Cat started attacking my boyfriend, please help!

[benimalika]

Hello fellow cat people. I have a male cat named Beni who is 3 1/2 years old. About 6 months ago I couldn't keep him with me anymore because I had to move. My boyfriend actually moved into my old apartment and wanted to keep Beni too. It worked out great since Beni got to stay at his home and I still get to see him often. I've been staying here with them since the quarantine began. My boyfriend had always wanted two cats and so around two months ago he adopted a female kitten, Monkey. It seemed like a good time since we would be around a lot to give attention/monitor the relationship. Now, two months later, Beni has started attacking my boyfriend. He doesn't attack me or the kitten. Today he attacked him and drew blood.

Some more background information I think might be relevant:

- Ever since he was a kitten (I've had him since he was 3 months old) Beni has been afraid of men. We adopted him from the SPCA, not sure what experiences he had in his first 3 months. To this day, any new woman he meets he will immediately demand pets from. If a new man comes to the house he will hide. After a while he comes out and befriends them, to the point of asking for cuddles and purring.

- Beni and Monkey are still adjusting to each other. They play, sleep together on occasion, and groom each other often. However, Monkey had endless kitten energy which does get on Beni's nerves. She pounces on Beni to try and get him to play but when he's not in the mood he hisses, growls and runs away. Even with a million toys and us playing with her as much as possible this still happens fairly frequently during the day. I asked a question about their relationship on here recently and the general consensus was that it was normal adjustment and they seemed to get along fine since they didn't fear or hurt each other. I assumed it would get better as she got older and more calm.

- My next door neighbour has three cats that she lets roam our hallway. I know when they're out because Beni will be glued to the front door. I even opened the door once for him and he sniffed our neighbour's catand seemed curious. I realized today that he was by the door but this time he was softly growling. (I include this because it made me think this is all territorial)

- Beni will attack my boyfriend unprovoked but won't attack me even if "provoked". I have picked him up a couple of times when he's been growling at the kitten and he continues growling until I put him down but in no way tries to hurt me. It's also the first time he ever attacks anyone

There's been around 4 attacks. The first happened when my boyfriend accidentally stepped on the kitten. She cried and so he picked her up to seee if she was ok. Beni came running and attacked his ankles until he put the kitten down. Beni checked her out and left. The other attacks have been out of nowhere. I've never actually been present for any of them.

Today my boyfriend was in the kitchen making dinner and he gave the kittens a bit of the chicken he was cooking as a treat since they love raw chicken. After they were done eating he went to the living room to close the blinds and turn on the lights. Beni jumped on the couch and started attacking his waist. My boyfriend thought he was just playing. Then as he was leaving the living room Beni attacked his ankles hard enough that he drew blood. There's a long cut. He also describes Beni as making a sort of high pitched growling sound that he had never heard him make before when he attacks.

I would love to know what is happening and how we can make this better. I'm assuming it is somewhat a territorial issue and maybe it's worse with my partner because of Beni's fear of men. My boyfriend is understandably not happy with the situation. I suggested he start feeding the kittens (something I recall seeing in a Jackson Galaxy video). Any other tips on what could be happening and how to make it stop? Thank you!

 

[di and bob]

Beni is still understandably upset and nervous about all the changes in his life. 2-3 months is not long at all in a cat's world. It is called redirected aggression and many cats do it. He is nervous around men, as many cats are because they are bigger, louder, and more menacing appearing then women. He may also have been abused by a man in his life. The kitten crying and causing the attack, the other cats in the hallway, etc., are more than he can handle, and though some of the attacks seem unprovoked, there is always a reason. If he attacks again, have your boyfriend, or you, take him by the loose skin on the back of the neck and hold him to the ground, saying no, and then soothing words to calm him. He will struggle, but be firm and do it EVERY time, it must be consistent. This is what mama cats do to discipline their kittens. He must be shown what NOT to do,m but be praised and calmed after to show everything is alright. have the boyfriend feed and play with him with a wand to show he is not a threat, this will go away but not for several months yet as he becomes used to all the changes. Cats can attack too if they are nervous and attention is forced onto them, so give him a place high up to escape to, my Chrissy had a bed on top of the fridge, and give him some breathing room. All the luck!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Because Beni is afraid of men in general, I would ask your BF to make notes about what is going on immediately before Beni attacks him. The odds are there is something - totally unintentional, and harmless in you BF's mind - that is actually provoking the attacks from Beni's perspective. Maybe if he does this, he can figure out what the triggers are for Beni, and work out some solutions. Have him do it for several days or longer to see if there is any pattern. And, take into consideration things like if your BF has a new job or a change in jobs/work that causes him to bring home a different scent that is somehow bothering Beni. It could even be related to a change in cologne, soaps, lotions, new shoes, etc.

Until you can get a better idea of what might be going on, I would highly recommend when/if Beni attacks that your BF just say a firm "OUCH", then walk away and ignore him. A more forceful/negative approach could escalate Beni's behavior toward your BF, especially if there would have been some abuse in Beni's past.

I would also consider, if you possibly can, setting out a big piece of chicken wire right outside your front door to discourage the neighbor's cats from coming so close. Most cats do not like to walk on the wire, but it is actually harmless. Anything that will help keep the cats farther away from the door, to aide in reducing the stress this causes Beni. You might even want to place a large door mat at the front door and spray it with cat deterrent if necessary. It also won't hurt the other cats, but could stop them from wanting to get so close.

Here is a link (below) to a TCS article that might have some ideas on what your BF could do to help him 'make better friends' with Beni.
14 Cat Experts Reveal: How To Get A Cat To Like Me

Keep us posted!!!