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. :/
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. :/