# Aggressive Cat and Baby



## Anne5459 (Oct 5, 2004)

It's been so long since I've posted! In the meantime, we've had a new addition to our family, Adam, who is now 8 months.
Many of my posts in the past have been about Squeakers - she's now 5. She always was an aggressive cat, since we got her as a kitten. We worked with her, and she became much better - you could even call her a lap cat! But the aggressive tendencies were always there, and every once in a while, we'd get bitten or scratched.
Now the baby is here, and Squeakers definitely hasn't been receiving the same level of attention that she used to get! But she just attacked my husband pretty badly on the arm while he was petting her. And she's gotten me pretty good a few times too, to the point where I'm now scared to pet her. I actually think I'm scared of her now! Sometimes she'll nip at my ankles when I walk past... I'm so afraid she'll do something to Adam. I always make sure I'm in between him and the cat, but it's getting harder and harder as he become mobile, and what if I'm just not there one time?
What to do, what to do? I never thought I'd be one of those people who would even consider getting rid of the cat once the baby came - we knew we'd likely have a baby during Squeakers' lifetime when we decided to get her! It's just unfortunate that she can be so challenging...
Also, she went through a spurt of not grooming herself. We're wondering if she may be depressed since the baby gets all the attention. My husband read something about prozac for your cat, and we're seriously considering asking the vet about it - any thoughts?


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## DustinG. (Jul 25, 2009)

oh my goodness. i am so sorry you are having this problem.  

I have also had a cat with violent tendancies...i know this is a very hard situation, and i absolutly ADORE cats, and other pets. But IMO, one can not risk thier baby being injured. Not haveing children, or other pets.....i could work with a kitty who had violent tendancies, to a certain extent....i but i could NEVER risk my baby being injured by a cat who i know may very well do so. 

If i were in your situation, and my cat attacked my baby, i would never be able to forgive myself for such a bad thing happeneing that i could have prevented.

oh this is so hard! i feel for you! 
If i were in your position, i would feel that i had no other choice but to try and find a new home for kitty. Like i said, ive had a cat before that had random violent tendancies. her name was Baby, she would be REALY sweet sometimes, then occasionaly, she would lash out for no apparent reason...she cut me deap several time, bit my mom VERY deap once. She was scary because you never knew what would set her off. This was actually my moms cat, and my mom worked with her for a long time trying to get her to non lash out and cratch/bit......and well, the cat got BETTER, but only to a point. Baby was that way from the time she was a small kitten, up until she was about 10 years old, when she got out one day and didnt come back.
like i said, for me, this is just TOO much of a risk. I love my pets, but no matter how much i love my pets, human childrens saftety is first in my book. its one thing to risk my own flesh by keeping a questionable kitty, but entirely another to risk a small and MUCH more fragile baby.
i wish i were able to offer something more useful, i HOPE someone on here can!


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## DustinG. (Jul 25, 2009)

PS.....maybe your kitty does have some sort of depression. After all, there are PEOPLE out there who can be aggressive and un-predictable without taking doctor prescribed MEDs...i would say the kitty prozac, or some such other type of MEDs is a serious possibility....you never know, maybe your cat has allways had some sort of chemical imbalance, or emotional issue, and if you get her meds, it may completley stop the aggressivness! however, i make no claim to know about such things, as i have no experience with medicating animals....i'd say its worth a shot!


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## Anne5459 (Oct 5, 2004)

Just an update, we're going to the vet today with Squeakers to find if there are any meds to calm her down.


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## DustinG. (Jul 25, 2009)

i wish you luck! let us know how it goes.


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