Cat Will Not Stop Attacking

[ileen]

I think your cat has PTSD,... When you see him coming at you spray him with water.

I thought you were not supposed to use a spray bottle on cats with PTSD. That's what I've been told anyway. My cat is not as vicious as yours in that the scratches and bites aren't as severe. However, they do happen with enough regularity that I remain concerned. Usually the scratches go away after a week or so. The bites seldom break the skin enough to bleed, but are strong enough that they wind up leaving bruises. I need to start charting when/where/how the attacks happen & I suggest you do the same.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Yes, definitely don't spray. That could lead to more aggression.

 

[Vega's Dad]

Vega is attacking when she is bored or doesn't get something she wants. She is doing less though, at least, to me.
What I would do when she is attacking is to say no and only no, one word. I feel it's important to let her know what she's doing was wrong before I walk away. Looking into her eyes, pointing her with one finger and saying no. I found she doesn't really know how to attack one pointing finger, only a hand or foot. It gives the attack a pause and a chance for me to make eye contact and say no.
She attacks her mother more. I think it's because she says some sentences which are not as clear as "no". She still attacks me sometime but usually stops when her teeth touch my skin and I say no.
She never use claws though. She hit me with her paws only which is a kind of cute.
She was spayed before we adopted her when she was 10 month old. She is 1 year old now.
Hope this would help.

 

[5starcathotel]

First, I suggest give him an absolutely, unquestioned, quiet safe space...a closet in a spare room, a covered crate, or space under your bed (or some combination). Nobody, under any circumstances, should pet him, bother him, or even look at him when he is in that safe place.

Something should be triggering these attacks - you mentioned kids and loud noises as a potential. If you can identify those, obviously minimize them, but also make sure he knows he can go to his safe place.

I haven't seen anybody mention medication yet, but in this case it sounds like it is worth a shot. He's completely friendly and lovable 99% of the time...but then something happens and he's back to being kicked by those kids. Medication could help him put his past behind him.

 

[Her_Majesty's_Cat]

Hello there! I do not have personal experience with matters like these, however I have done extensive research on cat behavior and I think I may be able to offer some input. Here are a few points I would like to make:

1. How often are you playing with your cat? Many cats will see your legs and say, "hey! I need to hunt. Ooooh something moving!" *chomp*(but I'm sure you know that)
Even if that is not the case, I think playing will still help to release some of that energy in a healthy place. I suggest at least 30 minutes a day in total. It is quite possible she may need more. Keep up on the playing!

2. You must never shout, spray or attempt to discipline your cat in anyway. Doing so will only solidify in your cats mind that you are a threat and the attacks will never stop.

3. If your cat was abused and therefore traumatized by humans, I would think the aggression and fear it spawned would never allow for any contact whatsoever. If your cat allows you to approach and even pet her, that tells me that she is not necessarily afraid of you. If legs are her only fear trigger I would think that she would only attack when you are going towards her. Typically in abuse survivors, the cat is in constant fear of humans, most wont ever allow a human to touch them again because a permanent association has developed. Which is why I suggest trying to play with your cat as often as possible.

I hope this was at least a little helpful.

 

[help_me_and_my_crazy_cat]

Honestly he spends most of the day outside wandering around, chasing things, etc, and does come in a few times to eat or get a nap, and always at dinner time hoping for a snack. (he has his own door). I know that everything tells you to play with him more, but in the last year or two a lot of his kitten behavior has worn off and he's a lot more laid back. He'll play for a minute or two, and then get bored. I think that most of the time when you hear "you need to play with the cat more", are people referring to indoor cats? I could see what you're saying being true for indoor cats, but I really wonder if its true for outdoor cats that get lots of stimulation. I mean, I often see him out in the yard jumping around trying (and usually successfully) catching a moth or other insect. And he seems to kill an animal at least once a week. About a year ago we really gave extra effort towards playing with him as much as we could, but it didnt change anything.

 

[help_me_and_my_crazy_cat]

So I've been looking at Feliway and am considering getting a diffuser for our house. What is everyones thoughts on that? It seems like if anything it might only help when he is inside. I'd say the attacks happen about 50% inside and 50% outside. So I'm not sure this is really going to accomplish the end goal of stopping the attacks altogether, but I'm willing to try anything.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I would, again, urge you to start at the vet and talk about an anti-anxiety medication. That would help across the board.

 

[help_me_and_my_crazy_cat]

I would, again, urge you to start at the vet and talk about an anti-anxiety medication. That would help across the board.

I'm not opposed to that route 100%, but my concerns are that currently we can leave him home for over a week at a time, and he's just fine. Thats why we dont have a dog because we're away enough that it would be a big nuisance and expense to deal with the times when we're away. I was researching and it looks like Prozac is a pretty common medication that a vet would prescribe in a situation like this. And it would require giving it to him daily. For a human there are some pretty harsh effects that happen if you come off it all the sudden. But maybe there are some other medications that dont have as bad effects to come off it for a week or so.

I also feel bad about going a route like that because he's actually fairly low key and acts perfectly normal when he's around us. I've had family members on medicine like this and they just arent themselves while they're on it. Its just that occasional burst of leg-attack thats the problem. But i guess if thats what it takes, thats what it takes.

 

[ToriisMommy]

I don't know how many people on here have used it but when my Bushy got really aggressive, my vet put her on Zylkene. It's a holistic supplement. It's derived from cows milk and puts the cat in a calm mood. It's worked wonders for Bushy.

 

[Her_Majesty's_Cat]

Honestly he spends most of the day outside wandering around, chasing things, etc, and does come in a few times to eat or get a nap, and always at dinner time hoping for a snack. (he has his own door). I know that everything tells you to play with him more, but in the last year or two a lot of his kitten behavior has worn off and he's a lot more laid back. He'll play for a minute or two, and then get bored. I think that most of the time when you hear "you need to play with the cat more", are people referring to indoor cats? I could see what you're saying being true for indoor cats, but I really wonder if its true for outdoor cats that get lots of stimulation. I mean, I often see him out in the yard jumping around trying (and usually successfully) catching a moth or other insect. And he seems to kill an animal at least once a week. About a year ago we really gave extra effort towards playing with him as much as we could, but it didnt change anything.

I see what you mean. I would definitely look into diffusion or calming sprays. I hear Spirit essence works well for theses situations.

Hope all works out.

 

[ileen]

I'm not opposed to that route 100%, but my concerns are that currently we can leave him home for over a week at a time, and he's just fine.

Do you leave a week's worth of food out? If it's determined that he does need something, maybe you could mix it into the food somehow.

 

[help_me_and_my_crazy_cat]

Yes, we usually way overdo it and leave him enough for probably 3 weeks.

 

[ileen]

Wow, and I was stressing about leaving Luciano for 30 hours a few weeks ago. I'm still curious to know if he ate all the food at once and then starved the next day.

 

[help_me_and_my_crazy_cat]

Wow, and I was stressing about leaving Luciano for 30 hours a few weeks ago. I'm still curious to know if he ate all the food at once and then starved the next day.

No, theres always tons left when we get back. He's not one of those who eats everything you put in his bowl all at once. He just eats small bits at a time.