Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Can/should I see about getting my cat to sleep as he keeps attacking people

104 replies

User9988 · 30/08/2017 22:33

Regular lurker, Name changed for this as I am embarrassed.

So I have a cat and he keeps attacking people to the point of I am embarrassed of his behaviour, I have had so many people knock on my door about him complaining.
He's half Bengal he seems to enjoy attacking people, His usual thing is to go up to people act really friendly rubbing himself against them then when they go to pet him he will lash out and attack them. (To be honest sometimes he will just attack anyway but that's his usual thing he does)
He's really menacing the way he does it, leads people into thinking he wants a pet and attention and I'm at the end of my tether with him. I have tried rehoming shelters but they are all booked up and tbh he is not rehomable as he is just too spiteful, he is 6 years old. he attacked a little girl today and it made me so cross and embarrassed.
He's attacked my friends son before too and my kids won't go near him because he's so vicious.
Any advice I would be greatful for. What can/should I do?

OP posts:
PeaFaceMcgee · 31/08/2017 00:00

*regular, not refund

Original poster
User9988 · 31/08/2017 00:10

Thank you garden geek you have been so helpful !

OP posts:
Original poster
User9988 · 31/08/2017 00:11

Peaface of course I wouldn't do that

OP posts:
Original poster
User9988 · 31/08/2017 00:13

Pinkmooney that's sounds like a really crappy situation to be in, Its hard to know what to do isn't it, I am going to give some of the suggestions here a try, See what happens.

OP posts:
Original poster
User9988 · 31/08/2017 00:16

Wolfie why would I not be allowed to own a half Bengal just because I rent?
To be fair I owned my own house when I brought him 6 years ago but I don't actually see what that has to do with anything. Completely off topic and just a bit stupid.

OP posts:
Original poster
User9988 · 31/08/2017 00:17

Thanks to anyone who has given me helpful advice, Some real gems on here! Thanks!!

OP posts:
milliemolliemou · 31/08/2017 00:21

Good luck OP I've always loved the look of Bengals but will rethink and get a Norwegian Forest cat (not).

milliemolliemou · 31/08/2017 00:22

So this is misleading then
cattime.com/cat-breeds/bengal-cats

SparklyUnicornPoo · 31/08/2017 00:31

Please don't follow Cote's advice! by the sounds of it he doesn't like human company so if he could cope in the wild he wouldn't be coming home for food.

If he's suddenly got worse, have you checked him over? I had a rather vicious cat and he got a lot more aggressive age about 9 and when I finally managed to get him to let me look (which I still have the scars from) he had some yucky infected cuts where he'd had a fight with something (i think probably a fox) once the cats started healing up he calmed down to merely a bit of a bastard

nina2b · 31/08/2017 00:46

Hmmmmmmmmm

GardenGeek · 31/08/2017 00:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Funkyferret · 31/08/2017 01:01

Best of luck OP, hope you manage to find a (non-PTS) solution. We home rescues and our local rescue centre have found Bengals difficult to rehome because they are feisty (not saying this is your situation at all, just recognising they are big characters). milliemolliemou, we have a rescue Norwegian. He'd be a challenge to most but we're used to feral colony control so compared to most domestic moggie owners, we find him quite charming and just keep the bathroom cabinet stocked with antispectic cream for the times when he's "having a laugh".

HeebieJeebies456 · 31/08/2017 02:53

Your cat is not getting the right kind of stimulation/play at home.
Bengals nature is more like that of wild animals, such as leopards and tigers.

They need more attention and focussed play time to learn discipline.
You need to learn more about the actual breed and it's nature - or give him to a shelter who can find better owners for him.

Winterview · 31/08/2017 07:24

I would try to find him a new home. We had an aggressive Tom who lay in wait on the stairs and around corners, jumping out and sinking his teeth into our ankles. He used to stalk us too! If anyone tried to stroke him when he was on eye level eg on a fence or wall, he'd swipe at their face. Eventually we gave him to a neighbour who had a huge garden backing onto woods. Neighbour had been feeding him for a while and cat preferred him to us! He's apparently very happy there, has a cat kennel and spends all his time outdoors hunting!

Wolfiefan · 31/08/2017 07:50

Not a bit stupid. Bengals are notorious re behaviour etc. I wouldn't take one on. Let alone in a rented property.

Wolfiefan · 31/08/2017 07:51

And IS he neutered?

Spam88 · 31/08/2017 07:52

I can't really see why keeping him in isn't an option. I appreciate it's not ideal, but neither is letting him out so that he's someone else's problem because you can't cope. If it was a dog attacking people no one would accept 'I can't keep him on lead, he needs to run around free, that's just how he is'. Seriously, you need to be a bit more responsible here and keep him in until you've resolved the problem.

Littleraincloud · 31/08/2017 08:04

I had an aggressive cat and I had to give her a calming spot on treatment on the back of her neck from pets at home and use a feliway plug in for indoors. There's also calming tablets you can buy but don't use both together. Try taking him on a harness throughout the local woodland to tire him out. Then get something to keep his mind busy - you can buy puzzles for cats. Put a notice on a local area Facebook forum to not touch your cat as he is aggressive

zeebeedee · 31/08/2017 08:14

milliemolliemou my DH wanted a Bengal, and I didn't think our moggy would cope (I even started a thread on the litter tray about it). He relented, and then saw a Norwegian Forest Cat that needed rehoming, so that got brought home! The Norwegian spends most of his time out, coming in for food, approaches you for affection, but bats your hand a way when he has had enough (Similar pattern to the OP's cat, but not aggressive) He loves being brushed, but doesn't like being carried, and no way will he sit on your lap.

Sorry for the derail, OP I don't have anything different to add but will echo other posters, keep him in, speak to the vet, try a behaviourist and /or try to rehome privately to someone who has space for a run/ doesn't have small children/ can afford the time to socialise him.

TenForward82 · 31/08/2017 08:59

My cat and I have a game where we playfight. She looks "vicious" too but it's a game.

I'm assuming you've had her physical health checked by a vet to make sure there's no underlying problem?

Mulberry72 · 31/08/2017 09:51

Are you my neighbour?

She has a Bengal and it's a horrible vicious thing! It attacks my 4 moggies on a very regular basis, my 14 year old lady is too frightened to go out now. It climbs in through my open windows and steals food and I can't have my back door open when it's warm as the bloody thing just wanders in as if it owns the place.

We've been to see the owner as we're now on the 7th vets bill for injuries caused by this cat (I know it's this cat as I've spilt the fights up) and she was useless, just tinkly laughed and said "Oh he's a bugger isn't he? It's just the breed!".

I've told her if it (it's called Dave, fucking Dave!) comes in my garden again then I will use whatever is to hand to shoo it away, I'm sick to the back teeth of it!

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 31/08/2017 10:05

LOL@ keep him in- an outdoors Bengal is a force to be reckoned with and the neighbours would be BEGGING you to let him out if you tried thatGrin

*Feliway
*Lots of toys ,you have to engage with him and burn off his energy even if he's outside all day still aim to play with him at least half an hour a day. No good just putting toys out you need toys that encourage pouncing like Da Bird toys,laser beam torches etc. Play until he's had enough. Then reward him with some Lick e Lix and make a big fuss of him, long blinking like a PP suggested.

*We give ours daily Cystaid supplement as he had a bad UTI but the bonus is it contains green tea which had a noticeable effect on him and he became more chilled out.

  • I would take him to the vet to rule out anything physical.

  • Watch Jaxon Galaxy - all the bitey cats need stimulation,unless there's a physical problem. Your dh mustn't encourage bitey,scratchy play at all.

  • Talk to him,Bengals are soooo chatty, they are desperate to chat

*Think of him more like a dog than a cat, they need a lot of attention but the rewards are amazing when they love you back Smile

*One other thing, mine seems a little more settled when we get his food right. Raw beef once a week results in a very chilled cat!

*Has he got a high cat tree? This helps a lot as he can survey his kingdom.

Good luck and I'm sure you wouldn't but please don't dump your cat somewhere, cats don't do well abandoned. They might not just die but just about getting by is no life for a cat.

wibblywobblyfish · 31/08/2017 10:06

I've got a ginger neutered tom a bit like yours. He lies in wait on the stairs to savage your ankles as you walk over him, he swipes at your face if you walk past the bannister and will charge and jump on your back at times, sinking his teeth in and kicking with his back legs. It's always directed at me though, rarely DH and never the kids. He follows us to school and walks into the classrooms (we live next door) and is generally charming to anyone except us.

Feliway didn't have any effect on him. I think he's actually quite happy being vile.

barcodescanner · 31/08/2017 10:07

May be worth speaking to The Celia Hammond Animal Trust. They specialise in ferals. There is/used to be a poster on MN called The Cat Neuterer.

My mum had a family of semi ferals she had rescued. She never could touch them, she just let them be. When she died three of them went to Celia Hammond as i didn't trust any other rescue not to put them to sleep. I sent money for them every month and went to visit them.
Good luck

Ontheboardwalk · 31/08/2017 10:11

GardenGeek well the DP should get sprayed with a water pistol till he starts behaving Wink

Swipe left for the next trending thread