Frustrated with my half-feral cat...

[orange&white]

Perhaps the foster parent would let you bring Linus to their house for a 30 minute or so visit to see if he behaves differently there with you than he does in your own house. You know, like sit and pet Linus below the head to see if he bites or grabs you with the foster parent observing. Perhaps they could give you some tips. If Linus behaves like a little angel, then he may be simply still be in the process of adjusting to your home or reacting to Mille's scent.

 

[msaimee]

Linus very well may be stressed moving out of his foster home into a new home. Cats miss their caregivers when separated from them, and react like a young child might when being moved to a new home, with anxiety and sometimes aggression. If that is the case, then it will take a little time for him to adjust to you and to his new home. Engage him as often as you can with interactive play such as with a wand toy or laser toy. Talk to him in a soft gentle voice, maybe reading out loud from a book. This is the way many of us have socialized feral cats, and since your cat is not feral, it will be a shorter and easier process for you. Linus maybe acting territorial right now with regard to your chair or place on the sofa, because he is trying to find his place in your home. Maybe just give up that favorite chair for a week. You could also purchase a cat bed for him and see if he will adopt that as "his" place. Each of my cats in my house has their place, their favorite chair or spot on the bed or couch. I think cats need to have a sense of ownership over a spot to feel at home. It is Instinctual for cats to have their own territory, this is especially pronounced in feral and outdoor cats, but also present even in domesticated indoor cats. I think if you purchase a cat bed or cat tree or some place that is truly his, the aggression May subside. Anyway, those are just my thoughts.

 

[chint]

I don't know... I think he's been enough around for some time. He is showing some improvement since friday, saturday, I'll give him that. Not regards to the aggression, but to the level of pent-up energy. He was kinda extreme when he got here. He's calmer now, even though somethings clearly bothering him...

 

[orange&white]

To msaimee's point, has Linus seemed interested at all in that super-nice cat tree you set up for Mille? How much is he sniffing around Mille's old favorite spots: very curious about them or ignoring them?

 

[chint]

Linus very well may be stressed moving out of his foster home into a new home. Cats miss their caregivers when separated from them, and react like a young child might when being moved to a new home, with anxiety and sometimes aggression. If that is the case, then it will take a little time for him to adjust to you and to his new home. Engage him as often as you can with interactive play such as with a wand toy or laser toy. Talk to him in a soft gentle voice, maybe reading out loud from a book. This is the way many of us have socialized feral cats, and since your cat is not feral, it will be a shorter and easier process for you. Linus maybe acting territorial right now with regard to your chair or place on the sofa, because he is trying to find his place in your home. Maybe just give up that favorite chair for a week. You could also purchase a cat bed for him and see if he will adopt that as "his" place. Each of my cats in my house has their place, their favorite chair or spot on the bed or couch. I think cats need to have a sense of ownership over a spot to feel at home. It is Instinctual for cats to have their own territory, this is especially pronounced in feral and outdoor cats, but also present even in domesticated indoor cats. I think if you purchase a cat bed or cat tree or some place that is truly his, the aggression May subside. Anyway, those are just my thoughts.

Maybe you're right... I do play with him two or three times a day. But I do not engage in a whole lot otherwise... he's pent up enough from before, and it seems he is calmer from just me being there, without anything else.

To msaimee's point, has Linus seemed interested at all in that super-nice cat tree you set up for Mille? How much is he sniffing around Mille's old favorite spots: very curious about them or ignoring them?

He doesn't seem curious... he seems more... skeptical. He doesn't check it out by himself... a little bit if I play with him, after some days he went up there. The same if I put treats there. Otherwise, never. mostly the couch, the bed and sometimes my chair. Now he's on the floor on a blanket I accidentally put there.

 

[RLG]

I suppose you're being sarcastic. There's no reason to pretend like you're above me, we don't all get cats for the same reason, or share the same passion for rescuing ferals, strays or whatever, regarding the cost.

Wait, I wasn't sarcastic. I appreciate anyone's insights, experience at this point. I'm going to be in a similar situation. I apologize if it sounded weird. Did I post in wrong thread? I only mean to be supportive.

 

[chint]

Wait, I wasn't sarcastic. I appreciate anyone's insights, experience at this point. I'm going to be in a similar situation. I apologize if it sounded weird. Did I post in wrong thread? I only mean to be supportive.

I'm the one to apologize... I'm sorry, I'm having a bad day and took your comment all wrong. Thank you, and if I can be of any help that's good

I guess I forget that Linus is a new cat... I'm only used to Mille, and if she was like this, she would've probably lived here for three years or something. Maybe I should've waited a bit as well, after returning Mille. I'm new to all this cat-stuff, I just have to trust my instincts, and human instincts are a bit different than cat-instincts, obviously...

 

[RLG]

I

I'm the one to apologize... I'm sorry, I'm having a bad day and took your comment all wrong. Thank you, and if I can be of any help that's good

I guess I forget that Linus is a new cat... I'm only used to Mille, and if she was like this, she would've probably lived here for three years or something. Maybe I should've waited a bit as well, after returning Mille. I'm new to all this cat-stuff, I just have to trust my instincts, and human instincts are a bit different than cat-instincts, obviously...

I understand . Sorry it's so tough and I have no advice but you're on here gettin help so you do care. I'm nervous about gettin the mamma back after her spaying cuz I'm not releasing her to die or come to my door injured.

 

[msaimee]

If Mille's scent might be an issue in the house, try wiping down surfaces with Lysol wipes to minimize the scent. Then purchase a bottle of catnip spray or a bag of the dry leaves and apply them to the surface of the cat tree or other place where you would like Linus to be hanging out. If Mille left behind a stressed scent, Linus maybe we reacting to that. Erase the scent as well as you can and replace it with a pleasant scent, such as catnip or Feliway. Again, this all goes back to the subject of Linus needimg to feel he has a place that is "his" in his new home. Since he quickly settled on the blanket you have on the floor, that is a good indication that if you put that blanket in a box somewhere in your house that he might claim that as his spot.

 

[chint]

If Mille's scent might be an issue in the house, try wiping down surfaces with Lysol wipes to minimize the scent. Then purchase a bottle of catnip spray or a bag of the dry leaves and apply them to the surface of the cat tree or other place where you would like Linus to be hanging out. If Mille left behind a stressed scent, Linus maybe we reacting to that. Erase the scent as well as you can and replace it with a pleasant scent, such as catnip or Feliway. Again, this all goes back to the subject of Linus needimg to feel he has a place that is "his" in his new home. Since he quickly settled on the blanket you have on the floor, that is a good indication that if you put that blanket in a box somewhere in your house that he might claim that as his spot.

Thank you, I'll try that Yes... I'm afraid I have my issues with aggressiveness and may be having a hard time seeing this in perspective. It makes sense... maybe that's why he is so reluctant to give his couch-spot away. I kinda began seeing him as an alpha-cat, bullying his way into my home and trying to be the boss of me. I don't know, I'm having a hard time figuring him out. I don't think he's that bad though...

 

[chint]

I

I understand . Sorry it's so tough and I have no advice but you're on here gettin help so you do care. I'm nervous about gettin the mamma back after her spaying cuz I'm not releasing her to die or come to my door injured.

What do you mean?

 

[RLG]

What do you mean?

I sat with her and fed her when she turned up out back for 3 months the noticed she was chubby. We got lucky (a rescuer and I) and found her near her "home" and I had her trapped and all 5 babies collected. She's at a rescuer's house now and I visit. Waiting for weening and spaying then mom is coming back to a cat room I'm trying to set up. Straight feral but we bonded over meal time (well, I did). So if something goes really south I can't take her to shelter-she'd go back outside but neither are an option to me
I put a pic of the tile type ceiling I want secured. Any thoughts? The top shelf is 16" from a hop and pop to ceiling. I could cram it full with weighted boxes or netting is suggested. It's my big hurdle currently

 

[maggiedemi]

I wouldn't use Lysol, it's dangerous to cats.

 

[msaimee]

I use Lysol wipes all the time to clean up cat puke from my carpet and disinfect cat trees and furniture, and my cats haven't had any problems or reactions to it. But my point is to clean up the scent of the former cat (one way or the other) and replace it with a pleasing scent.

 

[astrael]

I've been checking out updates here and there, and something occurred to me. You said he avoids the places Millie was, and he needs to be an only cat? He's probably feeling very defensive/aggressive because of her smell on stuff. I agree about removing her scent. My family took in a cat that was an absolute sweetheart to humans (well, women. In her defense, she had her ribs broken and teeth kicked in, barely alive when we found her. Vet was sure it was a large, probably steel toed boot. Followed by her dislike of men for years... What happened was pretty clear). However, she was incredibly vicious to other cats, attacked on sight. She had to be kept seperate from the others(it was a large apartment sized basement, three full rooms worth of space. My mom had her art studio, and I had my computer there.) We had to wash our hands before petting her if we'd touched another cat (so always), or she'd freak out.

Smell is a huge thing for cats. Scutch used to get really worked up if he smelled a male cat's spray come in the window. (Not happening now, the new ones got fixed a few months back) Linus probably keeps expecting the other cat to come and attack him, chase him out, or something similar. Let us know if getting rid of Millie's scent helps. I think that's very likely a large factor in his negative behavior.

 

[maggiedemi]

Google Phenols. I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link. Apparently they are toxic to cats. Lysol and Pine-Sol. I just wanted to let you know what I had read.

 

[chint]

So what do I do? What besides Lysol can I use? Can't I just use feliway?

 

[chint]

And would it really help, as the window in my bedroom has a clear view to my backyard, where a lot of different cats go by? He's bound to smell a lot from them... and I have to let the air in sometimes, especially now when the summer comes and it's getting hot.

 

[chint]

I think've figured this out... I think this has little do to with over-stimulation, and more to do with redirected aggression. It's not just when I pet or try to pick her up when she's lying down... it's, in varying degree, always irritated and stressed, more or less. The tail is going a lot, his whiskers are pointing forwards, his back is rippling very easily, very little touch to make him aggressive. I tried cleaning the cat-tree with a microfibercloth and warm water, and spraying it with feliway just now. I also threw out Mille's old cardboard-bed. Neither one of those things have been of any interest to Linus, which is kinda strange. I also sprayed some feliway on the couch (which I vacuumed and cleaned after Mille left), and threw some blankets in the laundry. That's about it.... all the places Mille used to be. And of course I vacuumed everything and cleaned the floor and have been changing the bed etc etc. We'll see if that'll do the trick. Also... should I wait with visitors now? And what do you think about me going away for a day? Not today, but in about a week or so.

 

[chint]

How to Deal With Redirected Aggression in Cats
This behavior occurs when animals, unable to respond directly to threats, vent their frustrations on whoever happens to be nearby.


A common triggering event for cats is other animals. Neighborhood cats sometimes hang out around homes — in full view of resident cats. Understandably, the indoor cats become agitated and frustrated. Unable to reach the unwelcomed visitors, they turn their frustration on whoever happens to be close. This may be any animal, another resident cat, a dog, or a person. Other startling occurrences can also cause the same reaction. Of course, it depends on the individual cat; some are bit more reactive then others.

Yeah... she's already seen some of the cats from outside my bedroom window. She has no way of interacting with them, as she's not an outside cat, yet, so... and cat are almost enemies at first sight, as everybody knows.