I've seen often quoted that Ragdolls won't defend themselves. Our Sage last night had some critter come up to the screen door that he was monitoring and he went berserk letting loose a growl that curled my hair and the spitting and hissing and a very aggressive posture. He patrolled the door the rest of the evening and I even got a low growl whenever I tried to calm him down! What the animal was I don't know. He has seen many critters out the window and through the screen and has never reacted like this. Usually he just gets a little more alert, even for other cats. He was quite impressive!
I hate to think it was a coyote but that is possible, they are in our neighborhood and we have seen one in our yard recently. (We live in the foothills of coastal California.) Don't worry the screen is secure!
I think they would try to defend themselves, they just wouldn't be very good at it. They don't have the "street smarts". I've heard Simone growl before too - when firecrackers go off around here she'll growl, right before she runs to hide under the bed.
No screen is totally secure and rabid animals are aggressive - and are reported to come through screens.
Ragdolls are quite capable of aggression. The problem is that many start with the assumption of friendship and safety in a new encounter. And sometimes it would be too late when they figured out fight or flight was needed.
Ours would go up to the screen sliders and go nose to nose with foxes, raccoons and other critters. Some of these contacts would eventually generate a hiss and growl, but not always. We now keep the glass doors closed where the cats have access.
Quote:No screen is totally secure and rabid animals are aggressive - and are reported to come through screens.
Thanks for the reminder but there is a metal mesh panel on the inside of the bug screen, it's quite secure.
No doubt these are very rare events and you are in better shape than a screen alone, but if you can put a fist through it, then a rabid raccoon can crash through it. Perhaps the rivets or screws would hold, but my concern is when the feral animal is willing to come right up to the screen. This can be a sign of illness and heightened danger.
(08-10-2010 10:14 PM)JanH Wrote: [ -> ]No doubt these are very rare events and you are in better shape than a screen alone, but if you can put a fist through it, then a rabid raccoon can crash through it. Perhaps the rivets or screws would hold, but my concern is when the feral animal is willing to come right up to the screen. This can be a sign of illness and heightened danger.
The initial reminder was good for everyone's benefit, Greg however is a grown adult with a visual on his own screen and if he says it's secure, a challenge isn't really necessary.
Perhaps. Better safe about it, however. It is better in my view to decide a warning is inapplicable rather than not getting it to consider at all. The strength (and relentless aggressiveness) of rabid animals is reported as a big surprise to those who confront them. I do not know that rabies is much of a risk where he lives, but one needs to be alert when they come that close to "civilization" to confront cats through a screen. However, as I wrote, better to provide information to consider rather than just assuming the person has already taken the factor into account, adult or not.
In the UK screens are rare because of the lack of bugs and rabid animals but there have been a number of cases in the news of young urban foxes getting into homes through open windows and doors during the warmer weather. In one particular case a young fox got into a bedroom and savaged twin baby girls. The parents were downstairs and were alerted by the children's screams but boith girls were hospitalised and suffered injuries which will scar for life and one of them was so badly mauled that her arm will never fully recover. The girls were around a year old, so not tiny. My thoughts are that if I lived somewhere where there was a risk of my cats being attacked I wouldn't rely on screens, I'd want something more secure. If a young fox can attack two children in their beds what could they do to my raggie babies, I shudder to think about it.
Ragdolls will growl when threatened but they still wouldn't stand a chance against a wild animal in my opinion.
Wow I wonder what it was that made Sage so aggressive? I hope you both stay safe!
(08-11-2010 03:51 PM)FluffyHuffy Wrote: [ -> ]In the UK screens are rare because of the lack of bugs and rabid animals but there have been a number of cases in the news of young urban foxes getting into homes through open windows and doors during the warmer weather. In one particular case a young fox got into a bedroom and savaged twin baby girls. The parents were downstairs and were alerted by the children's screams but boith girls were hospitalised and suffered injuries which will scar for life and one of them was so badly mauled that her arm will never fully recover. The girls were around a year old, so not tiny. My thoughts are that if I lived somewhere where there was a risk of my cats being attacked I wouldn't rely on screens, I'd want something more secure. If a young fox can attack two children in their beds what could they do to my raggie babies, I shudder to think about it.
Ragdolls will growl when threatened but they still wouldn't stand a chance against a wild animal in my opinion.
What an utterly frightening scenerio! Those parents must have been beside themselves!