Our Maine Coon tries to attack us when we leave him. He can be the sweetest thing while you're holding/playing with him, but get up or leave the room and you'd better have long pants and good shoes on, he attacks. Is he just not wanting to be left?

-- Anonymous, December 28, 1998

Answers

MY PARENTS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR CAT. READING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM I SHOULD SAY HE IS STILL PLAYING WHEN HE ATTACKS YOU. THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR OFTEN STARTS IF YOU PLAY WITH YOUR HANDS OR FEET. HE SEE EVERY MOVE AS GAME. WHEN YOU LEAVE THE ROOM SUDDENLY HE DO NOT SEE IT AS GAMEOVER. TRY TO MAKE HIM UNDERSTAND THAT BY DISTRACT HIM DOING SOMETHING COMPLETLY DIFFERENT SUCH AS SERVE HIM FOOD.

-- Anonymous, December 30, 1998

You didn't mention the age of your cat. I have a Main Coon Type cat and he "attacked" when he was younger. He eventually grew out of it (around 1.5 years). Also, being neutered helped also.

Hope this helps. :) Wei

-- Anonymous, January 31, 1999

Our cat, a stray who looks and acts like a MCC, used to launch kamikaze attacks on us when we walked past. The older he got, the better he got at moderating how hard he bit down or grabbed with his claws. I believe this is just play behavior, and younger kittens just don't have full control yet. Oh, yeah, he still will slap you (no claws)if you stop petting him before he's done. In many ways, our cats have the same behaviors as small, willful children.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 1999