until at least eight, preferrably 10, weeks. They are learning the important role of socialization up until then as well as getting their very important nutrition from their mother.
Secondly - It is going to take some time to get back to "normal" for your cat. Having someone trying to take one of her babies is very traumatic. I can't understand why your mother would allow that to happen. Please DO NOT allow that neighbour to have a kitten. It would end up dead very quickly. :(
Now - things that may be beyond your control but they are vitally important -
the "chip" that is put in is NOT a "travelling chip thing." It was inserted so you could find your cat if she ever escaped from your home. It sure isn't intended for your cat to be able to roam the countryside freely. Normally it is done at the same time as a cat is spayed/neutered.
Please get your cat spayed as soon as possible after the kittens have stopped suckling. That is normally a week or so afterwards to give mom's milk time to dry up. Please do not let your cat outside!! She will just end up pregnant again. The last thing this earth needs is more cats! There are millions being euthanized every year because there are no homes for them.
Please do not "give" kittens away. You should be trying to charge a minimum of $20 for them. You are essentially ensuring your kitten is going to a home that may look after it well by doing that. If you give them away free they could end up going to a lab (many people go around looking for free kitten signs and then take the kittens they get to a lab where they get paid for bringing them) or being used for snake food. It happens on a regular basis.
Please, I beg you, ask your mother to find a new vet. That one should not be saying your cat is not going to be aggressive for the rest of her life. For Pete's sake, she was defending HER children! :wall: With care, time and patience she will return to the loving cat she was.
Let her raise her babies, get her fixed, then spend the time to reassure her things are back to normal.
Almost last - PLEASE do not let your cat outside!! There are far too many dangers for cats outside. Cars, poison, people who want to harm them, coyotes if you live in the country, other cats who are sick and can pass on diseases, not to mention fleas and other parasites.
Lastly - ask your mother than no boxes be moved around the cat. Clearly she looks at them as a threat.

First, Mreow said it was her mother's decision to try and let the neighbou take a kitten, sometimes you get overruled by older family members. Second, at four weeks kittens are still suckling and SHOULD NOT be taken from their mom. Here in Canada there are laws preventing puppies being taken too early, maybe the same laws apply to cats and you can use those to back you up? Wait another six weeks. Mom will be starting to get tired of her kittens and spend more and more time away. 12 weeks is when cats should be given away, and mom will most likely not protest.
It is going to take time to win back your cat's trust. When the kittens are this young, too many visitors can make Mama extra protective. If one leaves with a visitor, she will be extremely protective. Don't push her, you don't want anyone to get hurt. Once she gets over feeling the need to protect kittens she will SLOWLY back to being her old friendly self. ( taking the kittens away early will not speed this process up and may make it take even longer to get back to her old friendly self.)

[QUOTE=ownedbycats;884858]First, Mreow said it was her mother's decision to try and let the neighbou take a kitten, sometimes you get overruled by older family members. [/QUOTE]

Yep, think I said that in the third paragraph of my post where I said "I can't understand how your mother would allow that to happen". ???:shrug:

mreow please see the message i sent you

and posters? other rants and lectures, dont see much advice she obviously knew it was wrong and needs help, not lectures ty


God luck mrow

Like everyone else has said, it's normal for your cat to get upset over this. This is why it is VERY important to get your cat fixed! Your vet sounds like an idiot... I know you live with your mom (i do too i just turned 18) but you REALLY should have gotten your kitty spayed before this happened. just need to reiterate that as there is a massive over population of cats and dogs... for each kitten you have now there are millions more out there.

it's just normal protective instinct.. sorry she got you so bad though :(

Once she's weaned and you've found the kittens good homes (try posting ads in pet supply stores or vets offices.. you can charge $50 per kitten and offer a $25 refund once the kitten gets it's shots or is fixed) your mom kitty can get spayed and she will settle down.

All moms get a little crazy sometimes :p

Re-reading it did turn into a mini-lecture didn't it? Sorry, that wasn't what I intended just wanted to share some information the poster might not have had.
14+ - Your post hadn't shown up yet when I posted mine.

All the things [I]14+K [/I]and [I]ownedbycats[/I] said are correct. Get Sandy spayed after kittens are weaned, about 11-12 wks. when they are ready to go to new homes, and [U]do not let her outside until she is spayed[/U], as she can come into heat and get pregnant even when nursing.

Don't touch or move boxes, as this is an obvious trigger for her.
Do give Sandy some[I] special [/I]attention, don't just leave her locked in the room and put the food in without talking to her and telling her what a great mom she is and giving her lots of caresses. Give her some nice treats of chicken or salmon or whatever she likes. She will look forward to you coming in. Pick up the kittens and handle and stroke them at least twice a day. Her protectiveness is a natural instinct for kittens that age, and she knows better than your neighbour that her kittens should stay with her. She will tire of their antics when they're older, and she will not be as protective. I don't think she will have a grudge against you. :cat:

i'm so grateful for your advice and your concern everyone. :-) i called an old vet of mine and she responded the same way as you guys. she said it'll take sandy a few weeks to go completely back to her normal self again but there IS a possibility that it'll take her 8 weeks to trust me and strangers again; that's when the kittens will be 3 months old and independent, she'll have nothing to be defensive/speculative about. i'm devastated that i won't accompany the kittens as they grow and develop. :( and i already miss having sandy sleep by my feet. but late is better than never. and anyway she's already back to her normal playful self around my family members, and she's completly harmless (as long as they don't glance for a split second at a box, haha) so i'm hopeful that she recovers from her trauma sooner than expected. but until then, i'll have to keep her and her kittens isolated, but while showering her with cautious attention. (daily supply of salmon catfood! she loves it. and my housemaid's grooming her every now and then).

again, many thanks for your advice and concern. ^_^ been really helpful, to sandy's situation and to me, i feel much better than i have been these past few days. much appreciated! thank you so much

Thank you so much for your reply mreow. You alsredy learned the 2 best thngs to have for a cat fish and patience Sandy has found a home and she knows it>

[QUOTE=ownedbycats;885699]Re-reading it did turn into a mini-lecture didn't it? Sorry, that wasn't what I intended just wanted to share some information the poster might not have had.
14+ - Your post hadn't shown up yet when I posted mine.[/QUOTE]

ownedbycats - I owe you an apology. I am so sorry. :o
I also did not intend for my reply to be a lecture. This is a place for sharing information as OBC said. :shrug:
Thanks mreow for coming back and letting us know things are moving in the right direction. I hope you are healing well. :grouphug: