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Biting/scratchy cat - what to do?

Cheezu

279

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 22:11

JHM I think you may have hit the nail on the head, I think she doesn't know that what she is doing hurts! (As I'm typing she is sitting beside me purring but biting my arm!!!) Does anyone think getting another cat would help or make the situation worse? (Could she get even more aggresive.....or would it help? And if so, a young kitten or an older cat?) There's no guarantee. If she's already threatened it could make matters even worse. And please keep in mind that most cats are not as social as dogs - it may take them a while (days, weeks or even months) to get used to each other which could be even more stressful for her, yourself, and your family.

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BettysHotpot60680

463

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 21:20

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JHM

287

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 20:51

We used to have a rescue cat who would attack without provocation. If you had your arm on the arm of a chair he would leap up and hold on with teeth and claws; he also shredded the furniture. What finally fixed him was the introduction of a kitten I found on the street. Suddenly when he went to attack a person she would think it was a game and attack him. He learnt pretty quickly that being bitten hurt and stopped attacking people. He'd been played with before she arrived but she was more interactive.

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hastings15757

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 20:47

Be careful with cats that were originally feral - in countries in Europe many of them can be FIV+ - but don't know if that is the case in UAE.

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Cheezu

279

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 20:39

Our cat was the same (also adopted off street at very young age). Out of nowhere sometimes he would suddenly attack myself or dh really viciously. He would do that sometimes when the stroking got too much for him, but also for no apparent reason whatsoever. He has never done that to our kids fortunately....but has gone for the odd swipe. I watched a 'cat whisperer' show (can't remember the name of the guy), and basically he said that cats are either 'tree dwellers' - ie they like to be perched up high watching what's going on, or they're 'ground dwellers' - ie they'll find a little hole for themselves in which to feel safe/watch the world. In many cases like this when the cat is acting aggressively (assuming there's no medical/pain issue) it is because they do not feel safe in their environment, and they don't feel like they have a place that's theirs. So for a tree dweller s/he has no place up high s/he can retreat to etc. People need to look at their home and make changes to accommodate that. Strangely enough after moving into a villa our cat hasn't attacked once. He has his spot half way up the stairs from which he can look down on the living area, and that's where he retreats to if a stranger comes to the house so it's definitely his 'safe spot' - and I guess he's a tree dweller...In our previous apartment he didn't have the equivalent but we just didn't realize it. I think there's a lot in the theory as our cat has changed so much. It's called My Cat from H e l l (I don't know why that got censored) with Jackson Galaxy. Great advice, by the way. =) edited by Cheezu on 26/09/2012 <em>edited by Cheezu on 26/09/2012</em>

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Cheezu

279

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 20:39

I'd so recommend watching the show My Cat from **** with Jackson Galaxy. It's on Animal Planet but you can also download it. He offers very useful advice about troublesome cats. Do not by any means shut her off. This will make matters worse. If she is attacking your kid it is most likely because she feels insecure or threatened. Try to play with your cat. This will tire her out so she won't be over-stimulated. You may be petting her in areas where it hurts, too, so she will react by lashing out. Some cats are bush dwellers whereas others are tree dwellers. If she's the latter it would be useful to install some shelves around the room where she could climb up and seek some peace and comfort yet still be a part of things, if you know what I mean. All stuff I learned from the show. =)

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BettysHotpot60680

463

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EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 19:05

All very interesting, thanks for all the input and suggestions. I guess we will persevere and try some new tactics. Keep you posted ;)

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kpea

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 19:02

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fjcruiser

542

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EW GURU

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 18:41

I was in the same situation as you when we found our little feral girl. She used to bite me a lot as I think she was quite posessive and looked at me as being her mum.I used a spray bottle quite often and at the end she started calming down. As she grew older (she is now 18 months), the 'attacks' became quite infrequent but I get them at times if she is in a mood!. Now I tend to blow on her and it calms her quickly or she is sent outside. I think she wants me all to herself and is jealous of hubby and my DS she very rarely attacks. I think the feral genes are there, no doubt. I have never experienced this before. It will be difficult to re-home a cat without telling the new owner of this issue to be honest. Give your cat a bit more time and use spray bottle or blowing on her face. She will get the message. Good luck.

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BettysHotpot60680

463

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 17:31

We had her spayed already, a couple of months ago. She is now around 7 months old. We actually got her for DS, so it's quite sad to hear him ask for her to be taken away and put in a different room from him. Like Joyce says, am also wary about her being in the room with others' smaller LOs. It's odd as she doesn't scratch furniture and is not destructive at all, we can all be sitting quietly and she just jumps on DS when he is least expecting it. It's actually almost as though she sees him as someone in her territory/an enemy?! :\:

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JoyceB11624

1236

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 17:25

As a cat lover and owner, I'd say get rid. If she has feral tendancies, you won't get her to change. My sister has 2 cats, 1 male who is very friendly and loves to be petted while the other is semi feral. She too, is nervous and inclined to scratch or bite with no provocation. The difference is that there are no young children in the house, just my 18 year old nephew who can handle the odd attack! You have a 5 year old and cats can and do inflict serious damage. I appreciate that you probably love her having had her for a while but if you can't trust her around your own LO or perhaps LO's of friends, it's not worth the risk. Just my opinion which may not be popular :(

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BettysHotpot60680

463

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 17:12

So, a few months ago I'd posted asking for advice re a scratchy/bitey cat who we had adopted a very young cat from the streets (she must have been about 8 wks old when we got her). Things have only really got worse, she has always been the sort of cat who will sit beside you but doesn't like to be touched too much. I read up on this on the net and realised some cats are just like this, so we have learned to read the signals i.e. watcing for head twitching etc to say she has had enough of being petted (before she turns and bites!) BUT she has now started randomly jumping/scratching my 5yr old, he can be quietly sitting playing or eating and she will just attack him out of nowhere. It's kind of starting to get to the stage where she is not really enjoyable to have around as i'm starting to get wary of when she will atttack him next. I read that shutting her in a room in isolation is the way to teach her you are not pleased with that behaviour, but she doesn't seem to be that phased! what to do??!

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