Our eldest cat has been quite aggressive towards me for a very long time and I'm not sure why. He has been desexed and absolutely worships my husband but any time I even come near him he constantly growls, hisses and swipes at me! He was totally fine when he was a kitten but I think it got worse as he got older. We rescued him at about 2 weeks of age when he was abandoned by his mother and makes me think his behavioural problem may stem from this? There are some times where he seems fine with me and enjoys a little pat but the majority of the time he's in a bad mood. Any idea what could be causing this?
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Male cat aggression - only towards me!
- Thread starter lindz
- Start Date
Could be many reasons. Frankly, it could be something you did without you even realizing it. How old is he, how long has this been?
You need to be his friend again. Win his trust. Be the only one to feed him and play with him with a toy. Don't approach him unless you wants you to, or he comes to you. For some reason he sees you as threatening, and you need to make him understand you're not a threat. That means soft voices, no petting him, no sudden movements near him. Study his body language. When he allows you to pet him, look for signs of "I've had enough".
Right now you're not his friend, and you need to treat him like you would a stranger who doesn't speak English. Respect his personal space, and let him come to you.
You need to be his friend again. Win his trust. Be the only one to feed him and play with him with a toy. Don't approach him unless you wants you to, or he comes to you. For some reason he sees you as threatening, and you need to make him understand you're not a threat. That means soft voices, no petting him, no sudden movements near him. Study his body language. When he allows you to pet him, look for signs of "I've had enough".
Right now you're not his friend, and you need to treat him like you would a stranger who doesn't speak English. Respect his personal space, and let him come to you.
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- #3
He is about 2 years old. I will try my best to earn his trust. It is a bit difficult though when I just try to walk past him or get into my own bed without him attacking me! It's strange that sometimes he is totally fine with me and welcomes a pat.
Start paying attention to your movements when he attacks. There is a pattern, we just need to figure it out. Walking speed? Eye contact (don't do eye contact!)? Something you carry? Something you wear? It can be frustrating trying to figure out when we don't really know where to start, but it's important to isolate the cause. Is there a time of day when he does this more? Any patterns to his movements and actions before and after he attacks? Stuffs like that.
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- #5
It is definitely frustrating. He does it at any time of day, whether or not I'm carrying anything and no matter what I wear, so I guess I'll just have to try to figure out any other patterns. The only thing he does before he attacks is growl and hiss.
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- #6
Do you work in a position that requires you to be around strange smells? Could you have picked up smells from elsewhere and thus he doesn't recognize your scent anymore?
Speaking of scents, you can try this. Get an old shirt, go workout in it, sweat in it. Don't wash it, then present this shirt to him. Leave it out near him as much as you can. Let him get re-used to your scent. Get your husband to rub that shirt all over him periodically. Do this a couple of times every day.
Speaking of scents, you can try this. Get an old shirt, go workout in it, sweat in it. Don't wash it, then present this shirt to him. Leave it out near him as much as you can. Let him get re-used to your scent. Get your husband to rub that shirt all over him periodically. Do this a couple of times every day.
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- #8
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- #9
Today he was quite calm and relaxed, happy for me to pat him and was even licking my hand, which does happen sometimes. I noticed that none of the other cats were in the house at the time so maybe he feels threatened by them? Not sure if this is a pattern as I haven't really noticed this before.
That's good, that you noticed something. Try to see if you can replicate it. Redirected aggression, why didn't I think of that before?
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- #11
Yes we have 3 other cats and also 3 kittens who will be going to their new homes in the next week or so. Hopefully he will settle down once the kittens aren't arround anymore. It's strange because sometimes he chases and plays with the other cats and other times he will attack them. He's very temperamental!
He did the 'squinty eyes' at me earlier, which I've read is the kitty way of giving hugs?! Lol
He did the 'squinty eyes' at me earlier, which I've read is the kitty way of giving hugs?! Lol
