I don't know what to do. help?

[OddBallNo3]

Hi Folks,
I have a 3 year old domestic shorthair that is bipolar as all get up. Best we can figure he was socialized late, and we know he was neutered late. He is the sweetest thing 95% of the time, but the 5% has me pulling my hair out. He aggressively attack bites with almost no warning. today he went from purring and wanting pets to literally 30 seconds later a lunge and bite on my arm while I was talking to my girlfriend and not paying attention to him. It seems like displaced aggression as best as I can tell, as he will get treats where he was sitting from time to time, and I had not given him a treat. We play with him regularly, and he has tons of toys when we cant. He has been doing this since we got him at about 6-7mo old, although the frequency of his bad actions has gotten less frequent. Right now he's an indoor cat but I can't keep getting bit so unfortunately I either am going to have to make him a barn cat, or give him up if I can't correct this. and I can't pretend like he's a tiger and have to keep an eye on him any time he's in the room. We've tried just about every suggestion so far, and nothing has worked 100% and I'm loosing my patience with him. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks as always.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi welcome!!

Can you begin to watch for signs that he's becoming overstimulated? Big eyes, tail moving more .. ..

today he went from purring and wanting pets to literally 30 seconds later a lunge and bite on my arm while I was talking to my girlfriend and not paying attention to him.

This reminded me (much less, but still the same) where I was petting a cat, started talking to someone and got swatted, hard. Can you try when he's asking for petting, give him pets for a very short period of time, then stop?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. In almost all cases, a cat does not attack without provocation. Not saying you are the one provoking it, especially not deliberately, but there is something going on to cause it. Start logging what is going on when it happens, all the details that you can think of - you will eventually find a pattern. The very fact that it happens less frequently as he ages most likely means that trend will continue. A lot of cats mellow with age.
Why Do Cats Attack? – TheCatSite Articles
Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles
Cat Behavior Problems [What to do and what not to do] – TheCatSite Articles

 

[catsknowme]

I agree with the documentation of all the circumstances just prior to the biting episode: what was happening; who was around; the location of everyone in the area; whatever interactions with the cat that were happening; the proximity of feeding times; the physical cues such as dilated pupils, swishing tail, positioning of the ears, etc. Detetective work is key in this sad situation.