I'm here because I don't know what to do. I live in a place with housemates who have a high anxiety cat. This cat, for some unholy reason, will RUN to my door the millisecond I open it (or the door downstairs I need to access my bathroom) and immediately insistently rub against my legs and lie himself down on top of my feet, preventing me from moving anywhere. He is a high anxiety cat (a rescue), he will bite and scratch at the slightest thing, including the harmless act of trying to evade his clingy-ness or even daring to walk past him at all. So unless you let him just prevent you from walking--doesn't matter if I just came in and out three seconds ago, he'll do it again--I'll be attacked. Nothing stops him from doing any of these things. He's not deterred by water spray bottles, or loud noises, or the usual harmless deterrents. I've tried to give him small pets, to see if it will sate a lack of affection, but this also results in a high probability of being attacked so now I don't do it at all. My ankles are constantly covered in scratches and I worry about infection or parasites. My housemates have had this cat a long time and his owner is not the type to do anything about it to treat him--that's just "how he is". All I want right now is something to keep the cat away from me and my space, like maybe a natural deterrent that is discreet, so that nobody is offended I am trying to keep my distance from the cat. Again, this is not my cat so I cannot invest time or money into things for him (nor can I afford it, I barely cover my own things) nor can I influence any behavioral treatments from his owners--which includes all the normal things they should do like play with him more, give him other stimulus, etc. I just want to live in my home in peace without being in constant anxiety that the cat is constantly aggressively hounding me for attention, stopping me from moving freely in my home, and worse, is hurting me on a regular basis. Thank you for any useful advice.
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Desperate to Deter Aggressive Cat in Home
- Thread starter Anarkitty
- Start Date
I thought of a couple possibilities.
One is, most cats go crazy over temptation treats, what about tossing a couple a bit away from you so it buys you time to get around him.
The other is use citrus smell, like throw some rain boots on and rub lemon on them if you don't want to buy the spray deterrent. Cats hate citrus and will stay away from it at all costs. Eventually you may not have to keep doing this, he will assume thats your offensive (to him) smell.
One is, most cats go crazy over temptation treats, what about tossing a couple a bit away from you so it buys you time to get around him.
The other is use citrus smell, like throw some rain boots on and rub lemon on them if you don't want to buy the spray deterrent. Cats hate citrus and will stay away from it at all costs. Eventually you may not have to keep doing this, he will assume thats your offensive (to him) smell.
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2023
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I would talk to the owner. I will tell him that I will call the police or the animal control. You need to talk to the authorities. It is that person's fault, not yours. That cat is causing you stress or damage. You could even sue that person. If if were a dog what you would have done? People get the wrong impression that the cats are less dangerous than dogs and in many cases they are not but in situations like this I would like to live in safe space.
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- #4
I thought of trying the essential oils spray on my slippers, as long as it doesn't irritate or is toxic to the cat. Citrus might be the safest bet. Hoping it makes a difference.
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- #5
That would definitely not go over well and would sound crazy to everyone. As far as I can tell he mainly does this to me because I'm new and move through "his" area more often. I think he is desperately under-stimulated. I feel bad for the cat because it doesn't know better, but I will definitely need to consider my options if I can't find a working solution. You have a great point about the dogs, however, rental life in a big city is not so simple and involving authorities seems excessive.
Does he do these things to his owners?
I hate to be the 1 to say this but it seems he wants your attention. As soon as he hears you he comes running rubbing all over you and laying across your feet. That is him scent marking you which is fine but I understand you would rather not have this happen all the time and when you try to prevent him he becomes rambunctious biting and scratching. Which is not a good thing at all. Do you know if he is played with by his owners
Do you have time to play with him for about 10 to 20 minutes a day when he is this wound up and wanting your attention? Again I understand he is not your cat but if this would be something that would work and give you and the cat a better relationship (him respecting your boundaries) it may be worth it to play with him when he is like this. If it is him just underestimated playing with him should help.
Also if they have any little toys like mice, balls, or anything you can throw away from you even as mentioned above temptations treats or something similar? Just something you can toss away from you, it should get his attention on the toy or treat being thrown instead of him bombarding you..
And the last thing is you can talk to your roommates and tell them things with the cat and you are not working out. He keeps scratching and biting you and you are worried about getting an infection. If they could somehow keep him in their area of the house? I also understand how something this simple could start arguments with some people, but if you were my roommate I would want you to come talk to me so we could figure something out to make sure you were good and the cat was good. But I think this is going to be a little different in terms of them doing their part with the cat.
Do you have time to play with him for about 10 to 20 minutes a day when he is this wound up and wanting your attention? Again I understand he is not your cat but if this would be something that would work and give you and the cat a better relationship (him respecting your boundaries) it may be worth it to play with him when he is like this. If it is him just underestimated playing with him should help.
Also if they have any little toys like mice, balls, or anything you can throw away from you even as mentioned above temptations treats or something similar? Just something you can toss away from you, it should get his attention on the toy or treat being thrown instead of him bombarding you..
And the last thing is you can talk to your roommates and tell them things with the cat and you are not working out. He keeps scratching and biting you and you are worried about getting an infection. If they could somehow keep him in their area of the house? I also understand how something this simple could start arguments with some people, but if you were my roommate I would want you to come talk to me so we could figure something out to make sure you were good and the cat was good. But I think this is going to be a little different in terms of them doing their part with the cat.
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- #8
They know he's like this, although I feel like it happens to me much more due to where my room is. The daughter picks him up and handles him and he seems to tolerate it, but I don't think the mom does.
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- #9
It's a bit more than that because it's long term obsessive behaviour. Which I know one reason is a lack of attention from his owners. I work late and have to be quiet by the time I get home. Plus any attempts I've made to give him attention have been a dice roll in being scratched if it's more than .2 seconds. He's not interested in any toys I toss. At times I've tried to carry something with me as a physical barrier, and while at first he's startled, he quickly gets used to it and still is determined to stop me in my tracks. I have sleep trouble and sometimes I just need to run down to the bathroom at night or get something quick before heading to work and I have so much anxiety knowing how much time and noise it will take to trip over the cat. The mom at my house is very old school; this would not be a reasonable conversation.
