Help with a cat who attacks familiar people

[430amcat]

Hey guys, this is my first post in the forum ever so I hope the post is ok with all the rules... I want to ask for help or some suggestions with my cat.

My cat is 2 years old and she is very aggressive. She is not afraid of human being most of the times, and is really friendly to stranger and generally allow them to pet her. But toward people she is familiar with, feed her and play with her - me, and my previous roommate (who already moved out) - she keeps attacking us. When I lay down on my bed and start looking at my phone, she will suddenly appear grab my arms and start scratching. When I enter the room she might jump out and scratch my leg. Those are real scratches which will bleed a lot... sitting in the chair? scratch the elbow. hair. like everywhere.

She is a sweetheart whenever she is not attacking me ... sleeping in my leg, curling up near me, follow me everywhere, etc. But, well, I really don't want my cat attacking me like all the time, especially now I am spending all the time at home.

And - as I am switching her diet - I notice she becomes extremely aggressive, especially when I am trying to feed her something she doesn't like. 5 minutes ago, she smelled the food, and as I walk into bedroom she follows me and start scratching me. It has happened for multiple times immediately after I feed her something she dislikes and I feel she does that intentionally at this point... Previously I keep telling myself it's just her hunting instinct, and I haven't done enough to remove her over-aggressive play attack habits, etc. But now I feel so bad and don't know what should I do.

I currently have three or four play session per day for 20 minutes each a day. Although I am switching diet I ensure she gets enough food in other meal. She is perfectly healthy at last check-in with vet. I have watched Jackson Galaxy's video and try to train my cat for a walk to exhaust her energy but she hates the whole collar thing so much (and she can get rid of it by herself). I misdirect her attention whenever I spot her body language as becoming aggressive if possible. Sometimes I have to physically remove her from bedroom and lock her in the living room (with water, food, litter, light) so I can have time without being suddenly attacked by my cat. What else should I do to stop my cat from attacking me ...

(I called vet asking for cat behaviorist the other day and they told me there wasn't any in nearby area at this point...)

 

[ArtNJ]

This sounds like play-related aggression, or mostly that. Its possible that the food-related aggression is something else -- some cats aren't shy about expressing their displeasure with a nip. But your main issue is play aggression, meaning that your cat is treating the familiar people as targets for rough play, so here is our article on that:

How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

I think its a pretty good article, but there are a few tactics that maybe aren't in here, so let us know how it goes and we might have other suggestions. Anyway, its a pretty normal thing -- cats play roughly with each other, simulating hunting behaviors (they are predators after all!) And when a cat doesn't have another cat as a playmate (and sometimes even if they do) they sometimes get the idea that a human they are comfortable with will do. Its kind of weird -- not all cats get that idea, and some get the idea years down the road for no known reason. About the only avoidable trigger is not playing roughly with the cat using your hands -- always use a toy. But if you are careful about that, sometimes the cat randomly gets the idea anyway. So -- normal thing -- you are totally going to solve this, and we are happy to help!

 

[Kennethkeen]

I agree with the above cats have a lot of energy. It's kind of like a relationship sometimes. You think you love a person at first glance then things change when they move in then things get better or worse down the road.

I find that when my cat starts rough playing I simply ignore or give a light scruff and put her out of the room to calm down. As werid as it seems pets dont always want attention just like humans. Mind any relationship with a pet a mutual have them understand you're in charge which comes in time.

Think of it like playing with a dog when they eat, I did when I was like 8 years old now I have some pretty cool scars on my face for life.

Anyway I just tend to ignore the aggression and eventually they calm down and go back to normal

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS.

In addition to the link A ArtNJ posted, there's also this TCS article that might be helpful:
Cat Aggression Toward People

 

[430amcat]

Hey ArtNJ, Kennethkeen, rubysmama, I really appreciate all your replies!

My cat has been more calm in last few days than she ever be
. I think I have benefited from the increasing play sessions (previously there are only 1-2 of them - and I increased to 3-4, and even more). I have read through all articles and suggestions - they are pretty helpful. Sometimes I cannot control my anger when I am attacked. I never physically punish her but maybe I have given her more pressure than I should.

She has been pretty active since she was a kitten. I had considered have an extra kitten with her to exhaust her energy, but choose not to. First, she was my friend's cat when I first got her and I was only a temperal catsitter at that time (and after a while... since I was paying for everything ... and my friend couldn't take care of her anymore, she just become my cat.) Also I am an international student, so in case I am leaving the country, I can only carry one pet with me in airplane. I don't want to risk having two cats and have to abandon one of them.

Again thank you for all the wonderful reply!

 

[rubysmama]

Sometimes I cannot control my anger when I am attacked. I never physically punish her but maybe I have given her more pressure than I should.

I know it's hard to stay calm when a cat's claws are digging into your skin, but try saying "oooooooowwww" in a high pitched tone when she attacks so that she knows she is hurting you.

 

[KatMissPopUna]

Hiya .. I'm a newbie too

One of my cats Poppy can be quite bossy and went through an aggressive stage both with me and her sister Luna.
I found turning a negative into a positive helped with Pop, it wasn't always easy to stroke her when she wanted to claw my hand but she did calm down.
Poppy comes across confident and bossy but she's actually the opposite and she displays this through a bit of arrogance and attitude.
Making a fuss of her wether she was in a good mood or a bad one built a more positive relationship between us.

I also asked the vets advice and on their advice I bought Pet Remedy plug ins and I think they helped. Also pheromone plug ins.

Poppy was stressed during her developmental stage (around a year old) and displayed this through aggression.
She's adorably loving now but still bossy

 

[KatMissPopUna]

One more thing ... my girls are house cats (,currently until I move very soon) so lots of entertainment is a must. As well as all the usual scratch posts, cat trees, toys etc ... I made my girls a "sensory tray" I put leaves, feathers, twigs, cat nip, grass, hay, soil etc.. in a cardboard tray,
I change contents often to keep it interesting. They love it!
Their favourite thing is a few strands of horse mane.. (my sister has ponies)

 

[430amcat]

An update about what's going on for the last few days.

First, only 2 actual bleeding events and another few potential attacks happened for the last like 4-5 days. It's already great improvements for her. I notice it's usually:

1) I have not played with her enough for the day, and she becomes active at night, and attacks me

or 2) I am in the middle of play session, and am interrupted by something and tried to leave the room, go to kitchen, etc. She will try to chase me and bite/scratch me on my feet/leg.

or 3) I give her some food she doesn't 100% like.

So I start keeping some cat toys with me so I can misdirect her whenever I'm in these circumstances. It works great. I think my next steps are introducing more play sessions (but, tbh I am pretty exhausted at this point... and I am in my vacation; can't imagine how things go once the semester starts), ending play session more properly so she would not play attack me, and keep some handy cat toy in my pocket so I can throw and misdirect her attention.

My other concern is that she starts to consistently showing her "disapproval" or "unhappiness" by biting and scratching my feet. I prepare food on kitchen counter, and she starts to expect me giving her food whenever I make something there (but I am doing food prep for myself, etc). And when I leave with nothing to feed her, she will start to trying to climb/bite/scratch my feet. Similar things happen when I give her something she doesn't like, or when she wants to get food earlier, etc

 

[rubysmama]

Try saying "no" when she looks like she's about to bite or claw at you. And about the claws, will she let you clip them? If so, even just the very tips, will get rid of the razor sharpness.