Help my cat thinks it's fun to "hide" and then attack my feet.?

Question

My cat is a few years old and we have had her since she was a kitten. She has a tendency to "hide" behind things and attack someones feet while they go by (scratching and biting). she also hiss's and attempts to attack people who are new or who she hasn't spent time around in awhile. Before I took her she was my sisters cat and well they were not very good owners so I know the reason is bad training and I can fix it with better training if someone would tell me what to do. My biggest issue is I am leaving State at the beginning of this next year and I can't take her with me so I would like to find her a good home but that will be hard if I can not cure her of these habits. Please she is a good cat smart and LOVES small children so I know somebody will take her if I can just get her over these habits PLEASE HELP ME.

Answer 1

Your cat imagines your toes are a mouse, so is practicing pouncing on you.  Definitely the hiss is a good sign for people to stay away, so they should if you cat does hiss.   She might calm down in time, it is too bad you have to leave your kitty after she has become attached to you!  Maybe ask your vet for advice.

Answer 2

My friend just got a new cat after her other one died and she had it for 18 years. so her new cat does that alot the are just puncing and having a good time. but you should just pet her for awhile to calm her down. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

She doesn't think its fun - it is fun! Thats just what i would do if i were a cat.....unless they started to squirt me with a water pistol...that wouldn't be so fun x

Answer 4

making her swap homes again when it has apparently already bothered her is a bad idea. clearly you aren't going to change your plans for a cat. you shouldn't have taken the cat in the first place, but at any rate. is she fixed? if not get that done that can fix the problem. you can try using a spray bottle but with that kind of aggression it probably wont work. you may just have to take her to a trainer. it will cost money but will have the most effect. good luck

Answer 5

To them its fun.  It's like hide and go seek except you attack peoples feet lol.  But if she really starts to get agressive(especially at guests) pick her up by the skin that there mothers carry them by.  Look her in the eye and say a strict "NO!"  DONT YELL!!  Just say No in a demanding voice.  Then put her in her cat bed or wherever else is "her" spot.  Keep doing this until she gets the hint.

Answer 6

maybe she was just playing when she hides then attack. my kitten does it all the time my kitten bites me and scratches me and licks my and from the l**k i know she loves me :)

Answer 7

This behavior usually signifies a kitten or cat who is bored!  Cats need to play and to practice their hunting techniques.  An indoor cat, (especially an active breed like a Bengal, Ocicat or an Abyssinian), without adequate toys, cat furniture and other objects and situations to stimulate him, may well feel that his only chance to practice these skills is on you.  They may start making up elaborate prey games whereby they hide behind furniture or out of your sight, and wait for you to walk down a hall, or in to their "lair" where they can ambush you.  It is important for you to realize that your cat is not trying to hurt you, and is probably unaware that he may be hurting you.  A cat doing this behavior needs more scratching and climbing toys and furniture around, and also may benefit from stuffed animals to drag around, animal-style cat beds which can give them the illusion of company and the security of "mom" or a sibling.  A cat that continues with this behavior may well benefit from having another feline friend, who will be able to wrestle and play with him, and help burn off some of that energy he feels.  Most often, the cats who exhibit this behavior are males, and there may be some sexual impulses involved, even if the male is neutered.  A possible way to avoid this behavior turning in to a bad habit, (and your legs and ankles turning in to a war zone) would be to have one of your cat's favorite rubber balls or mouse toys in your hand, and before reaching the spot where your cat usually ambushes you, try throwing the toy down the hall or in another direction.  The idea is to recognize that your cat wants to engage you in a play game ritual, but to make the ritual more fun and safe for you.  

Young kittens between the ages of 3 weeks old and 8 months old will be teething off and on, and will have very strong needs to bite.  Just like baby children, kittens are born without teeth, start getting their first baby teeth at about 3-4 weeks old, then they will lose their baby teeth and have their adult teeth come in up until the age of about 8 months old.  So the trick here is not to keep them from biting; but rather, to provide them appropriate items to bite.  We use heavy-duty plastic drinking straws with our kittens, (being careful to cut off any bitten ends and discard the entire straw before it becomes dangerous, as with any toy), and train them from the start that toys and straws are purr-rectly fine to bite, but human body parts are off-limits!  If a kitten learns this from the start, there is hardly ever an inappropriate biting behavior as an adult.  Some cats start biting out of frustration after they have been de-clawed.  Some cats start biting out of misplaced aggression, which usually can be countered by providing the cat a feline playmate, and/or providing them more cat toys, cat furniture, and making their environment more stimulating for them.  Any time the kitten bites you make a loud “yowling” sound. If you’ve ever witnessed a cat get hurt, you will probably know what this sounds like. After you yowl, walk away and ignore the kitten. Never yell at or hit a cat. At all times, it is critical that you be thinking and acting on the firm belief that "toys and straws are for biting; human hands are for giving and receiving love.”

If you’re thinking about having your cat declawed, there are many things you should know before you make your decision.  The surgery is basically an American trend, and is considered inhumane and is illegal in many countries (England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia and Japan).  If that doesn’t impact your opinion about declawing, maybe this website will help you decide: http://community-2.webtv.net/stopdeclaw/...

I believe that people who have their cats declawed are uneducated.  It is not very difficult to train your cat to use a scratching post.  The surgery is not simply a trimming of the claws, it’s an amputation of the distal phalanx, including bones, ligaments, and tendons! To remove the claw, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated.  If you were to make a comparison, it would be like having the last joint of each of our fingers chopped off.  So of course it is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery.  There are often many complications in the healing process, including infection often from litter box use, resulting in a life-long aversion to the litter box.  Other declawed cats that can no longer mark with their claws, will mark with urine instead, resulting in inappropriate elimination problems.  

Many cats who have been declawed are traumatized and become withdrawn, nervous, fearful and/or aggressive.  Cats who went through the painful surgery are more prone to resort to biting when they feel threatened.  Since cats have emotional feelings (just like we do) they can resent you if you decided to get them declawed.  All of these things can cause depression and ultimately lead to an overweight cat.

If a cat who has been declawed accidentally escapes, he/she would be in great danger.  A cat needs it's claws to defend itself, as well as to escape by climbing.  The constant state of stress, caused by a feeling of defenselessness may make some declawed cats more prone to disease.  Also they cannot stretch their back and shoulder muscles like they do naturally when they dig their claws into a scratching post.  

One popular alternative is Soft Paws.  They are lightweight vinyl nail caps that you glue on the cat's front claws.  They're great for households with small children and are extremely useful for people who are away from home all day and can't exercise the watchfulness necessary to train a cat to use a scratching post.  Soft Paws are easy to apply and last about four to six weeks.  They come in clear or colors--which are really fun.