He was an older chow I rescued and after about 6 years he got really bad spondylitis and had trouble walking. Vet told me to help him up so he could pee and I guess he didn't care for it one time and damn near ripped my ear off. He lasted another year after that before he just couldn't get up anymore. An animal in pain or fear will do things like that.

My husband and I took in a cat once that decided to hide in the closet for a week and he decided to try to pick him up and the cat bit the living shit out of him. It got nasty green pus infection and he had to go to the doctor for a course of antibiotics. The cat turned out to be a bit mental, but sweet. He would ball up a towel we used to keep out the drafts and sit there kneading it for hours. If you watched him, he would meow once and if you didn't look away, he'd come over and nip you on the arm and return to his entertainment. I loved that cat, though. He died of kidney failure at 4 years old, but he was a beauty.

One of mine occasionally gets these weird hissy fits, usually triggered (I think) by seeing a cat outside, which bugs the hell out of all three of them. But Pixie has a total cow when this happens, and sometimes takes out her aggression on one of the other cats, and then there's this shrieking melee. The other cats quickly go off somewhere to get away from her, but Pixie continues to stalk around, growling and hissing. I have learned to avoid her when she gets like that because she's been known to pounce on me, all bristling with fangs and claws. One day I had to gently shove her out of my way with a broom (which she attacked with great enthusiasm) just in order to get past her. But if I leave her alone for a half hour or so she's back to her normal friendly self.

I think cats are just kind of psycho.

Mine is 13, yet still uses the hallway as a racetrack, running around for no apparent reason.

Sometimes petting him the wrong way results in a bite, or at least an attempt at one.

I've been scratched, bitten, attacked by so many cats, I can't even remember each of them anymore, but I do remember the wounds that became infected and how much they hurt me. Take special care to disinfect your cat scratches and keep Neosporin or something similar on them. Your fur baby was traumatized, too, and surely didn't mean to hurt you, at all.

This docile old kitty that's curled up sleeping on my lap right now used to take a flying leap right at our heads, biting and scratching, if we even looked at her too long. She was once a wild cat who couldn't be touched, and even after she finally was tame enough to let me get near, she'd rip my arm off if I put my hand out to pet her. During her very first trip to the vet, she officially tore up the five kind people working there, and they named her "the Cat from Hell" on my bill, ha!

One thing that I learned while dealing with ferals for many years, if you can manage a good high-pitched whistle, you can teach a cat to come with it. They don't respond like a dog, eager to see what their master wants; instead, the sound hurts their ears, and they will come running to bite your lips off. I have whistled the beginning of the theme to the Young and the Restless to call all of the kitties I've had over several decades, now. It's a handy resource to have if you've got an indoor cat who may accidentally get outside and is very easy for them to learn.

Hope your scratches heal up nicely and sorry that it happened to you.

Cats can have a lot of nasty bacteria under their claws including some that can cause cat scratch disease. I have experienced cat scratch disease first hand. I would watch the wounds and if they appear to get infected, go to a doctor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_scratch_disease

I'll keep an eye on them.

where it can impact vision. I actually lost all vision in my left eye. I was able to regain the vision over time due to a taking a mega dose of a really strong antibiotic. I never knew until later on that the medicine was a crap shoot as to whether or not it would work. I just assumed it work so maybe a positive attitude helped out.

Cat bites and scratches can be serious so be sure to keep an eye on them. If you do not have an updated tetanus shot it also might be a good time to get one. I believe that they are good for about 10 years now.

My suggestion is pay attention to his ears and his tail as those will give you some indication if he is agitated. I wouldn't let him out on the balcony unless it is enclosed. It's way too dangerous.

We have an enclosed terrace with two large windows looking down on to the parking lot (not much a view I know). When the weather isn't freezing cold, we let them out there. During the summer they can go in and out and we leave the window open when we are home so they can hear what is going on outside. Sometimes they get lucky and a bird will land on the air conditioner (that freaks them out).

My cat is VERY aggressive. He'll come up from behind and attack (though he's learned I'll attack him back either by wacking him or squirting him with water). A few years ago my wife rescued a street cat and now he bits her mostly, so we have to break up the cat fights.

cat inside to keep it safe from the busy road. Was that the right thing to do? Of course it was! All cats will scratch if they feel threatened; it's in a cat's nature. I have the sweetest cat in the world, but I also have the scars from pinning her down to remove a tick last month!
Don't worry about it; five minutes later, all was forgiven!

He kept his distance for a little while, but that didn't last long. I was a little more freaked out than he was, I think.

The trick I use to lure them to wherever I want to lure them to is the cat treat plastic container. The one I get is by Purina and is called "Whisker LIckin's." All I have to do is shake the plastic container and they come running. They also know the word "treat" and will respond to that as well. If your cat is unfamiliar with the treat, it's easy to train him. Shake the container to get his attention, then give him the treat. Do this a few times and he'll start salivating just by hearing the sound. (I'd make reference Pavlov's Dog but I wouldn't want to insult the cat.)

And hydrogen peroxide for those wounds, as soon as you get them. I have 7 kittehs and, from time to time, one of them will nail me. I've found that the peroxide disinfects quickest and best but you have to apply it right away.

So maybe I'll try that. Just getting the container out draws his attention, usually.

may have picked up a scent that spooked him or just all the different smells and sounds outside probably had him a little freaked out.

My first cat was a siamese who was supposed to be totally an indoor cat but she would escape every now and then, one time just as I picked her up a truck went by and she clawed the crap out of my shoulder. It kind of pissed me off, like I would throw her in front of a truck. Oh well, they just think differently than we do.

.....so please be really really careful to watch them for swelling, redness spreading, etc. Don't mess around with them.

They do have instinctual defensive stuff. They won't have recall of this, as you know. Once the fight is done, everything is back the way it was.

I sympathize with you, though… I have been marred on my chest from the springboard action of one of my first cats. Every time I look there, I remember her.

Oh, well…

clean the wounds very thoroughly - my cat just stuck one claw in my finger and while there wasn't much blood and I washed it with soap - it got infected.

their final ride in the car would be to the animal shelter. I have had 2 Rottweilers and 2 pit bulls and none of them would have ever attacked a human. I am not a cat lover even though I have owned a few.

actually bit me and tore up my arm.

Kitties are small but they are freaking scary when they get going! And they don't understand that we love them and are trying to keep them safe. *sigh*