Cat problem...sick of no help...sad...*tears*?

Question

Nobody seems to be able to help me...I'm asking this question here for the second time to see if anyone can new can help or if any of the old answerers came up with new ideas.

My cat...is big...17lbs over 3 ft long...big bobcat paws...LOOONG tail. He's very pretty tho. I got him when he was 14OZ, 5 weeks old, and him mom had already been dead for 2 weeks. He was malnourished (sucking on dry kitten food) dehydrated, dirty, and I'm one of those people who has to take animals like that home. He was sweet, gentle as a lamb, wouldn't bite or unsheathe his claws when you were playing with him, and all he wanted to do was sit in your arms. We moved and he was still fine sweet and kind...until i got him FIXED.

He is a completely indoor only cat. He has Inflammatory bowel disease which is well under control now (special food and no treats of any kind). The only other pet I have is an Iguana which does not spend any time with the cat, the cat does love to sit and watch him with avid interest tho.

I'm typing all of this so you can have his information and background, before i ask my question, so you can make a very informed answer, since this is almost the end of it. I may have to put him to sleep if we can't stop this behaviour. I don't want to...he's my baby but...I have to think about the safety of myself, my visitors, and my future family.

He bites...doesn't scratch but he bites. For no apparent reason whatsoever. Nothing outside upsets him, no noises, no anything, he could be sleeping and all of a sudden he wants a taste of mom so he runs over jumps up and latches on to my arm. He does it in my sleep. He bites me on the arms mostly, sometimes my legs (not often). The only indicator I have of the first strike is the pure evil in his eyes. No growling, his ears are up, his tail is loose and not twitching. After i get him off of me..then he shows the distinctive signs of aggression. He doesn't growl tho...I heard him growl once at a dog and then he was fine...tried to play with it. But then he tries repeatedly to try to bite me. Like he's mad I grabbed him mid air and put him on the floor.

My sister and her boyfriend live with me and my fiance. The cat bites the girls and not the guys.

Here are the things we have tried. They are all listed in order. We tried each method for approximately 3 weeks before giving up and going on to the next one. Some seem pretty mean...we are willing to do almost anything (we won't beat him tho) to fix this problem.

NO! Hssss, redirection, Blowing on his face, Spraying him with water, tapping his nose, tugging his whiskers, shoving fingers in his mouth, pinching his lips, putting him in the bathroom for 10 min timeout for biting, tapping his forehead, scruffing, slamming (scruffing him before he bites or during his leap to bite and pushing him to the floor, not in a hurtful manner), smacking his bottom....I've given up right now and basically just dump a bottle of water on him so he has to go dry off before he bites me again. When I scruff him I put my hand under his bottom so he doesn't get hurt.

I love my cat to death....please help....

If you need more info just ask...I don't know if I got everything. Its a long question as it is.

Thanks

Answer 1

Now, to clarify, you're saying he only began this behavior AFTER being neutered, correct? Perhaps ask your vet about hormone treatment, since the behavior might be triggered by the lack of hormones now that he's neutered.

I see you've tried the fingers in the mouth thing (which was my first thought) have you just shoved fingers in there or have you used a finger/squeeze combo? I personally use a combo, get your thumb or first finger in his mouth and press it on the roof of his mouth while squeezing down with another finger on the bridge of his nose.

I have fostered cats in my home for almost 7 years now, and the only time I saw this in a cat was with a feral litter I picked up. I ended up keeping one of the kittens because he became very friendly, but the other 4 went to barns and sanctuaries because they didn't show enough interest in interaction with humans to be considered adoptable.

What I did with these kittens was use the method above in combo with a small (dollar-store) squirt gun. When I had them in the squeeze combo, I would hold them there until they started to squirm, then give them a quick (light) squirt up the nose with water and release them. Increase pressure in the squeeze and add more squirt each time provided he doesn't stop, and maybe he'll get the message. The big trick is having Everyone the cat interacts with follow the same method of discipline! I would buy one of those "party packs" of little squirt guns and stash them all over the house so there's always one nearby.

I read another poster's response about possible brain issues, if you are willing to spend the money on that, have a cat-scan done on him to see if he's got a tumor or something...it's quite possible and might save you the pain of finding out tragically later on.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

Some thoughts for you - have you had a vet rule out any health issues?  In rescue we've seen a couple of cats that have a behavior like you are seeing.  We sent the first one to a sanctuary, as we did not want to adopt him out due to his unpredictable attacks.  He died there suddenly of a seizure disorder!   And that was diagnosed in another one or two cats that we had, after we found out about the first one.  If the seizure disorder can be controlled, so can the attacks.  Of course I have no idea if this is the case with your cat or not, but I thought I'd mention it just in case it could help you.  

Answer 3

Sometimes when cats are taken too early from the nest, or in your case had no choice, they miss out on the very important socialization period where they learn how to play, how hard to bite etc.  It sounds like this may be the case.   This is why it is not advised to take kittens too soon.  But your case is different.

here are some websites with great information that might help

http://pets1st.com/articles/00009Trainin...

http://www.perfectpaws.com/agg.html

hope this helps

Answer 4

I would try the Feliway diffuser-also try speaking to an animal behaviourist, your vet may be able to recommend one. you could also look for cat forums online where you are more likely to get a knowledgeable answer-good luck

Answer 5

Go to the vet, go to the vet, go to the vet. The vet WILL know what to do, and you can't depend on the people here to answer you. Not everyone knows everything. You can't depend on this to be your answer source.

Answer 6

Ask your vet about putting him on Prozac or other meds like that.

Answer 7

Is he getting enough attention, otherwise? Maybe he is bored and needs more stimulation.

Best of Luck!

Answer 8

Hi there... I would have to agree with many points with Troublesniffer's answer.  

Reprimands of any sort will only add to the aggressive tendencies therefore which should be avoided completely.  Anytime your cat bites, startle him with a loud shriek which should get him to release his grip on you.  

Statistically, cats who have been de-clawed will tend to over compensate with biting.  You mentioned in a previous question that a  tendonectomy (de-clawing) was performed around the same time he was neutered, which is probably the most plausible cause for the biting behaviour.  See section: Personality change: http://www.pawsneedclaws.com/Declaw_Info...

Quoted from website:  " *PERSONALITY CHANGE after declaw surgery including increased aggression resulting in biting & using their teeth more since their first line of defense is now gone. Plus insecurity, shyness, nervousness, stress, withdrawn, depression, and/or frustration from the trauma of the surgery and/or living without their main means of security. 1000's of cat guardians have reported DECLAW HORROR STORIES and more DECLAW HORROR STORIES where kitty suffered physical, emotional, and behavioral problems after declaw surgery."

Many aggressive behaviours can be managed with medications even with cats suffering from IBD.  Elavil is one of the most effective anti-depressants/anxiety meds that also has anti-inflammation properties.  I'd strongly encourage consultation with a feline behaviourist who is also a veterinarian to work with you and your cat's aggressive behaviours.

In the meantime, consider trying Feliway (found at all pet stores) which emits feline pheromones so this may also be helpful to minimize/eliminate the aggressive tendencies.  

Answer 9

I'm super sorry but idk.

maybe go to this website, its really good

www.catchannel.com

and go to the cat forums and type that in again

Answer 10

Sometimes the vet can prescribe anti-anxiety drugs for aggressive cats.  You could also try a Feliway diffuser. These release calming pheromones into the air and have worked wonders with settling cats down. Poor guy. Hope you find a solution. ♥

Answer 11

Since the cat is only attacking females and this all happened after being fixed, I'd say it's a hormonal/sexual issue. Your kitty seems to be reacting to the different pheromones that males/females give off. As other readers have suggested, try the line of Feliway products. They helped when I had issues with my male cat. Does he have toys? I know this seems stupid, but perhaps if he has a toy mouse with catnip, he will focus his aggression on that. Good luck hun.

Answer 12

How long has it been since he was neutered? My male cat was the friendliest cat ever but then he was neutered and for 2 months  he was really irratable and grumpy but now he is back to normal.

Do NOT punish your cat by hurting or poking or especially dumping water on him. This is encouraging his behavior and may be making him more aggresive. I mean if you had a bottle of water dumped on your head wouldn't you be mad at the person who did it to you? Instead just say "no" or ignore him or set him in a room to cool down for a bit like you said you did.

I really don't know what to do otherwise, maybe he was just shook up by a recent change like a move or maybe your fiance moving in or something.

Answer 13

This sounds like a really frustrating problem, and one which you have tried many things to resolve. This biting behavior may have a connection with you as his "mom" when he was first adopted and bonding with you as "mom", or it can be an invitation to play. It can also be the result of any discomfort associated with his IBD.

I know you are frustrated but It sounds like some of the "punishments" for his aggressive behavior you are administering may even be causing him more upset. Smacking his bottom,shoving fingers in his mouth, tugging on his whiskers, pinching his lips are methods which will only incite him to be more aggressive and lose trust in you.These methods may just get him frightened and change play aggression into fear aggression. These seem to be rather "violent" in nature, and more than likely done out of frustration and anger, which is understandable, but not appropriate.

http://cats.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite...

Try scheduling some interactive playtime with your cat twice a day, using a feather toy, or something with which he can jump and catch.  Praise him when he is being good, and ignore the bad behavior, putting him on the floor and not paying attention to him at all. When he is biting you, remove him firmly, with a loud "no". A companion pet for him may also be helpful so that his play aggression will be directed at his companion, not you or your family.

It would be a wise to seek a professional feline behaviorist if this aggression cannot be eliminated by medication and behavioral techniques.

I have a cat that developed some aggressive behavior. It turned out that it was due to his not feeling well, and being in pain. It also was an emotional issue. He has IBD and food allergies, and my vet prescribed Elavil (amitriptyline-5 mg a day) with excellent results. He is feeling better and he is no longer aggressive. Talk to your vet about this medication, which in no way upset his tummy.

Try contacting a cat only veterinarian who may be more familiar with feline behavior and symptoms. I found that to be quite helpful.

Hope you find a solution, and good luck to you and your kitty.

Troublesniffer

Owned by cats for over 40 years

Former breeder of Oriental Shorthairs and Siamese

Freelance Blogger for http://www.petside.com

Answer 14

You don't mention how old he is, but when some cats reach maturity they become more aware of their social status and try to be assertive using aggression.  He was also very young when he lost his mother, so never had the opportunity to learn social skills from her and his siblings.  Did people encourage rough play when he was kitten?

Neutering does not normally have a negative effect on cats. I've just read your previous question and see that he had the tendons on his claws cut.  Was this done when you had him neutered?  This may be a contributing factor to his biting.  Cats that are unable to use their claws often resort to biting instead.  Have the vets investigated the possibility that he suffers pain in his paws which might explain his short temper?  Cats are well known for their ability to hide their pain - could his bowel condition account for his irritability?  

I don't wish to sound judgemental as I've never had to deal with your cat, but I don't think any of the tactics you've already tried (except for hissing) are ones that I'd ever be tempted to use.  Things such as whisker pulling, pinching his lips, smacking etc., are never going to work as he simply won't understand why you're doing it.  If anything they may just make the problem worse by making an already anxious cat go on the defensive all the time.  If done properly, scruffing can calm cats down, but you need to talk gently to them at the same time, as the idea behind it is to discipline them without witholding your love.  I'm not quite sure why you need to support his bottom when you scruff him as he should already be on the ground whilst you gently press his shoulders to the floor.  You're not doing this whilst holding him off the ground are you?  This would be painful for an adult cat and would make them even more worked up.

I think the best thing that you can do is to ask your vet to refer you to a qualified animal behaviourist who specialises in cats.  (Reputable ones only work on vet referals to ensure all health problems have been eliminated.)  You need someone to visit your home to spend time with your cat to observe his behaviour and assess his environment so that they can give you advice on the best way to deal with the situation.

I hope you find a solution that works for everyone.

Answer 15

If you have taken your cat to 3 different veterinarians, then there is nothing more anyone else can do. Nor is it reasonable to assume that anyone using YA! can definitely help you.

If you have to have your cat put to sleep, that is a very sad case and a difficult decision to make but please don't take him to anymore veterinarians. Three vets? They all say he's normal except for IBD? What are you expecting to hear? I fear that you may have to make that very difficult choice. If so, please know that you can always go for loss and grief counselling. You have to do what is in your cat's best interests vis a vis his health and not just so you can have a cat. Face it, if he's antisocial, there isn't anything you can do.

Answer 16

He is mad at you no doubt he probably hated the experience of getting fixed and having his mating rights taken away so i would try to treat him nicely make him trust you again do not try to hurt him and i wouldnt put him down give him to a local shelter if that does not work try any NICE METHODS THAT WILL MAKE HIM TRUST YOU each one for about a week or two good luck

Answer 17

DONT do the scruff thing! DONT do timeout! DONT smack him! he is a cat not a child and even young children wont really understand those concepts so well...I know you mean well but those werent the best ideas.

Chances are he's feeling irritated and unsettled. Take him to the vet get a full chekup and find out what he's so irritated about. it could be soemthing as simple as a change in daily routine, moving to a new place. You never know...