New Cat Is Super Energetic, Bitey, Always Hungry, Play Aggressive

Arran

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My mother and I adopted Madi from a shelter about 3 months ago. He’d been on the streets long enough to get very matted, loose a lot of weight, and injure his leg, which has since healed fine (we had it checked by a vet). They estimated his age at about a year. When we first got him he was very sweet and calm, yet confident and not remotely aggressive. We knew some of his calmness was likely due to being underwight and having a limp, but we didn’t realize how much.

A couple weeks after we got him, he became a huge pain. He jumps up on counters in the kitchen when we’re cooking, and will jump right back up the moment we put him on the floor. This has improved a little over the last couple of months, in that he’s less likely to do it while we’re both in the kitchen and he knows he’ll be caught, but he still does it, especially when we’re not looking. And he loves getting into the sink to drink dirty water out of dishes and lick up any food scraps he can find.

We’re feeding him the recommended amount of food for his weight according to the bag (a rounded half cup) divided up into three meals per day, plus a few snacks like little pieces of fish or cream (which we give to him in his bowl, not in the kitchen). 2-3 hours before every meal he’ll sit by his bowl and stare at us, waiting for food, and if he sees us go into the kitchen he’ll follow us and start vocally begging. The first couple of weeks we were feeding him more to get him back up to a healthy weight, and I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not but a lot of his bad behaviors started when we decreased his food. He’s maintaining a good weight now though, so he definitely doesn’t need more food.

Whenever he doesn’t like something, his immediate reaction is to bite. Somewhat gently at first, but if we don’t get away fast enough it becomes a very hard bite. He’s scratched me with his teeth a couple of times and buried an entire tooth in my mom’s arm once. This has only improved in that we’ve gotten better at seeing when he’s about to bite and getting out of his reach, but it’s still his first reaction.

He attack us when he’s playful. If he’s already worked up and sees our feet or hands move he’ll immediately go into attack mode. Sometimes he’ll just pounce on us out of nowhere. I can’t let him into my room when he’s playful because he’ll hide under the bed and attack my feet over and over until I leave the room or get him out of it.

We can’t let him be an outdoor cat because he’s too good of a hunter and there’s a semi-busy street out front, but we take him outside 1-2 times a day on a leash. Sometimes we take him for walks (though he doesn’t walk with us very well yet), but usually we let him wander around the fenced backyard under supervision, making sure he doesn’t run off or climb the 6+ foot fence (which he can if we let him). And we play with him in the house a few times a day, for quite a while. With all of this we don’t usually manage to tire him out.

When he’re bored in the early morning when neither of us is up yet he’ll look for anything to play with that’s new, jumping all over furniture, tearing up paper or plastic, biting at sheets. He has several toys and will play with them on his own sometimes, but sometimes he’ll want to play but not be interested in any of them, which is usually when he gets aggressive toward us.

Neither one of us was looking for a super energetic cat. We knew he’d be somewhat energetic because of his young age, but neither of us have ever had a cat like this before, and we have no idea what to do with him. We’ve tried only positive reinforcement, hissing at him when he’s doing something we don’t want, moving his food out of the kitchen, exercise, spraying smells he doesn’t like (mostly citrus) in the kitchen, locking him in a bedroom while we cook & eat. All of it has helped a little, but not much.

We love him and don’t want to take him back to the shelter, but we have to dedicate so much physical and mental energy as well as time to minimizing his bad behaviors that we’re both just exhausted. He’s still very sweet and wonderful when he’s calm, but that usually only lasts a few hours per day. And his bad behavirors still persist no matter what we do.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!
I think, since he's so food motivated (not unusual in a street cat) that you may be able to tackle some of his issues with food puzzles.

Also, try something here;

Do you have cat trees? Both upright and horizontal scratchers? These can help with exercise.

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

19 Best Interactive Cat Toys: Your Ultimate List (2019) | Heavy.com

https://heavy.com/pets/2018/10/best-cat-toys/

Home - the Ripple Rug

Food Puzzles for Cats

The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

Favorite Cat Toys

17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats
 
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rubysmama

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Hello and welcome to TCS. :wave2: I'm glad you found us, and hope we'll be able to help you curb some of Madi's unwanted behaviours.

About his food obsession, that is totally normal, as Furballsmom Furballsmom mentioned for cats who've been strays.

My adopted girl, Ruby, was a stray for a bit before she arrived at the shelter, and she had a serious case of "stray cat food obsession" for months after I adopted her. She would eat every speck of food I put in her dish all at once. She was constantly looking for food, and was always getting on the counter. And stove! I had no choice but to resort to putting her in another room when I was cooking, as I was worried about her getting burned, or her getting into food. I can't remember exactly how long it took, (maybe 6 or 8 months) but she eventually started leaving food in her dish for later, and stopped bothering me whenever I was handling food in the kitchen.

She also was a bit "bitey". Especially in the mornings when she was anxious for breakfast. Once she bit too hard and broke the skin on my finger. I yelped "owwwwww" and Ruby scrambled under the covers to hide. That was the only time, though, she ever bit that hard, and I think saying "owwww" let her know she'd hurt me. So try doing that when your cat bites too hard.

I think once your boy gets more comfortable in your home, and gets a bit older, he'll be a lovely cat. You just have to work on "training" him, as it's possible he didn't learn kitty manners living on the street.

Here are a few more TCS articles that might be helpful:
How To Deal With Cat "love Bites"? | TheCatSite
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats | TheCatSite
How To Keep Cats Off Counters And Tables | TheCatSite

Plus one from the Humane Society focused on kittens, but might have tips for an other cat as well: Teach your kitten how to play nice

Good luck with him. Keep us posted on his progress.

And post a pic of him, if you can. :camera:
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post | TheCatSite
 
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Arran

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Thank you both!

Hi!
I think, since he's so food motivated (not unusual in a street cat) that you may be able to tackle some of his issues with food puzzles.

Also, try something here;

Do you have cat trees? Both upright and horizontal scratchers? These can help with exercise.
The food puzzles is a great idea! I've just picked up a couple to try with him. Hopefully it'll keep him a bit more entertained. We have an upright scratcher, which he's not super excited about but he does use it and likes getting on top of it. We have a fairly small house so don't have much room for a large cat tree, but we've considered putting some cat shelves on the walls, since he likes being up high.

Hello and welcome to TCS. :wave2: I'm glad you found us, and hope we'll be able to help you curb some of Madi's unwanted behaviours.

About his food obsession, that is totally normal, as Furballsmom Furballsmom mentioned for cats who've been strays.

My adopted girl, Ruby, was a stray for a bit before she arrived at the shelter, and she had a serious case of "stray cat food obsession" for months after I adopted her. She would eat every speck of food I put in her dish all at once. She was constantly looking for food, and was always getting on the counter. And stove! I had no choice but to resort to putting her in another room when I was cooking, as I was worried about her getting burned, or her getting into food. I can't remember exactly how long it took, (maybe 6 or 8 months) but she eventually started leaving food in her dish for later, and stopped bothering me whenever I was handling food in the kitchen.

She also was a bit "bitey". Especially in the mornings when she was anxious for breakfast. Once she bit too hard and broke the skin on my finger. I yelped "owwwwww" and Ruby scrambled under the covers to hide. That was the only time, though, she ever bit that hard, and I think saying "owwww" let her know she'd hurt me. So try doing that when your cat bites too hard.

I think once your boy gets more comfortable in your home, and gets a bit older, he'll be a lovely cat. You just have to work on "training" him, as it's possible he didn't learn kitty manners living on the street.

Good luck with him. Keep us posted on his progress.

And post a pic of him, if you can. :camera:
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post | TheCatSite
Id assumed the food obsession was related to being on the street. Our previous cat was the complete opposite, a super picky eater who wouldn't eat most cat food let alone human food, so Madi's appetite is a big adjustment. ^^' Good to know it might calm down after a while.

When he attacks/bites us he does seem to regret it after, but he keeps doing it. He'll sometimes run off and hide for a bit afterward. When it happens we're usually more concerned with getting him off of us and thus don't really express pain to him, but I'll keep it in mind to try that next time.

Will update! And will post photos. :D
 
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Arran

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She's a witch

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It’s possible that his “aggressive” behavior comes from frustration because always feeling hungry. I understand you want to keep him on a perfect weight, but maybe he doesn’t get enough food for him? Are you feeding him dry food only? If yes, I would replace a part of his kibble meals with some high protein, low carbs wet food, it may help him to feel fuller. Actually it’s generally a good idea to feed a cat wet food only if you can afford it (lower risk of urinary/kidney problems, especially in male cats). And it’s unlikely that a cat on a wet food diet gets fat.

If he’s high energy cat, maybe you can consider getting another playful cat, if that’s feasible for you, so that he could get some energy out of him by chasing/wrestling. If that’s not an option, I’d recommend long interactive plays session (eg. An hour each evening with wand, Da Bird is great).

Good luck!
 

rubysmama

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Awwww.... he's really gorgeous. :catlove:

How recent are those picture, btw? I ask, because he looks a bit thin in some of them. Course you can't really tell a cat's size from pictures, but I wonder, like She's a witch She's a witch mentioned, if he's not quite getting enough food/calories a day.
 
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Arran

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Awwww.... he's really gorgeous. :catlove:

How recent are those picture, btw? I ask, because he looks a bit thin in some of them. Course you can't really tell a cat's size from pictures, but I wonder, like She's a witch She's a witch mentioned, if he's not quite getting enough food/calories a day.
Thanks! The pictures are from the last month or so. The one on the bed was a couple days ago. He tends to look skinny in photos because of how long and thick his legs are, and his prominent shoulders, but as far as I can tell he meets the guidelines for a healthy-weight cat. That said, he probably could still gain a little and still be considered healthy. When we got him he was quite skinny, and he put on weight pretty quickly. When we took him to the vet to check his leg she said he was on the low end of healthy weight, and he's put on a couple of pounds since then.

It’s possible that his “aggressive” behavior comes from frustration because always feeling hungry. I understand you want to keep him on a perfect weight, but maybe he doesn’t get enough food for him? Are you feeding him dry food only? If yes, I would replace a part of his kibble meals with some high protein, low carbs wet food, it may help him to feel fuller. Actually it’s generally a good idea to feed a cat wet food only if you can afford it (lower risk of urinary/kidney problems, especially in male cats). And it’s unlikely that a cat on a wet food diet gets fat.

If he’s high energy cat, maybe you can consider getting another playful cat, if that’s feasible for you, so that he could get some energy out of him by chasing/wrestling. If that’s not an option, I’d recommend long interactive plays session (eg. An hour each evening with wand, Da Bird is great).

Good luck!
It guess it's possible he needs more food? I could try feeding him a bit more for a few days to see if his behavior improves. It's mostly dry food, but supplemented with raw meat, cream, or pain yogurt. I'll look into other wet food options.

Hah, I wish we could get another cat. Though to be honest I'd be worried for the other cat's safety at times, cause Madi doesn't seem to know that biting hard isn't okay. And yeah, we're already playing with him quite a bit.
 

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She's a witch

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Hah, I wish we could get another cat. Though to be honest I'd be worried for the other cat's safety at times, cause Madi doesn't seem to know that biting hard isn't okay. And yeah, we're already playing with him quite a bit.
I wouldn't worry about this, if anything, another cat should teach him that biting too hard is not ok, especially another young adult (I wouldn't get a kitten in your situation). This is in fact how kittens learn not to bite too hard, through reaction (hissing/growling) of another cat. This is something to consider, your cat is young and it should be easy to introduce to another one. Of course, you never have a guarantee that things improve, but given his energy levels, he should be happy with the company to chase/wrestle.
 

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Yes saying ow loudly when he goes to bite, in a way that lets him know he has hurt you, I have learned that they do care and don't want to hurt us.
If it continues you may want to do a search for scruffing, I have been trying all the tips and I think my cat is doing better, you cannot let your kitty get away with biting, you have to say ow or hiss or scruff every time.
other wise your starting over every time.
I would say ow in a loud sad way so he will see that he is hurting.
try this first and then look into the scruffing, I have a hyper cat too.
Play with wand toy in the morning and before bed will help and more if you can
really get him running so he can burn energy.
 

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Anya (9) bites. A lot. She grew up without another cat to show her that it hurts, and as a kitten she'd cross the entire house for the sole purpose of attacking me. She was also extremely hyperactive until she was about two.

She turned out to have a mild form of hyperesthesia and can't tolerate being pet in certain areas. It was a learning process for both of us. It may be worth a Google search to see if your boy has similar symptoms. I also second the suggestions for a tree and a second cat (preferably a big one who likes to play) -- both have helped immensely.

Good luck. I'll be honest: having a bitey cat isn't ideal but not re-homing her was the best thing I've ever done. As dangerous as she is, she has grown into the single best cat I could have ever hoped to have. I hope the same will be true for your baby. :hearthrob:
 

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Puzzle feeders really did an amazing job of reducing my cat's constant need to play. A couple of toys did, too.

The Smarty Kat Feather Whirl is cheap, automatic, and a real favorite with my cat. Also, when she was younger, my cat played with her Bergan Turbo Scratcher constantly. She still plays with it on occasion, and it, too, is fairly inexpensive.
 
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Arran

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Hi all, thanks!

We've been feeding him a bit more and using a food puzzle for the last few days and he is a little better about getting up on counters and going for our food while we're eating. He's still bitey though.

Yes saying ow loudly when he goes to bite, in a way that lets him know he has hurt you, I have learned that they do care and don't want to hurt us.
If it continues you may want to do a search for scruffing, I have been trying all the tips and I think my cat is doing better, you cannot let your kitty get away with biting, you have to say ow or hiss or scruff every time.
other wise your starting over every time.
I would say ow in a loud sad way so he will see that he is hurting.
try this first and then look into the scruffing, I have a hyper cat too.
Play with wand toy in the morning and before bed will help and more if you can
really get him running so he can burn energy.
We've tried scuffing him, but most of the time it either doesn't help, or makes him more violent. But maybe we need to do more research into the best way to do it?

Anya (9) bites. A lot. She grew up without another cat to show her that it hurts, and as a kitten she'd cross the entire house for the sole purpose of attacking me. She was also extremely hyperactive until she was about two.

She turned out to have a mild form of hyperesthesia and can't tolerate being pet in certain areas. It was a learning process for both of us. It may be worth a Google search to see if your boy has similar symptoms. I also second the suggestions for a tree and a second cat (preferably a big one who likes to play) -- both have helped immensely.

Good luck. I'll be honest: having a bitey cat isn't ideal but not re-homing her was the best thing I've ever done. As dangerous as she is, she has grown into the single best cat I could have ever hoped to have. I hope the same will be true for your baby. :hearthrob:
Good to know about the hyperesthesia! So far it doesn't seem like Madi has it, but we'll definitely keep an eye out for it.

When he's calm he's fine with being petted anywhere except his stomach and legs. Sometimes if he's just started to get hyper and bitey I can calm him down by gently petting his head.

Yeah, not ideal, but he is a wonderful cat despite it so far.
 

rubysmama

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We've been feeding him a bit more and using a food puzzle for the last few days and he is a little better about getting up on counters and going for our food while we're eating.
That's good progress. :clap2:

He's still bitey though.
Keep saying "owwww" in a high pitched tone when he bites. That's the type of sound cats make to let another cat know they are hurting them. And if you see him about to bite, say "no".

When he's calm he's fine with being petted anywhere except his stomach and legs. Sometimes if he's just started to get hyper and bitey I can calm him down by gently petting his head.
Hopefully in time he'll get over his hyper and bite-y behaviour.

Edit: removed the age question, as it was answered in the first post
 
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di and bob

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He is super excited about having a home.Three months is not long at all in a cat's world. Also, at a year old he is still full of kitten so it is to be expected that he is hyper. If he jumps to the sink looking for food, he is too hungry. Add to what you give him some wet canned food. He was on the streets for a while, so is very hungry and used to looking for any food he can find. Once a few more months pass by he will be less motivated. I would remove him from the room when you are cooking/eating if his actions bother you. It is not until around two years of age that cats begin to settle down and lounge around. He is too young yet. It takes time to train any animal, especially a cat. You must be consistant in your demands, just like with small children. If you give in, even one time, it means you start over. When he attacks, take him by the skin on the back of the neck and hold him to the floor until he stops struggling. Hiss loudly or say NO loudly. This is what mamma cats do to discilpline. At first if he becomes violent, lift his front feet off the ground, NEVER all 4 feet. I have two 'kickeroos' a long cat toy I get on Amazon, that I throw to distract mine when they are looking to be aggressive. With me or another cat. It is irresistable and they happily pounce on it. i have two and keep one in a plastic bag with catnip to refresh it and make it even more irresistable. He sounds like a perfectly normal, young hungry cat to me. Cats are not trainable through fear and physicle punishment like dogs. They are not of a pack mentality. Physical punishment, such as slapping, spraying with water, etc., does not work with cats. It just makes them afraid and sneaky. Please find the patience and love in your heart to accept him into the family. You earn a cat's love and it is one of life's Treasures!
 
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