I have a few questions regarding cat behavior and maybe it will help me understand how to alter my cat's behavior.
First a little background on Jackie (I also call her Kiki, so I might switch names while typing this). She was a very sick kitten at 4 weeks old, found wondering the streets and almost died from her URI. I was working at a vet hospital as a Vet Assistant so I nursed her back to health. She was raised by my ferrets and my little dog, Heidi. She was spayed at 5 months since she went into season early and was declawed since she was destructive and wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t allow me to either clip her nails (it would stress her out and me too) or put on Soft Paws. Sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s currently 2 years old.
Fast forward to when she was a year old. We had some friends over. We all were hanging out, Jackie was on the couch with us and a friend was petting her. Jackie all of a suddenly turned on my friend. She lashed out, trying to bite her, claw her and was just vicious. It wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t a "stop petting me" thing, it was a "die!" thing. As suddenly as it started, she stopped and ran away since she was getting yelled at. Thank God that she doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have her claws because my friend would have been torn up. She has done smaller like episodes to my boyfriend's mom and my roommate. They were walking and since Jackie is a follower they leaned down to pet her and she freaked out. Yesterday morning, she had another "episode" towards my boyfriend (has been around before I got her, so she grew up knowing him.) and growled at him. He wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t trying to pet her since they are each other nemesis. I am at a lost trying to figure out a trigger to set her off since last time no one was trying to pet her. She just does this. Only once was I around when she flipped out. I know that sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s attached to my hip, but I am waiting for the day that she lashes at me.
My other question regarding behavior with Jackie is with her playing nicely with others. She was raised without other cats around, but she would come with me and my dog to my parents' who had 3 other cats. So she was exposed to cat behavior/speak. Last November we moved into a new house with some roommates who have 2 cats themselves. They were introduced when they moved into the house. We figured that it wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t give any of the cats a feeling of defending their "territory" since this was a brand new house. They havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t gotten along at all. Well the other two are fine with one another, but my cat is a bully. She picks on the one female whose a lot smaller than her and isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t spayed. She stalks her, waits on the other side of the inside cat door that allows them into the laundry room where the other cats have their bowels, (Jackie's is upstairs and same with her own litter box since I put her in my room during the day to keep her from being naughty in the house while I am at work.) and they will fight. Sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just plain ole mean to these cats. She leaves the male alone for the most part since he just hisses at her and runs away giving her no fight. My roommate is getting frustrated since these are her babies, and sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s resorting to locking hers up to get them away from my cat. We tried the water bottle, keeping her restrained when the other cats are in the laundry room, and we have tried yelling at Jackie when sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s doing this, but you know cats, only one ear turns. Unless you get up and walk towards her is when she behaves. She is has the cats at my parents' house all worked up since when I used to bring her she would bully them. Only cat sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s had any respect for was my old tomcat who I had to leave with my parents who went outside and was the dominate male cat. He passed away last June and sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s gotten worse.
Jackie also picks on my dog since they are the same size. Only my remaining ferret has her trained. She runs away from him since he will bite her. Its rather amusing.
Thanks for reading my rather long post, but any suggestions would be openly welcomed. Any questions welcomed too. Please help me.
First a little background on Jackie (I also call her Kiki, so I might switch names while typing this). She was a very sick kitten at 4 weeks old, found wondering the streets and almost died from her URI. I was working at a vet hospital as a Vet Assistant so I nursed her back to health. She was raised by my ferrets and my little dog, Heidi. She was spayed at 5 months since she went into season early and was declawed since she was destructive and wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t allow me to either clip her nails (it would stress her out and me too) or put on Soft Paws. Sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s currently 2 years old.
Fast forward to when she was a year old. We had some friends over. We all were hanging out, Jackie was on the couch with us and a friend was petting her. Jackie all of a suddenly turned on my friend. She lashed out, trying to bite her, claw her and was just vicious. It wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t a "stop petting me" thing, it was a "die!" thing. As suddenly as it started, she stopped and ran away since she was getting yelled at. Thank God that she doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have her claws because my friend would have been torn up. She has done smaller like episodes to my boyfriend's mom and my roommate. They were walking and since Jackie is a follower they leaned down to pet her and she freaked out. Yesterday morning, she had another "episode" towards my boyfriend (has been around before I got her, so she grew up knowing him.) and growled at him. He wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t trying to pet her since they are each other nemesis. I am at a lost trying to figure out a trigger to set her off since last time no one was trying to pet her. She just does this. Only once was I around when she flipped out. I know that sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s attached to my hip, but I am waiting for the day that she lashes at me.
My other question regarding behavior with Jackie is with her playing nicely with others. She was raised without other cats around, but she would come with me and my dog to my parents' who had 3 other cats. So she was exposed to cat behavior/speak. Last November we moved into a new house with some roommates who have 2 cats themselves. They were introduced when they moved into the house. We figured that it wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t give any of the cats a feeling of defending their "territory" since this was a brand new house. They havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t gotten along at all. Well the other two are fine with one another, but my cat is a bully. She picks on the one female whose a lot smaller than her and isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t spayed. She stalks her, waits on the other side of the inside cat door that allows them into the laundry room where the other cats have their bowels, (Jackie's is upstairs and same with her own litter box since I put her in my room during the day to keep her from being naughty in the house while I am at work.) and they will fight. Sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just plain ole mean to these cats. She leaves the male alone for the most part since he just hisses at her and runs away giving her no fight. My roommate is getting frustrated since these are her babies, and sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s resorting to locking hers up to get them away from my cat. We tried the water bottle, keeping her restrained when the other cats are in the laundry room, and we have tried yelling at Jackie when sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s doing this, but you know cats, only one ear turns. Unless you get up and walk towards her is when she behaves. She is has the cats at my parents' house all worked up since when I used to bring her she would bully them. Only cat sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s had any respect for was my old tomcat who I had to leave with my parents who went outside and was the dominate male cat. He passed away last June and sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s gotten worse.
Jackie also picks on my dog since they are the same size. Only my remaining ferret has her trained. She runs away from him since he will bite her. Its rather amusing.
Thanks for reading my rather long post, but any suggestions would be openly welcomed. Any questions welcomed too. Please help me.