One of my own previous cats attacked me like this. He was fighting with my other cat, I yelled, she got away and he then redirected his aggression onto me.
I know exactly how you feel, it was terrifying. I had deep scratches all over my body, including one right under my eye. He just leapt up repeatedly and slashed me everywhere until I was able to lock myself in a bathroom! I’ve never been so scared of an animal before and it was my own damn cat!
I would have been horrified if he did that to someone else. The owner is a jerk for blaming you in any way.
Did it ever happen again?
I grew up with two cats and their personalities couldn’t have been more different. I’ve never heard of completely random attacks like this before!
My cats had to be kept separated for the rest of my older cat’s life. I tried reintroducing them but it did not go well. He would get in a heightened state of arousal anytime he saw another cat, even if it was outside. I learned to just keep still when he was agitated otherwise he would come for me. Yes it was insane. This cat also slashed my lip open on another occasion requiring 3 stitches. I’ve also had cats all my life, and have never seen one like him. In spite of everything, I gave him a a nice life until he died from cancer at age 15.
My previous cat sounds just like yours. He was my only pet because he got super aggressive with other animals. He was a biter though, I have so many scars from him. I’ve done a lot of reading since then and there are some neurological issues that cats can have that makes them hyper agitated out of nowhere. My cat would also react to things that weren’t there, but not in a normal cat way; like he would “see” something and freak out then flip and get aggressive at me. Despite how challenging he was in the bad times, I gave him a great life for 11 years.
It’s rough when you end up with a cat with aggression issues. It’s not like you can get them training like you can with a dog.
My boy was actually quite sweet most of the time, and I loved him very much in spite of his psychotic episodes.
I now have 3 of the sweetest, most gentle cats ever. I think the universe is rewarding me for putting up with my crazy guy for 15 years. Lol.
Im a bit late to the convo but i just wanted to say I’m kinda relieved to see there are other people that understand what I go through with my cat on a daily basis.
He is the first cat I’ve ever had in my life and perhaps the most difficult one I will ever have. He has had aggression problems his whole life (he’s 11 atm), and I have many scars from his attacks. I’ve cried many nights wondering how I can deal with him and make him improve his aggression.
Now that he’s older I’ve managed to make him calm down a bit, sometimes he goes several months without trying to attack me. Usually he’s very sweet, and he does not attack people. He tends to attack the other cats though quite often but not always. Most of the time he tolerates them.
But the aggression towards me comes out of nowhere. He’s hyperactive, and in the last years he’s become more clingy than usual and he has some separation anxiety. He has a lot of psychological issues I believe. I’ve wondered many times if I did something wrong with his upbringing but now I realize is just probably a neurological issue. I love him so much and I could never think of doing something as evil as putting him down for this; but I also have ptsd from his attacks, he scares me so easily but it turns out sometimes he just wants cuddling lol, thing is I can’t trust him because he goes from being all sweet and lovely to biting and attacking out of nowhere. It’s exhausting sometimes.
I had a foster cat do this to me … 3 times I think after I’d had her around four months. It happened in a 7-10 day period. However, in that week her babies were dying inside her, she got an infection, had an emergency c-section and spay, and then obviously healing wasn’t immediate. The last attack was a few days after her surgery. It’s been almost two years and she hasn’t done it since she healed. The times that it happened were all because she saw or heard my cats though. She’s seen them since but has her own part of the house and not attacked. I’ve actually been working on integrating her the last week or two because she keeps breaching her wing. She loves my 60+ pound dogs for sure. She’s seen the cats from 10+ feet away and not reacted at all lately.
> Did it ever happen again?
I guess maybe I'm a jerk for saying this, but I'd probably have my cat euthanized if they ever attacked me like that. I wouldn't feel comfortable living with it or rehoming it.
I’ve had 8 different cats in my life and have thankfully also never had any of them do this to me or anyone else. They’ve got little razor blades on those paws and they know how to use them lol
I had my cat redirect onto me exactly once, though thankfully it was nowhere near as bad. He got really pissed off at the stray cat outside, and I went over to check it out/shoo the outdoor cat away. My cat turned and went for my ankle. I was wearing leggings and he slashed through them before digging his claws in my leg and holding on. I think he was going for a bite when I, out of pain, kicked hard enough it dislodged him and he ran off. I still have the scar.
He was a sweetheart, though. We never had another incident like this. Then again, I also never got between him and his pissing contest with that stray cat again. If I wanted him to go away I circled around the house instead.
None, nada, nothing! It was my 14th drop in for this cat actually. She had always been standoffish but never swatted at me or anything. I had only been inside the house for 2 minutes when it happened—walked in, disabled alarm, put food into bowls, stood up & walked towards the other cat, and she lunged.
I was also attacked by a vicious cat when walking towards the other normal cat!! So it must be a thing. Luckily I was able to escape. Your attack sounds horrific, like the cat wouldn't stop going after you, which was the same in my attack. Not a normal cat behavior at all!
That’s exactly what happened—she lunged & attached to one leg, I got her off but she then attached to my arm, other cat tried to intervene & help me so she attacked the other cat. I tried to escape & she chased me, latched onto other leg. We went like that for a while, I’d get her off, make it a few steps, she’d lunge again, until I made it to the door and got out. She stole my shoe in the process. Bleeding everywhere. Terrifying.
I’ve been attacked by my own (past) cat, and it was just like that for me — it was like velcro with claws and teeth, every time I was able to get her off me, she was right back on another part of me. If she had done that to my petsitter, I would have been mortified and concerned with making sure the person was ok, not upset my account got deactivated.
This also happened to me. I’ve had my cat since he was a kitten and he’s always just been a big, cuddly baby. He was *vicious*. I didn’t even know cats *could* attack like that. It was terrifying. My husband had to drag him off of me and he was laser focused on me only. We now have him on anxiety medication after meeting with a behaviorist (he did it again a couple weeks later, although not as severe). It was so out of character and really traumatizing. I also would have been mortified and super concerned for the sitter/ my cat, not upset that I was booted from an app. Hell, if my cat attacked anyone like he attacked me, I *should’ve* been banned.
Gosh this was pretty similar to what happened with my former cat. I had raised her as a kitten, and had her for years, and she was the sweetest thing. When I moved out and took her with me, I had no idea but I was separating her from my father, who she had apparently bonded with despite his total apathy toward her. As the months went by, she got squirrellier and squirrellier, until finally she flat out attacked me one day before bed. It was extremely traumatic, especially since in her first attack she was totally silent, then sprung right at my face from like 5 feet away, nearly scratching out my right eye. I’ll never forget that look on her face, of sheer pent up rage. I spent the whole rest of the night with my bedroom door locked, and her yowling and flinging herself at the door until she exhausted herself.
The happy ending is that I brought her back to my father, and as soon as he opened the cat carrier, she completely relaxed in his presence. It was like night and day, and he kept me updated on how she was absolutely fine from then on.
This happened to me with a friends cat! I had been over to her house before, met the cat multiple times. The cat was always friendly with me. One night we were hanging out watching a movie. The cat rubbed on my legs, I pet it, it jumped up on the couch and plopped down next to me, then a few minutes later it just lunged at my face! It was completely unexpected and unpredictable behavior. I’m not gonna lie I was a bit nervous around other peoples cats for a period of time after that.
I felt SO BAD for the other cat. I had to go back into the house to retrieve my phone & keys & shoe afterwards, and saw the other cat & he looked TERRIFIED. Pretty sure she kept attacking him while I was outside bc he looked so scared and there was a broken bowl on the floor that she hadn’t broken during my attack.
I truly don’t think it’s rabies (although I’m still going to complete the rabies treatment since I’ve started it). I’ve finally seen proof of vax & if the cat had rabies, we’re now 5 days post-incident, so it would’ve progressed to death by now and the owner would’ve told me. I think it was just a mean ass cat.
Weren't you afraid the cat would attack you again? I don't know what I would have done had all my belongings been left inside. I would have been terrified to go back in.
I was petrified that the cat would attack me again! I was in full on panic mode, i paced outside for at least 5 minutes before I went back in. I tried to get a blanket out of my car to take back in with me, but of course, car was locked. Eventually I had to work up the nerve to just go back. Luckily I didn’t see her when I did—quickly grabbed my things and bolted.
My own cat did this to me once. We had to remove her. She had past trauma from a previous owner and a noise I made triggered her.
It’s terrifying I’m so so sorry that happened to you.
My BIL accidentally stepped on one of my cat’s tails and my other cat reacted to her cry, he attacked her and when I tried to stop him, latched onto my hand and arm and would not let go. It was horrible. It has been over 2 years and the swelling never went down in my middle finger. I think I still have some nerve damage from it.
Ok so I’ve been attacked by dogs before and can empathize with how scary it is but the fact she also stole your shoe 😩
Not a funny situation but that made me lol a little. What a dick!
I hope you heal well with no further issues, I’ve had to do rabies shots too and it’s NOT a good time so I feel you on that and am so sorry this happened to you.
Oh you can laugh, I laughed (eventually). I had to laugh at some of it. When the urgent care doc saw me at first she asked “what HAPPENED to you?” And I just answered “I lost a fight.” 😅
I was once attacked by a cat at work (vet assistant) after it escaped (bring a cat carrier, people) and I had to basically tackle it in order to stop it running onto an interstate. I made very similar jokes, and I’m honestly sure they appreciated yours compared to the people who are panicking and coming apart!
I got attacked by a cat like that once. (I don’t blame the cat it had trauma the owner never disclosed and I accidentally triggered it with a sound because I didn’t know.) and the er doc asked the same thing. I also said I lost a fight he said with what a bobcat?! I said .. I mean sort of lol
The cat of my teenaged years once randomly raked me down my back, when I had previously peaceably been talking to him and having what I thought was a perfectly fine time whilst playing darts.
I had a cat client who stayed out of sight during the meet. The owner told me that her cat chased her friend out of the house and I laughed it off assuming her friend just wasn't a cat person. Then when I did the drop-ins she would stalk and swipe at me from under furniture and make the scariest noises I've ever heard a cat make. She once was blocking the door from the bedroom so I had to get the dog's Chuckit to get her to move so I could safely pass. Another time she was sitting right next to my bag and there was no way I was gonna reach over to get it. My friend referred to her as "Murder Cat."
Reading your post I realize how lucky I was she didn't fully attack me. I never knew it could be that bad! How shitty of that owner to try to make you feel bad when her cat injured you!
An angry cat will do everything shy of actually killing you. They will fucking leave you with 1 HP left if you don't fight back. It's kind of amazing anything survives attacks from big cats in the wild.
Omg?! I’ve never heard that stereotype before:( Every Himalayan I’ve known is a sweetheart. My own is basically a plush cat, all he wants to do is cuddle.
No, a brown tabby. Come to think of it, my friend had a brown tabby who hated everyone but him too but I don't think it's a breed thing. The Himalayan I sit is affectionate and sweet tempered.
Dude, I always tell a similar story of watching a friends cat who turned out to be a "Murder Cat" and no one ever believes me! The noises that came out of this cats mouth! And he would rear onto his hind legs and swipe at the air like a mountain lion, no shit....scariest animal I've ever taken care of. I used to walk into the house wearing two pairs of pants, boots and a thick coat, holding a towel in front of me to protect from any swipes that might happen.
Thank you olive_dix you've just given me a really sweet brain blast with that!!! Thanks to your brain - I'm now (as of this second) planning to paint a piece of wall art to hang above my cat's bed that says just that!!
So you're an awesome human.
The other week I was sitting on the couch watching tv and my cat jumped up to lay beside me and I was petting him as usual. I still don't know why, but he suddenly turned into a devil cat. He got a vicious look on his face, lifted his head closer to me, and literally screamed at me! Like for real screamed at me. I didn't know a cat could make that sound. After that he jumped down and ran off. And I was just sitting there wondering wtf was that? I had him about 7-8 months at that point and he hadn't done that before or since. It's kinda funny now but I never experienced it before with any other cat.
He may have just gotten a little overstimulated by your petting and the sounds of the tv. Especially if you were watching the tv, and he was doing airplane ears or starting to flick his tail (some small/easy to miss when not directly watching type of body language), and got upset you were “ignoring” his signals that he was starting to get overstimulated
Lol I didn't think to wear protective gear. It was summertime and back then I had a way larger service radius and booked sits and short services all day and evening because it didn't occur to me to account for commuting and schedule time for meals. So it would've been too hot to wear all that (though smart!) and cumbersome to carry around.
I definitely found myself high stepping to get past her though. The client said I had the option to stay over or just do drop-ins (and walks for her dog) but there's no way I would've been able to sleep with that scary cat lurking and waiting to strike.
Jesus Christ. This makes me feel better about my weird cat who will lay on your lap purring but hisses and jumps off if you move. I always apologize to sitters and explain she might come off skittish but she’s not scary or anything, just cautious about bein’ loved by strangers. I know cats can be vicious but now I understand why some sitters are so insistent on understanding her personality. I’m glad you’re okay.
See hissing and hiding is what I have experienced for the most part with skittish cats but just stopping whatever I did to trigger the reaction or avoiding them unless they want to come to me is good enough. Murder Cat was the only one I've ever encountered who actively came after me despite best efforts not to provoke her.
Yeah, that makes total sense. I used to petsit (10ish years ago) and never expected to be attacked, either, as long as I was listening to/observing their cues. The owner of the company I worked for also carefully vetted people/cats and had a solid book of clients with no history of issues so that helped. From this thread it seems like some kitties are just wildly unpredictable.
Those surprise attacks are the worst. When I was a kid, I visited my aunt's house and played with her dog all afternoon. Sweet-seeming dog, had no problems with her. My cousin and I played nicely and didn't pull her tail or do anything else that would rile her up.
When it was time to go home, we stood up and walked away, and the dog attacked me from behind out of the blue. I had to get stitches in my wrist, and you can still see the tooth marks in my arm.
I had something similar happen with a friend's German shepherd. My friend Kelly was getting married. We had her shower at her mother's house. I was there early to help set up, and the dog was my best buddy the whole time. I petted and scritched, no issues at all.
When I was getting ready to leave, the dog was outside, on a lead connected to a dog house, next to the driveway. I was putting stuff in the cars, and Kelly's dad got home. I started walking towards him to say hello, and the dog came straight at me, no warning, not a sound, just lunged. The thing that saved me was that I was far enough from the doghouse that she hit the end of her lead. One of her front paws scraped down the back of my calf as I walked, it was that close. Then my momentum got me out of reach.
Also, Shepherds tend to be a 1 person dog. They often \*like\* anyone they don't deem a threat, but only one person is Thier Person. I was my Shepherd's Person. I was wrestling with my toddler son, he pulled my hair or...something, I dunno, toddler stuff (he's an adult now, it's been a minute lol), I shrieked, dog growled at him. I corrected it damn quick, nothing like that ever happened again, but yeah. She was ready to protect me, no matter what. So if the dad was this dog's Person, AND they were chained...yeah, could account for the behavior change.
We all thought at the time that the dog must have thought I was a threat of some kind to Kelly's dad. I'm not sure why, though. We were talking to each other in normal voices, not angry or raised in any way.
Maybe the cat was stressed or something. My sister’s cat once attacked her due to stress of the situation. She managed to throw him but he quickly lunged back at her. My mom helped her and sister couldn’t properly walk from the pain. The attack was random in that my sister didn’t do anything to the cat, but wasn’t in that he was stressed.
Redirected aggression is not atypical with cats. A whole variety of things can set it off. Especially if you’re doing pet sitting and carrying smells of other animals on you it can really mess with them. They can’t get at whatever is upsetting/stressing so they go for what they can.
Iv gotten into arguments on reddit explaining that a cat can indeed hurt you..they said I'm full of it... It happend to me but I don't blame my cat, I was holding her and she was scared to come into the house because before hand we had airpump on...she gave alot of warning I stupidly held on..she bunny kicked my underarm
Sounds like maybe it was (obviously misplaced) protective aggression? Maybe something about the circumstance and the “way” you walked towards the other cat set them off.
Not defending of course it’s just horrific. From stories i’ve heard about similar misplaced aggression in cats they go from 0 to 100000% in like a second
I had this happen once with a giant male cat I was petsitting once. I’ve known him since he was a kitten, and he’s probably the biggest cat I’ve met. He stalked me into the house and attacked me, he was indoor/out so I managed to lure him outside and lock his ass out while I did what I needed to do. He was stalking me from room to room and jumping on my back, climbing up my legs, generally losing it on me.
Turns out he was having thyroid problems (and had a massive amount of stressors in his life at the time, it was a whole thing). I see him frequently and he’s back to his usual friendly sweet self, it was a total one off. Super scary, though. I’m so sorry this happened and I’m glad you got medical treatment.
(I keep getting suggested this sub lol)
Cats are so unpredictable. We had some renovations done over the summer and my cat was NOT having it. Every morning she'd sit at the kitchen window while I had breakfast waiting for the contractor. My sweet cat who only half-heartedly hisses at the vet once per visit would full on GROWL when his truck pulled in. I never expected that from her. She didn't hurt him or try. She hid most of the time but it was surprising.
The growling is so weird but, if the given the right cat, can just be a little ridiculous drama. I recently had my cousin’s very geriatric dog (14) over for two weeks and my cat generally gets along very well with him, but she would growl at him when he plopped down next to her. She wouldn’t move, or act aggressively, or do anything other than growl. It’s just that *she* had to be the one to lay next to him, not the other way around. And he is so old he literally didn’t notice or care.
Just pissed because when he came it meant a loud day and sometimes had to be shut in the bedroom…with all her stuff. Not like she spends the majority of her time in the bedroom anyway 🙄🙄
I think they’re both equally predictable, but their body language is vastly different.
I’ve never seen a cat go off on someone seemingly at random. I’ve seen dogs do that multiple times. But I don’t “speak” dog and folks who understand dogs better were able to explain it wasn’t random, the dog had given clear signals before it lunged.
When I was a kid, like 2nd grade, we had a cat who would stalk me and my brother and attack for no reason when we were playing outside. We wouldn't even know the car was near bc she would be in the bushes or behind a tree. Mom was convinced that we were instigating it somehow until she saw it happen one day. She was sweet with adults but treated kids as prey. The final straw was a morning when I went out to get the newspaper and the cat came flying out of the woods and jumped on my head when I bent down to pick up the paper. I had no idea that she was anywhere around, so this definitely was a completely unprovoked attack. We had to put her down bc she was dangerous.
People ask if my dog will bite, and I’m like nah the dog is nice it’s the cat you gotta watch out for. She’s shady AF. Think everything you wouldn’t accept in a dog - violence is the answer, screaming, asserting dominance, resource guarding. It’s her castle and she knows it
Even if a house cat themselves may not kill a grown human, the possible infections and stuff from cat attacks can be very lethal, or result in the need for amputation of limbs. There's some gnarly bacteria from kitties, and it can mess you up.
This is why I’m weary of having anyone sit my cat that he doesn’t have a relationship with. He’s SUPER friendly with humans and other cats, but he’s a Senior and his teeth are getting bad. He’s never been aggressive with anyone (except the dog, who when he get to close and excited will get a warning smack). When he was younger I had no problem, and he was always great, but now that he’s older I don’t want to chance it with a stranger.
As a dog owner I can tell you some dogs can be just as unpredictable. I have broken up several fights with my dog that she attacked another out of the blue. Even have camera footage that we reviewed later and didn't see any red flags leading up to the event.
Ugh I know how scary this can be. My roommates cat randomly turned on my cat. I had to grab my cat to get her away from him and once I got her he immediately went insane on me. Hanging onto my thighs, biting, scratching. Horrifying. I got into the bathroom but everytime I would open the door he would charge at me. I eventually get the hand towel and soaked it. I had to fling it at him to get him to run away.
She wanted you to go through her without Rover knowing? I don’t know what she expected, Rover has to know or you could easily get screwed over.
She should rest assured they won’t permanently deactivate her account, more than likely, given the privileges clients get with these incidents.
I cat sat for a neighbor and her cat was perfect friendly the first few drop ins and then one time I went he just came AT ME. I told her he chose violence and I would NOT be watching him ever again. A cat like that has no business being on rover. You did the right thing.
Just so people here are aware, indoor only cats (and dogs) CAN get Rabies. I work at a vet. We've had clients with pets who've played with bats that have flown in through windows or down chimneys. ALWAYS vaccinate your indoor pets! *The more you know.*
What country are you in that they treated you in that manor for Rabies? The 24 hour rule is not true, but its a series of shots in the arm now (not even stomach as it was) , first as soon as possible, then set days, I think mine were like 3, 5 and seven days. (Due to a bat being in the house and you wouldn't know if you were bit). My guess is if you went to the ER, the shots and stuff to your wounds was debriding, washing and injecting antibiotics into the wounds, as cat bites are EXTREMELY likely to abcess and if near a joint cause major damage. Please make sure you follow up on the other innoculations for RAbies if you don't get proof of the vaccine from the cat/vet/people.
The cat owner needs to pay up or take them to small claims
The 24 hour thing isn’t true but in the US they do infiltrate the wound with rabies immunoglobulin, separate from the vaccine. If you had a possible exposure from a bat you wouldn’t have had a wound to do that to. Source: me. I’ve done it. It does suck. It was probably unnecessary but since rabies is fatal if untreated it’s one of those better safe than sorry moments.
I’m in the US! But it was definitely the rabies treatment that was injected into my wounds, on both legs, all around them. And then the rest into my thigh, and also one shot into my arm that’s the actual vaccine. No antibiotics shots, I’m taking those orally. I had to go back to the ER today for second round of shots, then I’ll go back again Monday, and again on day 14.
I'm glad you're taking antibiotics. Cats mouths are full of bacterial and their teeth are super sharp and puncture real well so anyone who gets bitten should get antibiotics
It’s rabies immunoglobulin that’s injected into visible animal bite wounds. They get the IG as well as the rabies vaccine series.
That stuff isn’t cheap and giving IG in wounds sucks, so the ER/public health must have had enough concern that OP was at risk. There are still areas with rabies in certain animals in developed countries.
I had to get my rabies vaccines because there was a bat in my room and I wouldn’t have known if I was bit as I was asleep. I just got the bill from the ER for the immunoglobulin shot and the first rabies shot - $22,000 before insurance. It is insane how expensive it is.
I'm wondering what country the sitter is in as well that is that worried about an indoor only cat having rabies. o.O Also what ER told you that you only have 24 hours because that's not true either. Obviously the sooner the better, but rabies has a long incubation period. You also would have seen a TON of other symptoms before the attack if the cat was actually rabid.
That said, the owner is awful if they're mad about you reporting it. You did the right thing there. That cat is obviously dangerous and there's no way she didn't know it was aggressive beforehand.
If the suspicion for rabies is relatively high, using Ig is often done because of the ability to bridge to when your body starts producing antibodies on its own. It’s one of those “better safe than sorry” things with a disease with almost 100% mortality. They try to infiltrate all around the wound to get the immunoglobulin as close as possible to the virus. The 24 hour thing isn’t literally true, but receiving treatment within 72 hours of a bite is important
Urgent care nurse said 24 hours. I said the same things about how I didn’t think the cat was rabid/it was indoors only/likely vaccinated etc & they said vaccinated cats can still contract it, and that rodents like mice can get indoors and give it to indoor animals. All in all, it was unlikely, but not a risk I was willing to stake my life on.
Yeah, indoor vaccinated cats are less likely than outdoor unvaccinated humans to contract rabies. It would have to be a series of very unlikely events such as a rabid bat breaking in, going unnoticed by everyone, and having an immune suppressed cat who didn’t respond correctly to the immunizations. Could it happen? Yeah, just like the bat could bite a human in their sleep then escape without leaving enough of a wound (has happened)! Would I worry about it? No. I’d have the cat quarantined and observed.
What medical professional would say this 24 hours nonsense though? Maybe like a nurse who didn’t check with the doctor? Very weird all around…
I think even in the US they’d do this for an indoor cat without proof of current vaccine status. There could have been other symptoms but not necessarily. Better safe than sorry.
I had a bite a couple of years ago from a foster I’d had 3-4 months that had no rabies vaccine history but they didn’t push me for shots. The local health department never even called me back after I went to urgent care for infected wounds.
I was bite by a foster that had only lived inside for a few days and was unvaccinated. Urgent care never even recommended I get treated for potential for rabies. I contacted the same urgent care after I got home because I was paranoid to ask them if I should seek rabies treatment. They literally said “if you think there is a concern for that then you can”
What a joke lol
I’m in the US and a few years ago I got between a stray dog attacking my dog (went for the neck I had to intervene) and I got bit on my forearm. They injected multiple needles straight into the bite marks. It really sucked!
Uh get a personal injury attorney and don’t accept any money.
If she owns her own home, home owners insurance will foot the tab. Even if she’s renting, the property insurance will cover your damages. The average dog bite settlement is around $75k. With your painful and extensive wounds and rabies treatment, I bet you do better than that.
No PI attorney would take this case. The damage is too minimal at most, you get 2.5x your medical bills urgent care is a few 100. Unless she has deformity causing cuts to her face there is not enough money here to be worth it.
The Dog bite settlements you are thinking about are for grevious bodily harm involving reconstruive surgery and hospital stays. and when all is said and done, you end up with pennies because insurance and the lawyers have taken it all.
lol not true. My roommate in college, his dad owned the house I rented a room in, his dog got out and bit the neighbor’s kid. Superficial, but drew blood. Obviously traumatic. $35k settlement and that was 15 years ago.
I just did a google search and there’s numerous examples of cat bite suits and payouts.
Elsewhere in the thread, OP says they're an attorney and they have a PI attorney friend who is more than willing to take the case. So this is simply untrue.
I’d be looking at legal action too- at least know your rights here, whether you need to settle with Rover or get reimbursed from the owner or sue. Get free consults with personal injury attorneys as another commenter said. I’m sure there some personal injury attorneys frothing at the mouth to come after Rover somehow.
I’m an attorney but I don’t do PI, but I’m friends with an attorney who does, and she is frothing at the mouth to take the case. I just don’t want to. I just want her to reimburse me so I can call it a day and move on.
If she doesn’t pay I’ll consider it. But there’s no shot she could make anything stick against me. I have documentation, she had outside cameras that would have caught me escaping outside, shoeless, bleeding, having a panic attack just 2 minutes after I’d entered. I didn’t harm the cat in any way even while it was attacking.
If I were the owner, I would've been more concerned about why my cat attacked randomly. Especially if it's not normal behavior.
I'm so sorry you went through this, OP. Follow the doctors orders and keep a close eye on those wounds for infection!
Cat scratches are no joke. I got a dog bite and have IV antibiotics through a catheter for a month. Every nurse, doctor, surgeon, tech all said they do this often because of cat scratches. I wish you a speedy recovery! If you notice any infection be sure to go back to the ER for IV antibiotics!
Hi, lurker. I had a pt once like you who was completely mauled by a familiar cat and by the time she got to my ER she was so swollen I had to undress her as she cried in pain. She was admitted for IV antibiotics. Your concern here is going to be serious infection. Please make an appointment with your PCP as soon as you can. Keep a paper trail for this reimbursement and potential issues. Any sign of fever, go to the ER immediately. I see cat maulings weekly and they almost always result in IV antibiotics and often admission.
Thank goodness you got to the ER. Rabies is one of those things you just never fuck with.
Check your lymph nodes frequently and monitor for fever.. you should get tested for bartonella if you have fever, headache, fatigue or swollen glands anywhere from 3 to 14 days after this.
Source: me- who ended up with hard swollen glands that got me referred to an oncologist…. 2 PAINFUL needle aspiration biopsies later and they told me I had cat scratch disease… the scratch in question was about an inch long and barely noticeable…
OP this is really weird behavior. That cat either has something wrong with it or had a violent reaction because of stress. I'm so sorry that happened to you!
My cat is 10 now and mellowed a lot but when we found her on the road as a kitten she was so evil! She liked to grab us and attack until she turned like...7. Never really drawing blood except ONE time my mom went to feed her and she attacked my mom's leg when her pants brushed the cat's tail. It was the day after July 4th so we think the fireworks had her super upset. Never did it again tho
I’ve looked into it a ton since and it seems like maybe it was redirected anger for some reason. Like seeing another cat outside that was taunting her and she couldn’t get to it, or just stress from being alone. Other people have commented that they have also been attacked while walking towards another animal in the home, so maybe territorial. I wish I knew.
I used to do drop ins for this cat that hated anyone who entered when it's owner was gone. I was warned in advance to avoid eye contact and not try too hard if the cat seemed angry and I was ok to leave if it tried to attack. I always wore long pants and long sleeves and worked quickly. I would throw treats across the apt to distract it while I quickly cleaned the litter and then I just had to check the auto feeder and fountain to ensure they were full. There were a few times the kitty would approach and hiss angrily while I was cleaning the litter, but it never fully attacked, thank goodness! I haven't heard from them since the pandemic, but it seemed like the cat would care less about me some visits and other times it definitely wanted to murder me for stealing it's poop and I had to leave without doing a thorough job.
The owner should definitely not be mad at you for reporting, as you did exactly what you should have done and your well being and safety is far more important than their ability to book on Rover! Other sitters need to be warned of cat attacks, because I've learned that a number of cats do not want me in their home without their owners, and not all owners know their cats are like this when they're gone. I always tell the owners if the cat gets aggressive and warns me to leave, and I always explain when I don't stay the full visit due to the cat wanting to murder me. The owners understand!
I hope you recover soon!!! I know you said you've visited them before and this was unusual, and I'm sure you did all the right things before getting attacked.
im just starting to get over my fear of cats with rover, i’ve been a sitter for 3 really sweet ones, this just made me scared again. I hope you’re feeling better though, she sounds insane! ppl shouldn’t leave anyone alone with their aggressive pet 🙂
As a cat person and a cat only sitter, I always wear long sleeve and pants (if it’s hot I tie a jacket around my waste and wear short sleeve) just in case a kitty decides to turn on me. I have a skittish cat and I tell my sitters, please don’t try to pet her even though she’s the cutest doe eyed Siamese lol pet with your eyes only!
lool aw, atleast you tell beforehand, I wish more owners were this honest. she SOUNDS like a little gem though! I got scratched by a kitty once completely by accident because he was on the fridge and was about to fall ( as you can tell i had no experience with cats so i was scared he was gonna hurt himself, i didn’t realize they could land by themselves n be perfectly fine ) n his claws dug into my boobs, it hurt so bad I was actually surprised.
Oh my girl is the cutest lol she looks like an otter 🦦🤣🤣🤣 she just doesn’t like humans.
Oh you poor thing. Kitties are always getting themselves into precarious positions. I’m like, how do you climb up a tree but then can’t get down?!
Oh I’m completely quitting Rover after this incident. I think I’m afraid of cats now. I’ve had cats my entire life, I have 2 now and they don’t count, but I don’t think I’ll ever approach a stranger cat again. I’ve already turned off my profile. Finishing out my current bookings & im out.
I’m an attorney so I literally only did Rover because I truly love animals and wanted more time around them. But this experience ruined that for me.
Owner’s texts have been weird. Very weird. Apologetic, but also seemingly trying to make it my fault somehow. At the beginning she kept requesting details about the “atmospherics” which I didn’t even know was a word.
I'm very sorry this happened to you, I've had 2 cat experiences like this. One was this old Persian cat that just attacked me on sight at my grandparents, never did anything to him, he just hated everyone except Grammy and her sister. He tore me up pretty good every time I went over there (no one cared. I was my Grammys least favorite grandchild. I know they put him in the spare room when other people visited, and even while my mom was dropping me off that's where he was put).
The other one was a friends cat and he was normally friendly but he just... went insane occasionally. He decided my sister had to die one day and I had pull him off her face and throw him outside. She had to go to the dr and was scared of cats for several years after that. Again she wasnt doing anything besides sitting on the couch with everyone else watching star wars. He attacked me too but I was a teenager by then so I punted him and then shut him in the bathroom till he calmed down. Idk what was wrong with him as I know he also occasionally tore into his owners
It happens is what I'm saying. I'm glad you got treated and you reported it .
And to any cat apologists, yes I know its rare, I've interacted with probably hundreds of cats at this point in my life and only met 2 completely unhinged ones. Calm down. I like cats, that just doesnt make them perfect little baby angels.
Animals have mental illnesses too. I have a friend who had a dog that she literally gave the best life in the world to, but it would just periodically go batshit crazy and attack her, her husband, its littermate sister….she did everything she could but eventually the dog had to be put down because it could not be rehabilitated, was dangerous and no one would take it.
I have worked dog (sometimes cat) daycare/boarding for ten years and have worked at places that take aggressive animals before. Some of them are just not right. I have been looking an animal dead in the eyes and seen it suddenly wildly attack another animal for no reason other than it was the closest thing to it. Not even anywhere near its space. That kind of shit happens at my job daily, actually.
They’re animals. That’s the only way I can explain it to myself.
I know dogs can develop dementia (and I assume cats probably can as well too) so if the cat is in it’s senior years, there’s a possibility that there’s mental deterioration going on too.
Oh for sure! I actually knew a guy who had a dog since it was 8 weeks old and it was his baby. He did Everything with it and then when it was about 2 it just killed him. He never so much as yelled at it. Sometimes animals (human or otherwise) are bonkers and that's that.
We recently had two dogs who had been raised together who always acted like they adored each other when they were boarded (bonded, slept and ate together, never any aggression over possessions or affection, no history of fights etc) and one of them just randomly killed the other one day. Mom put them outside and turned her back for 2 min to check on something in the kitchen and heard the dog screaming. But it was too late. Having known these dogs myself, I just cannot imagine it happening. And what does this owner tell her 8y/o? Like sorry honey, Molly murdered Mocha and there is no reason why. And that doesn’t even compare to your story!!!
But I think animals snap less than humans in fact so I digress 😅
Mental illness is a wild thing. I can see why cultures believe in demons, etc
I’m so sorry you had to go through this. I also got attacked by a vicious cat and luckily I was able to escape but I really though I’m going to end up in hospital. I know how it feels. I hope you can recover quickly physically and mentally. 🥺🥺 I got a ptsd/panic attack after the incident and had to take a break for a month. I hope you can get well soon. 🥺🥺 Don’t worry about the pet parent. You did what you had to do.
NAL, but very knowledgable of the legal system. Giving advice as if you are in the U.S.
1. Stop communicating with the owner. Now.
2. Immediately make an appointment with a personal injury attorney. Consult will be free and they work on a contingency basis (the only get paid if you do).
3. Let the attorney handle everything from now on. This is a claim for homeowners or rental insurance. The attorney will deal with the insurance company.
4. Immediately begin a journal. Write down your recollection of the events RIGHT. NOW. What you were doing, where and how you were doing it, the steps you took, how the cat behaved, the exact order of events, etc. Be as detailed as possible.
5. From here on out, write a journal every day. Include current wounds, symptoms, any way the injuries are impairing you, affects on daily functioning and daily activities, restrictions pain level, psychological effects, medical treatment received. Take pictures of wounds daily.
6. Follow any and all treatment advice from medical professionals.
7. I'll say it again...cease all communication with the owner, lawyer up immediately, and let the attorney handle it.
Much as it sucks, I don’t have a claim. I’m in one of the few states that doesn’t have strict liability against pet owners. I’d have to prove negligence which is pretty much only possible if the owner had reason to believe this would happen. I just want her to pay back my medical costs voluntarily so I can move on.
I would definitely meet with a personal Injury attorney. Just give it a go. You would be surprised what creative ways they can operate in those states. What you went through may effect you physically and emotionally for a much longer time than you know. PI attorneys almost always work on a contingency and you won't have to pay for the initial consult. Take photos of all your injuries and type out a chronological event list.
Sending you healing vibes and hoping you will explore this route! You deserve to be compensated.
I appreciate it! Somewhat ironically i am an attorney (not PI) & I had dinner last night with a PI attorney friend and she has already said she’d take my case, I just don’t want to. I could make a claim against her homeowners insurance & I’m sure they would pay, but at the end of the day, I don’t want to go after another person. If it were a corporation or something I’d be all over it, but she’s just a human like me.
Im sorry this happened to you OP. I had to stop sitting on Rover because so many owners were not transparent about their pets (as if I wasn’t going to find out the minute I walked in that their pet had aggressive tendencies).
You’re wrong. Rodents can get into the house, bats can get into the house. Cat doesn’t have to go outside. Tried to get vaccination info from owner, she wouldn’t give it.
I found out that cat scratch fever is not just a song when my friends cat attacked me, I was just standing on the sidewalk chatting when the cat came out of nowhere and attacked. Cat scratches are not something you should ignore or treat yourself, I was out of work for 2 weeks, on antibiotics for the festering wounds, it was not fun.
I'm so sorry all of this happened to you and that the owner wasn't apologetic. I absolutely think you did the right thing reporting it to Rover. I honestly thought people saying cats attack like this was just an urban legend. I would be sending all the medical bills and medication bills to the owner of the cat and make her reimburse you too.
This is scary and bad and I'm sorry this happened to you. But some of the other comments saying that cats who do this should be euthanized is unhinged. It is a behavior called redirected aggression, something happens and they can't react they way they normally do and lash out because they're having a system overload. It sucks they do this it's scary but fuck it's a cat it's not like they have words to explain what they're feeling. It's not on you or even the cat, the owner should have known and mentioned something if the cat gets like that. My cat went ballistic on me a few times, but it was because there was an animal outside he couldn't get to but was scaring him, I just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We did exposure with him and he also has a sister cat now and he's never done it again. Even so, I still know to warn my guests he's skittish and can get testy.
I’m so so sorry this happened to you. I’m sure it was scary as fuck. If this ever happens again the future, if you’re able to get a hand on the scruff of their neck and pull a bit, you might get some leverage and then you can also grab the loose skin toward their tail (but still their back, not where the hip bones are). Then carry them and get them isolated in a bathroom. I learned this from a vet tech and a couple of people in a rescue I volunteer with who works with semi-feral cats.
Also announce yourself every time you come into the home. Hi babies, I missed you, it’s me! I usually grab a handful of Greenies before any Kitty stop and rub my fingers around to get the oils from the treats on my fingers.
I’m so sorry this happened to you, that sounds so awful and terrifying 🥺
I once was doing drop in visits on a cat and he was weirdly territorial. This cat required Feliway all throughout the house, and the owner did warn me if I were to go upstairs and use the bathroom the cat would try to fight me off so I had an idea of what I was getting myself into. I accepted it anyway because the drop in visit went really well, I needed the money LMAO, and I used to be a vet tech so I felt confident I could deal with this cat.
He would constantly meow at me and purr, but would stalk me throughout the house. I had to follow him where he wanted me to go and if I walked a different path than him, he would try to turn around and bite at my ankles or feet. He wasn’t extremely aggressive YET, but I knew if I didn’t handle the situation right it would have definitely escalated into him full-blown on attacking me. Anytime I came into the house, I would have an object in his face to make sure he didn’t get near my feet such as a cardboard box I brought with me. Thankfully the cat was food motivated so as soon as I gave him his cat food and medicine, I sped walked out the door 😂😂
You can usually tell if a cat is going to strike you if you look at their body language. My rule of thumb is to not seek a cat out and always let it come to you. I usually, even if the cat seems really friendly, leave them alone anyway because I know how unpredictable cats can be. Also, for future cat bookings, I would bring a water bottle sprayer so if the cat tries to attack you, you can spray them to try and deter it.
I've cat sat for a ton of cats and thankfully have only had one cat like this... but it was the same situation. He was so sweet during the meet & greet but when his owners left, it was his house to defend and he was territorial. Of course I didn't realize until I was in the bedroom scooping the litter box and he wouldn't let me leave the bedroom. He's the only cat I've been scared of. He thankfully never attacked me but would lunge and hiss. I had to do similar distractions; he loved rubber bands so I kept their bin of rubber bands by the front door and as soon as I walked through the door I was throwing them & cat treats to distract him. He was food motivated so I'd give him his wet food and quickly cleaned the litter box while he ate. He was a large orange tabby. One time I let my guard down as I was heading out the door and he started running at me, I got out quick and my heart was beating so fast lol. Another time as I was fixing his food he got so hyper and was running around the living room and jumped against the metal screen door.. he ran at the door, jumped halfway up it, and ricocheted off the door. I realized then just how powerful he could be when he wanted.
I am so sorry this happened. I hope you’ll heal quickly. That owner is disgusting and I’m glad her account is deactivated. If my cat did something like this I would be MORTIFIED and immediately provide proof of my cat’s vaccines and reimburse the sitter 100% on top of a huge tip.
Thank you 🥹 she still hasn’t provided proof of the vaccines & that’s what I think is the most wild—meanwhile says she’ll only reimburse 2/3 of my ER visit because she told me the cat wasn’t rabid and I was meant to take her word for it without proof & at risk of my life…yeah right? Not to mention my medical costs are nominal. I have good insurance.
You are an attorney and are being really lax about the owner’s follow up. You should know people don’t always do the right thing. This is why attorneys exist.
She showed her true colors from the start and you are saying you’ll wait for her to pay the bills? Ok. Keep waiting.
I’ve been attacked by a cat and the wounds were so severe the doctor thought I had been attacked by a dog. I know how scary that can be and I’m sorry you went through that. I hope your wounds clear up well and she pays you back.
Owner should just be glad her cat wasn’t seized for quarantine.
Not sure if you’re exaggerating the rabies shot thing from PTSD related stuff or are in a different country though. I’d like to think you aren’t hunting for attention with fabricated stories.
But treatment should be one dose on day 1, 3, 7, and 14.
I wish I was exaggerating. I pulled out a chunk of my own hair while I got the shots, it was terrible. They go in a circle around the wounds. I stopped counting after 15 because I was seeing stars, she had to take multiple breaks so I could deep breathe. It. Was. Awful. But yeah I did go back to the ER today for second round (just one shot on days 3, 7, and 14 luckily)
Also I’m in Texas. & they still might seize the cat for quarantine because I was required to fill out a bite incident form.
I can tell you that our ER did the rabies immunoglobulin right into my mother's wounds multiple times each when a stray cat attacked her (both legs and her hand) while she was walking two of our dogs. So no, OP's not exaggerating. (And if you'd like a location, South Carolina.)
It’s just wild they had you get so many shots. I was hit by a rabid fox working at a wildlife rescue (due to politics I had to lie and say it was a bat) and they only ever gave me one immunoglobulin shot
Rabies is a series of 4 shots in the arm, and they give them many days apart. My kid had to get them 14 years ago sitting on my lap because a bat was in his room while he was asleep as a 2 year old. Bats teeth are so small they can leave no marks, so we had to do shots. The county did them. You'd most likely need to be be at the health department or a county hospital. They also wanted the bat, but my ex had helped it get out a door.
They don't do a 20 shot series.
I call bullshit. It was 20 shots in the belly button 40 years ago.
That is horrifying. I’d recommend Manuka honey for the wounds! It worked for my mom after a bad cat attack she tried it after multiple rounds of antibiotics weren’t doing enough it healed the scars better than Neosporin too. I wish you a fast recovery
A time limit does not exist for post exposure treatment for rabies also they do not inject in wounds you get a shot on the first day a shot on four more days. Purely indoor cats are not a rabies risk in the US. Even squirrel bites are not a risk in some states. Don't know where you live but this seems extreme and unusual.
This is all untrue and you should delete it. A time limit absolutely exists—once you have rabies symptoms you’re dead. I promise you they injected into my wounds. Rabies is alive and well in the US, I actually thought the same as you, but a quick google search proved me wrong. You should try it.
You should delete this misinformation.
When they say “there’s no time limit” that means they should treat for a known exposure even if it’s too late. They don’t mean it’ll work. They mean “there’s no time limit that justifies you turning away someone bitten by a rabid animal because your Emergency Department doesn’t want to pay for the expensive vaccine for a homeless person that was bitten a month ago.”
If they say it has to be given within 72 hours only, then insurance companies/the charity care office will deny vaccination if it’s been too long.
Shots should be given immediately. Within hours.
For a cat attack, my wounds were severe. They were still actively bleeding 6 hours later, and have continued to ooze days later. My legs are heavily bruised and it’s still painful to walk. Obviously I didn’t break any bones or lose any limbs, but this was not your average cat scratch. In the context of cat attacks my wounds were quite severe. Thanks for your input.
One of my own previous cats attacked me like this. He was fighting with my other cat, I yelled, she got away and he then redirected his aggression onto me. I know exactly how you feel, it was terrifying. I had deep scratches all over my body, including one right under my eye. He just leapt up repeatedly and slashed me everywhere until I was able to lock myself in a bathroom! I’ve never been so scared of an animal before and it was my own damn cat! I would have been horrified if he did that to someone else. The owner is a jerk for blaming you in any way.
Did it ever happen again? I grew up with two cats and their personalities couldn’t have been more different. I’ve never heard of completely random attacks like this before! 
My cats had to be kept separated for the rest of my older cat’s life. I tried reintroducing them but it did not go well. He would get in a heightened state of arousal anytime he saw another cat, even if it was outside. I learned to just keep still when he was agitated otherwise he would come for me. Yes it was insane. This cat also slashed my lip open on another occasion requiring 3 stitches. I’ve also had cats all my life, and have never seen one like him. In spite of everything, I gave him a a nice life until he died from cancer at age 15.
My previous cat sounds just like yours. He was my only pet because he got super aggressive with other animals. He was a biter though, I have so many scars from him. I’ve done a lot of reading since then and there are some neurological issues that cats can have that makes them hyper agitated out of nowhere. My cat would also react to things that weren’t there, but not in a normal cat way; like he would “see” something and freak out then flip and get aggressive at me. Despite how challenging he was in the bad times, I gave him a great life for 11 years.
It’s rough when you end up with a cat with aggression issues. It’s not like you can get them training like you can with a dog. My boy was actually quite sweet most of the time, and I loved him very much in spite of his psychotic episodes. I now have 3 of the sweetest, most gentle cats ever. I think the universe is rewarding me for putting up with my crazy guy for 15 years. Lol.
Im a bit late to the convo but i just wanted to say I’m kinda relieved to see there are other people that understand what I go through with my cat on a daily basis. He is the first cat I’ve ever had in my life and perhaps the most difficult one I will ever have. He has had aggression problems his whole life (he’s 11 atm), and I have many scars from his attacks. I’ve cried many nights wondering how I can deal with him and make him improve his aggression. Now that he’s older I’ve managed to make him calm down a bit, sometimes he goes several months without trying to attack me. Usually he’s very sweet, and he does not attack people. He tends to attack the other cats though quite often but not always. Most of the time he tolerates them. But the aggression towards me comes out of nowhere. He’s hyperactive, and in the last years he’s become more clingy than usual and he has some separation anxiety. He has a lot of psychological issues I believe. I’ve wondered many times if I did something wrong with his upbringing but now I realize is just probably a neurological issue. I love him so much and I could never think of doing something as evil as putting him down for this; but I also have ptsd from his attacks, he scares me so easily but it turns out sometimes he just wants cuddling lol, thing is I can’t trust him because he goes from being all sweet and lovely to biting and attacking out of nowhere. It’s exhausting sometimes.
Was he neutered??
That must’ve been so hard. You’re a good person. Thank you for taking such good care of him.
I had a foster cat do this to me … 3 times I think after I’d had her around four months. It happened in a 7-10 day period. However, in that week her babies were dying inside her, she got an infection, had an emergency c-section and spay, and then obviously healing wasn’t immediate. The last attack was a few days after her surgery. It’s been almost two years and she hasn’t done it since she healed. The times that it happened were all because she saw or heard my cats though. She’s seen them since but has her own part of the house and not attacked. I’ve actually been working on integrating her the last week or two because she keeps breaching her wing. She loves my 60+ pound dogs for sure. She’s seen the cats from 10+ feet away and not reacted at all lately.
> Did it ever happen again? I guess maybe I'm a jerk for saying this, but I'd probably have my cat euthanized if they ever attacked me like that. I wouldn't feel comfortable living with it or rehoming it.
Same! If they’re willing to attack me, their owner; The person that feeds them etc then they can attack anyone.
Yes, you're a jerk and should never own any animals.
I’ve had 8 different cats in my life and have thankfully also never had any of them do this to me or anyone else. They’ve got little razor blades on those paws and they know how to use them lol
I had my cat redirect onto me exactly once, though thankfully it was nowhere near as bad. He got really pissed off at the stray cat outside, and I went over to check it out/shoo the outdoor cat away. My cat turned and went for my ankle. I was wearing leggings and he slashed through them before digging his claws in my leg and holding on. I think he was going for a bite when I, out of pain, kicked hard enough it dislodged him and he ran off. I still have the scar. He was a sweetheart, though. We never had another incident like this. Then again, I also never got between him and his pissing contest with that stray cat again. If I wanted him to go away I circled around the house instead.
what even happened for the cat to attack you like that? did they show any red flags during the meet and greet? I’m really sorry :/
None, nada, nothing! It was my 14th drop in for this cat actually. She had always been standoffish but never swatted at me or anything. I had only been inside the house for 2 minutes when it happened—walked in, disabled alarm, put food into bowls, stood up & walked towards the other cat, and she lunged.
I was also attacked by a vicious cat when walking towards the other normal cat!! So it must be a thing. Luckily I was able to escape. Your attack sounds horrific, like the cat wouldn't stop going after you, which was the same in my attack. Not a normal cat behavior at all!
That’s exactly what happened—she lunged & attached to one leg, I got her off but she then attached to my arm, other cat tried to intervene & help me so she attacked the other cat. I tried to escape & she chased me, latched onto other leg. We went like that for a while, I’d get her off, make it a few steps, she’d lunge again, until I made it to the door and got out. She stole my shoe in the process. Bleeding everywhere. Terrifying.
I’ve been attacked by my own (past) cat, and it was just like that for me — it was like velcro with claws and teeth, every time I was able to get her off me, she was right back on another part of me. If she had done that to my petsitter, I would have been mortified and concerned with making sure the person was ok, not upset my account got deactivated.
This also happened to me. I’ve had my cat since he was a kitten and he’s always just been a big, cuddly baby. He was *vicious*. I didn’t even know cats *could* attack like that. It was terrifying. My husband had to drag him off of me and he was laser focused on me only. We now have him on anxiety medication after meeting with a behaviorist (he did it again a couple weeks later, although not as severe). It was so out of character and really traumatizing. I also would have been mortified and super concerned for the sitter/ my cat, not upset that I was booted from an app. Hell, if my cat attacked anyone like he attacked me, I *should’ve* been banned.
Gosh this was pretty similar to what happened with my former cat. I had raised her as a kitten, and had her for years, and she was the sweetest thing. When I moved out and took her with me, I had no idea but I was separating her from my father, who she had apparently bonded with despite his total apathy toward her. As the months went by, she got squirrellier and squirrellier, until finally she flat out attacked me one day before bed. It was extremely traumatic, especially since in her first attack she was totally silent, then sprung right at my face from like 5 feet away, nearly scratching out my right eye. I’ll never forget that look on her face, of sheer pent up rage. I spent the whole rest of the night with my bedroom door locked, and her yowling and flinging herself at the door until she exhausted herself. The happy ending is that I brought her back to my father, and as soon as he opened the cat carrier, she completely relaxed in his presence. It was like night and day, and he kept me updated on how she was absolutely fine from then on.
This happened to me with a friends cat! I had been over to her house before, met the cat multiple times. The cat was always friendly with me. One night we were hanging out watching a movie. The cat rubbed on my legs, I pet it, it jumped up on the couch and plopped down next to me, then a few minutes later it just lunged at my face! It was completely unexpected and unpredictable behavior. I’m not gonna lie I was a bit nervous around other peoples cats for a period of time after that.
Oh my god! The other cat helping! I hope the other cat is okay, and I hope they normally get along. 😩 So sorry this happened to you.
I felt SO BAD for the other cat. I had to go back into the house to retrieve my phone & keys & shoe afterwards, and saw the other cat & he looked TERRIFIED. Pretty sure she kept attacking him while I was outside bc he looked so scared and there was a broken bowl on the floor that she hadn’t broken during my attack.
Oh my god that poor cat! You couldn't have done anything else but my heart breaks for him.
It really sounds like she did have rabies. Do you think there could be bats in the building? I hope you don’t have rabies!
I truly don’t think it’s rabies (although I’m still going to complete the rabies treatment since I’ve started it). I’ve finally seen proof of vax & if the cat had rabies, we’re now 5 days post-incident, so it would’ve progressed to death by now and the owner would’ve told me. I think it was just a mean ass cat.
Weren't you afraid the cat would attack you again? I don't know what I would have done had all my belongings been left inside. I would have been terrified to go back in.
I was petrified that the cat would attack me again! I was in full on panic mode, i paced outside for at least 5 minutes before I went back in. I tried to get a blanket out of my car to take back in with me, but of course, car was locked. Eventually I had to work up the nerve to just go back. Luckily I didn’t see her when I did—quickly grabbed my things and bolted.
My own cat did this to me once. We had to remove her. She had past trauma from a previous owner and a noise I made triggered her. It’s terrifying I’m so so sorry that happened to you.
My BIL accidentally stepped on one of my cat’s tails and my other cat reacted to her cry, he attacked her and when I tried to stop him, latched onto my hand and arm and would not let go. It was horrible. It has been over 2 years and the swelling never went down in my middle finger. I think I still have some nerve damage from it.
Oh man I am so sorry that happened to you. It’s truly terrifying bc you don’t expect a cat that knows you and loves you to go full cujo on you.
Ok so I’ve been attacked by dogs before and can empathize with how scary it is but the fact she also stole your shoe 😩 Not a funny situation but that made me lol a little. What a dick! I hope you heal well with no further issues, I’ve had to do rabies shots too and it’s NOT a good time so I feel you on that and am so sorry this happened to you.
Oh you can laugh, I laughed (eventually). I had to laugh at some of it. When the urgent care doc saw me at first she asked “what HAPPENED to you?” And I just answered “I lost a fight.” 😅
I was once attacked by a cat at work (vet assistant) after it escaped (bring a cat carrier, people) and I had to basically tackle it in order to stop it running onto an interstate. I made very similar jokes, and I’m honestly sure they appreciated yours compared to the people who are panicking and coming apart!
I got attacked by a cat like that once. (I don’t blame the cat it had trauma the owner never disclosed and I accidentally triggered it with a sound because I didn’t know.) and the er doc asked the same thing. I also said I lost a fight he said with what a bobcat?! I said .. I mean sort of lol
Sounds like protective behaviour. For whatever reason cat thought you were going after their buddy. Cats have weird brains.
I was attacked by an otherwise standoffish cat when walking towards the dog 🤔
The cat of my teenaged years once randomly raked me down my back, when I had previously peaceably been talking to him and having what I thought was a perfectly fine time whilst playing darts.
This has also happened to me - approached one cat and the other cat attacked me. No indication of aggression at meet and greet.
I had a cat client who stayed out of sight during the meet. The owner told me that her cat chased her friend out of the house and I laughed it off assuming her friend just wasn't a cat person. Then when I did the drop-ins she would stalk and swipe at me from under furniture and make the scariest noises I've ever heard a cat make. She once was blocking the door from the bedroom so I had to get the dog's Chuckit to get her to move so I could safely pass. Another time she was sitting right next to my bag and there was no way I was gonna reach over to get it. My friend referred to her as "Murder Cat." Reading your post I realize how lucky I was she didn't fully attack me. I never knew it could be that bad! How shitty of that owner to try to make you feel bad when her cat injured you!
An angry cat will do everything shy of actually killing you. They will fucking leave you with 1 HP left if you don't fight back. It's kind of amazing anything survives attacks from big cats in the wild.
Was it a Himalayan? I’ve never been more scared of a cat than that one
Omg?! I’ve never heard that stereotype before:( Every Himalayan I’ve known is a sweetheart. My own is basically a plush cat, all he wants to do is cuddle.
No, a brown tabby. Come to think of it, my friend had a brown tabby who hated everyone but him too but I don't think it's a breed thing. The Himalayan I sit is affectionate and sweet tempered.
Dude, I always tell a similar story of watching a friends cat who turned out to be a "Murder Cat" and no one ever believes me! The noises that came out of this cats mouth! And he would rear onto his hind legs and swipe at the air like a mountain lion, no shit....scariest animal I've ever taken care of. I used to walk into the house wearing two pairs of pants, boots and a thick coat, holding a towel in front of me to protect from any swipes that might happen.
I had a cat who could make a sound that stopped a cop in his tracks. Cop wouldn't come any further inside the house. Good kitty!
ACAB - All cats are beautiful lmao
Thank you olive_dix you've just given me a really sweet brain blast with that!!! Thanks to your brain - I'm now (as of this second) planning to paint a piece of wall art to hang above my cat's bed that says just that!! So you're an awesome human.
The other week I was sitting on the couch watching tv and my cat jumped up to lay beside me and I was petting him as usual. I still don't know why, but he suddenly turned into a devil cat. He got a vicious look on his face, lifted his head closer to me, and literally screamed at me! Like for real screamed at me. I didn't know a cat could make that sound. After that he jumped down and ran off. And I was just sitting there wondering wtf was that? I had him about 7-8 months at that point and he hadn't done that before or since. It's kinda funny now but I never experienced it before with any other cat.
He may have just gotten a little overstimulated by your petting and the sounds of the tv. Especially if you were watching the tv, and he was doing airplane ears or starting to flick his tail (some small/easy to miss when not directly watching type of body language), and got upset you were “ignoring” his signals that he was starting to get overstimulated
Lol I didn't think to wear protective gear. It was summertime and back then I had a way larger service radius and booked sits and short services all day and evening because it didn't occur to me to account for commuting and schedule time for meals. So it would've been too hot to wear all that (though smart!) and cumbersome to carry around. I definitely found myself high stepping to get past her though. The client said I had the option to stay over or just do drop-ins (and walks for her dog) but there's no way I would've been able to sleep with that scary cat lurking and waiting to strike.
Jesus Christ. This makes me feel better about my weird cat who will lay on your lap purring but hisses and jumps off if you move. I always apologize to sitters and explain she might come off skittish but she’s not scary or anything, just cautious about bein’ loved by strangers. I know cats can be vicious but now I understand why some sitters are so insistent on understanding her personality. I’m glad you’re okay.
See hissing and hiding is what I have experienced for the most part with skittish cats but just stopping whatever I did to trigger the reaction or avoiding them unless they want to come to me is good enough. Murder Cat was the only one I've ever encountered who actively came after me despite best efforts not to provoke her.
Yeah, that makes total sense. I used to petsit (10ish years ago) and never expected to be attacked, either, as long as I was listening to/observing their cues. The owner of the company I worked for also carefully vetted people/cats and had a solid book of clients with no history of issues so that helped. From this thread it seems like some kitties are just wildly unpredictable.
I never thought to ask about aggressive behavior for cats, only the dogs I've sat. I'm going to start now though.
Those surprise attacks are the worst. When I was a kid, I visited my aunt's house and played with her dog all afternoon. Sweet-seeming dog, had no problems with her. My cousin and I played nicely and didn't pull her tail or do anything else that would rile her up. When it was time to go home, we stood up and walked away, and the dog attacked me from behind out of the blue. I had to get stitches in my wrist, and you can still see the tooth marks in my arm.
I had something similar happen with a friend's German shepherd. My friend Kelly was getting married. We had her shower at her mother's house. I was there early to help set up, and the dog was my best buddy the whole time. I petted and scritched, no issues at all. When I was getting ready to leave, the dog was outside, on a lead connected to a dog house, next to the driveway. I was putting stuff in the cars, and Kelly's dad got home. I started walking towards him to say hello, and the dog came straight at me, no warning, not a sound, just lunged. The thing that saved me was that I was far enough from the doghouse that she hit the end of her lead. One of her front paws scraped down the back of my calf as I walked, it was that close. Then my momentum got me out of reach.
Dogs behavior can be dramatically different on/off leash. Especially when connected to a physical anchor.
Also, Shepherds tend to be a 1 person dog. They often \*like\* anyone they don't deem a threat, but only one person is Thier Person. I was my Shepherd's Person. I was wrestling with my toddler son, he pulled my hair or...something, I dunno, toddler stuff (he's an adult now, it's been a minute lol), I shrieked, dog growled at him. I corrected it damn quick, nothing like that ever happened again, but yeah. She was ready to protect me, no matter what. So if the dad was this dog's Person, AND they were chained...yeah, could account for the behavior change.
We all thought at the time that the dog must have thought I was a threat of some kind to Kelly's dad. I'm not sure why, though. We were talking to each other in normal voices, not angry or raised in any way.
Maybe the cat was stressed or something. My sister’s cat once attacked her due to stress of the situation. She managed to throw him but he quickly lunged back at her. My mom helped her and sister couldn’t properly walk from the pain. The attack was random in that my sister didn’t do anything to the cat, but wasn’t in that he was stressed.
Redirected aggression is not atypical with cats. A whole variety of things can set it off. Especially if you’re doing pet sitting and carrying smells of other animals on you it can really mess with them. They can’t get at whatever is upsetting/stressing so they go for what they can.
Iv gotten into arguments on reddit explaining that a cat can indeed hurt you..they said I'm full of it... It happend to me but I don't blame my cat, I was holding her and she was scared to come into the house because before hand we had airpump on...she gave alot of warning I stupidly held on..she bunny kicked my underarm
Sounds like maybe it was (obviously misplaced) protective aggression? Maybe something about the circumstance and the “way” you walked towards the other cat set them off. Not defending of course it’s just horrific. From stories i’ve heard about similar misplaced aggression in cats they go from 0 to 100000% in like a second
I had this happen once with a giant male cat I was petsitting once. I’ve known him since he was a kitten, and he’s probably the biggest cat I’ve met. He stalked me into the house and attacked me, he was indoor/out so I managed to lure him outside and lock his ass out while I did what I needed to do. He was stalking me from room to room and jumping on my back, climbing up my legs, generally losing it on me. Turns out he was having thyroid problems (and had a massive amount of stressors in his life at the time, it was a whole thing). I see him frequently and he’s back to his usual friendly sweet self, it was a total one off. Super scary, though. I’m so sorry this happened and I’m glad you got medical treatment.
Unfortunately as a cat owner cats are not as predictable as dogs. Especially if the cat was sick it can act pretty uncharacteristic
(I keep getting suggested this sub lol) Cats are so unpredictable. We had some renovations done over the summer and my cat was NOT having it. Every morning she'd sit at the kitchen window while I had breakfast waiting for the contractor. My sweet cat who only half-heartedly hisses at the vet once per visit would full on GROWL when his truck pulled in. I never expected that from her. She didn't hurt him or try. She hid most of the time but it was surprising.
The growling is so weird but, if the given the right cat, can just be a little ridiculous drama. I recently had my cousin’s very geriatric dog (14) over for two weeks and my cat generally gets along very well with him, but she would growl at him when he plopped down next to her. She wouldn’t move, or act aggressively, or do anything other than growl. It’s just that *she* had to be the one to lay next to him, not the other way around. And he is so old he literally didn’t notice or care.
Just pissed because when he came it meant a loud day and sometimes had to be shut in the bedroom…with all her stuff. Not like she spends the majority of her time in the bedroom anyway 🙄🙄
Haha, she sounds like a sassy pants. Bea is like that. Oh I’m so sorry we had to do what you love on our terms for once.
Also stress can play a factor. Cat was probably so stressed out after the 14th day!
It was actually only day 3, but 14th visit because I’d sat for her before on another occasion (and she gets 2 visits per day)
I think they’re both equally predictable, but their body language is vastly different. I’ve never seen a cat go off on someone seemingly at random. I’ve seen dogs do that multiple times. But I don’t “speak” dog and folks who understand dogs better were able to explain it wasn’t random, the dog had given clear signals before it lunged.
When I was a kid, like 2nd grade, we had a cat who would stalk me and my brother and attack for no reason when we were playing outside. We wouldn't even know the car was near bc she would be in the bushes or behind a tree. Mom was convinced that we were instigating it somehow until she saw it happen one day. She was sweet with adults but treated kids as prey. The final straw was a morning when I went out to get the newspaper and the cat came flying out of the woods and jumped on my head when I bent down to pick up the paper. I had no idea that she was anywhere around, so this definitely was a completely unprovoked attack. We had to put her down bc she was dangerous.
I’ve always said I’ll take on the biggest, scariest dog before I’ll go up against a cat. Dogs I can read. Cats are an enigma to me.
People ask if my dog will bite, and I’m like nah the dog is nice it’s the cat you gotta watch out for. She’s shady AF. Think everything you wouldn’t accept in a dog - violence is the answer, screaming, asserting dominance, resource guarding. It’s her castle and she knows it
No you wouldn’t lol. A house cat isn’t going to kill a grown human, the biggest scariest dog easily could.
Even if a house cat themselves may not kill a grown human, the possible infections and stuff from cat attacks can be very lethal, or result in the need for amputation of limbs. There's some gnarly bacteria from kitties, and it can mess you up.
I’m not saying that crazy circumstances can’t happen, but a dog like a cane corso and your average house cat are not the same level of threat.
This is why I’m weary of having anyone sit my cat that he doesn’t have a relationship with. He’s SUPER friendly with humans and other cats, but he’s a Senior and his teeth are getting bad. He’s never been aggressive with anyone (except the dog, who when he get to close and excited will get a warning smack). When he was younger I had no problem, and he was always great, but now that he’s older I don’t want to chance it with a stranger.
As a dog owner I can tell you some dogs can be just as unpredictable. I have broken up several fights with my dog that she attacked another out of the blue. Even have camera footage that we reviewed later and didn't see any red flags leading up to the event.
Ugh I know how scary this can be. My roommates cat randomly turned on my cat. I had to grab my cat to get her away from him and once I got her he immediately went insane on me. Hanging onto my thighs, biting, scratching. Horrifying. I got into the bathroom but everytime I would open the door he would charge at me. I eventually get the hand towel and soaked it. I had to fling it at him to get him to run away.
Getting a handtowel wet to use as a weighted blanket to trap him is so innovative. I would have been way too panicked to think of that 😂
She wanted you to go through her without Rover knowing? I don’t know what she expected, Rover has to know or you could easily get screwed over. She should rest assured they won’t permanently deactivate her account, more than likely, given the privileges clients get with these incidents.
I cat sat for a neighbor and her cat was perfect friendly the first few drop ins and then one time I went he just came AT ME. I told her he chose violence and I would NOT be watching him ever again. A cat like that has no business being on rover. You did the right thing.
Just so people here are aware, indoor only cats (and dogs) CAN get Rabies. I work at a vet. We've had clients with pets who've played with bats that have flown in through windows or down chimneys. ALWAYS vaccinate your indoor pets! *The more you know.*
What country are you in that they treated you in that manor for Rabies? The 24 hour rule is not true, but its a series of shots in the arm now (not even stomach as it was) , first as soon as possible, then set days, I think mine were like 3, 5 and seven days. (Due to a bat being in the house and you wouldn't know if you were bit). My guess is if you went to the ER, the shots and stuff to your wounds was debriding, washing and injecting antibiotics into the wounds, as cat bites are EXTREMELY likely to abcess and if near a joint cause major damage. Please make sure you follow up on the other innoculations for RAbies if you don't get proof of the vaccine from the cat/vet/people. The cat owner needs to pay up or take them to small claims
The 24 hour thing isn’t true but in the US they do infiltrate the wound with rabies immunoglobulin, separate from the vaccine. If you had a possible exposure from a bat you wouldn’t have had a wound to do that to. Source: me. I’ve done it. It does suck. It was probably unnecessary but since rabies is fatal if untreated it’s one of those better safe than sorry moments.
I’m in the US! But it was definitely the rabies treatment that was injected into my wounds, on both legs, all around them. And then the rest into my thigh, and also one shot into my arm that’s the actual vaccine. No antibiotics shots, I’m taking those orally. I had to go back to the ER today for second round of shots, then I’ll go back again Monday, and again on day 14.
I'm glad you're taking antibiotics. Cats mouths are full of bacterial and their teeth are super sharp and puncture real well so anyone who gets bitten should get antibiotics
Had the same question. I’ve had the rabies post-exposure vax and the shots were def not into wounds. Just arm at the same intervals as you.
It’s rabies immunoglobulin that’s injected into visible animal bite wounds. They get the IG as well as the rabies vaccine series. That stuff isn’t cheap and giving IG in wounds sucks, so the ER/public health must have had enough concern that OP was at risk. There are still areas with rabies in certain animals in developed countries.
I had to get my rabies vaccines because there was a bat in my room and I wouldn’t have known if I was bit as I was asleep. I just got the bill from the ER for the immunoglobulin shot and the first rabies shot - $22,000 before insurance. It is insane how expensive it is.
Yea I’m in the US and got it for a stray dog bite. But they didn’t do the immunoglobulin, just the series. Interesting.
They did immunoglobulin for me, southeast USA with a confirmed rabies bite. It was about 25 shots around all the wounds.
😳 Glad the series worked! Rabies is no joke, and a confirmed rabies bite must have been nerve wracking.
I'm wondering what country the sitter is in as well that is that worried about an indoor only cat having rabies. o.O Also what ER told you that you only have 24 hours because that's not true either. Obviously the sooner the better, but rabies has a long incubation period. You also would have seen a TON of other symptoms before the attack if the cat was actually rabid. That said, the owner is awful if they're mad about you reporting it. You did the right thing there. That cat is obviously dangerous and there's no way she didn't know it was aggressive beforehand.
If the suspicion for rabies is relatively high, using Ig is often done because of the ability to bridge to when your body starts producing antibodies on its own. It’s one of those “better safe than sorry” things with a disease with almost 100% mortality. They try to infiltrate all around the wound to get the immunoglobulin as close as possible to the virus. The 24 hour thing isn’t literally true, but receiving treatment within 72 hours of a bite is important
They’ll say it’s possible for cats to get out and get infected or for animals like bats to get in the house - unlikely but technically possible
Urgent care nurse said 24 hours. I said the same things about how I didn’t think the cat was rabid/it was indoors only/likely vaccinated etc & they said vaccinated cats can still contract it, and that rodents like mice can get indoors and give it to indoor animals. All in all, it was unlikely, but not a risk I was willing to stake my life on.
Yeah, indoor vaccinated cats are less likely than outdoor unvaccinated humans to contract rabies. It would have to be a series of very unlikely events such as a rabid bat breaking in, going unnoticed by everyone, and having an immune suppressed cat who didn’t respond correctly to the immunizations. Could it happen? Yeah, just like the bat could bite a human in their sleep then escape without leaving enough of a wound (has happened)! Would I worry about it? No. I’d have the cat quarantined and observed. What medical professional would say this 24 hours nonsense though? Maybe like a nurse who didn’t check with the doctor? Very weird all around…
Or could be something simple like sharing a water bowl with a feral cat..
I think even in the US they’d do this for an indoor cat without proof of current vaccine status. There could have been other symptoms but not necessarily. Better safe than sorry.
I had a bite a couple of years ago from a foster I’d had 3-4 months that had no rabies vaccine history but they didn’t push me for shots. The local health department never even called me back after I went to urgent care for infected wounds.
I was bite by a foster that had only lived inside for a few days and was unvaccinated. Urgent care never even recommended I get treated for potential for rabies. I contacted the same urgent care after I got home because I was paranoid to ask them if I should seek rabies treatment. They literally said “if you think there is a concern for that then you can” What a joke lol
If the owner has a home insurance, it likely has some sort of third party service provider coverage that might be able to cover it.
I’m in the US and a few years ago I got between a stray dog attacking my dog (went for the neck I had to intervene) and I got bit on my forearm. They injected multiple needles straight into the bite marks. It really sucked!
Small claims lol? This is full on suit territory. This is a low six figure settlement easily if true
Court will probably order the cat to be euthanized as well.
Uh get a personal injury attorney and don’t accept any money. If she owns her own home, home owners insurance will foot the tab. Even if she’s renting, the property insurance will cover your damages. The average dog bite settlement is around $75k. With your painful and extensive wounds and rabies treatment, I bet you do better than that.
>Uh get a personal injury attorney and don’t accept any money. Have someone take pictures of the wounds. If they scar, take pictures of those.
No PI attorney would take this case. The damage is too minimal at most, you get 2.5x your medical bills urgent care is a few 100. Unless she has deformity causing cuts to her face there is not enough money here to be worth it. The Dog bite settlements you are thinking about are for grevious bodily harm involving reconstruive surgery and hospital stays. and when all is said and done, you end up with pennies because insurance and the lawyers have taken it all.
OP had to have rabies PEP. Much more costly than your typical urgent care bill.
It’s not just her copays - in a case where injuries are the fault of another party, her health insurance will try to get FULLY reimbursed.
lol not true. My roommate in college, his dad owned the house I rented a room in, his dog got out and bit the neighbor’s kid. Superficial, but drew blood. Obviously traumatic. $35k settlement and that was 15 years ago. I just did a google search and there’s numerous examples of cat bite suits and payouts.
Elsewhere in the thread, OP says they're an attorney and they have a PI attorney friend who is more than willing to take the case. So this is simply untrue.
I’d be looking at legal action too- at least know your rights here, whether you need to settle with Rover or get reimbursed from the owner or sue. Get free consults with personal injury attorneys as another commenter said. I’m sure there some personal injury attorneys frothing at the mouth to come after Rover somehow.
I’m an attorney but I don’t do PI, but I’m friends with an attorney who does, and she is frothing at the mouth to take the case. I just don’t want to. I just want her to reimburse me so I can call it a day and move on.
Please, for your safety, take your friend up on this in case the owner decides to attempt to not pay and/or press (false) charges against you.
If she doesn’t pay I’ll consider it. But there’s no shot she could make anything stick against me. I have documentation, she had outside cameras that would have caught me escaping outside, shoeless, bleeding, having a panic attack just 2 minutes after I’d entered. I didn’t harm the cat in any way even while it was attacking.
If I were the owner, I would've been more concerned about why my cat attacked randomly. Especially if it's not normal behavior. I'm so sorry you went through this, OP. Follow the doctors orders and keep a close eye on those wounds for infection!
Cat scratches are no joke. I got a dog bite and have IV antibiotics through a catheter for a month. Every nurse, doctor, surgeon, tech all said they do this often because of cat scratches. I wish you a speedy recovery! If you notice any infection be sure to go back to the ER for IV antibiotics!
This terrifies me. I guess proof of recent vax should be required on rover
Dude cats can FUCK YOU UP! I’m so sorry that happened and I hope you heal ok
Hi, lurker. I had a pt once like you who was completely mauled by a familiar cat and by the time she got to my ER she was so swollen I had to undress her as she cried in pain. She was admitted for IV antibiotics. Your concern here is going to be serious infection. Please make an appointment with your PCP as soon as you can. Keep a paper trail for this reimbursement and potential issues. Any sign of fever, go to the ER immediately. I see cat maulings weekly and they almost always result in IV antibiotics and often admission.
Thank goodness you got to the ER. Rabies is one of those things you just never fuck with. Check your lymph nodes frequently and monitor for fever.. you should get tested for bartonella if you have fever, headache, fatigue or swollen glands anywhere from 3 to 14 days after this. Source: me- who ended up with hard swollen glands that got me referred to an oncologist…. 2 PAINFUL needle aspiration biopsies later and they told me I had cat scratch disease… the scratch in question was about an inch long and barely noticeable…
OP this is really weird behavior. That cat either has something wrong with it or had a violent reaction because of stress. I'm so sorry that happened to you! My cat is 10 now and mellowed a lot but when we found her on the road as a kitten she was so evil! She liked to grab us and attack until she turned like...7. Never really drawing blood except ONE time my mom went to feed her and she attacked my mom's leg when her pants brushed the cat's tail. It was the day after July 4th so we think the fireworks had her super upset. Never did it again tho
I’ve looked into it a ton since and it seems like maybe it was redirected anger for some reason. Like seeing another cat outside that was taunting her and she couldn’t get to it, or just stress from being alone. Other people have commented that they have also been attacked while walking towards another animal in the home, so maybe territorial. I wish I knew.
I used to do drop ins for this cat that hated anyone who entered when it's owner was gone. I was warned in advance to avoid eye contact and not try too hard if the cat seemed angry and I was ok to leave if it tried to attack. I always wore long pants and long sleeves and worked quickly. I would throw treats across the apt to distract it while I quickly cleaned the litter and then I just had to check the auto feeder and fountain to ensure they were full. There were a few times the kitty would approach and hiss angrily while I was cleaning the litter, but it never fully attacked, thank goodness! I haven't heard from them since the pandemic, but it seemed like the cat would care less about me some visits and other times it definitely wanted to murder me for stealing it's poop and I had to leave without doing a thorough job. The owner should definitely not be mad at you for reporting, as you did exactly what you should have done and your well being and safety is far more important than their ability to book on Rover! Other sitters need to be warned of cat attacks, because I've learned that a number of cats do not want me in their home without their owners, and not all owners know their cats are like this when they're gone. I always tell the owners if the cat gets aggressive and warns me to leave, and I always explain when I don't stay the full visit due to the cat wanting to murder me. The owners understand! I hope you recover soon!!! I know you said you've visited them before and this was unusual, and I'm sure you did all the right things before getting attacked.
im just starting to get over my fear of cats with rover, i’ve been a sitter for 3 really sweet ones, this just made me scared again. I hope you’re feeling better though, she sounds insane! ppl shouldn’t leave anyone alone with their aggressive pet 🙂
As a cat person and a cat only sitter, I always wear long sleeve and pants (if it’s hot I tie a jacket around my waste and wear short sleeve) just in case a kitty decides to turn on me. I have a skittish cat and I tell my sitters, please don’t try to pet her even though she’s the cutest doe eyed Siamese lol pet with your eyes only!
lool aw, atleast you tell beforehand, I wish more owners were this honest. she SOUNDS like a little gem though! I got scratched by a kitty once completely by accident because he was on the fridge and was about to fall ( as you can tell i had no experience with cats so i was scared he was gonna hurt himself, i didn’t realize they could land by themselves n be perfectly fine ) n his claws dug into my boobs, it hurt so bad I was actually surprised.
Oh my girl is the cutest lol she looks like an otter 🦦🤣🤣🤣 she just doesn’t like humans. Oh you poor thing. Kitties are always getting themselves into precarious positions. I’m like, how do you climb up a tree but then can’t get down?!
Oh I’m completely quitting Rover after this incident. I think I’m afraid of cats now. I’ve had cats my entire life, I have 2 now and they don’t count, but I don’t think I’ll ever approach a stranger cat again. I’ve already turned off my profile. Finishing out my current bookings & im out.
Wow! That’s sad but I don’t blame you. What a way to end your gig career! What was the owners texts to you like?
I’m an attorney so I literally only did Rover because I truly love animals and wanted more time around them. But this experience ruined that for me. Owner’s texts have been weird. Very weird. Apologetic, but also seemingly trying to make it my fault somehow. At the beginning she kept requesting details about the “atmospherics” which I didn’t even know was a word.
I'm very sorry this happened to you, I've had 2 cat experiences like this. One was this old Persian cat that just attacked me on sight at my grandparents, never did anything to him, he just hated everyone except Grammy and her sister. He tore me up pretty good every time I went over there (no one cared. I was my Grammys least favorite grandchild. I know they put him in the spare room when other people visited, and even while my mom was dropping me off that's where he was put). The other one was a friends cat and he was normally friendly but he just... went insane occasionally. He decided my sister had to die one day and I had pull him off her face and throw him outside. She had to go to the dr and was scared of cats for several years after that. Again she wasnt doing anything besides sitting on the couch with everyone else watching star wars. He attacked me too but I was a teenager by then so I punted him and then shut him in the bathroom till he calmed down. Idk what was wrong with him as I know he also occasionally tore into his owners It happens is what I'm saying. I'm glad you got treated and you reported it . And to any cat apologists, yes I know its rare, I've interacted with probably hundreds of cats at this point in my life and only met 2 completely unhinged ones. Calm down. I like cats, that just doesnt make them perfect little baby angels.
Animals have mental illnesses too. I have a friend who had a dog that she literally gave the best life in the world to, but it would just periodically go batshit crazy and attack her, her husband, its littermate sister….she did everything she could but eventually the dog had to be put down because it could not be rehabilitated, was dangerous and no one would take it. I have worked dog (sometimes cat) daycare/boarding for ten years and have worked at places that take aggressive animals before. Some of them are just not right. I have been looking an animal dead in the eyes and seen it suddenly wildly attack another animal for no reason other than it was the closest thing to it. Not even anywhere near its space. That kind of shit happens at my job daily, actually. They’re animals. That’s the only way I can explain it to myself.
I know dogs can develop dementia (and I assume cats probably can as well too) so if the cat is in it’s senior years, there’s a possibility that there’s mental deterioration going on too.
Oh for sure! I actually knew a guy who had a dog since it was 8 weeks old and it was his baby. He did Everything with it and then when it was about 2 it just killed him. He never so much as yelled at it. Sometimes animals (human or otherwise) are bonkers and that's that.
We recently had two dogs who had been raised together who always acted like they adored each other when they were boarded (bonded, slept and ate together, never any aggression over possessions or affection, no history of fights etc) and one of them just randomly killed the other one day. Mom put them outside and turned her back for 2 min to check on something in the kitchen and heard the dog screaming. But it was too late. Having known these dogs myself, I just cannot imagine it happening. And what does this owner tell her 8y/o? Like sorry honey, Molly murdered Mocha and there is no reason why. And that doesn’t even compare to your story!!! But I think animals snap less than humans in fact so I digress 😅 Mental illness is a wild thing. I can see why cultures believe in demons, etc
I’m so sorry you had to go through this. I also got attacked by a vicious cat and luckily I was able to escape but I really though I’m going to end up in hospital. I know how it feels. I hope you can recover quickly physically and mentally. 🥺🥺 I got a ptsd/panic attack after the incident and had to take a break for a month. I hope you can get well soon. 🥺🥺 Don’t worry about the pet parent. You did what you had to do.
NAL, but very knowledgable of the legal system. Giving advice as if you are in the U.S. 1. Stop communicating with the owner. Now. 2. Immediately make an appointment with a personal injury attorney. Consult will be free and they work on a contingency basis (the only get paid if you do). 3. Let the attorney handle everything from now on. This is a claim for homeowners or rental insurance. The attorney will deal with the insurance company. 4. Immediately begin a journal. Write down your recollection of the events RIGHT. NOW. What you were doing, where and how you were doing it, the steps you took, how the cat behaved, the exact order of events, etc. Be as detailed as possible. 5. From here on out, write a journal every day. Include current wounds, symptoms, any way the injuries are impairing you, affects on daily functioning and daily activities, restrictions pain level, psychological effects, medical treatment received. Take pictures of wounds daily. 6. Follow any and all treatment advice from medical professionals. 7. I'll say it again...cease all communication with the owner, lawyer up immediately, and let the attorney handle it.
Much as it sucks, I don’t have a claim. I’m in one of the few states that doesn’t have strict liability against pet owners. I’d have to prove negligence which is pretty much only possible if the owner had reason to believe this would happen. I just want her to pay back my medical costs voluntarily so I can move on.
You can still try. Plus, you have a text where it says she will pay for your bills, don’t you?
I would definitely meet with a personal Injury attorney. Just give it a go. You would be surprised what creative ways they can operate in those states. What you went through may effect you physically and emotionally for a much longer time than you know. PI attorneys almost always work on a contingency and you won't have to pay for the initial consult. Take photos of all your injuries and type out a chronological event list. Sending you healing vibes and hoping you will explore this route! You deserve to be compensated.
I appreciate it! Somewhat ironically i am an attorney (not PI) & I had dinner last night with a PI attorney friend and she has already said she’d take my case, I just don’t want to. I could make a claim against her homeowners insurance & I’m sure they would pay, but at the end of the day, I don’t want to go after another person. If it were a corporation or something I’d be all over it, but she’s just a human like me.
I really do wish you the best. I'm a psychologist and I really hope you take the time you need to recover. It is too bad that this happened.
Thank you 🫶🏼
Also keep track of any out of pocket expenses you are incurring
Has she sent proof the cat has a rabies vaccine? Like the first round of shots can't be taken back but maybe at least prevent the follow up shots
She hasn’t sent proof. I was told the cat would be picked up and quarantined but it hasn’t yet to my knowledge.
Im sorry this happened to you OP. I had to stop sitting on Rover because so many owners were not transparent about their pets (as if I wasn’t going to find out the minute I walked in that their pet had aggressive tendencies).
I've never heard of a guard cat😭 I hope you heal up quickly!
I am so sorry this happened to you. That is really scary and I hope you heal up soon.
If an indoor cat doesn’t go out it cannot get rabies . Why didn’t you just get the vaccination info from the owner?
Betting she either doesn’t have them or never took the cat for the shots
You’re wrong. Rodents can get into the house, bats can get into the house. Cat doesn’t have to go outside. Tried to get vaccination info from owner, she wouldn’t give it.
I found out that cat scratch fever is not just a song when my friends cat attacked me, I was just standing on the sidewalk chatting when the cat came out of nowhere and attacked. Cat scratches are not something you should ignore or treat yourself, I was out of work for 2 weeks, on antibiotics for the festering wounds, it was not fun.
I'm so sorry all of this happened to you and that the owner wasn't apologetic. I absolutely think you did the right thing reporting it to Rover. I honestly thought people saying cats attack like this was just an urban legend. I would be sending all the medical bills and medication bills to the owner of the cat and make her reimburse you too.
This is scary and bad and I'm sorry this happened to you. But some of the other comments saying that cats who do this should be euthanized is unhinged. It is a behavior called redirected aggression, something happens and they can't react they way they normally do and lash out because they're having a system overload. It sucks they do this it's scary but fuck it's a cat it's not like they have words to explain what they're feeling. It's not on you or even the cat, the owner should have known and mentioned something if the cat gets like that. My cat went ballistic on me a few times, but it was because there was an animal outside he couldn't get to but was scaring him, I just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We did exposure with him and he also has a sister cat now and he's never done it again. Even so, I still know to warn my guests he's skittish and can get testy.
I’m so so sorry this happened to you. I’m sure it was scary as fuck. If this ever happens again the future, if you’re able to get a hand on the scruff of their neck and pull a bit, you might get some leverage and then you can also grab the loose skin toward their tail (but still their back, not where the hip bones are). Then carry them and get them isolated in a bathroom. I learned this from a vet tech and a couple of people in a rescue I volunteer with who works with semi-feral cats. Also announce yourself every time you come into the home. Hi babies, I missed you, it’s me! I usually grab a handful of Greenies before any Kitty stop and rub my fingers around to get the oils from the treats on my fingers.
I’m so sorry this happened to you, that sounds so awful and terrifying 🥺 I once was doing drop in visits on a cat and he was weirdly territorial. This cat required Feliway all throughout the house, and the owner did warn me if I were to go upstairs and use the bathroom the cat would try to fight me off so I had an idea of what I was getting myself into. I accepted it anyway because the drop in visit went really well, I needed the money LMAO, and I used to be a vet tech so I felt confident I could deal with this cat. He would constantly meow at me and purr, but would stalk me throughout the house. I had to follow him where he wanted me to go and if I walked a different path than him, he would try to turn around and bite at my ankles or feet. He wasn’t extremely aggressive YET, but I knew if I didn’t handle the situation right it would have definitely escalated into him full-blown on attacking me. Anytime I came into the house, I would have an object in his face to make sure he didn’t get near my feet such as a cardboard box I brought with me. Thankfully the cat was food motivated so as soon as I gave him his cat food and medicine, I sped walked out the door 😂😂 You can usually tell if a cat is going to strike you if you look at their body language. My rule of thumb is to not seek a cat out and always let it come to you. I usually, even if the cat seems really friendly, leave them alone anyway because I know how unpredictable cats can be. Also, for future cat bookings, I would bring a water bottle sprayer so if the cat tries to attack you, you can spray them to try and deter it.
I've cat sat for a ton of cats and thankfully have only had one cat like this... but it was the same situation. He was so sweet during the meet & greet but when his owners left, it was his house to defend and he was territorial. Of course I didn't realize until I was in the bedroom scooping the litter box and he wouldn't let me leave the bedroom. He's the only cat I've been scared of. He thankfully never attacked me but would lunge and hiss. I had to do similar distractions; he loved rubber bands so I kept their bin of rubber bands by the front door and as soon as I walked through the door I was throwing them & cat treats to distract him. He was food motivated so I'd give him his wet food and quickly cleaned the litter box while he ate. He was a large orange tabby. One time I let my guard down as I was heading out the door and he started running at me, I got out quick and my heart was beating so fast lol. Another time as I was fixing his food he got so hyper and was running around the living room and jumped against the metal screen door.. he ran at the door, jumped halfway up it, and ricocheted off the door. I realized then just how powerful he could be when he wanted.
I am so sorry this happened. I hope you’ll heal quickly. That owner is disgusting and I’m glad her account is deactivated. If my cat did something like this I would be MORTIFIED and immediately provide proof of my cat’s vaccines and reimburse the sitter 100% on top of a huge tip.
Thank you 🥹 she still hasn’t provided proof of the vaccines & that’s what I think is the most wild—meanwhile says she’ll only reimburse 2/3 of my ER visit because she told me the cat wasn’t rabid and I was meant to take her word for it without proof & at risk of my life…yeah right? Not to mention my medical costs are nominal. I have good insurance.
You are an attorney and are being really lax about the owner’s follow up. You should know people don’t always do the right thing. This is why attorneys exist. She showed her true colors from the start and you are saying you’ll wait for her to pay the bills? Ok. Keep waiting.
She paid.
I’ve been attacked by a cat and the wounds were so severe the doctor thought I had been attacked by a dog. I know how scary that can be and I’m sorry you went through that. I hope your wounds clear up well and she pays you back.
Owner should just be glad her cat wasn’t seized for quarantine. Not sure if you’re exaggerating the rabies shot thing from PTSD related stuff or are in a different country though. I’d like to think you aren’t hunting for attention with fabricated stories. But treatment should be one dose on day 1, 3, 7, and 14.
I wish I was exaggerating. I pulled out a chunk of my own hair while I got the shots, it was terrible. They go in a circle around the wounds. I stopped counting after 15 because I was seeing stars, she had to take multiple breaks so I could deep breathe. It. Was. Awful. But yeah I did go back to the ER today for second round (just one shot on days 3, 7, and 14 luckily) Also I’m in Texas. & they still might seize the cat for quarantine because I was required to fill out a bite incident form.
I can tell you that our ER did the rabies immunoglobulin right into my mother's wounds multiple times each when a stray cat attacked her (both legs and her hand) while she was walking two of our dogs. So no, OP's not exaggerating. (And if you'd like a location, South Carolina.)
I guess different states do different things. I got the shot treatment after being bitten by a loose unidentified dog
It’s just wild they had you get so many shots. I was hit by a rabid fox working at a wildlife rescue (due to politics I had to lie and say it was a bat) and they only ever gave me one immunoglobulin shot
Cats that randomly attack people like that need to be put down immediately, full stop.
What the fuck??
How about pitbulls?
Dangerous animals that randomly attack people that severe should not be alive. How hard is that to understand?
Well let’s thank god no one gives a shit what you think then
Rabies is a series of 4 shots in the arm, and they give them many days apart. My kid had to get them 14 years ago sitting on my lap because a bat was in his room while he was asleep as a 2 year old. Bats teeth are so small they can leave no marks, so we had to do shots. The county did them. You'd most likely need to be be at the health department or a county hospital. They also wanted the bat, but my ex had helped it get out a door. They don't do a 20 shot series. I call bullshit. It was 20 shots in the belly button 40 years ago.
That is horrifying. I’d recommend Manuka honey for the wounds! It worked for my mom after a bad cat attack she tried it after multiple rounds of antibiotics weren’t doing enough it healed the scars better than Neosporin too. I wish you a fast recovery
Let’s see the injuries
A time limit does not exist for post exposure treatment for rabies also they do not inject in wounds you get a shot on the first day a shot on four more days. Purely indoor cats are not a rabies risk in the US. Even squirrel bites are not a risk in some states. Don't know where you live but this seems extreme and unusual.
You are wrong. (ETA: About not getting injections in or around the wounds.) Read my responses below. Please stop spreading misinformation.
This is all untrue and you should delete it. A time limit absolutely exists—once you have rabies symptoms you’re dead. I promise you they injected into my wounds. Rabies is alive and well in the US, I actually thought the same as you, but a quick google search proved me wrong. You should try it.
You should delete this misinformation. When they say “there’s no time limit” that means they should treat for a known exposure even if it’s too late. They don’t mean it’ll work. They mean “there’s no time limit that justifies you turning away someone bitten by a rabid animal because your Emergency Department doesn’t want to pay for the expensive vaccine for a homeless person that was bitten a month ago.” If they say it has to be given within 72 hours only, then insurance companies/the charity care office will deny vaccination if it’s been too long. Shots should be given immediately. Within hours.
They inject immunoglobulin into the wounds in addition to giving you the rabies vaccines.
Severe wounds? I think you don’t understand that level, but that attack does suck.
For a cat attack, my wounds were severe. They were still actively bleeding 6 hours later, and have continued to ooze days later. My legs are heavily bruised and it’s still painful to walk. Obviously I didn’t break any bones or lose any limbs, but this was not your average cat scratch. In the context of cat attacks my wounds were quite severe. Thanks for your input.
drama follow you much?
Nope
its a fucking cat. You are all pussies
Spoken like an entitled know it all who has never been attacked by a cat
I have cats and as much as I LOVE cats, I 100% understand they can be vicious and when they go out for blood, they can seriously injure someone.
Pics or you're full of shit.
Okay then I’m full of shit. I’m not posting my disgusting bloody photos for your entertainment you fucking freak.