PLEASE Help Me! My Rescue Cat is Attacking Me Aggressively Daily, Others Suggest Euthanasia but that

[thatfilmgirl]

That's the same kind of Play Aggression my Poe had. He is so sweet and loving but man, does he like to play attack! We think he must have been alone for quite some time before showing up at the ASPCA.

Wand toys. Laser pointers. Fuzzy socks filled with cotton and catnip if you don't want to pay for the fuzzy toys from the store. Poe LOVES his fuzzy toy and doesn't attack at my feet with his teeth and claws any more.

This happened sometimes because of over stimulation. He would get very sensitive. So I had to keep my head pets moving and short with some treats on hand. I got very good at saying 'Gentle!' and pulling my feet and hands away to replace with an appropriate "attack" toy.

For the record, that vet is terrible. I'd seek out a new one. My goodness.

 

[cindycrna]

I agree with others that the vet sucked! Jackson Galaxy deals a lot with aggressive cats. My Lewis is 5 1/2 months old and attacks feet. I read that cats separated too young from it's sibs never learns boundaries. Your "no" is very ineffective. He literally has no idea you want him to stop. I feel he is more trying to play than truly mean. His ears aren't flat. The tail whipping is normal. Jackson Galaxy always has owners play more. Real play that wears them out a bit. Lewis has a kazillion toys. I am not sure another cat is the answer. You could have a real fight on your hands.

 

[r-kins]

Hey, I'm SO sorry you're going through this! Your cat reminds me a lot of mine. He was so aggressive that I thought he hated me and was angry. It turns out he needed to play a lot more. The forums here helped me to understand that it's play aggression, not regular aggression. He also has serious boundary issues and doesn't understand that he's taking it too far, much like other comments have said. That wagging tail looks like he thinks you're playing. I have a few random thoughts on this so please bear with the bullet point list:

• Your vet IS a jerk. Get a new one ASAP. Can you call in a pet behaviorist?

• Have you tried a blocking technique? Like if he comes after you, block him with a pillow. That will stop mine and he'll walk off looking pissed.

• Wear long sleeves and longer, thick pants, then when he attacks totally ignore him. Mine will bite for about ten seconds and then walk off when he's not getting a reaction at all.

• You can also leave when he's attacking. Hold up the pillow to block him and walk off.

• DON'T put him in time out. Picking them up only riles them up more. You should be the one to leave the room so he knows if he acts like that you'll leave him to play alone.

• And lastly, don't play with him after he attacks you because it makes him think that his behavior resulted in play. I let mine calm down and THEN play with him. Or if I can see he's going to start biting I'll start to play with him before the bad behavior starts.