My cat is indoor, although I'm under increasing pressure to make her indoor/outdoor that's another issue...maybe.
My room backs onto the garden and there's lots of cats in my neighbourhood. Now it's getting warm, there are an increasing number of cats fights at night. My cat doesn't go out, and so when she hears these fights, she feels threatened and attacks the nearest moving thing...me.
Last week I was getting ready for bed and a particularly vicious fight started. I looked at Lucia, she gave me a very strange look which told me "get out of here now", but I was foolish and stuck around thinking she wouldn't really attack me...but she did, and I ended up in A&E last Saturday because one of her bites was infected.
It was frustrating but I figured I was awake and moving and had made eye contact, so thought that was why she attacked. Surely if I was sleeping she wouldn't have seen me as the threat...
Well the other night she woke me up by biting my leg and scratching and hissing. Not in a playful way, in a way that made me drip blood onto my bedsheets. It was just one quick attack, and I covered myself with my duvet (which was way too hot to keep up) and she calmed down immediately.
But I really can't have my cat doing that! Twice in a week...and what if she had been by my head, and attacked my face while I was sleeping? I don't mind scars on my legs so much, but not my face!
And just now, a neighbour's cat came into our garden. Our cat Billy was sleeping on a chair, and he chased this cat away...but Lucia saw it, and turned around to look at my parents and I. Gave us all a weird look...and we ran out of the room and locked her in the lounge because I know that "look" now. But it seems insane to run away from a cat!
Does anyone have any tips for redirecting aggression?
I know the obvious tip is locking her out of my room at night, but my situation is a little strange. I live with my parents and their two older, indoor/outdoor cats. My cat and I moved in last September and it's meant to be temporary, but living in London, not being a millionaire, and rentals often not allowing pets means we're stuck here for a while longer. Lucia has her litter and food in my room so she is locked in with me at night. She's usually really good and sleeps the whole night through. Billy and Max are old and it's not fair to keep them in the kitchen over night, plus Max had cystitis recently due to stress so needs to be able to get outside at night as they don't have a litter tray.
So either I make Lucia an outdoor cat which I really don't want to do, or I find out how to redirect her aggression. We tried Feliway before but I don't think it had much effect, but maybe the room was too big. My room is smaller so it might work. I'm also going to get her soft paws, because even if she bites me, it might be easier to pick her up and move her away if I only need to watch out for her teeth and know I won't be slashed by her claws. We're also getting a new cat flap soon, the kind that is activated by microchip so only the boys can get out, but I know they're not foolproof. But when we have that hopefully I won't need to lock her in my room at night. But until then?
So if anyone has any tips for how to deal with nervous cats redirecting their aggression onto you, I'd appreciate it...
My room backs onto the garden and there's lots of cats in my neighbourhood. Now it's getting warm, there are an increasing number of cats fights at night. My cat doesn't go out, and so when she hears these fights, she feels threatened and attacks the nearest moving thing...me.
Last week I was getting ready for bed and a particularly vicious fight started. I looked at Lucia, she gave me a very strange look which told me "get out of here now", but I was foolish and stuck around thinking she wouldn't really attack me...but she did, and I ended up in A&E last Saturday because one of her bites was infected.
It was frustrating but I figured I was awake and moving and had made eye contact, so thought that was why she attacked. Surely if I was sleeping she wouldn't have seen me as the threat...
Well the other night she woke me up by biting my leg and scratching and hissing. Not in a playful way, in a way that made me drip blood onto my bedsheets. It was just one quick attack, and I covered myself with my duvet (which was way too hot to keep up) and she calmed down immediately.
But I really can't have my cat doing that! Twice in a week...and what if she had been by my head, and attacked my face while I was sleeping? I don't mind scars on my legs so much, but not my face!
And just now, a neighbour's cat came into our garden. Our cat Billy was sleeping on a chair, and he chased this cat away...but Lucia saw it, and turned around to look at my parents and I. Gave us all a weird look...and we ran out of the room and locked her in the lounge because I know that "look" now. But it seems insane to run away from a cat!
Does anyone have any tips for redirecting aggression?
I know the obvious tip is locking her out of my room at night, but my situation is a little strange. I live with my parents and their two older, indoor/outdoor cats. My cat and I moved in last September and it's meant to be temporary, but living in London, not being a millionaire, and rentals often not allowing pets means we're stuck here for a while longer. Lucia has her litter and food in my room so she is locked in with me at night. She's usually really good and sleeps the whole night through. Billy and Max are old and it's not fair to keep them in the kitchen over night, plus Max had cystitis recently due to stress so needs to be able to get outside at night as they don't have a litter tray.
So either I make Lucia an outdoor cat which I really don't want to do, or I find out how to redirect her aggression. We tried Feliway before but I don't think it had much effect, but maybe the room was too big. My room is smaller so it might work. I'm also going to get her soft paws, because even if she bites me, it might be easier to pick her up and move her away if I only need to watch out for her teeth and know I won't be slashed by her claws. We're also getting a new cat flap soon, the kind that is activated by microchip so only the boys can get out, but I know they're not foolproof. But when we have that hopefully I won't need to lock her in my room at night. But until then?
So if anyone has any tips for how to deal with nervous cats redirecting their aggression onto you, I'd appreciate it...
