|
I started volunteering at the nearby SPCA a couple blocks from us about a month ago. Currently I'm just doing feline associate stuff (which mostly just involves cleaning their rooms and sitting with them for a while to help keep them socialized).
Pixel, our cat, really, really hates other cats. I've seen her react with complete calm to both giant quiet dogs and small yappy dogs. When given the chance she actually rode a turkey for several yards in her attempt to take it down. She's a bit skittish around other people but that isn't consistent.
But she hates cats. She hates seeing them outside through glass. The one time we brought an obvious runaway stray inside the house she completely freaked.
Anyway, the first time I worked with the cats I come home and sit on the couch. She comes over and starts sniffing my hand. "Cute," thinks I, "she can smell the other cat." And then she started attacking my hand full on. Teeth, claws, yowling, hissing. A fair amount of blood results. The rest of the evening I'm an invading force, she found a high observation point and just stared at me.
Lesson learned. The next two weeks I get home, I immediately change clothes and wash my hands and while her reaction is much more muted she'll still swat my hands if they get to close and she still doesn't trust me.
Last night, I came home showered, specifically washed my hands with strong antiseptic soap using a scrubbing spong from the kitchen then after that used Purell and then ate my dinner of barbecue chicken with my bare hands.
After all that I go and find the cat, let her sniff my hand and fwap. Claws in but she swatted my hand hard enough it actually hurt a little bit.
As I say, Pixel really hates other cats. And the odd thing is I can't figure out how she knows to hate other cats since she was rescued before even being weaned and since then, other than that 2 minutes with the stray I mentioned earlier, has never actually been in the presence of another cat.
|