New Cat Is Scratching And Hissing Please Help

[Chelsea3822]

Hello,
I adopted a four year old female cat three days ago and things aren't going so well. I have read other posts here about new cats acting out, but my situation is different and I have already tried all the recommendations but they didn't work. I have taken in a lot of rescue cats in my life, but this one is different and I am unsure of how I can help her. I adopted her from a family that couldn't keep her due to severe allergies, and they said that she has been bounced around from house to house her whole life because people would move and not be able to take her with them. I can imagine that she must have a lot of issues with security and trust because of this.
On the first day I took her in she was very nervous and sat in her carrier, occasionally walking out to sniff my hand and briefly let me pat her head. I sat next to her for about an hour and blinked slowly towards her, which she returned to me. She became much more social that night, and seemed to break out of her shell. All seemed to be going well. The next morning I reached out to let her sniff my hand and she scratched me gently. I thought she might be nervous still so I left her alone. Throughout the day I tried to let her sniff my hand or pat her, but all she did was hiss and scratch, each time more violently. Now every time I walk past her she looks at me like she is about to attack me. I tried to blink slowly towards her again, which she responds to sometimes. I had company over yesterday evening (after the scratching) and today, and she loved them! She was letting everyone pat her and someone almost fell over because she was rubbing her head against his legs while he was trying to walk.
I don't know if she hates me or not. Sometimes she seems really nice, but if I try to pat her or walk by her she gets very upset. One of my friends thinks she is afraid of me because I spent too much time with her, but this is what I always do with new cats and it has always worked for me. I know that not all cats are the same though. She also said she might have some sort of play aggression, but I don't know what she was talking about. She said the cat looked wound up and sometimes they act out aggression through playing and scratching, but this doesn't feel like playing to me.The most difficult part of this is that sometimes she walks up to me and looks at me like she wants me to pat her, so I do, and then she scratches. I just stopped patting her altogether, but I don't want to ignore her either.
I also have two other cats and I'm doing the gradual introduction that is commonly recommended. I have her in a different section of the house and I let them sniff eachother's blankets, then I introduced them for the first time today. She was hissing at them and they were terrified.
She seems to be a sweet cat, but something about me either scares her or bothers her and I don't know what it is. I wonder if I look like someone who was mean to her before, but if that was the case she would likely be acting this way towards me from the beginning. Does anyone have any suggestions? Does it sound like she is afraid of me or does she not like me? I'm trying to put myself in her position and I think this must be difficult for her. She hides when she hears a loud noise, so I think she has anxiety about all of this. I just keep asking myself, why is it only me that she does this to?

 

[5starcathotel]

Hi and welcome!

Hmm, a lot of stuff to untangle here! But it's a good sign that you can put yourself in her place, and understand that she's a kitty that has never really known a stable loving home.

First, regarding play aggression, this often involves some swatting and biting. But doesn't (usually) involve hissing. Hissing (usually) means stay away, don't touch me, etc. An exception (from my own 4 cat household) can be a cat that didn't grow up with other kitties, and never quite learned how to play. My 11-yo male Hobo generally prefers to be an only cat...and will hiss at the other cats when they are being about as sweet and friendly as they can be to him. But on occasion, even though the rest of his body language and actions are pure playfulness and happiness, he still hisses. So it's confusing to everybody!

Cats are fairly sensitive to smell, so if you come in smelling like other cats, that she's clearly aware of and nervous about, then she might be reacting to that. And your friend isn't wrong; with adult cats, it's best to establish your relationship with them at their own pace. Pushing this boundary a bit is good...pushing it too hard won't work.

The odd part for me is her behavior with strangers. How does she behave around her section of the house? Is she on patrol, rubbing, scratching, and laying on everything in sight? If so, then her behavior around strangers might simply be an extension of a need to define some territory, and not really about them. It's purely a "this doesn't smell like me, so Imma rub on it until it does" reaction.

I'm left with 2 questions: how old is she, and how is playtime going? Interactive toys that let her hunt/kill will increase her confidence in her territory, and help her to associate you with more good things.

 

[Chelsea3822]

She is four years old. I played with her this morning and it went well. I think that might be a good way to try to bond with her over time, since petting her doesn't work anymore. She does seem to rub up against everything, so that would make sense because I bet she has trouble establishing her own territory after she has been moved around so many times.
But now since I introduced her to the other cats she is hissing at them through the door, and they run and hide every time I open the door because they are afraid that she will follow me out there. How can I get her to put her guard down around them?