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- #21
I didn't take it as an insult.
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My cat is Satan himself, I need help!!!
- Thread starter angelwngs
- Start Date
I'm glad you've stopped spanking him. Did you adopt him from a shelter/rescue? It could be that he was mistreated in someway before you got him, and now isn't fond of being touched because of it. If it's fear-based, it may pass with time. Is he a jumpy/scared sort of cat?
He could also be reacting to travelling between homes (yours and your boyfriends). Travelling can cause cats anxiety, which could influence aggressiveness.
He could also be reacting to travelling between homes (yours and your boyfriends). Travelling can cause cats anxiety, which could influence aggressiveness.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #23
No I don't know really anything about his life before he came to live with me.
You've gotten a lot of good advice already. One other thought I had; do you know much about his life before he came to live with you? Kittens who are not raised by their Mama long enough sometimes behave like this because they didn't learn it's just not appropriate. Either way; I think our members have already pointed you in the right direction to start. And I'm glad you will have a vet visit tomorrow too!
There are a few articles that might also be helpful to you: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-aggression-toward-people, http://www.thecatsite.com/a/playtime-aggression, http://www.thecatsite.com/t/20837/ouch-how-to-stop-cat-aggression-toward-people, http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cats-and-discipline-dont-mix, http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-play-the-rules-of-the-game.
I hope that doesn't overwhelm you; I think they all have useful information.What you are dealing with is deffinitely frustrating! (re: discipline; we all have to learn somewhere! We're here to help!
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- #24
At the time, yes we did move him back and forth between places but that won't be happening anymore because he will be staying at my place now since me and my ex boyfriend now broke up. Possibly for the best since he's the one that told me to spank my cat to begin with. My current boyfriend agreed with you that taking him back and forth between places was not a good idea.
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- #25
Yes he is neutered. He has a scratching post no cat trees. And yes I actually got him from petsmart through HALO so he has lived in a shelter. But I have no idea about his history.Angelwings, welcome and wondering a few things. If I missed this, sorry, but is the cat Neutered? If not, I am sure the vet will explain that this is most likely the problem with the playful aggression. And, that is what it is - he is full of energy and needs an outlet. I would also recommend having three or more play sessions with your cat, Ace. (and I don't think changing his name made him this way). Neko Fliers --> link https://nekoflies.com/ are EXCELLENT toys for very energetic young cats. I have a couple of these wands with interchangeable toys which are absolutely irresistible to all cats. PLEASE take note though.... do not leave a wand toy of any kind out for the cat to chew and ingest the string which they all will do. Put all wand toys in a cabinet, out of sight when not being played with. Having these play sessions will help to also calm him and settle him down. Do you have any vertical space in your home for him such as those very tall cat trees? Two side by side so he can jump from one to the other? Cats love and need to climb.
Cats LOVE routines and schedules as well. Feeding schedules, playtime, naptime, etc. The loving/snuggling will come and you have not had this cat very long at all. He needs time to adjust and feel safe and loved. Since you have only had him one month and he has been spanked and sprayed then he is not feeling safe YET. I can't imagine how he must be feeling.Cats are so sensitive and he is in a new environment, new home with two people he doesn't know or trust yet and already and so quickly, he is being disciplined?! He needs loads and loads of patience and love.
This kitty obviously has had an already sad past and you may not know what has happened to him. Has he been tossed from home to home? A stray? Living in shelters? Of course, he will have some behavior issues then, poor little guy and needs to have stability for once. It will take much time and patience to figure each other out. Since your BF has so much cat experience then I assume he already knows that patience is of the utmost importance here. Being scared by any form of discipline will only exasperate his behavior, fear and insecurities. Once you give an animal (or person) permission to be themselves. without criticism, the walls can come down and everything improves. He is a beautiful cat - the one in your avatar - and I hope that things work out for him.
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- #26
I adopted him from PetSmart through HALO so yes he came from a shelter/rescue. And no he isn't a jumpy/scared sort of cat.
Update us in a couple of days or so. Maybe now that he'll just be staying at your place, he'll calm down a bit.
How is he with your new boyfriend?
How is he with your new boyfriend?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #28
He loves my new boyfriend. My new boyfriend is the one that bought him for me. Me and him have been together off and on for almost 6 years so I have been with him before. Ace loved him when we went to PetSmart and adopted him he still does. He cuddles next to him all the time.
Laser pointers are pretty cheap and you can tire him out a bit. You're there with Satan and I have Satans twin over here. John Jacob got fixed today and he's acting like a wild maniac and unleashing hell over here. Good luck with your little demon. Hang in there 
Has he mellowed a bit the past couple days?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #31
A little bit but still bites and scratches quite a bit. He has started learning what the word no and a finger pointed at him mean though.
I can encourage you to don't play with him with your hands, like rubbing them around the floor or anything. It might entice him to attack them further. I'd say keep his claws trimmed really good. Be on top of verbal "no!" when he bites and perhaps confine him in a room for a few minutes when he does. He may take the hint. He is still young and depending on what happened to him before you adopted him, he probably has caught on to some bad habits. I mean think about a cat in an adoption area. Probably was exposed to a lot of people trying to grab him, pet him, touch him, play with him in all kinds of ways. Something else might be inducing the biting, maybe it hurts him, or maybe in his pre-adopted life he was abused or in contact with children, who can sometimes not be so soft. Take your time with him. It will be well worth the investment. Try grooming him softly with a brush or grooming glove (glove with brush on the palm, the glove will somewhat protect you) if he bites, stop. It may require some rehabilitation. Most of all pay attention to what his body is telling you. Maybe he only likes a bit of petting or only in certain spots (chin, cheeks, back, head) or maybe in a certain way. With my cat he loves intense petting sessions but if you touch his tummy he will grab you and maybe nip you. That is his no go zone. Some cats just like scratching, or some just petting. I think over time with patience you can convert him. Good luck and don't give up on him.
I agree with baconman on this our little lady Lilly loves having her face cheeks chin and neck and her ears scratched and petted and can sometimes get down to mid back i long fluid soft strokes but if we get near her tail hind legs or tummy she wraps around hands and rubs the point of her teeth against the offending hand in warning. Its all about finding his boundries so glad to see you have stopped spanking him though we went through that phace with lilly and she started to be scared of us we had to stop and rehabilitate to meaning a raised hand to be a petting motion.
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I have 5 cats and I have found the best way to stop them from biting is simply to bite them back. Cats think you are just another cat and as such they sometimes will fight you for dominance. Even if they are neutered this seems to be a instinct built in them as kittens.
Don't bite them hard, just a little light tap to show them you bite. They will never try to bite you again.
As for scratching you. The best way I've found to fix that is to cut their nails every time they scratch you. But make sure you play with them a lot and stuff because kittens love to play and they want to work off that excess energy somehow.
BTW, the biting thing doesn't work on other humans. My wife yelled at me for doing that.
Don't bite them hard, just a little light tap to show them you bite. They will never try to bite you again.
As for scratching you. The best way I've found to fix that is to cut their nails every time they scratch you. But make sure you play with them a lot and stuff because kittens love to play and they want to work off that excess energy somehow.
BTW, the biting thing doesn't work on other humans. My wife yelled at me for doing that.
I do not recommend trying this. Cats actually should never think of you as another cat- that is how troubles start. If you bite your cat, he is likely to react very negatively as most cats react to all physical discipline. He will interpret it as your being another cat, all right, and one who is demonstrating aggression at that. He will then take his aggression out on you, thinking you've condoned it by fighting back. I truly believe that the vast majority of cats will react to this behavior by becoming more aggressive themselves, not less aggressive.
You have to show him instead that you are actually a human and off limits to rough play . Please do not start biting your kitty.
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Actually, that is not true according to John Bradshaw who's studied cats for over 30 years. In his book "Cat Sense" He states that cats actually think of you as another larger non-hostile cat.
Because of this, biting them back will establish that you as a cat do not condone it's aggression and it will back off. If you search for some vet advice on how to stop a cat from biting. Some do recommend the biting back as well. Hitting it is considered aggression, biting doesn't seem to be.
I've had several cats, none of my cats have ever reacted with more aggression. In fact all of the time they have mellowed out after I've established that boundary.
Wow. Stunned. I wonder what Jackson Galaxy would say about this one. :lol3: I would also run for the hills if my vet ever recommended this type of discipline.
:dash:
Contrary to what you seem to imply, Bradshaw does not advise biting your cats back in his book. If I somehow missed this in reading it please direct me to a page number.
His thesis as I understand it also isn't really that cats just think of you as a larger non hostile cat so much as it is that cats form groups that cooperate and will let you be part of their group. While it's true he does say they think of this group as cooperative and not hierarchical like dogs (i.e. cats don't think of you as a 'master' or 'superior' as dogs do regardless of the fact that you feed them) their not thinking you are BETTER than them, which he does say, is not the same as their thinking you are the same as them, which to my knowledge he does not say.
My cats and fosters, throughout my life, have never treated me like another cat, and I believe it is because I have not behaved like one and have not tolerated their treating me like one. They know doing certain things to me are off limits that it is okay to do to one another (tussling, biting, chasing) and I believe learned that simply because I never was willing to engage in those behaviors with them and was consistent over time (my poor brother, on the other hand, would get bit on the hand all the time growing up because he'd play with the cats with his hands... but by now he has learned
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I did not say the idea to bite the cat back came from Bradshaw. I mentioned that advice was from some vets.
I don't want my cats to think of me as a owner, master or whatever. I want them to see me as their friend, large non-threatening friend. If you respect a Cat's boundaries you can usually avoid it's aggression.
I don't want my cats to think of me as a owner, master or whatever. I want them to see me as their friend, large non-threatening friend. If you respect a Cat's boundaries you can usually avoid it's aggression.
Not sure where you mention that vets suggest this.
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