'Devil cat' hospitalises english villagers in attacking spree

[Ichingcarpenter]

A pet cat has been accused of launching a series of attacks across a village and putting residents and pets in hospital.

The black tom called Shiny has been nicknamed the ''Devil Cat" after being reported to the police fives times over its violent behaviour.

Locals say Shiny chases children, picks fights with dogs and even bursts into people's homes to claw and scratch them.

Its victims say they are so scared they retreat behind locked doors and arm themselves with hoses and mugs of hot tea whenever they see the black cat prowling the streets.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10478401/Devil-cat-hospitalises-villagers-in-attacking-spree.html

[pinboy3niner]

1. Reading this has got me feline a little spooked

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. Well turn on your TV right now

[mdbl]

4. Makes me think TVN is an affiliate of Fox News

Anything that looks like it's from the supermarket tabloid shelf is what Fox covers.

[countryjake]

3. First it's "lambidextrous"...

you cracked me up in that dam thread.

Now this.

[another_liberal]

5. Just look at that innocent little face!

He's not a bad cat. It must be that he's just misunderstood.

[Voice for Peace]

33. that's what I was going to say!! he looks sad.

[Alkene]

6. Armed with mugs of hot tea.

I rather like that imagery.

[eShirl]

7. sounds like a job for Jackson Galaxy

[GoCubsGo]

25. Or, the spay-neuter clinic.

I get the impression that this guy still has his nuts. That's not unusual behavior for intact male cats.

[renie408]

8. Shiny should be glad he lives in the UK, where they are armed with hot tea.

Cause I am thinking he would have a different experience here.

[countryjake]

9. After reading that article...

and seeing this picture:



Look at that animal's posture, then look at Poppy. The owner claims that they've never had any problem with their pet, but she also says that he's an "outdoor" cat who comes in to "feed". Now imagine the poor guy being allowed in with three little kids most likely hounding him to death whilst he's trying to eat. Anyone ever see what an innocent little babe can do to a cat?

First thing I'd do is clip back his toenails and then file them. I'd then restrict those children's contact with the poor guy, making sure that they understand he is no toy, and keep him inside the house for gradual longer periods of time. Reduce the animal's outside "territory" by establishing indoor spaces where he, alone, can be king.

That is, if they want to save him.

[Merlot]

10. You're probably right about the kids

Poor guy is probably stressed and acting out. I wonder if he's fixed.

Looking at that picture, i can't tell who the real devil is....

[countryjake]

11. From the article, owners say that he's now been neutered...

and booked in to see an animal psychologist. Which means that during all of those terrifying attacks, he wasn't and was probably actively on the prowl.

I had to chuckle when I read about that psychologist appointment.

[Merlot]

16. It's really nice how they take his well being so seriously!

Animal psychologist? Maybe they should just watch a few Episodes of the Cat Whisperer.

[countryjake]

19. Cat Whisperer?

It never fails to amaze me when they come up with new programming these days. Tho, that's one that I'd probably try to see. We used to have a real dog whisperer out here in my county, pretty famous for his abilities in the Seattle area, but Mark Stover was murdered several years ago.

I like how they seem willing to defend their pet, too, but I also think that they should work on keeping him inside, simply because the villagers are restless and sooner or later, somebody will probably deliberately hurt Shiny.

[Tree-Hugger]

22. It's a pretty good show

Disclaimer - I like cats.

He seems to do wonderful work with some otherwise naughty kitties. He helps the owners see things from the cat's perspective to explain the behavior. It's a cool show to watch now and then.

[countryjake]

26. I will watch for it (I like cats, too)...

I've worked a lot with ferals, taming them so that they could have a chance at adoption and finding them real homes. Anyone who tries to look thru a cat's eye must be a pretty good "cat whisperer".

[Tree-Hugger]

29. Good on ya!

Thanks for taking care of the ferals so they can find homes.

I'm a veterinary technician. I have taken on 6 feral kittens in my career. Not a single one was ever adopted out...because I fail at fostering and kept each one. I currently have 5 (the 6th has passed on to kitty Heaven).

[countryjake]

32. I've got two looking at me right now...

they are both at least 15 yrs. old (that's how long I've had them) and a third passed away this summer (my dear baby girl). I laughed out loud when you mentioned your job, vet techs are who I have most often relied on to give safe homes to one of my re-tuned sweeties. Can't just let them go to any old place, for the sake of the adopter and the very nature of the critter.

[Tree-Hugger]

34. Collecting cats is a veterinary job hazard :) nt

[Merlot]

36. The show is actually called "My Cat from Hell"

on Animal Planet.

[Mz Pip]

17. I have a very old British Shorthair

He's pretty mellow and does little other than eat and sleep. My 17 month old grand daughter wanted to play with him. He was not amused and hissed at her. She hissed back. They reached a compromise. She would just sit next to him and he would not run away. No touching, no hissing. Everybody happy.

[countryjake]

24. Like a mama kitty will teach a rowdy youngster...

it normally only takes one or two lessons before they learn the boundaries. We had a darling kitten dumped in the ditch at my mother's house this fall...bringing him inside created quite a scene, as her old tabby immediately became the cat from hell, mad at both the new interloper and me. And that was after I'd spent months trying to change her nature from Mrs. Grouchy to Ms. OkayIllAcceptYouIfIHaveTo. However, after the initial vicious swat and a week of acclimating the poor little guy to his new housemate, she began to develop a relatively nice friendship with him, as long as he didn't get too chummy. Sad thing is, I have a feeling that she must look exactly like his mama and he cannot understand why she will not accept his kitteh kisses.

[Liberal_in_LA]

12. pretty kitty

[Rex]

13. He looks like a big tom.

Scotland yard been notified?

[Cleita]

14. OMG! he's the spitting image of my Benny, who attacked me in his younger days

sending me to the ER several times. Vets told me to euthanize him. I finally found a vet who was able to help me with dealing with an aggressive cat. We still have occasional problems but he has mellowed into a thirteen year old cat who prefers to eat and nap rather than attack me. I wonder if there is something genetic there.

[mynaturalrights]

15. Ha ha

nice looking cat

[Ikonoklast]

18. Shiny just doesn't suffer fools gladly.

My advice to the villagers is to stop being foolish.

[flamingdem]

20. Is this a transparent attempt to takeover

from Grumpy Cat with a new kitty concept?

[MzShellG]

21. Reminds me of a Stephen King novel or movie.....

Like Pet Semetary or something. Eerie.

[Tree-Hugger]

23. Poor little kitten

Bet he just wants a hug and a nice cup of tea (that's not being rudely thrown at him).

[Warpy]

27. His orange cousin terrorized my neighborhood back home

and I was sick of the vet bills for my cats after he'd bitten them.

So I started to put out food when I'd see him. Then I got him used to having me around with the food, then being touched (and he was nasty). I took advantage of this lull in ferocity to sit on him and get a flea collar on him. He was covered with fleas and ticks. With the parasites gone, his coat filled in and almost covered the crosshatched scars all over his face.

When he let me touch him again, I'd pick him up briefly and scratch under his chin. Then he'd start standing on his hind legs and asking to be picked up and scritched.

He never attacked my cats again.

I'd decided to invest in him because of what happened one day when my cats were all treed by a big dog whose owners let run free. That cat was just out of reach and kept hitching himself around the tree until the dog was in a perfect position, then he jumped onto the dog's back and dug in his claws. The dog took off howling.

Honestly, it was one of the best laughs I've ever had. I never saw that dog come close when that cat was in my yard, either.

Something tells me this UK bruiser has a home, though.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

28. Like my cat

when my old cat was a kitten he jumped on me and climbed up my sweater and then jumped to the curtain and clawed his way up. After he was neutered he was relatively calm.

[MannyGoldstein]

30. That's nothing:

[1000words]

31. If this was a dog it would be put down

This animal is as much a threat.

[OwnedByCats]

35. In England most people allow their cats

to roam outside. That was never my thing, my cats are indoors only. Got a lot of questions as to why I did that. I guess all the "missing cat" posters I saw and the nightly cat fights outside my house probably had a little something to do with it. Luckily though my cats' vet was an advocate for keeping cats indoors whenever possible, said he saw too many injuries and fatalities when it came to cats that were allowed outside.