Mellow cat goes zero to attack mode in 10 seconds...
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85135)
Shingle Springs, California
January 14, 2011 11:48am CST
Oreo is my most mellow cat by far. You can turn on the vacuum cleaner or the disposal, and it doesn't phase him at all. He gets along with all the other cats, and he's great with people he doesn't know too.
Tiger hasn't been doing well at all. For over a month, he's been declining, and for no apparent reason. Yesterday the vet gave him fluids, a B12 shot, some medication to help stimulate his appetite, and some special food. And when I got him home, he came and sat on my lap and ate quite a lot.
This morning R and I were giving him a pill, and Oreo and Jason were in the room. Tiger let out a hiss when the pill went in, and Oreo started attacking him. It wasn't playful at all. He had his claws out, growled and chased Tiger off the bed and all around the bedroom until we could collar him and toss him out.
R and I ended up with some claw marks, and Tiger doesn't want to come out of the closet.
So now I'm wondering what the heck was up with that. Was Oreo protecting us? Or responding to a perceived threat to himself? Or does Tiger just smell differently or something?
What turns the sweetest, most mellow cat aggressive like that? 
3 people like this
18 responses
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
14 Jan 11
I feel that it is like children, when one gets a bit of attention the other does not like it, sort of a jealousy mode. No matter how much attention we give children, there is always the sibling rivalry issues.
So maybe Oreo was lacking a bit of it lately in his own way??
2 people like this
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
14 Jan 11
But like children we love them oh so much, yet some get a bit jealousy, no??
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
14 Jan 11
He might have perceived the hiss as a danger to you and R. He might be jealous, tho probably not. The third is that he now thinks Tiger is weak so he can be alpha cat.
I would make sure that Oreo isn't around when you do things with Tiger, for whatever reason.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
14 Jan 11
So sorry to hear about Tiger still being sick.. the poor thing. I can't believe they haven't discovered what's wrong with him yet.
As for Oreo, that's kind of a funny story. I'm sure it was terrifying for everyone at the time, but hearing the story is sort of funny.
I haven't a clue what would have possessed him to freak out like that.. maybe it was to ward off some sort of threat.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
All I know is OUCH... No more letting other cats into the bedroom while Tiger is getting medicated. All the vet knows is that his bloodwork indicated the possibility of a viral thing going on, but it's not one of the viruses that they can test for.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
14 Jan 11
Oh no! I hope it's just as simple as like a flu type virus, one that goes away on it's own.. and nothing worse!
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (98830)
• India
15 Jan 11
I am not too sure Oreo was protecting you all. Tiger is declining already. So it is hardly likely that he can do any harm to you all. I doubt cats have intelligence to decide which ailment of cats is likely to cross over to humans. I do suspect that mellowness is an act. He possibly acts to be pampered more, and is annoyed that Tiger is cornering all the attention. Whatever led to that hiss on part of tiger, couldn't have been very pleasant. Unfortunately, it is in cat's language. Must be quite catty!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
16 Jan 11
Tiger probably hissed because it hurt his mouth, Oreo perceived a threat and went for him...
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
14 Jan 11
Oreo smelled the "needle man" or vet, to give him his proper title.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
Maybe so, but I think it was the hissing that set him off.
@hofferp (4734)
• United States
14 Jan 11
Dang, that would have me scratching my head too. Maybe Oreo just got up on the wrong side of the bed? Could be jeolousy; you're spending more time with Tiger than usual and Oreo's thinking he's losing out. I sure hope Tiger responds to the B12 and other medication. The loss of a pet right now would be pretty tough on the kids...and you.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
Yeah, losing Tiger is one of the things that's worrying Dearra right now. I suppose he took the hissing as a sign of aggression, not sure....
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
I hope so. Meanwhile she's not doing so well...
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
16 Jan 11
Tiger is a little bit better, at least he's eating.
@GardenGerty (157555)
• United States
15 Jan 11
B vitamins do have a strong odor, so that may bother Oreo, and if Tiger has been to the vet, he smells differently. The other medication may also make him smell bad. I would be giving him cod liver oil on his foods as well. Of course we do not know what kind of swear words Tiger turned loose with in that hiss. There may also be some other changes in his body chemistry that Oreo smells.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
16 Jan 11
Whatever it was, no more Oreo or other cats in the room when Tiger gets his meds.
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
15 Jan 11
Hi dawyny~ I think you might have given yourself the answer! It
is possible that Tiger might "smell" differently because of the
meds! When I used to bring my cat Cougar (RIP) his brother
Jaguar (RIP) would go insane because of the smell of the Vet?
It is quite possible that the meds have some type of odor that
they are giving off or the food or again, the visit to the Vet.
Cats are very in tune to this for some reason so this is what
might have set Oreo off. It is unfortunate, but maybe he will
get over it, hopefully. There is something definitely different
about Tiger's "smell", that I'm sure of and you can ask the Vet,
but I've seen it happen with my cats. Hope Tiger is feeling better
and Oreo get's over his "anger issues". Cat's are alot more complex
than people understand and I'm just glad that you are a "cat person"
and have that understanding and patience! Hugs, Opal
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
16 Jan 11
No more Oreo in the room when Tiger is getting his meds, that is for sure!
@apples99 (6556)
• United States
14 Jan 11
Well that is strange but then agin cats are strange creatures. my cat dose not stay mellow for long at all he gets worked up over loud noises sudden noises he basically freaks out whenever anything differnt happens, he loves affection though and is very friendly but if you turn on a blow dryer or vacuum watch out because he'll do anything to get away from it.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
My other cats freak out at those kinds of noises, but not Oreo.
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
I think the hiss is what set Oreo off, but maybe with all the meds and so on Tiger didn't smell right to him either.
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
It was the other cat who was getting aggressive!
@rosegardens (3034)
• United States
14 Jan 11
Whenever one of my pride goes to the vet, the others hiss and growl at him/her. They can smell the vet smell and the scent of other animals on the cat and they do not like it.
Once I took two to the vet, just so the others would not gang up on my poor little Bootsie. It worked better than I had hoped. The other three just seemed a bit confused as to who to growl at and they didn't. Until later that evening. lol
This is a bit funny because Bootsie goes the most. He has asthma and needs medicine and gets a check up a couple times a year. I took Stinker and they smelled the scents but they were attacking Bootsie instead of Stinker. 
Twice they did this. At least the sick cat didn't get attacked. He had an infection and could do without that sort of welcome home from the scary place that stuck stuff up his rear.
The cats smell different and the others pick up the scent of other animals, and it seems they do not recognize the animal that went to the vet right off because they smell so differently.
Twice they did this. At least the sick cat didn't get attacked. He had an infection and could do without that sort of welcome home from the scary place that stuck stuff up his rear.
The cats smell different and the others pick up the scent of other animals, and it seems they do not recognize the animal that went to the vet right off because they smell so differently.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
Hm, well whatever it is, no more having other cats in the room while somebody is getting medicated!!!
@rosegardens (3034)
• United States
15 Jan 11
lol. That is probably a good idea considering what happened.
I hope your babies feel well soon. Scratch D behind the ears and give tiger a hug for me.
@joystick (1675)
•
15 Jan 11
I hada cat like that once and i will say that in one way it was funny, when there were people that come to see you start to stroke a cat and then it all of a sudden attacks, as they say no the cat wont attack, no cat attacks me,lol.It had always been like that from day one, still was the same in older age, so it never did change it was a bermese.
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
14 Jan 11
I would say you were being protected. When I had my dog a gentleman came to the door that I really didn't like....well REggie took a look at me...then looked at the guy....looked back at me and went for him! I know he could feel I was uneasy..Oreo probably did too!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
I've never known of a cat to be protective before, but I guess it's possible.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
14 Jan 11
hi dawn could he have been emitting some sortof odeor that made Oreo
aggressiv as he did not understand it and wanted to attack Oreo because
he felt danger? I know cats are so different. my first roomie had a black male cat who would let you put him about so long, then whan he was fighting'with you hissing and his claws out and all. he looked really scary. I thought maybe my roomie had been mean to him at one time as at first he was so sweet and mellow . he had seemed to turn to me as his mistress was in the hospital but then all of a sudden he was like another cat.clawing me and biting. He sent me to the ER with cat scratch fever and for an oldr adult it really makes you ill. I would bet tiger with his illness was giving off an odd odor that scared poor Oreo a lot. poor cats. one sick and the other all angry instead of being mellow. wow
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
the hissing set Oreo off, but maybe it's also that Tiger didn't smell right to him.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
14 Jan 11
who ever knows what goes on in a cats head
they are much harder to figure out then any other animal i think. i had cats galore for years and have had them do things no one could ever figure out. either he thought Tiger was getting to much attention and got jealous or yes i bet he did smell different. i know once we had been getting one cats at a time neutered because we couldnt afford both. but when we first brought the one home, the other sniffed him and went crazy on him. so we had to keep them seperate for a while. by that time we'd taken the other in and i guess they got used to each ones smell again? who knows. they were fine once both was healed. 
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
The hiss is what set him off, and maybe he didn't recognize the smell and thought he was a threat. Lots of other good possible explanations up above!
@savypat (20216)
• United States
14 Jan 11
Think about lions, when one gets sick or old the others drive it away or even kill it. It's the survival of the pride and they cannot afford to feed a ill cat. You have a pride when you have more than one cat in your home. It's just natural for them to react like this. Give your old guy specal attention and seperate him from the rest.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Jan 11
That could explain it. I have been separating them, but this morning I let Oreo and Jason in. Not again...
