Why did the normally mellow Mountain View cat suddenly attack his owner?

DEAR JOAN It s p m and my invariably indoor cat Butter is growling at the screen door in my bedroom I turn on the outside light and see two huge raccoons in the yard Suddenly the kitty turns on me and claws my leg with both paws leaving deep puncture wounds then he jumps up on the bed and falls asleep as is his normal pattern I saw a specialist and got an antibiotic so I m OK but my question is why would my normal loving mellow cat attack me when he was obviously upset by the invaders in a yard where he has never set paw Susan Barkan Mountain View DEAR SUSAN Butter s perceived betrayal in attacking you was a incident of redirected aggression and nothing personal against you When cats are triggered usually by the sight of another animal there s a buildup of emotions and because they can t take it out on the offending animal cats will turn that rage on someone else which unfortunately was you Butter might not have set foot outside but he still considers it part of his territory and those darn raccoons were threatening his kingdom There are a inadequate things you can do to avoid a repeat of the attack Close blinds or drapes at night and if Butter does see something that triggers him move fast out of the reach of those claws Don t try to comfort or calm him until he quietens down It s also a good idea to provide a safe place for him to go somewhere comfy and soothing such as a corner a box or beneath a piece of furniture Put pillows and blankets there Cats like an enclosed space when they are upset as they feel safe there DEAR JOAN One of the neighborhood crows has a distinctly different voice or caw It is a higher pitched caw and sometimes ends in a series of high ar-ar-ars I am guessing it is a juvenile because I have seen it acting like juvenile gulls do by hanging around an adult and sort of hoping to be fed but then being ignored poor thing as I guess the signal to find its own dinner Tough bird love But the juvenile crow s sad-sounding to me caws have gone on for months Is this normal Is it OK Jean Aptos DEAR JEAN If it s survived for several months I d say it s OK Your juvenile crow however might be a common raven Crows and ravens look very much the same but ravens have a different sounding call which is very much like the one you describe You can hear recordings of both crows and ravens at the Cornell Lab s website www allaboutbirds org and judge for yourself Although they might not sound very melodious the calls of crows and ravens are considered bird songs Unlike multiple other birds crows and ravens don t only sing as a way to announce their territory They sing to communicate with others in their flocks sharing secrets and insights we can only imagine I can t explain the behavior you describe although if they are ravens they could be mates or flock-mates The Animal Life column runs on Mondays Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris gmail com