- Joined
- Feb 21, 2021
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- 5
- Purraise
- 12
Hi. Sorry this is a long one.
About 3 days ago we picked a stray female cat off the side of the road. When we first brought her home she started off being incredibly affectionate and sweet rubbing against us and our hands so that we could pat her and give her scratches. The only sign of aggression we noticed was that she would walk around growing periodically. It didn't seem directed at us in particular so assumed that she was generally just stressed and left her alone. Within a few hours she suddenly became defensive and angry, hissing and biting our feet when we were walking around. We specifically avoided her when walking but she would put herself underfoot or in doorways to hiss and bite/scratch.
We decided it would be best to confine her to one room so that she would have a chance to adjust and a place to hide and feel safe. A few times a day we come in and check her food/water and make sure she is using the litter tray (originally she was eliminating on the floor). After the first few visits she started coming out to greet us at the door rubbing against our legs and our hands while purring. This lasts until all of a sudden she will hiss and bite. When petting her I try to pay attention to her body language but her reaction is usually to quick for me to have time to back off. Rather than hide she will stay and bite our feet and knees (as we lift our arms out of the way).
We can literally walk in to the room and stay standing and she will rub against us while we are standing completely still and will still start hissing and biting suddenly so I don't think it is related to overstimaulating her via petting. We have also noticed that she doesn't seem to like it when we walk around so we have started giving her treats while walking around the room to try and change her association to become more positive. This seems to work although only while we have treats.
We try to avoid situations that cause these reactions but still need to walk around to access her food/water/litter and the lights. We now wear shoes and jeans while we come into her room and don't react when she bites/hisses and keep doing what we need to do. Sometimes when we visit she doesnt react aggressively at all. Even when she is aggressive and scratches or bites it usually will only just break the surface of our skin so isn't super intense although I still find it a little frightening.
I am struggling to figure out the cause of this because she chooses to seek us out for attention and pets but will suddenly react aggresively while doing this. We have wondered if it is to do with us/something else spooking her and then she reacts with aggression but arent sure.
I am worried as to whether or not this behaviour will curb as she grows more comfortable as while we would like to keep her if we can, I am nervous about forever having to dodge an aggressive cat as she will actively seek us out to bite if she can see us walking around. We have been talking about giving her access to the loungeroom (connected to her room) as well while wearing shoes and jeans and just ignoring the behaviour but I don't want to make the situation worse.
Some info - the vets said they think she is about 10 months old and has just weaned a litter of kittens. We could not find kittens anywhere in the area we found her so assume they had already left by that time. She has fleas and likely worms that we will treat soon. She has not been spayed yet. The vets said otherwise she seems generally healthy. They didn't do a proper check up, just briefly looked her over.
I appreciate any insight
About 3 days ago we picked a stray female cat off the side of the road. When we first brought her home she started off being incredibly affectionate and sweet rubbing against us and our hands so that we could pat her and give her scratches. The only sign of aggression we noticed was that she would walk around growing periodically. It didn't seem directed at us in particular so assumed that she was generally just stressed and left her alone. Within a few hours she suddenly became defensive and angry, hissing and biting our feet when we were walking around. We specifically avoided her when walking but she would put herself underfoot or in doorways to hiss and bite/scratch.
We decided it would be best to confine her to one room so that she would have a chance to adjust and a place to hide and feel safe. A few times a day we come in and check her food/water and make sure she is using the litter tray (originally she was eliminating on the floor). After the first few visits she started coming out to greet us at the door rubbing against our legs and our hands while purring. This lasts until all of a sudden she will hiss and bite. When petting her I try to pay attention to her body language but her reaction is usually to quick for me to have time to back off. Rather than hide she will stay and bite our feet and knees (as we lift our arms out of the way).
We can literally walk in to the room and stay standing and she will rub against us while we are standing completely still and will still start hissing and biting suddenly so I don't think it is related to overstimaulating her via petting. We have also noticed that she doesn't seem to like it when we walk around so we have started giving her treats while walking around the room to try and change her association to become more positive. This seems to work although only while we have treats.
We try to avoid situations that cause these reactions but still need to walk around to access her food/water/litter and the lights. We now wear shoes and jeans while we come into her room and don't react when she bites/hisses and keep doing what we need to do. Sometimes when we visit she doesnt react aggressively at all. Even when she is aggressive and scratches or bites it usually will only just break the surface of our skin so isn't super intense although I still find it a little frightening.
I am struggling to figure out the cause of this because she chooses to seek us out for attention and pets but will suddenly react aggresively while doing this. We have wondered if it is to do with us/something else spooking her and then she reacts with aggression but arent sure.
I am worried as to whether or not this behaviour will curb as she grows more comfortable as while we would like to keep her if we can, I am nervous about forever having to dodge an aggressive cat as she will actively seek us out to bite if she can see us walking around. We have been talking about giving her access to the loungeroom (connected to her room) as well while wearing shoes and jeans and just ignoring the behaviour but I don't want to make the situation worse.
Some info - the vets said they think she is about 10 months old and has just weaned a litter of kittens. We could not find kittens anywhere in the area we found her so assume they had already left by that time. She has fleas and likely worms that we will treat soon. She has not been spayed yet. The vets said otherwise she seems generally healthy. They didn't do a proper check up, just briefly looked her over.
I appreciate any insight