Cat Attacks + Moving Soon

[catsins]

I have written before about my two adopted cats - Sirius (3y) and Remus (2y). Overall they both are sweet and get along well, they play with each other a lot and while Sirius is the ‘leader’, they don’t seem to have any problems. I have been to the vet with both of them quite recently and their health is tip top (actually even got praised about their shiny coats due to their nice diet). I feed them grain free wet food and play with them a lot (although they don’t really like it that much, they prefer playing with each other )

A week ago Sirius attacked me out of nowhere, I was in bed, almost asleep and he was sleeping on the bed as well (he always does it), and suddenly I had sharp claws and teeth in my hand. I yelped in surprise and jumped up, he came for my hand again and again until I managed to hiss at him and sort of scare him off that way. The next day it happened again, this time I was putting on my coat and he came, sat down next to my legs, looked up with big round eyes and attacked my hand with teeth and claws. I think I yelled (but not directly at him, more of a ‘ouuuuu’) and he backed off. I was in a hurry to not miss a train so I left the house once I saw him jumping on his cat tree and staring at me. And ever since then he’s been trying to attack me at least once every day. Most of the time it happens when I am in bed, he sort of sleeps near my legs, then suddenly gets up, snarls and jumps at my arms/hands (but it does also happen outside of bedroom). Tonight I actually hissed at him in panic because he almost scratched my eye out and as soon as he ran out of the room he turned around and came back again (eyes dialated, ready to jump), so I got him out of room (with hissing) and closed the door. Honestly it has come to a point where I am scared of him because the attacks are painful and emotionally scarring. He sleeps in my lap a lot and today when he jumped in my lap I almost threw him off because I thought it’s another attack. And that’s the thing, besides the attacks he keeps being sweet to me, purrs in my lap, follows me when i move out of his sight for too long, “talks” to me etc. Nothing has changed in my flat, I haven’t changed any routines, food, furniture etc. I just don’t know what to do, I am so scared and it’s irrational because he’s just a cat but at the same time it’s painful?

I don’t know what to do and to top it all off, I am moving next Sunday and I am worried that the stress of moving will make it even worse. I also have to start packing tomorrow and there will be a lot of changes in the apartment within next week and I am concerned how it will affect Sirius.

I am not sure if it’s play agression since he sort of snarls/bares teeth before attacking (and I don’t see that when he plays with Remus, with him Sirius just pounces), but he doesn’t hiss or make any sounds himself and he seems to stop after I isolate myself from him for a few minutes.

The problem is that it also happens so quickly and out of nowhere I cannot control my reaction (especially when I am asleep), I automatically hiss at him and sometimes even yell in pain. I don’t scream at him or hit him or anything, I know negative reinforcement doesn’t work, but still i feel like he doesn’t like my reactions (and clearly he doesn’t learn that it’s not okay from them either). There is no time to grab a toy or anything, it’s miliseconds and I don’t always even notice until his nails are in my hands.

I am lost, we don’t have pet behavior specialists here in my country and I can’t even get things like Feliway. Is there any way how to stop his behavior or teach him it hurts? I love him to bits and it breaks my heart that I am scared to even pet him now in case he will go for my hands. :/

 

[rubysmama]

I can understand you being nervous now around Sirius. (love both your cats' names, BTW. Sirius was actually one of my favourite characters from Harry Potter)

Back to your Sirius, he may have heard another cat or animal outside that scared him which is now causing his aggressive behaviour.

TCS has a few articles that might have some helpful tips for you.
Good luck. I hope you get your sweet Sirius back soon.

Re-directed Aggression In Cats
Cat Aggression Toward People
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
Solving Cat Behavior Problems: The Key Ingredient
When Physical Problems Turn Into Behavior Problems
The Dos And Don'ts Of Cat Behavior Modification
Cats And Discipline Don't Mix

How To Move With Your Cat To A New Home In A Safe Way

 

[ArtNJ]

Maybe we should clarify, by "snarls" do you mean there is a noise? Because it sounds a lot like the cat has decided you are a target for play biting - which can happen randomly for reasons the human doesn't understand - but play biting doesn't usually come with noises, especially not growling or hissing. The cat can sort of make a bitey facial expression when in the mood for it, if that is what you mean by a "snarl". Normally, for play biting, we mostly recommend a loud "no" and disengaging -- i.e. not rewarding the behavior -- but admittedly that might not work that well and/or be risky if your being attacked while sleeping, especially around the face. You might need to sleep with the door closed till we can solve this. The good news is that play biting is not stress related, and the move should not make it any harder to deal with.

If we decide this is *not* playtime biting, then a vet visit would be my first step given the seemingly random and episodic nature of the events.

 

[catsins]

rubysmama Sirius was my favorite from HP and I found it funny to name my cat after a dog, but he's black so Sirius Black it was. And his more thoughtful buddy of course was Remus.

THANK YOU for all those links, especially the one about moving. I like the idea of safe room in both places, and making sure movers don't let them out by accident.

Maybe we should clarify, by "snarls" do you mean there is a noise?

This is were the fact that English is not my first language comes in. I might have chosen the wrong word. There is no sound, he sort of shows/bares his teeth and looks like he might make a snarling noise but doesn't. There is no noise at all during the whole session (except my yelps of surprise).

I am starting to think it is play aggression after all. I woke up around 5AM because Sirius was scratching the doors and begging to be let in, I decided to let them both in, feeling bad for Remus who loves to curl up next to me, and see what Sirius would do. He jumped in bed immediately, started to purr and headbutt my palm so I would pet him, you could tell he was really happy he got in. So I did pet him for a minute or two and then he moved to his usual spot at the end of the bed, but instead of laying down, he was sitting and looking at me. It was half dark so I couldn't see his eyes, but I could see him freezing, his tail started to move and he pounced my arm. This time I knew it was coming so I told my self to be still. Unlike the other times his nails did not go deep and his bite was more like the one you get when you pet the cat and he thinks it's enough - without breaking the skin. I didn't shake him or moved my arm, just said "No, Sirius, no." He let me go, but only just to jump at the other arm, he sort of hugged it with his body from elbow to palm, again gently biting my palm. I told him "No" again, but he just jumped off to turn around and jump at me again. After six times of him jumping at my arms and me telling "no" and sitting super still, it seemed that he is getting annoyed that I am not playing, the seventh time was quite painful, his nails draw blood, so I firmly told him "no" and took him out of the bedroom (he just ran out himself when I stood up, not sure if he was scared or thinking I will playfully chase him) and closed the door again.

He tried to attack again right after breakfast but I had a laser with me (his absolutely favorite toy), so he played with it for good ten minutes instead and then curled up on the cat tree to take a nap. I guess I am a bit relieved it might just be him suddenly deciding that human too should play? But at the same time he does not understand "No" and me not engaging (although, I am thinking, patience will be the key here, one time probably is not enough), and when he attacks me while I am asleep, I cannot control my reaction. So I think I will have to sleep with doors closed. :/ I will try and find some advice about how to stop or redirect play aggression and see what happens.

 

[rubysmama]

The fact that he drew blood when he scratched you is a bit concerning, especially since cat bites and scratches can become infected. So please keep an eye on any scratches/bites that break the skin and seek medical attention if you suspect infection.

Cat Bites - What Every Cat Owner Needs To Know

It certainly could be play aggression and TCS has an article on that too.
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

However, the fact that he just recently began this behaviour is strange.

You haven't been around any other animals lately, have you? There was a recent thread about a cat attacking his "owner" and it turned out the cat was smelling other cats on the owner, who had just started volunteering at an animal shelter.

If Sirius continues attacking you, maybe you should call you vet and tell them what's going on and get their advice.

 

[catsins]

rubysmama I have a disinfectant for wounds that I pour over them after it happens, all of them look okay for now. This is sad because I suffer from a really bad health anxiety (due to sudden death in the family) and just a thought of possible infections make my anxiety go haywire. But I guess, I have so many wounds now that I am starting to get used to it.

I did spend a lot of time with friend's dog yesterday but no animals before that. I did go outside but only to my usual places (store, coffee shop), nothing new. Plus I take a shower before I go to bed, so I don't think I was smelling of any other animals when he attacked in bed. I don't have a new shampoo or other products either.

I did call the vet but she was very sure it's not health related since the recent wellness check went well, according to her if this behavior was health-related, it wouldn't be something new and acute that wasn't in previous tests, especially if he eats, plays, sleeps etc. like he usually does. She did say to come back if he starts to get more aggressive and shows signs of actually attacking and not just play attacking.

One thing that I might think of is that Remus is growing up and no longer is as playful as he was (he used to play twice as much as Sirius and always bothered Sirius with trying to engage him in a play fight), maybe the fact that Remus isn't playing as often with Sirius is making him bored? But I still see them chasing each other multiple times every day and this morning's episode seems unrelated to that. Remus was also on the bed with us when Sirius went for my arms, he didn't try to play with Remus first. (Remus was looking at us like we were crazy and ran away when I started to say my loud "No"s.)

I just hate how afraid I am, I feel like a pray, watching his every step. Every time he comes near me, I have to talk myself into not looking stiff and afraid so he doesn't see me as a pray, and I keep my hands crossed over my chest when I move around, so they would look less tempting. It's ridiculous but I cannot relax. :/

Thank you for those links, this site is a blessing with all the awesome information!

 

[rubysmama]

I hope something in the links will be helpful. Also hope some other members will see this thread and reply with comments/suggestions.

 

[catsins]

Happened again tonight, seems like bed = 100% attack. As soon as I sat down in bed, I could feel Sirius’ eyes on me and within a minute I got attacked. He did not listen to NO and tried again and again, he ignored me trying to distract him with toys and as soon as blood was drawn, I put him outside and closed the door. I am really sad because Remus is not super cuddly but whenever I go to bed, he comes and purrs next to me and I can per him for ages, but I cannot keep Remus in and Sirius out, Remus gets upset that he’s locked in and tries to get out as soon as I close the doors. So I feel like I am punishing both cats but I cannot risk my face being clawed while I sleep.

On a side note, how do I stop looking like a pray to him? I was being still and not moving at all this time and he still attacked, it’s like my body language doesn’t matter to him?

 

[ArtNJ]

My personal theory on this type of situation is that it becomes a habit. How it starts, no human knows, but once the habit of viewing you as a play toy for biting in a certain spot/situation arises, you need to treat it like a habit. That means that trying to redirect with toys while the attack is going on or right after is a bad idea, because that is reinforcement for the habit. Rather, a loud "No!" and disengaging and ignoring the cat for a bit is what I usually recommend. Playing with the cat with toys BEFORE you go to bed might help, but once you get attacked, I would not.

I do think you probably need to exclude them from the bedroom for a while. Its one thing when a cat is pouncing ankles or hands, but entirely another if they are in your face when sleeping. Just seems like there is a risk of a more serious injury if you wake up startled and the cat bolts, digging claws into your face to get traction to spring away. Habits can be starved away, so it might not need to be forever.

Of course, once you exclude from the bedroom, the habit could morph to an attack while your sitting on the couch or whatnot, but at least is a lower risk situation you can deal with in the traditional manner.

 

[Elfilou]

Try not to be scared, because as you said - you feel like prey. Which... makes you prey. You often see it between cats themselves too; when one cat acts like prey and runs around the apartment all close to the floor and scared - another cat will see that as an invitation to chase. Not sure if thats the case with you, its also easier said than done, but yeah.

I saw a specific episode on Jackson Galaxy's show where this cat would often get on this girl, give her the death stare, and then attack her. Other than that he was a perfectly sane cat, like yours. Wish I knew which episode it was so you could watch it... Anyway. The way she fixed that was basically to just... stand up. To stop being scared. To be assertive (not aggressive, just calm) and remove the cat from her space whenever he was getting in pouncing mode.

First step is watching him closely. If you know what he looks like before he attacks and what the 'signs' are you no longer have to be scared. Which is the next important step;stop being scared. Easier said than done. And finally, whenever you see that he is about to pounce on you, you find a way to either remove him or yourself from the situation in a calm way. Push him off the bed when you see he is in attack mode or softly nudge him out of the way with your foot when you see his pupils dilating - stuff like that.

Hope I gave you some ideas on things to try. Good luck and keep us updated

 

[catsins]

A ArtNJ Elfilou I followed your advice and did two things: 1) for now when I am about to go to bed, I remove my cats out of the bedroom and close the door (breaks my heart because Remus spends at least 10 minutes sadly meowing at the door) and 2) I stopped acting scared. I guess because Sirius couldn't attack me in my bed, I stopped being scared of him. I am back to my usual self, and he has not attacked me once in past three days!

I am moving in three days and I will see what happens in the new house. I would like to let them back in since I enjoy their company and I love waking up with Remus purring in my face, and it might help them to adjust to the new place better. But it looks like Sirius does not want to attack me outside of me being in bed - so definitely a weird habit he acquired (idk, maybe I acted like a pray/play biddy from his view the first time he did it).

I am so happy that I can cuddle with him properly again and not jump every time he rubs himself against my legs.

 

[rubysmama]

That's great news! Good luck with your move.