Aggressive Cat Towards Me

[Flash133]

Hi,
I really hope that somebody can help with advice. My cat Flash, 6 years old, can be very loving but suddenly he seems to smell something and turn into a wild animal. He'll hiss at me and when it's really bad he tries to corner me and if I go towards him he looks like he'll attack.. He honestly looks like a demon cat when he's in that state . If I manage to lock him in a room he will calm down after a couple hours.

He has anxiety and is very territorial.. Calm Food from Royal Canine seemed to help for a few years but then he got diabetes and I had to stop feeding him that food. I've tried feliway and a vet even prescribed prozak for him with no success.

I'm scared of my own cat.. I love him so much but it's not normal to fear my pet and I'm scared that he'll hurt me badly someday.

If someone has gone through something similar and has found a solution or if someone has advice i would really like to hear it. Thank you.

Stephanie

 

[Hellenww]

My first thought was that smelling something that's not there sounds like the aural stage of a human seizure. I don't know if feline seizures are similar or how to determine a less obvious seizure in a cat. Ask your vet if this is possible.

 

[Flash133]

Well I think the smell might be real.. for example if I pet a cat outside he will know right away and become aggressive. But I've stopped petting other cats.. He smelled the recycling box earlier and started hissing at me.. I bring that box outside to empty it and put it on the ground so maybe I put it down on something I don't know..

 

[abyeb]

Here's a helpful article to get you started: Cat Aggression Toward People

What I'm thinking is, that since you noticed that there seemed to be a connection between him smelling other cats and having episodes of aggression, that this could be redirected aggression. Do you have outdoor/free-roaming cats in your area? He might be seeing them through the window or smelling them. Maybe there was also an outdoor cat who had been near the recycling box. You could try closing the curtains on all your windows to see if that helps.

 

[basschick]

to the OP, why do you think this is smell related?

 

[Flash133]

Yes there are free roaming cats around my apartment. Before he becomes aggressive I can see him sniffing.. I don't think that he is seeing the cats outside though. I completely agree that it is redirected aggression. But if the problem is that he can smell the outside cats what should I do? He has been off the calm food for almost a year but it's only recently that he started showing aggression again and it seems to just be getting worse.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Is he neutered?

 

[Flash133]

Is he neutered?

Yes he is neutered.

 

[yeva2292]

There were a couple things that helped Smokey and I with her redirected aggression incident and the weeks that followed. She had seen something that had scared her (probably another animal) in the back yard/patio and redirected her fear and aggression onto me.

The first helpful thing was moving apartments - we were already looking for a new place before the main incident and the new place gave her something else to focus on for a while. Before we moved, it was pretty bad. I couldn't spend more than a few hours in her presence without her attacking me. Our new place is not on the ground floor, so no nighttime visitors!

The more practical things I found helpful were food, toys, and confusing her. If she wasn't completely freaking out, just a bit unsure (heading towards a freak out), distracting her with a toy sometimes worked. If she had already started following me or if I could feel her stress and anxiety increase, I could also distract her by taking out her food and calling her over. I found that if I got down to her level and called her over, she would get really confused (she was probably wondering why I want her to come over when she was ready to attack me) and it mostly stopped attacks before they happened.

Once you've prevented the initial attack, the next few minutes should be spent on maintaining a calm state. Stay calm, talk to him in a soft voice, maybe get low to the ground. Your job at that point is to distract or reduce the anxiety/stress that caused that state of mind. This may mean trying to keep him engaged with food or toys. Sometimes you just have to sit down somewhere,ignore him and give him space; other times you may try to call him over, but without looking at him or putting too much attention on him. If you think outdoor scents are triggering his attacks, try placing high value treats or his favorite foods closer and closer to those scents to teach him that good things are associated with those smells.

Your case is different with mine in that I was able to mostly remove the trigger, though odd things sometimes still trigger her. It takes time and patience to get past redirected aggression. You have to work on his schedule. Sometimes he may be triggered again and you may feel you have taken a step back, but if you move slow, you'll bounce back faster than before! Smokey's incident of redirected aggression was in April. She had mostly gotten over everything (plays with me, sleeps on my pillow, etc), and we hit another milestone yesterday, where she willingly came over and slept on my lap! She hadn't done that in months!

Something that I haven't tried, but others here may have, are the calming sprays sold by Jackson Galaxy.
Solutions| Behavior | Jackson Galaxy Store

 

[Jem]

Is your apartment ground level? If so, you could buy deterrent spray to spray (outside) around the windows and doors, flower beds and bushes that the other cats could be peeing/marking on.

I agree to try and "distract" her with a treat or a toy if you notice her starting to sniff.

Sometimes, if in attack mode, and where safety to you would be a concern if you tried to put her in a room, throw a light blanket (that smells familiar) over her and walk away. Be sure to never turn you back on a ready to attack cat, that's when they will do it. Often "being hidden" under a blanket gives them the illusion of a safe space, and can help them calm down, and it also provides you with protection if you decide to pick her up to move her.

I give my cat calming treats. It's a product from "Head to Tail" called "Calming" and it's made from natural ingredients. It works very well for my cat who also has moments of redirected aggression, as well as other forms of cat aggression. He also has anxiety and is territorial.

The other thing that helps too is to play...A LOT...get her all pooped out a few times a day. And after every play session, give her some food or a treat. It will help satisfy her hunt, catch and eat instincts, and hopefully give her an outlet and "confidence in her territory".

We also have large ground level patio doors, and because we did not want to keep the curtains closed all the time, we put "frosting" on the bottom 2 feet of the glass. It gave him "protection" from what was outside, but if he wanted to look out, from a perch where he felt safe, he could.

All of these things have helped me (and my cat). If I think of more things I'll come back.

 

[Flash133]

Is your apartment ground level? If so, you could buy deterrent spray to spray (outside) around the windows and doors, flower beds and bushes that the other cats could be peeing/marking on.

I agree to try and "distract" her with a treat or a toy if you notice her starting to sniff.

Sometimes, if in attack mode, and where safety to you would be a concern if you tried to put her in a room, throw a light blanket (that smells familiar) over her and walk away. Be sure to never turn you back on a ready to attack cat, that's when they will do it. Often "being hidden" under a blanket gives them the illusion of a safe space, and can help them calm down, and it also provides you with protection if you decide to pick her up to move her.

I give my cat calming treats. It's a product from "Head to Tail" called "Calming" and it's made from natural ingredients. It works very well for my cat who also has moments of redirected aggression, as well as other forms of cat aggression. He also has anxiety and is territorial.

The other thing that helps too is to play...A LOT...get her all pooped out a few times a day. And after every play session, give her some food or a treat. It will help satisfy her hunt, catch and eat instincts, and hopefully give her an outlet and "confidence in her territory".

We also have large ground level patio doors, and because we did not want to keep the curtains closed all the time, we put "frosting" on the bottom 2 feet of the glass. It gave him "protection" from what was outside, but if he wanted to look out, from a perch where he felt safe, he could.

All of these things have helped me (and my cat). If I think of more things I'll come back.

Thank you for the advice. My apartment is on the second floor but the entrance is on ground floor. I just went and sprayed some special product outside my door to deter animals.
My cat doesn't play very much. He gets bored of every new toy I give him.. I can tell that he has frustrations because he doesn't spend his energy but I'm not sure how to help him.. also I've tried to distract him and it didn't work it seemed to make things worse.. and when I tried to go towards him with a blanket he freaked out and let out the scariest sound ever..

The cat treat could be a good idea if it's low in sugar. My cat has diabetes but is in remission right now. I will look into it!

I'm actually going to a cat clinic that does behavior counselling next week. They had suggested the calm food before so maybe they can help again but I'm not putting my hopes up too much..

 

[Flash133]

There were a couple things that helped Smokey and I with her redirected aggression incident and the weeks that followed. She had seen something that had scared her (probably another animal) in the back yard/patio and redirected her fear and aggression onto me.

The first helpful thing was moving apartments - we were already looking for a new place before the main incident and the new place gave her something else to focus on for a while. Before we moved, it was pretty bad. I couldn't spend more than a few hours in her presence without her attacking me. Our new place is not on the ground floor, so no nighttime visitors!

The more practical things I found helpful were food, toys, and confusing her. If she wasn't completely freaking out, just a bit unsure (heading towards a freak out), distracting her with a toy sometimes worked. If she had already started following me or if I could feel her stress and anxiety increase, I could also distract her by taking out her food and calling her over. I found that if I got down to her level and called her over, she would get really confused (she was probably wondering why I want her to come over when she was ready to attack me) and it mostly stopped attacks before they happened.

Once you've prevented the initial attack, the next few minutes should be spent on maintaining a calm state. Stay calm, talk to him in a soft voice, maybe get low to the ground. Your job at that point is to distract or reduce the anxiety/stress that caused that state of mind. This may mean trying to keep him engaged with food or toys. Sometimes you just have to sit down somewhere,ignore him and give him space; other times you may try to call him over, but without looking at him or putting too much attention on him. If you think outdoor scents are triggering his attacks, try placing high value treats or his favorite foods closer and closer to those scents to teach him that good things are associated with those smells.

Your case is different with mine in that I was able to mostly remove the trigger, though odd things sometimes still trigger her. It takes time and patience to get past redirected aggression. You have to work on his schedule. Sometimes he may be triggered again and you may feel you have taken a step back, but if you move slow, you'll bounce back faster than before! Smokey's incident of redirected aggression was in April. She had mostly gotten over everything (plays with me, sleeps on my pillow, etc), and we hit another milestone yesterday, where she willingly came over and slept on my lap! She hadn't done that in months!

Something that I haven't tried, but others here may have, are the calming sprays sold by Jackson Galaxy.
Solutions| Behavior | Jackson Galaxy Store

There were a couple things that helped Smokey and I with her redirected aggression incident and the weeks that followed. She had seen something that had scared her (probably another animal) in the back yard/patio and redirected her fear and aggression onto me.

The first helpful thing was moving apartments - we were already looking for a new place before the main incident and the new place gave her something else to focus on for a while. Before we moved, it was pretty bad. I couldn't spend more than a few hours in her presence without her attacking me. Our new place is not on the ground floor, so no nighttime visitors!

The more practical things I found helpful were food, toys, and confusing her. If she wasn't completely freaking out, just a bit unsure (heading towards a freak out), distracting her with a toy sometimes worked. If she had already started following me or if I could feel her stress and anxiety increase, I could also distract her by taking out her food and calling her over. I found that if I got down to her level and called her over, she would get really confused (she was probably wondering why I want her to come over when she was ready to attack me) and it mostly stopped attacks before they happened.

Once you've prevented the initial attack, the next few minutes should be spent on maintaining a calm state. Stay calm, talk to him in a soft voice, maybe get low to the ground. Your job at that point is to distract or reduce the anxiety/stress that caused that state of mind. This may mean trying to keep him engaged with food or toys. Sometimes you just have to sit down somewhere,ignore him and give him space; other times you may try to call him over, but without looking at him or putting too much attention on him. If you think outdoor scents are triggering his attacks, try placing high value treats or his favorite foods closer and closer to those scents to teach him that good things are associated with those smells.

Your case is different with mine in that I was able to mostly remove the trigger, though odd things sometimes still trigger her. It takes time and patience to get past redirected aggression. You have to work on his schedule. Sometimes he may be triggered again and you may feel you have taken a step back, but if you move slow, you'll bounce back faster than before! Smokey's incident of redirected aggression was in April. She had mostly gotten over everything (plays with me, sleeps on my pillow, etc), and we hit another milestone yesterday, where she willingly came over and slept on my lap! She hadn't done that in months!

Something that I haven't tried, but others here may have, are the calming sprays sold by Jackson Galaxy.
Solutions| Behavior | Jackson Galaxy Store

There were a couple things that helped Smokey and I with her redirected aggression incident and the weeks that followed. She had seen something that had scared her (probably another animal) in the back yard/patio and redirected her fear and aggression onto me.

The first helpful thing was moving apartments - we were already looking for a new place before the main incident and the new place gave her something else to focus on for a while. Before we moved, it was pretty bad. I couldn't spend more than a few hours in her presence without her attacking me. Our new place is not on the ground floor, so no nighttime visitors!

The more practical things I found helpful were food, toys, and confusing her. If she wasn't completely freaking out, just a bit unsure (heading towards a freak out), distracting her with a toy sometimes worked. If she had already started following me or if I could feel her stress and anxiety increase, I could also distract her by taking out her food and calling her over. I found that if I got down to her level and called her over, she would get really confused (she was probably wondering why I want her to come over when she was ready to attack me) and it mostly stopped attacks before they happened.

Once you've prevented the initial attack, the next few minutes should be spent on maintaining a calm state. Stay calm, talk to him in a soft voice, maybe get low to the ground. Your job at that point is to distract or reduce the anxiety/stress that caused that state of mind. This may mean trying to keep him engaged with food or toys. Sometimes you just have to sit down somewhere,ignore him and give him space; other times you may try to call him over, but without looking at him or putting too much attention on him. If you think outdoor scents are triggering his attacks, try placing high value treats or his favorite foods closer and closer to those scents to teach him that good things are associated with those smells.

Your case is different with mine in that I was able to mostly remove the trigger, though odd things sometimes still trigger her. It takes time and patience to get past redirected aggression. You have to work on his schedule. Sometimes he may be triggered again and you may feel you have taken a step back, but if you move slow, you'll bounce back faster than before! Smokey's incident of redirected aggression was in April. She had mostly gotten over everything (plays with me, sleeps on my pillow, etc), and we hit another milestone yesterday, where she willingly came over and slept on my lap! She hadn't done that in months!

Something that I haven't tried, but others here may have, are the calming sprays sold by Jackson Galaxy.
Solutions| Behavior | Jackson Galaxy Store

Thank you for the help. Moving somewhere else is very drastic haha. I will not live here forever but I don't think I'll move right now. But I'm glad it's all working out for you!

Distraction has not worked very well for me so far unfortunately.. it seems to make him angrier. At will look at the calming sprays though. Thanks for the information!

 

[Jem]

Although I'm not sure of the toys you give him, but sometimes to really get a cat engaged I found that it can be needed to get a toy that makes you play with him. like a catnip thing with feathers on the end of a string on a stick that you wiggle and tug around. Sometimes cats just don't play on their own with toys that they have to "make move" and bat around alone. A laser pointer or mini flashlight could also get him going. In my house, one of our cats prefers feather toys on strings, another prefers lasers and lights, and our youngest loves long ribbons. Just a thought.
I double checked my package of those calming treats in case I missed it the first time I looked, and unfortunately I did not see anywhere the sugar content. I did e-mail the company yesterday asking if they are safe for diabetic cats though, I'll post when they get back to me.

 

[Hellenww]

I googled grain free feline calming treats. 2 with mixed reviews came up. If they interest you just email your vet to see if they are ok for a diabetic.

Pet Naturals of Vermont Calming Cat Chews:
Pet Naturals of Vermont Calming Cat Chews, 30 count

Only Natural Pet Calming Cat Chewables Stress Reduction: Only Natural Pet Calming Cat Chewables Stress Reduction

It's not a solution to the meds but maybe it will help s little.

 

[gold77]

Thank you for the advice. My apartment is on the second floor but the entrance is on ground floor. I just went and sprayed some special product outside my door to deter animals.
My cat doesn't play very much. He gets bored of every new toy I give him.. I can tell that he has frustrations because he doesn't spend his energy but I'm not sure how to help him.. also I've tried to distract him and it didn't work it seemed to make things worse.. and when I tried to go towards him with a blanket he freaked out and let out the scariest sound ever..

The cat treat could be a good idea if it's low in sugar. My cat has diabetes but is in remission right now. I will look into it!

I'm actually going to a cat clinic that does behavior counselling next week. They had suggested the calm food before so maybe they can help again but I'm not putting my hopes up too much..

Please share what information you find out at the cat clinic.

It's difficult to solve since your cat has had a diabetes diagnosis. The only thing I can think of is to train your cat to be happy/calm when you walk into the apartment. In order to do this though you would have to have a delicious treat to offer upon arrival. I had a shy cat and did this. Every time I came home I would walk in the door and offer his favorite treat and a nice pet. Now, he always greets me at the door. No more scaredy cat. He also doesn't get a treat each time anymore, only once in a while. I am not sure if this would work for you or if it's even feasible given the diabetes diagnosis. I am sorry, I wish I was more helpful. I know this must be very stressful.

 

[Flash133]

Although I'm not sure of the toys you give him, but sometimes to really get a cat engaged I found that it can be needed to get a toy that makes you play with him. like a catnip thing with feathers on the end of a string on a stick that you wiggle and tug around. Sometimes cats just don't play on their own with toys that they have to "make move" and bat around alone. A laser pointer or mini flashlight could also get him going. In my house, one of our cats prefers feather toys on strings, another prefers lasers and lights, and our youngest loves long ribbons. Just a thought.
I double checked my package of those calming treats in case I missed it the first time I looked, and unfortunately I did not see anywhere the sugar content. I did e-mail the company yesterday asking if they are safe for diabetic cats though, I'll post when they get back to me.

Thank you that would be great if you can post their reply.

As for toys, I've tried pretty much everything and for every toy he'll play with it for a day and then he gets bored of it.. the catnip toys seem to interest him for a bit longer. I haven't tried the catnip spray, it might be something to try to get him interested in his toys.

 

[Flash133]

I brought my cat to the vet today and they gave me a medication called zylkene. Apparently it is suppose to have a similar effect as the calm food. I can give it to him as a powder in his wet food. I will also try the feliway again. The vet also said that because I'm having a hard time to make him play that I should place portions of his food at different spots in the apartment so that he has to look for his food. That will exercise his mind and it might help. So I will try all this and see how things go.

 

[Q2U]

Good to hear you're considering diet; IMO (not trying to start a fight please) that Royal Canine is bad stuff...glad to read you took him off it. We've had great results with Fromm products which are a tad pricey (unfortunately).

 

[Flash133]

Good to hear you're considering diet; IMO (not trying to start a fight please) that Royal Canine is bad stuff...glad to read you took him off it. We've had great results with Fromm products which are a tad pricey (unfortunately).

I completely agree that Royal Canine is bad.. but most people trust their vets to suggest a good quality food and I was one of those people. I thought I was giving my cat top of the line food.