Grumpy the cat will get you in your sleep

Grimmlok · August 30th, 2006, 09:47 AM

Quote:

With his vicious fangs on display and weight firmly on his back legs, this tabby looks set to pounce on its unsuspecting prey.

But it is not mice, birds or any other small animals he is after. It is not even the other pet cats he has already savaged in his neighbourhood.

They were deemed too 'small' a target to terrify, so he decided to turn his attention to a much larger prey - humans.

The pet cat, who has been named Grumpy because of his exploits, started entering all the cat flaps on one street in the search for food.

He would make each house his own and would scare off the cats who lived in each of the houses.

And when the surprised owners returned home, Grumpy leapt through the air at them, hissing at them and scratching their hands and arms.

His antics in a small leafy street in Swindon, Wiltshire, have been described as a 'four-month reign of terror' by neighbours, who finally caught the cat and put it in a cage this week.

'It was the nastiest cat ever, it would just attack you and come at you with its claws and teeth,' said one 21-year-old resident.

'If you came home or woke up to see it, he would go crazy, bouncing off furniture at you before running out of the door.

'But you never saw Grumpy in the street or outside your home - that is why we named him the Phantom cat because we never saw him except for in our homes.'

At first the neighbours felt sorry for the puss, but after four received nasty cuts and scratches, they called the RSPCA for help.

They finally trapped Grumpy behind the sofa and used a broom to push it into a cage.

Helen Briggs, of the RSPCA, said the was very unusual for the cat to react with such ferocity.

'It is common for cats to go into other people's houses because they have a curious nature and some do stand their ground when they are approached if they feel threatened,' she said.

'But to actually leap up and attack a stranger is not as common. The poor thing must really be at its wits end and must not really have any love at all.

'I hope that it has a microchip inside it so that we can find its owner.'

Grumpy is being checked over by a vet and will be collected by the RSPCA for re-homing if no owner is found.

'He has been hissing at us and scratching our arms for four months now and I'm quite glad to see the back of him,' another resident said.

'I trapped him in the living room and ran to get my neighbour. In the end there were three of us in pyjamas running around my house after a cat.

'We finally trapped him behind the sofa and I got a broom and pushed it into the cage. It was great. Four months is a long time.'

'We felt sorry for it to start with but after four months we have had enough. We finally got it and we were all really happy and cheered."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/a...rth/article.do

ourmaninBusan · August 30th, 2006, 11:53 AM

I love cats as much as the next guy, but sometimes they
just need a swat on the head. I feed 'em, I change their
litter box, and if they do this sort of crap, they're fish food.
Gone. Done. Kaput.

Sojiita · August 30th, 2006, 12:00 PM

If I caught this cat in my house and it attacked me there would very quickly be one really dead cat.

pacific breeze · August 30th, 2006, 12:11 PM

It's obviously a traumatized stray. Probably been abused by humans and reacts by attacking them.

Sleuth · August 31st, 2006, 07:33 AM

I love animals but i think it would take a long time to try to stop this behaviour and teach Grumpy trust etc. It would be interesting to see someone take the time to help this cat but i don't think it will happen. If Grumpy came in my house and attacked me i probably would have defended myself and the cat would be dead. But who knows maybe this cat can be helped.

Reptillycus · September 25th, 2006, 12:10 AM

Grumpy looks very aggressive. My first reaction would be to check if he has been fixed. If not, then get him fixed, have him live in a room by himself with food, water, and a litter box for weeks or months so he can feel secure in a territory. He may not be able to be socialized with humans and other cats at all. He is acting like a feral unfixed stray that has an inordinate will to survive, which will be his undoing.

for Grumpy and the pets and people that he has terrorized...

Lobelia · September 25th, 2006, 12:17 AM

Quote:

'It is common for cats to go into other people's houses because they have a curious nature and some do stand their ground when they are approached if they feel threatened,' she said.

'K, um, it's common for cats in England to sashay into other people's homes? Really?

pacific breeze · September 25th, 2006, 12:29 AM

I don't know about England, but I have had a Siamese and an Abyssinian who both liked to wander into the neighbours' houses. My Siamese particularly liked lying on my next-door neighbour's dining room table, after he'd licked the butter dish clean.

They love an open door/window.

Lobelia · September 25th, 2006, 12:40 AM

I had no idea.

We had to literally throw our two outside today. It takes 3 people - one for each cat, and one to slam the door shut so they can't dart back inside.

We're trying to get them comfortable with the outdoors. They howled for 5 hours.

pacific breeze · September 25th, 2006, 12:45 AM

My Siamese loves to go outside, the hard part is getting him in. The stray could care less -- he's lived on the mean streets and he likes it inside where it's warm and there's food. But he does go out at least a couple of times a day.

Reptillycus · September 25th, 2006, 05:41 AM

Lobelia...
Why are you tossing those cats outside, it's alot safer for them inside, and if they WANT to stay inside, then they are very smart kitties...they can't be THAT much trouble...

Lil · September 25th, 2006, 07:55 AM

My cats go outside during the day if it is nice - the old lady cat loves to sunbathe on the deck. I live in a very quiet village though, so it is pretty safe.

My little cat has been in our neighbours' house, when they had the door propped open on a hot day. She has a bathroom fixation, and went to look at theirs then came back out again.

Lobelia · September 25th, 2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reptillycus

Lobelia...
Why are you tossing those cats outside, it's alot safer for them inside, and if they WANT to stay inside, then they are very smart kitties...they can't be THAT much trouble...

One of them keeps peeing on the floor. We're not entirely sure which. Due to another thread on this board, I'm now convinced that they need UTI checkups, so I'll do that. Plus, there's just so much darned cat hair everywhere.

I know it's safer inside, & I have mixed feelings about tossing them, but some people take the opposite view & think it's cruel to keep them inside. Personally, I'm torn about it. We live at the end of a long, dead end road so there's no traffic at all, and I know all the dogs in the neighborhood that are loose (yes, folks, we actually have no leash law in this bass-ackwards county) and they're all sweet, unaggressive dogs. They already live near cats & don't seem to even notice them.

Both of these cats are strays who landed at my house.

Reptillycus · September 26th, 2006, 03:51 AM

That is good news that it's safe outside, especially if there are cat friendly dogs in the neighborhood...it's the two legged varmints that often are a cat's worst enemy.

ediebrooks · September 26th, 2006, 05:51 AM

I let my cats out on the screened porch, and I probably shouldn't even do that, because now they have fleas. But they seem happy spending time out there, overseeing the activiites in the woods beyond my apartment complex. So I'm dropping by the vet today to get them some Advantage, cuz I 'm such a softy. I want my babies to be happy.

But I agree with you , Rep, about it being unwise to allow cats to roam the neighborhood. Dogs are the least of their problems. They also have to contend with careless drivers, malicious kids, and even malicious adults.