I'm back again with another problem, folks. Our Kiki, who I found in our fire pit as a 2-week old and is now a great big 3 1/2-year old moose, has a serious problem with biting -- and it's not just playful nips or grabs. She strikes like a pit viper.
These attacks aren't terribly frequent, and they're unpredictable because they come without the usual cat signals of agitation. Example: she likes to get up on my desk and watch me when I'm at the computer. Most often, she'll curl up in a cubby and go to sleep, but occasionally she'll lunge and strike my "mouse hand" without any warning whatsoever. I assume this is because she sees a moving target, but I'm confused as to why she chooses a vicious bite as opposed to grabbing me with her claws. She's injured me three times this way, so I don't allow her on the desk any more.
It's been a few months since her last attack, but I had another incident with her last night. Hubs (who she prefers over me) went out of town on business, and in his absence, Kiki opted to join me in my recliner for TV time, which is highly unusual. She settled herself in my lap, and seemed content as I was stroking her. A few minutes later, she struck, leaving a nasty puncture at the base of my thumb that bled profusely. In pain and shock, I yelled, and she jumped off my lap immediately, did some self-conscious grooming, and then sprawled out on the floor as though nothing had happened. After letting the wound bleed, I treated it and went to bed. She followed me to the bedroom as usual, but I chased her out and shut the door. This was of course an emotional overreaction on my part, but this was also her most vicious attack to date, and though she's never attacked me while I sleep, I wasn't about to take any chances. (She was curled up outside the door when I got up this morning.)
I've read quite a bit about aggressive behavior, so I know that this may be due in part to insufficient socialization with her litter mates when she was a baby. I raised her in a household with two senior cats who either just didn't want to play with her or didn't care for her very aggressive play habits. I also noted early on that she was definitely an alpha-female type who wants to call all the shots, and given that I raised her from infancy, I sometimes wonder if she thinks I'm a cat instead of a hooman and is trying to dominate me. (It may be worth noting that Hubs took no part in the bottle-feeding or any of the other maternal chores, and Kiki has never been aggressive with him.)
I'm reaching out for help here because this situation distresses me greatly. When my two senior cats, Spike and Baboo, crossed the Bridge (Spike went a year and a half ago, and Baboo just left us last month), I thought that perhaps she'd calm down and mellow out as Queen of the household. Kiki and Baboo were never close; in fact, as Baboo aged and debilitated, she picked on him mercilessly, perhaps in a "survival of the fittest" fashion, but when he was near death, she started leaving him alone. Now she's attacked me without the least provocation (unless petting can be considered as provocation), and I'm starting to feel alienated from her.
This breaks my heart. She's a beautiful cat, and I love her dearly, but I can't tolerate this kind of behavior. She can be very sweet and affectionate at times, but only on her terms. I imagine that a visit to the vet is in order so that he can rule out any physical problems and provide some insight. Her weight may be a factor (overweight animals can often be miserable), and I'm working on that, but I'm convinced that she has some emotional baggage that's making her act this way, and I'm at a loss as to how to deal with it.
Sorry to go on at such length. I've had over two dozen cats in my lifetime, including two bottle-fed foundlings, and I've never had this problem before. Any and all advice is welcome.
These attacks aren't terribly frequent, and they're unpredictable because they come without the usual cat signals of agitation. Example: she likes to get up on my desk and watch me when I'm at the computer. Most often, she'll curl up in a cubby and go to sleep, but occasionally she'll lunge and strike my "mouse hand" without any warning whatsoever. I assume this is because she sees a moving target, but I'm confused as to why she chooses a vicious bite as opposed to grabbing me with her claws. She's injured me three times this way, so I don't allow her on the desk any more.
It's been a few months since her last attack, but I had another incident with her last night. Hubs (who she prefers over me) went out of town on business, and in his absence, Kiki opted to join me in my recliner for TV time, which is highly unusual. She settled herself in my lap, and seemed content as I was stroking her. A few minutes later, she struck, leaving a nasty puncture at the base of my thumb that bled profusely. In pain and shock, I yelled, and she jumped off my lap immediately, did some self-conscious grooming, and then sprawled out on the floor as though nothing had happened. After letting the wound bleed, I treated it and went to bed. She followed me to the bedroom as usual, but I chased her out and shut the door. This was of course an emotional overreaction on my part, but this was also her most vicious attack to date, and though she's never attacked me while I sleep, I wasn't about to take any chances. (She was curled up outside the door when I got up this morning.)
I've read quite a bit about aggressive behavior, so I know that this may be due in part to insufficient socialization with her litter mates when she was a baby. I raised her in a household with two senior cats who either just didn't want to play with her or didn't care for her very aggressive play habits. I also noted early on that she was definitely an alpha-female type who wants to call all the shots, and given that I raised her from infancy, I sometimes wonder if she thinks I'm a cat instead of a hooman and is trying to dominate me. (It may be worth noting that Hubs took no part in the bottle-feeding or any of the other maternal chores, and Kiki has never been aggressive with him.)
I'm reaching out for help here because this situation distresses me greatly. When my two senior cats, Spike and Baboo, crossed the Bridge (Spike went a year and a half ago, and Baboo just left us last month), I thought that perhaps she'd calm down and mellow out as Queen of the household. Kiki and Baboo were never close; in fact, as Baboo aged and debilitated, she picked on him mercilessly, perhaps in a "survival of the fittest" fashion, but when he was near death, she started leaving him alone. Now she's attacked me without the least provocation (unless petting can be considered as provocation), and I'm starting to feel alienated from her.
This breaks my heart. She's a beautiful cat, and I love her dearly, but I can't tolerate this kind of behavior. She can be very sweet and affectionate at times, but only on her terms. I imagine that a visit to the vet is in order so that he can rule out any physical problems and provide some insight. Her weight may be a factor (overweight animals can often be miserable), and I'm working on that, but I'm convinced that she has some emotional baggage that's making her act this way, and I'm at a loss as to how to deal with it.
Sorry to go on at such length. I've had over two dozen cats in my lifetime, including two bottle-fed foundlings, and I've never had this problem before. Any and all advice is welcome.
She's mildly interested, but whenever I roll it down the hall, she gives me a look that says, "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you expect me to do with this thing."
