Cat Attacking Me

[meikee]

Hi I’m a first time cat owner. My husband and I were adopted by a stray cat. She’s been to the vet and is healthy, the vet said she is about 2 or 3. She has been spending a lot of her time inside now that it is winter but she does go out in the evening for a little bit. When she first started hanging around she was very friendly but maybe she was just hungry. She has been steadily getting more and more aggressive with me only. She swats and bites at me when I try to pet her (sometimes). She will lay in my lap and cuddle with me but then she will suddenly bite me and jump away. The day before last she bit me hard enough to make me bleed and leave 4 teeth marks. Last night was the worst of all so far. She was on the floor and I leaned over the couch to look out the window. She ran across the room jumped on my back and clawed my back and arm causing lots of cuts and blood. Im at a loss as to what to do, I’m the one that feeds her, cleans her little box etc.
Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[meikee]

She is not a kitten, she is two to three years

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. At first - before you mentioned the window incident - I would have said it could be due to over-stimulation. Some cats can only take so much petting/etc. For this aspect, you can watch her behavior and learn her 'cues', with the way she starts to act, that will tell you it is time to stop stimulating her.

While I do think the above probably applies to some of her behavior, the other issue seems to be related to her spending less time outside, and feeling a bit 'pent up'. How do you control the amount of time she spends outside? Does she come in willingly? Even if she does, it still doesn't mean she isn't feeling some anxiety over not being able to be outside as much. She isn't going to be able to correlate that it's cold outside until she gets out there. So, her desire to be outside isn't going to diminish.

You might also want to consider setting up multiple locations for her to be able to look outside - cat trees, perches, etc. - if you haven't already. You could even set up a bird feeder or two within sight of those windows, but far enough away that she can recognize they are there to be watched, not to be 'attacked'. If you can, building or buying a catio that is affixed to the house with a cat door would allow her to go outside (still under your control, as needed) so she gets the opportunity to do so more often. In the colder months, I am sure she wouldn't spend too much time out there, but the ability to do so might satisfy her 'desire'.

Here are some TCS articles that might help explain your situation.

Why Do Cats Attack? – Cat Articles
Cat Acting Strangely? Here’s What It Could Mean – Cat Articles

As far her attacking you and not your husband, I would guess it is because you have a lot more interaction with her than he does?

 

[meikee]

Thanks for your response. I’m trying to learn her cues but to me they just seem hot and cold. I thought at first it was petting induced like I’ve seen online but since she’s been biting I’ll let her stay on my lap but won’t excessively pet her and will keep my hands on my side, this still results in her coming back and biting.
She does have access to windows but I’ve only seen her look out our back sliding door. She doesn’t seem interested in high places available to her either.
As far as her outside access she usually spends the day inside and will go out when I get home from work off and on til about 8-9 at night.
she scratches the door to go out and will lay on our welcome mat and come in when I check outside, I don’t think we are restricting her outside access because I do like her to go out and blow some steam off but I don’t know if I should pick her up and put her out and let her spend time on our porch sitting on the welcome mat?
My husband and I make time to play with her, she seems to prefer playing with him. I personally think that she likes him more and is possessive or overprotective of him. He was laying on the couch when I leaned over him then the attack happened??
My husband wants to keep her out because of this but I worry about her freezing and you can’t leave the house without her rushing in if she wants too.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Sudden or alarming moves (to her, anyway) can bring about the same reaction in some cats that over-petting can. Just as an example, some cats don't like a hand being moved over the top of their head and take that as threatening. So, look for other body motions you are making while she is on your lap, and see if you find any consistency. If that doesn't appear to be the case, pay attention to sounds around you and see if there are noises that causes her to react.

If she already scratches at the door to go outside, then it doesn't seem that putting her out there at other times is going to make much of a difference. I am not an advocate of making a cat become an outdoor one just because of their behavior, so I hope your husband can be patient enough not to pursue this and let you have more time to work on a solution.

It is possible that she likes your husband better, some cats just pick a certain person for reasons beyond what we can figure out. If she appears to like playing with him better, start using his play tactics as your own. Mimic some of his behaviors that seem to draw her to him. Is he home all day with her, by any chance?

Does he cuddle with her, have her on his lap and pet her without negative reaction? Or, does he just let her do her own thing? If the latter, that could be why she 'likes' him better?

Last but not least, don't rule out some sort of illness. Since you said she seems to be getting more aggressive (even if it is only with you) the increase in aggression could be an increase in some sort of health issue. I would also watch this aspect very closely.

Hoping other members come along soon with some ideas/suggestions - especially since mine don't seem to be 'panning out'!!!

 

[tabbytom]

Hi I’m a first time cat owner. My husband and I were adopted by a stray cat.

and welcome to TCS!
As I read your thread, it looks pretty normal to me and I agree with what FeebysOwner mentioned.

Just like my boy, being a rescue, either their mommy left them early and they did not learn social skills from their mommy or they have to fend for themselves as they live in a group and also amongst them, they have rough play.

My boy doesn't like to be over stimulated. At those times that he allows us to pet him, it's only for a moment, other than that, if I try to pet him, my hand will be in his mouth He also like to ambush us and then tackle our legs as we walk by. He gets over excited at times, maybe same as your cat, when I tell my boy that there's a bird outside the next room and if I walk faster than him to the room, he'll tackle my legs and start his biting and bunny kicks. Same as if I comb him for too long. So when I see him in an ambush position, I'll change my direction of walk to avoid him. Yes, it's one of his way to play but I don't always play ambush with him because he gets carried away easily

Even when my boy is just lying on his tower looking out the window and I just stand there and place my arms around him without touching and petting him, in awhile's time, he'll turn and nibble my hands and then I leave him alone and he continues lookin out the window.

So what I learn from this is to learn his body language. for example, Any movement from him from a comfortable position to a slightly different position, say if I'm carrying him for awhile and he pushed me slightly, I'll let him down quickly. S observing body language is very important to avoid any confrontation from your cat. If you see folded ears, big eyes, open mouth or paws pushing you away. This are signs that your cat want to be left alone.

Leave toys all around the house and at anytime he starts to bite, distract him with his toys and put the toy near his mouth and once he plays with it, quickly walk away. Or, talk to him in a firm voice and say 'No' and then walk away. Repeat if he follows you to bite, doing and saying the same thing till he gets the message.

Yes, my boy plays rough as he was rescued at 3 weeks old and abandoned and no proper guidance from mommy and receive no mommy love. he's been like this since the day he came home and he's already 4 years old (tomorrow ) and I still love him to bits

 

[Hellenww]

Is she spayed? If not that could explain some of it.

 

[meikee]

She is spayed, she has her ear tipped. So like mentioned in one of the replies it is hard to tell where she came from, if she was abandoned or always out on her own. I’ll try and better observe her behavior. Thanks for everyone’s input it just seemed last night was extra aggressive but I don’t have much experience with cats.

 

[tabbytom]

Just remember to observe the body language and give her space and I forgot to add to my post is over the years, my boy has mellowed down. So constant reminder and giving space helps.

And always praise her for being good even if she's doing nothing. Always slow eye blink with her and try to get a response from her and see if she slow eye blink back to you. If she does, you've instilled confidence in her and she knows that she's being love and she love you too.

Take it as it is just her and she's not trying to be nasty. More soft talk and more praise and more slow eye blinks.