Berserk Cat sends Woman to Hospital with 20 Bite Wounds

[Catty1]

Sat Mar 10, 7:30 PM

HAILEY, Idaho (AP) - A house cat attacked its owner, sending her to the hospital with more than 20 bite wounds.
OMG - what is the solution here? Anyone live near here? Poor woman - and poor cat...
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The cat, a black and white domestic male, went on the rampage Wednesday when a neighbour showed up at the door with a different cat, mistakenly thinking it belonged to the woman.

"She went to the door and her cat went berserk," Jeff Nevins, assistant fire chief for Wood River Fire and Rescue, told the Idaho Mountain Express newspaper.

The woman in her 60s was taken to St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center with what Nevins described as "pretty serious puncture wounds."

Neither the hospital nor the fire department would provide any details Saturday, or say whether she has been released.

"I think the owner said she was going to take it to the shelter because that's not the first time she's been attacked," Nevins said.

[elizabethann]

Poor kitty. I wonder if it's sick or something? I hope they can do tests on him to find out. I've been attacked by Cosmo once. I still have the huge scar. And my Mom went to the hospital once to get stitches because a cat bit her in the nose. I hope the woman will be okay too. Sounds like a crappy situation for all involved.

[Catty1]

I wonder if the cat is neutered???

I just emailed a Humane Society near there, and expressed hope that the woman gets better and the cat can be saved!

[LilacDragon]

The cat has attacked it's owner before.

Just out of curiosity - if a dog had done this to the owner, would you still feel the same way about it being saved?

[DJFyrewolf36]

The cat has attacked it's owner before.

Just out of curiosity - if a dog had done this to the owner, would you still feel the same way about it being saved?

I could tell you I would. Dogs or Cats always have some sort of reason for attacking and with time that reason can USUALLY be found and dealt with. With shelters being full though, most people arent willing to take the months and sometimes YEARS it takes to work through the problem when it comes to a cat, and even more so for dogs. Look at the ammount of time some people spend on "taming" birds, even after they have recieved sirious wounds. My mother had to go to the doctor a couple of times when she was working with her bird but she stuck with it, thanks to her he didn't have to be put down. I think the same could be done for dogs and cats both, it just takes dedication.

[ramanth]

I wonder if the cat is neutered???

You know what, that was my first thought as something very similar happened to me with an old black and white cat of mine.

We had a stray sitting by the door and Chance was throwing a fit. He was around 3 or 4 at the time. I took him to my bedroom and seconds after setting him on the bed, he leapt at my face.

I somehow avoided being bitten, but my arms and face were gouged pretty badly. The docters said if I had not been wearing my glasses, I'd of likely been blinded in at least one eye. I still have scars.

So we take Chance to the vet and he told us Chance was not neutered and had a testosterone imbalance. We stated we had paid to have him neutered when he was 6 months old. Sure enough, the vets records showed we had brought him in at 6 months to be neutered and to have a hernia removed. They had removed the hernia but neglected to neuter him!

He was pretty mellow to begin with despite that one incident, but we had him neutered that same weekend and he never did anything like that again.

He has since passed. I miss my boy.

[momcat]

This is such a sad story. A few years back I took Groucho in for his vet appointment. The receptionist told me earlier that day a woman came in with her cat, the cat wasn't on a leash or in a pet carrier. Well, the cat got away and went crazy in the waiting room. Several people waiting with their pets were attacked by this cat, one seriously enough to be sent to the emergency room. Abigail said there were problems with this same cat in the past like going after the vet while being examined. Don't know what was said, but the vet did talk to the owner about the cat's behavior. I've read that there are some cats who simply cannot be socialized and blend in with humans. Prayers for the owner's recovery and that the vet can find out the reason for the cat's reaction.

[Medusa]

If a person isn't going to take the time to try to socialize a cat like that, then they should at least put it outdoors. Feed it, shelter it, care for it as best they can. But to be attacked by an animal that obviously cannot be socialized is ridiculous. People sometimes wear rose colored glasses when it comes to animals. I'm all for trying, for years if necessary, but if I get attacked repeatedly, I'm the dumb animal.

Blessings,
Mary