I may be able to help out with advice on some feline behavioural problems, but not all the time.

For instance, several readers have sent me a story from the CNN website about Lewis, an attractive black-and-white cat in the US who has been attacking his neighbours. Lewis hides in the bushes and then springs out at them as they pass, his claws and fangs bared, or he rubs in friendly fashion against their legs, and then, when they lean over to pet him, he bites and scratches them.

The police finally told his owner, Ruth Cisero, that she would have to go to jail for "reckless endangerment" unless she euthanised her cat. She refused and took the case to a judge, who ruled last week that Lewis could live, as long as he was never allowed out of the house again.

"Why would a cat attack people?" readers ask. Cats, even un-neutered toms, don't ordinarily attack a person, unless they are cornered or defending their kittens.

I don't know specifically why Lewis would attack people. Ruth seems to be a caring owner, and I assume he's been neutered, thus reducing aggressive tendencies. I also assume that he has been treated gently at home. In the CNN photo, I see a large but relaxed cat sitting on her lap.

Did Ruth get him as a kitten or as a fully-grown cat? I don't know. I've met rescued cats who scratch and bite the hands that feed them. Sometime earlier in their lives, they have learned to distrust people. Although they may allow one or two people to touch them, they defend themselves against the outstretched hand of anyone else.

It's possible that a cat who bites has never been socialised. I once met a full-grown cat who had been found wandering in a field. She looked like a kao manee, a white-furred beauty. She allowed people to pick her up, but if you tried to stroke her, she would bite. I imagine a breeder keeping her in her cage all her life as a kitten-factory, never petting her or even speaking to her - in other words, never socialising her.

I don't mean that all rescued cats are aggressive. Some, like my one-eyed Angel, who joined us when she was around six months old, thrive on companionship.

Others can never be pacified. They purr, they gaze lovingly at you, but they cannot be touched. They will fight back. It really depends on the individual animal.

Lewis seems to have taken self-protection a step further, actually stalking passers-by. I just wonder what earlier experience hard-wired him to the behaviours of his ancestors, those mighty hunters.

By Laurie Rosenthal