Deterring unwanted behavior in semi-feral

[mysticotala]

Me again, with another Augustus problem. He has improved in bounds and is being let out around the house when the other cats are locked up. He seems very comfortable around the house and around us. He is still forceful in wanting attention though. Which is cute until he jumps on you when you walk away.

So that's my question. How can I deter this unwanted behavior without him reverting into feral-ness? Is that even something I need to worry about? His swatting or jumping isn't usually with claws and generally seems playful, but if you start to walk away or just walk passed him, he will jump on your leg or at your hand. I can spray him with water, but will that make him angry at me or wary of people again? So far I've been nice, with just a forceful tone so that he likes us, but I don't want him to think this behavior is okay.
He is a big cat and with his past, it is hard for us to know if he is actually lunging at us or if his 'play' will turn into a real attack, which makes everyone in my house a bit uncomfortable.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I'm annoyingly alone in my wanting to rehabilitate him, my family has zero patience so far, so I really want him to improve so they don't try and get rid of him.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Hi,

I never use water. I have found cats really don't want to hurt their caregiver (I deal with ferals known and unknown and also have all ferals as my indoor cats). If they engage in behavior that is unacceptable I will let them know in a calm and confident and stern toned voice. A "no" or "ouch" tends to do the trick. So your stern voice should get him to stop it. If possible try to have a toy near and use the toy to distract him from you.

Cats can take on our emotions so it is really important to be calm and confident around him. If a cat senses fear in a person they can then be more fearful and that is when things can go bad sometimes. If we act like every thing is normal and calm then they tend to be normal and calm.

And keep using food to build trust. Food and play build a lot of confidence which leads to a delightful cat as a family member.

It sounds to me like he is an energetic normal cat but I don't know the real situation. Can you step up play with him to get some of that energy out of him? After play feed either treats or a meal.

Please feel free to ask anything anytime. I am happy to help if I can.

 

[mysticotala]

Thanks for the advice! I felt bad with the water, so it's good to hear that it might not be necessary. I'll keep working with him.

He is indeed a very energetic cat, probably made more so by being in a room by himself for part of the day. I play with him pretty often, but I'll try to up his activity even more.
Thanks again!

 

[calicosrspecial]

You are welcome.

Let's see how he responds and see what works and what doesn't and adjust as needed.

I am guessing he is fairly young? Sometimes given a cat a toy that he can play with by himself is helpful. I often use a tennis ball, mine love them.

Cats typically don't want to hurt unless threatened. And try to let him know that you don't approve of the jumping on your leg etc.

Please feel free to ask anything anytime. I am happy to help things go well for all of you.

 

[catwoman707]

Yes, I agree not to spray with water, this is too negative for him and likely to cause emotions towards you that you are wanting to eliminate already.

However, jumping on you when you turn away is not okay, ever.

What I personally would and do is, if he does this immediately give a strong/sharp NO!! Then talk to him as usual right after that.

It's easy for them to learn this way that what he did to cause that sharp negative reaction is not acceptable and will lose it fast.

Cats like dogs want approval not disapproval from their person, dogs just show it more in an obvious/pouty type way, head down tail tucked, but cats care just as much and want approval, but put on their typical casual I don't care so it appears that they couldn't care less. 

 

[theyremine]

My feral started grabbing (with claws) my leg as I started to walk away from him once he decided he liked my attention (petting, playing) .What finally worked:   A sharp hiss and a stern but not loud "Bad boy" and I just kept walking.   The first time I hissed at him he looked shocked!   Three years later he's the biggest lap cat.  

 

[rampionrampage]

In my experience before I gave up on it many years ago, by the time you grabbed the bottle they either vanished (they're not stupid, they figure it out) or the teaching moment was long gone anyway.

My first cat used to lunge at my feet if I was gone too long. He was a stray and a year and a half when I got him, so he was pretty set in his opinion of how things should be. He was also very forceful with attention and eventually I gave him his own chair next to me at my desk where I spent most of my time, and eventually he was convinced that this was connecting enough with me and settled in. This also improved his overall behavior.

I raised an orphan kitten from four days old who had not an inkling of good behavior for awhile. She was totally not food-motivated, not even tuna, so you are ahead of the game there.

I used a ball, too. Her situation was more 'I'm going to attack everything that moves and esp your hands with my baby teeth fangs and tiny razor claws" She loved her ball, though. I would let her have it or roll it until she stopped attacking my hands. She was a holy terror in other ways for a long time, but the most immediate issue of hands was slowly resolved.

I got one of those auto-spinning laser toys to burn off some of her energy when she was younger, which was great except the default setting was 'no timer' and she would turn it on by herself and drain the battery. -.-

Anything that works in a positive way, keep doing. Try new things (suggestions here, or new toys that seem like they'll kill some time/energy when you're away). It's a shame your family is so reluctant, he probably knows that and it contributes to his insecurity.

 

[rampionrampage]

 Yes! This was something I did with my first cat and I swear he did a double take. I think it was the first time I "said" something he understood.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Excellent advice from catwoman707, theyremine, and Rampion!!

Cats love moving things to play with. Trying to associate play with toys and not hands, legs and feet is really important.

I think the other point Rampion makes is important. Cats take on our (humans) emotions. So we need all humans in the house to be as calm and confident as possible in order to help the cat feel calm, confident and secure. If there is anyway to talk to your family and try to explain how important it is it could help with regard to future behavior in all ways.

We are all here to help. A lot of great advice from everyone here. Feel free to ask anything anytime. You are in good hands here.