So, My Cat Took Down a Six-Foot Maintenance Man

[Are_grits_groceries]

(not my story. My cats love the maintenance people)
In one corner, we have the maintenance man, standing 6-feet-tall and weighing in at 200 pounds. In the opposite corner, we have the world-reigning catnapping champion, Furball, standing 10 inches high at the shoulder and weighing a formidable 12 pounds. Who will reign supreme?
<snip>
Round 1
It all began rather innocuously. I placed a call to the building management and asked them to fix a small leak in the bathroom. Since I would be at work during the day, I gave the maintenance men permission to enter my apartment while I was out.
<snip>
That’s when I noticed the ominous red glow of the light on the answering machine. Hesitantly, I pressed play. “We sent maintenance to your apartment, but they were unable to complete the work because your cat attacked them. Please call us back.” The words hung in the air like smog over L.A.
<snip>


Round 2

<snip>
Round 3
What happened next was completely unexpected and it took all of my strength to suppress the laughter welling up inside me. The 6-foot-tall, 200-pound maintenance man pressed himself closely to the wall as he walked around Furball, giving the cat as wide a berth as possible. The scene was ridiculous. It looked like a cartoon elephant standing on a stepstool to avoid a mouse.
<snip>
The whole story: http://tinyurl.com/7d57duv

Heh!

[lunatica]

1. Don't ever mess with Basement Cat

[malaise]

2. LOL

[TexasProgresive]

3. Years ago I had to enter apartments for repairs on MATV systems

Mostly no one was home.

One day I entered an apartment and checked the TV outlet in the living room and the one in the bedroom. The bed had a velvet patchwork cover on it that was rumpled up. I removed the outlet plate to replace it. Suddenly I heard the most ferocious growling. A calico kitty was sleeping camouflaged in the coverlet.

I am a cat person and she was not happy that some strange man was in her boudoir. I don't know if attack was coming but I made haste to finish and leave.

You never know how your pets are going to behave when you are not present. The sweetest little dog can become the alpha wolf.

Now the maintenance man may have a pathological fear of cats.

[Ikonoklast]

9. Growling Cat = You Are Definitely Being Warned.

Angry + Scared + Kitty = Lots Of Antiseptic For You.


I'd rather juggle three running chainsaws than further antagonize a growling kitty on their own turf.

Less bloodshed with the chainsaws.

[raccoon]

4. What a treasure! (the cat, I mean.) nt

[pinboy3niner]

5. Dont tutch the but

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=7950254&mesg_id=7950254

[Darth_Kitten]

6. Well, with all due respect, cats can bite and scratch....

and though it sounds cute, who needs that?

[Snake Alchemist]

7. Surprised they didn't request the cat be put down

I've seen the other side of this and it is sad beyond belief.

[Are_grits_groceries]

10. Why wouldn't they request that the cat be sequestered in a room or something?

If rabies was a worry, a quarantine would solve that question.

[Darth_Kitten]

12. Well, when service people come over, animals need to be properly restrained.

or at least put in a room where they are not a danger to themselves or others.

[davidthegnome]

16. Err...

Why would anyone request putting down a cat for being scared of a stranger and defending it's home? Granted, cats can be dangerous (my little orange one isn't terribly friendly towards strangers and my big yellow lab follows the cats orders) but I think that's kind of far out. Now if it seriously injured the man, that's another story.

[Snake Alchemist]

18. Same reason dogs are destroyed for this all the time even for minor injuries. nt

[NoGOPZone]

20. I only skimmed the text, but I can't see where

the cat actually bit or scratch. Therefore, I'm not sure if it could be put down. The owner does seem unusually proud of its pet's behavior.

[mainer]

8. One of my female friends always turns up with cat scratches

She has a sneaky Maine Coon Cat who loves to pounce on her when she least expects it. Not vicious, just thinks it's a game.

[the antichristie]

13. Scratches are the mark of a cat "owner"

The quotation marks are apt, since no human ever really owns a cat!

[VWolf]

19. A dog has a master. A cat has a staff. n/t

[the antichristie]

11. The Dude Abides!

He's a red tabby who informs me when it is time to pet him. I'm a 49-year-old man weighing 206 pounds, but I know better than to mess with The Dude!

[Maine-ah]

14. two of my cats attacked my mother.

left 12" cuts (I can't say scratches, they were very deep, and she should have had stitches) down the back of her legs. They thought they were protecting their babies. Don't mess with cats when they're pissed.

[woodsprite]

15. A mad cat is nothing to be tampered with.

We have a friend (professional piano accompanist) who was attacked by her kitty. He bit her in the hand, several deep puncture wounds, had to go to the ER (it was over a weekend), had to go back in on Sunday because she had infection starting. They ended up having to operate using an arthroscope to 'clean' her tendons/ligaments of the infection, Then they had to stitch the wounds open for a week and she visited the hand surgeon daily to check on healing. That was over 3 months ago, and she just started accompanying again.

She thinks it attacked because she startled it. I say "thank goodness" it was her hand and not her face since the cat was sleeping on her bed near her pillow.

My cat only bit my husband one time (right through his thumbnail), and it was because he was doing something stupid -- trying to "introduce" her nose-to-nose with my SILs german shepherd dog.

[davidthegnome]

17. The guy tried to pick it up

LOL. As I'm always telling my girlfriend - who has a black cat very similar to Furball... do not pick up a cat that does not like being picked up. You'll get bitten, clawed, you will most likely end up bleeding. She doesn't listen, is determined to change the cat's mind, and thus often has a few scratches.

Got one of my own that hates that. She loves me, but if I pick her up she'll only tolerate it for a minute or two before she gives me a warning growl. I learned long ago to heed that warning.

[Voice for Peace]

25. I'm of your girlfriend's persuasion

I've found often that a cat who initially will bite and scratch me, and not want to be held, will relax and begin to purr when I impose my dominance by holding very firmly but lovingly, and scratching face, ears, sweet spots.. then before it goes on too long, I put the cat back down very gently and with more firm touch. Gradually changing the cat's understanding of what my hands and arms are for.. ie, NOT for biting!

Over the course of a few months one of these cats has almost completely stopped biting or scratching and has become very affectionate. He was on the street for first year of his life, then adopted; but was still quick to attack if feeling nervous. This is changing.

I'm convinced that most creatures, if you can find their sweet spot, want physical affection.

[azurnoir]

21. Lol brought back memories

I had a similar experience some years back my cat Gizmo had a window installer held at bay, she would sit a few feet away and growl steadily, the poor guy called me in and pleaded "ma'am please call off your cat" I understood that can be pretty menacing if you don't know she wasn't going to do anything but that

[HopeHoops]

22. Nice guard cat. Does it work for the Jesus freaks that come around with their "handouts"?

[Baitball Blogger]

23. I've been attacked by a declawed cat!

It still has teeth. The smart little bugger knew how to hide behind the curtains or under the furniture. You never knew from where he would attack.

[dixiegrrrrl]

24. My roomate had to get rid of her cat because it constantly attacked people.

The cat would, for no reason at all, leap from the floor into our face, growling and biting.
There were 3 of us sharing a house, and I got most of the attacks.
Have no clue why the cat acted that way, I am very much an animal person.
First and only time that has ever happened.
That cat was dangerous and scary, for real.