Conference misery::feline

    Oh, Yes, Definitely !!!
    
    Black Beauty was a wonderful stray that I adopted.  He was so
    protective of his girls that I had to watch where I chastised the
    girls.  They way I found this out is:
    
    Thunder had been a bad kitty and I was in the back bedroom chastising
    her when Beauty came racing down the hallway and leaped up, landing
    with his claws just barely unsheathed on my back.  It was his way of
    telling me I was not allowed to punish Thunder.  
    
    After that, I made sure beauty was not in the same room when I was
    chastising one of his girls.  He never really hurt me, he just warned
    me.  
    
    Of course, he would also do that when someone was tussling with one of
    my two-legged girls too.
    
    Sandi, mom to the Notorious Seven
    

    Yes, the next time it's claw clipping time, I'd keep Webster in a
    separate room and let things calm down for several minutes after
    Damian's claws have been clipped before I let Webster out.   I'd give
    Damian a wide berth for awhile too :-)  Besides protectiveness, cats
    just seem to wig out at any threat in their vicinity -- you've perhaps
    seem indoor cats attack each other (or the nearest human) if they hear
    an outdoor cat fight.  Just a kitty bizareness, no big deal if you
    know what to expect.
    

    I agree with catas getting wigged out at threats - it is definitely 
     kitty bizarrenes.    We have two indoor cats.  There used
    to be a feral cat that regularly would come up and thumb his nose at 
    them as they sat in the bay window looking out.  One of the indoor cats
    used to scrabble at the window, get all fluffed up and growl hideously. 
    The other indoor cat would get all fluffed up and attack the first
    indoor cat.  He was really ferocious and would terrify his brother.   A
    couple of times he drew blood.
    
    This was not an excuse to fight; they are littermates and are very
    close.   I think it was just excitement.  We solved this by putting
    down the shades in that window when we weren't around.  Last winter a
    car killed the feral cat, so that's that, at least for the moment. 
    
    They tend to become alarmed if we're doing something to the other one
    and will hide, but so far have not defended each other.  
    
    BTW, they are now quite calm about having their claws clipped.  We 
    simply bribe them.  We give them catnip immediately after both of 
    them have been done.  The minute we put down the first cat, he goes 
    and waits in the place in our entryway where we put the catnip, until
    we have done the second cat.  They squirm and mutter a bit, but don't 
    really struggle.    
    
    This has resulted in a weird bit of cat logic:  "unpleasant experience
    = catnip."    A couple of weeks ago I had to give one a pill.  When I
    put him down he immediately ran over to the catnip place.
    
    
 

    
    I agree with what everyone said. This does not mean that your kitty
    is a wild attack animal. We had a case similar to -1. 
    However when we doing the nails, be very gentle with their paw pads
    cats are very sensative there and a bit too much pressure on the pads
    and they are very uncomfortable. With one of our cats we have to 
    rap her in a towel and bring out one paw at a time. The other two 
    don't even mind the clipping cause they know usually afterwards they
    are going to get a treat.
    
    Shaw

    one other thing about Damien's claws. The fact that he is doubled pawed
    means that he might have a "dew claw" between the "thumb" and the paw
    pad. Often, this claw doesn't wear down, and is growing into the  cat's
    paw pad, which makes this area more sensitive than on other cats. I've
    had that extra claw removed on two cats, and it made claw trimming less
    of a horrible experience.
    
    Deb

    Yes, Damian's owner did say he has a "dew claw" that tends to grow
    right into his pad.  That's the reason for clipping.  She did say that
    they would have to put Webster "away" while the clipping is happening.
    
    It's interesting to hear the different stories of cat reactions to
    stressful situations.  I have 7 cats of my own and have not had this
    experience.
    

    I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way, but here it goes. I have 8
    cats and while none of them really like having their nails clipped,
    I've never had anything like the base note described happen to me.
    ANd I might add that most of my cats are former ferals.
    
    Now I have friends that have the described problems, (and friends that
    haven't), and the *big* difference that I notice between those that
    have problems and those that don't is that the ones that have problems
    make a big ordeal, almost a "ritual" about what they are doing. And this
    is true of for nail clipping as well as giving pills, getting kitty into
    the carrier, combing out matts, etc. If you just act like what you are
    doing is "normal", i.e., don't act like something is up, the cat doesn't
    seem scared or as upset and you are much less likely to get clawed. 
    
    
    Deb

    
    I never had cat attacks but I have on regular basis put my 
    cats in situations in which they could have freaked out, like
    bathing them (I don't clip their nails since they go outside), 
    giving medicines, de-ticking them, going to the vet, etc. I 
    agree with Deb that how I approach them affects how they react 
    to such unpleasantries, I believe they can sense my anxiety
    level and match theirs to mine! I cuddle them and talk to them 
    for a while before I subject them to the treatments, they don't
    like the baths, the pills, they attempt to wiggle loose, they 
    moan and groan, but they never claw or bite. I don't yell at
    them when they get difficult either, I just try the procedure 
    all over again, after a few times, they resign to the fact that
    I won't stop until I get my way and give in.
    
    
    Eva

My long-haired cat, Jasper, HATES to be combed.  He screams and
thrashes and puts up a real fight if I have to do a major combing
session.  My other cat, Chayna, who is short-haired (but loves to
be combed) has occasionally lashed out at *Jasper* during these
sessions, as if to tell him to shut up and behave! It's kind of 
funny, actually...

-- Nina

    It all depends on the cat.  I have 5 that I can just about
    do anything with.  I can clip claws, bathe and comb with a
    minimum of fuss.  I have 2 that would make you think that 
    the world was ending and it was their personal job to destroy
    anything in sight when it happens if I so much as touch a 
    claw.  
    
    I've been doing this a long time and I approach them all the
    same way like it's just another part of a normal day.
    
    After 5 years of working with Carrie and 3 years of working 
    with Mac I can sometimes get through one whole paw before the
    growling and shrieking starts where before it started immediately.
    This is major progress.
    
    So...sometimes it is just the cat's freaky personality.
    
    YMMV,
    
    Jan
    
    Jan

Definitely, especially if the two cats have a standing relationship. We've
recently adopted two cats (Deb Jancaitis's babies). Missy hasn't gotten along
very well with our first cat, Woolie, and sometimes there is screaming and
hissing. Each time this happens Patches, Missy's sister, comes running to the
rescue and it always turns into two against one with Woolie getting cornered
somewhere until one of us comes to her rescue. Missy exhibits the same reaction
when Woolie and Patches get into it, but when the sisters act up with each other
Woolie doesn't react at all past the usual feline curiosity. What a time we're
having getting everybody to get along with each other!!

Jim