Why is my cat so mean?

Question

I have a cat that I have had for 6 years now. She was born to my aunt's cat, and she was the runt of the litter so I don't know if maybe that could have something to do with the way she acts. When she was a kitten she was good natured & pleasant, but it seems for the last 4 years or so now that I've had her she's just gotten extremely mean, I feed her all the time and play with her she's spoiled rotten, I'm never mean to her, I try my best not to yell at her when she is mean, but I don't know what else to do with her, she's not fixed, but she attacks me & my family..basically anyone she comes into contact with. She'll let me pet her sometimes but then she starts getting mad and scratches me and draws blood, I don't have the heart to get her declawed I just feel thats wrong and would be so painful to her. I can be sitting calmly not even bothering her and she'll just all of a sudden jump on the back of the chair and try to claw at my face. I'm really at my wits end here...so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

Cats are very good at hiding signs of illness, but pain would certainly make her short tempered. If you haven't already done so, it wouldn't hurt to have a vet check her over in case there's a medical cause for her behaviour. Having her spayed may help with calming her down, and it will benefit her in the long term as it will eliminate her risk of developing certain cancers.

There are various causes for aggression in cats (sometimes it's just over enthusiastic play) and this link has lots of helpful information and advice on how to diagnose and treat the behaviour.

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/aggres...

A lot of owners have great success using Bach Flower Essences to treat emotional problems in cats.  This link has advice on which ones to use and how to administer them.  (Vine is particularly recommended for aggression).

http://www.critterchat.net/bach.htm

Hope you find a solution.

Answer 2

ok, i have three cats. ALL declawed. When she is mean to you, try not to show her attention, get up, walk away and let her be her. It really really really is important you show her quality time. Being the runt of the litter shouldn't effect how she treats you. as mean as it sounds do NOT let her get away with her scratching you, she'll learn that she can get away with it. just simply get up and walk away.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Getting her fixed will calm her down, she'll be alot more relaxed. You really need to get her fixed.

Also DON'T get her declawed. Just get Claw Caps, you put them over ur cats claws and no more scratching. and its painless for her unlike getting her getting de-clawed.

Answer 4

I believe that cats change completely when they are spade, it really does calm them down and make them nicer cats - in my experience any way.  

We had a male cat that was a bit tempramental and he had to go on hormone tablets and this really calmed him down and made him a lot nicer.  Maybe this might be an idea for your cat - speak to your vet.

Other than that, I think with age she will get nicer as she will start to slow down.  I wouldnt recommend declawing her unless she is a house cat, think this is rather cruel as cats need their claws to climb and survive outside.  

Answer 5

Get her fixed, that will mellow out the hormones. She will still act dominate as long as she is allowed to be the boss.

Answer 6

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?ac...

She should be seen by a vet and you should GET HER NEUTERED.  She's probably taking her frustrations out on you.  Neutering also helps to prevent cats from getting cancer.

Declawing a cat is a terrible thing to do, unless medically necessary for the cat.  Usually that only involves one or two claws.

Answer 7

GET HER FIXED!!!!!

this can frustrate a cat if she isn't fixed as well as cause major health problems. she could be in pain, if a cats behaviour changes dramatically (and if she was nice for 2 years i would say thats a pretty dramatic change) then it can be an underlying health problem. my cat had cysts on her womb. i got her neutered at 7 months so luckily we found them and could stop it from hurting her.....

you should google cat behavior, read up on the reasons why she is acting like this....

good luck

EDIT: also she could be on heat, some cats can be on heat more then they are off which can dramatically change their behavior and also cause frustration.

Answer 8

Has anything happened/changed four years ago? (new pet, family member, move etc.)

Often cats Will change their behavior for the worse if something dramatic happens.

Try to train her first...

When she hurts you, intentional or not, tell her "NO", and when she bites you, hold her head down aganist her chest, and also say "NO!"

Also, I would suggest hetting her declawed if at all possible, Put caps on her paws,(avadible in most pet stores for about $20 or less,) or at least trim her claws regularly. These are listed in the order of effectiveness.

My friend had a cat who everyone hated because he was so visious, but once he got declawed, he became a super sweet kitty.

To get a cat declawed, they numb the paws, then clip them beyond the point of regrowing, so it feels like Clipping your finger nails, to the perfect length, permently.

if you still cant get past the declawing, try getting only the front ones clipped, or getting Claw Caps.

Claw Caps, are a genius invention if you can get your cat to sit still long enough. They are little peices of dull plastic that are shaped to go around the claw, and will stay on the claws until the cat grows out of them.  Before you put them on though clip the claws.

Claw Clipping is just like trimming thier nails. The nail is completely free to grow forever. This requires the most up keeping and time. Be sure to be careful when doing so, or you will get the skin/viens. if you look closely, you can see where the blood flow stops.

Hope this helps!

Answer 9

she sounds like she is boss! you have to be dominent!! i have a burmese kitten she was the runt too ande soo friendly!!!

stare her out and praise her when she is good and squirt water on her when she is bad and grab her head and look at her in the eye without blinking thats how cats show whos more dominant!  

Answer 10

I'm glad you feel that way about declawing, it is wrong and cruel plus it won't calm her down, likely it would make her even worse. As the others have said you should get her fixed, this really should calm her down. I'd also consider a Feliway diffuser - ask about them at the vets. Good luck!