Question:
I was caring for my brother's cat at my home for four days. On the evening of the last day, the cat went ballistic -- it was like a scene from "The Exorcist"! The only thing she didn't do was the 360-degree head-turn and green projectile vomiting.She hissed, growled, howled and charged at me more than once (I'd never heard a cat howl before). She pooped on my rug and kept me from entering my own bedroom. I felt so sorry for her. Her owners finally arrived and calmed the little darling down in just 10 minutes.Two things: I had accidentally startled her and she had eaten part of a poinsettia leaf. The next day I visited the family and the cat licked my hand. I am still very skittish about this, though.What on earth happened? I feel terrible that I may have caused an animal that much anguish.
R.P., Arlington, Va Jun 26, 2005
Answer:
I appreciate your calm concern for the cat. I doubt that nibbling on the poinsettia could have flipped her trigger, since I have never heard of this plant making cats psychologically disturbed and aggressive when a small quantity has been ingested (toxicity scares about poinsettia plants are overblown).My guess is that this cat had never been in your home before and basically "freaked out," as some cats will do in a totally unfamiliar environment. (More often, they'll run away and hide rather than attack.) Strange smells, sounds, objects, animals and people can trigger the flight-or-fight reaction in cats. In this respect, they are less rational or domesticated than dogs, who are usually more people-oriented and less upset by a change in surroundings. Perhaps you put on some cold cream or body lotion that altered your scent. Or something you were wearing could have altered the image of you in the cat's mind, and resulted in her terror and defensive reaction. But most likely it was your change of scent that s
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