ok...alot of you have heard the story of Paco the injured stray i found...as his injuries are healing i've been letting him out of the bathroom a little bit at a time, he gets spooked easily, he's very affectionate and wants to play, but sometimes for no apparent reason he takes swings at us, i don't quite understand why...he seems to have decided that the bathroom is his room, which is fine, and after he attacks us he retreats back into his room, do you think this behavior will stop, or should i be concerned?
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i'm trying to understand my cat...please help
- Thread starter meiam
- Start Date
It sounds like maybe a sudden movement or unfamiliar noise scares him. His striking at you is a form of defense, and then he retreats to the place that feels safe. I would guess that as he begins to trust you a little more, this might taper off. How long has he been with you?
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- #3
2 1/2 weeks...sometimes he does it when it's totally quiet though, like last night i was cuddling with him on the couch petting him, and all of a sudden he lashed out at me and ran off, it's almost like he's having flash backs about something bad it's realy very sad to me
I would just be patient - I guess he is keeping his options open and hasn't learnt to trust you or his own feelings yet. I am sure he will come round with lots of TLC.
This is a relatively short period of time for Paco, and there's no telling what he has experienced in the past. As you continue to show him such wonderful care and unlimited love, he will become more and more comfortable and confident of his safety.
The bathroom has become his comfort zone, so he retreats there when he feels upset. I wonder if you have a Feliway diffuser? How wonderful of you to rescue little Paco! Keep up the great work!
Perhaps he'd just had enough petting. A lot of cats exhibit "petting aggression", meaning they'll be loving it, and all of a sudden decide they've had enough, and lash out. There's a cat in the local shelter who wants to be pet by anybody, any time, but who'll actually bite once she's gotten her "share". Everybody watches her ears and tail, and as soon as the former start to turn back or the latter starts to twitch, we get ourselves away from her.Originally Posted by meiam
2 1/2 weeks...sometimes he does it when it's totally quiet though, like last night i was cuddling with him on the couch petting him, and all of a sudden he lashed out at me and ran off, it's almost like he's having flash backs about something bad it's realy very sad to me
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- #7
thanks for all the advice! i've been watching him very closely and a lot of the time i think he's just playing and just plays rough! so i'm going today to get him some new toys and see how he does, he's a big cat (not fat at all) and i have no idea how old he is, but he seems to think he's a kitten! he's doing better
I don't have any advice, other than what you already heard, but I wanted to say Paco is a very handsome cat. He looks a lot like Oliver!
(photo on left)
