- Joined
- Oct 1, 2017
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- 6
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Hi everyone,
My husband and I recently (5 weeks ago) adopted our new kitty Oliver. We immediately loved how sweet and calm he was, and for the first 2.5 weeks he remained that way. He was high energy from the start, and liked to play a lot (like at least 10+ times a day) but I work from home so I thought I'd be able to keep him calm by playing with him frequently throughout the day. After the 2 and half weeks though he randomly and viciously attacked me. He wasn't scared, he wasn't playful, he was simply lying beside me as I worked and then suddenly hissed and launched himself on me. He bit me extremely hard, tore up my leg, and cut open my foot. It was really bad.
I tried to remain calm but it was challenging since it was so painful, so I definitely screamed which I know isn't good, but then I tried to calmy redirect his energy to play with his toys. I thought that maybe he was just extremely bored and so he attacked me over that. But he had zero interest in the toys and launched himself onto my arm. At this point I separated him from me by putting him in the bathroom for some time. I called our vet and they said that was the appropriate thing to do until he calmed down. After a while, I let him out again, and he seemed completely calm. He was lying on the bed as I put away my laundry later that night and he did it again - launched himself onto me, bit me viciously, and cut up my arm and back. I ended up having to go to the hospital this time because the attack was so bad.
Since then, he hasn't attacked me viciously like that, but he has begun stalking me often, and when I work he becomes extremely aggressive about playing. He will pounce, swat, and attack my ankles until I give in.
There are a few issues here for me:
1. The shelter we adopted him from clearly lied about multiple things we asked about. We were very clear that we have a very open concept house so separating an animal constantly isn't really an option for us. We really tried to stress that we were looking for a non-aggressive animal, and would be happy if the cat was older and therefore calmer. They said since Oliver was a year old he would be calmer than a kitten. I honestly thought a year old was still quite young so I asked further about his temperament and they said he was extremely calm, a total lap-cat, and his previous owners (yes, I should mention for the first year he lived with another family who then surrendered him because they said they didn't have time for him) never mentioned high energy or aggressiveness. I asked if we could contact the owners to see if this behaviour was ever noticed by them, and they said: "uh yeah we can give you their number or something". Also, Oliver had eye issues when we first got him, and the shelter promised they would cover his first vet visit since he clearly had an infection of some kind - and then they decided they didn't want to.
2. I cannot play with him constantly throughout the day. I need to get some level of work done, and right now I can't even begin to focus on my tasks because I am genuinely fearful of ignoring him.
3. His aggression is completely unprovoked and therefore I can't predict when he is going to suddenly become vicious towards me. This makes me extremely nervous, and I feel I can't trust when he comes near me now. I am genuinely scared when I watch a movie, eat dinner, or put away laundry. Anything that distracts me from his whereabouts puts me on edge.
We have tried natural calming supplements, Feliway, and have invested a ton in engaging cat games and toys. My vet is now saying we should try medication but I would be so sad to have to put him on supplements so young.
I truly am at a loss of what to do. I would be so heartbroken to take him back to the shelter, he seemed so sad and confused there, but I am also scared that his aggressive behaviour will increase over time. Any suggestions are welcome, we are seriously desperate to find some kind of solution for Oliver.
My husband and I recently (5 weeks ago) adopted our new kitty Oliver. We immediately loved how sweet and calm he was, and for the first 2.5 weeks he remained that way. He was high energy from the start, and liked to play a lot (like at least 10+ times a day) but I work from home so I thought I'd be able to keep him calm by playing with him frequently throughout the day. After the 2 and half weeks though he randomly and viciously attacked me. He wasn't scared, he wasn't playful, he was simply lying beside me as I worked and then suddenly hissed and launched himself on me. He bit me extremely hard, tore up my leg, and cut open my foot. It was really bad.
I tried to remain calm but it was challenging since it was so painful, so I definitely screamed which I know isn't good, but then I tried to calmy redirect his energy to play with his toys. I thought that maybe he was just extremely bored and so he attacked me over that. But he had zero interest in the toys and launched himself onto my arm. At this point I separated him from me by putting him in the bathroom for some time. I called our vet and they said that was the appropriate thing to do until he calmed down. After a while, I let him out again, and he seemed completely calm. He was lying on the bed as I put away my laundry later that night and he did it again - launched himself onto me, bit me viciously, and cut up my arm and back. I ended up having to go to the hospital this time because the attack was so bad.
Since then, he hasn't attacked me viciously like that, but he has begun stalking me often, and when I work he becomes extremely aggressive about playing. He will pounce, swat, and attack my ankles until I give in.
There are a few issues here for me:
1. The shelter we adopted him from clearly lied about multiple things we asked about. We were very clear that we have a very open concept house so separating an animal constantly isn't really an option for us. We really tried to stress that we were looking for a non-aggressive animal, and would be happy if the cat was older and therefore calmer. They said since Oliver was a year old he would be calmer than a kitten. I honestly thought a year old was still quite young so I asked further about his temperament and they said he was extremely calm, a total lap-cat, and his previous owners (yes, I should mention for the first year he lived with another family who then surrendered him because they said they didn't have time for him) never mentioned high energy or aggressiveness. I asked if we could contact the owners to see if this behaviour was ever noticed by them, and they said: "uh yeah we can give you their number or something". Also, Oliver had eye issues when we first got him, and the shelter promised they would cover his first vet visit since he clearly had an infection of some kind - and then they decided they didn't want to.
2. I cannot play with him constantly throughout the day. I need to get some level of work done, and right now I can't even begin to focus on my tasks because I am genuinely fearful of ignoring him.
3. His aggression is completely unprovoked and therefore I can't predict when he is going to suddenly become vicious towards me. This makes me extremely nervous, and I feel I can't trust when he comes near me now. I am genuinely scared when I watch a movie, eat dinner, or put away laundry. Anything that distracts me from his whereabouts puts me on edge.
We have tried natural calming supplements, Feliway, and have invested a ton in engaging cat games and toys. My vet is now saying we should try medication but I would be so sad to have to put him on supplements so young.
I truly am at a loss of what to do. I would be so heartbroken to take him back to the shelter, he seemed so sad and confused there, but I am also scared that his aggressive behaviour will increase over time. Any suggestions are welcome, we are seriously desperate to find some kind of solution for Oliver.