Seriously

[CCRiley]

Does anyone else have a cat that seriously acts bipolar? One minute my cats is loving and playful and the next he does not want to be touched and hissing at everyone and it all started after him trying to hack up a hair ball.

 

[Hyda]

Mine don't hiss but she is either too sweet or pissed. I dont know why she acts like that perhaps it's just who she is.

 

[Elphaba09]

We call our Tara a wack-a-doodle because she is either aggressively affectionate or stalking someone/ some cat. At night, she rolls around in my hair and headbutts my head. She also sits on me throughout the day; however, she can flip her personality quickly.
She is thinking about stalking her sister. (Thankfully, she is not exactly attacking when she stalks. Instead, she just chases them until she is satisfied.)

Tara being super lovey:

 

[danteshuman]

Well not hissing but that kind of behavior, yes. One is semi-feral who is a over stimulation cat. You pet him too much and he attacks. The other cat was a terror to his brother. If he doesn't get enough play (& outside time) he hunts his brother.

Play and watching your cat closely when you pet him for "stop petting me now" signs, will hopefully help.

 

[5starcathotel]

Does anyone else have a cat that seriously acts bipolar? One minute my cats is loving and playful and the next he does not want to be touched and hissing at everyone and it all started after him trying to hack up a hair ball.

Uhm, yes....see profile pic! Though in my case, is maybe a bit different....one minute Blue is calm and playful and my other 3 cats are happy.....then, all hell breaks loose!! Because Blue did not receive the expected amount of attention/play time!....

 

[Margret]

Generally we just refer to it as "cattitude." I think this applies to all cats to some extent, especially indoor only cats who may not get enough exercise. (And I'm not suggesting that making a cat indoor-only is a bad thing - it has a significant lengthening effect on their life spans.) Providing enough play time may help, but I don't think there's any way to get rid of it entirely.

Margret

 

[maggiedemi]

it all started after him trying to hack up a hair ball.

He might not be feeling well because of the hairball. Did you try giving him some hairball paste or treats? My cat Maggie hisses when she doesn't feel good. And Demi will duck if I try to pet him when he doesn't feel good.

 

[Shane Kent]

My cat Taz is typically lovable but if something stresses him out he becomes a little monster. The thing that stresses him out the most is a strange cat on our property. If he sees or smells a cat outside his mood flips. Loud noises, loud people or strong odors also stress him out. Maybe the hair ball was just a coincidence and something is stressing him out. If I were you I would rule out stress and move on from there.

There are articles on this site about stress and cats.

Is Your Cat Stressed Out?

Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist

When Physical Problems Turn Into Behavior Problems

Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats