Badly behaved cat - posting for traffic

[PookieDo]

Well I don’t know if it’s exactly badly behaved but it is driving me crazy

It’s a housecat through its own choice of being afraid of the outside. It is healthy. Fed. Spay. Feliway is in the house. It has toys and humans. I cannot have a cat flap for logistical reasons (my front door is not the door to the outside world)

But every evening and through the night it walks around, wails and scratches at everything. If I relent and open the front doors, it will bolt but then come straight back when I close it and scratch the other side to come back in. It doesn’t like any doors closed and will scratch at everyone’s door or the bathroom door.

I am considering another cat (am desperate) for company but we had another cat who has now died and all it did was bully that one so I don’t think this is the answer

Anyone else wantgot a very annoying cat?

Hunting me. There are toys. She just wants to hunt me

Thanks PookieDo
The vet gave me some of her haircuttings so I'm thinking of getting a locket necklace to put them in.

I'm sure it will work itself out. Post back with an update

My nans cat is similar when wanting cuddles. She will lash out randomly. I’ve kind of figured out where I can stroke her (only on her head and in particular around here ears). Also, I keep my arms high up. I’ve noticed if my arm is rested on her or close to her face she doesn’t like it.

My nan says I’m the only one who can stroke her (I’m a bit catmad and spend far too much time figuring them out).

She will absolutely not tolerate being touched on her back or near her tail. One of my own won’t either.

Not sure if this helps you at all!

The ‘bullying’ of the other cat, do you mean playing too much/too rough or actual hissing and swiping? Was she wailing when other cat was around? She could be missing another cat.

I might have missed this, but has she been to the vets recently? I know for older cats it’s said that when they’re wailing and wandering about, it can indicate loss of hearing. Might be something to check.

I would look at ways to get her thinking, puzzle feeders are good, lots of places to climb and hide. Kong do some good toys and the Yeowwww Pollock fish toy is great for arm biters! Feliway can have the opposite to the desired effect for some cats. Have you tried growing catmint in pots?

I would also suggest learning more about cat behaviour and communication because it does sound like you are all missing cues.

Hunting me. There are toys. She just wants to hunt me

Aww you’re just her play buddy. I read somewhere that cats see humans as just bigger cats, no idea if that’s true or how the author would know that but it seems fitting here.

Saw vet a while back to check teeth as that was something I thought about and she’s very healthy. She is such a messy eater I’ve never had a cat that makes as much mess she takes everything out of bowls and eats in off the floor. Got a flat plate - did the same thing.

Puzzle things might be a good shout. Am going to pet shop tomorrow

Can only touch her head too and sometimes tail

To be fair she’s not been biting anyone for a while as we all very careful! I feel bad though because sometimes that is what she wants but she can’t handle it and even if she doesn’t manage to bite you she will still be in a very dangerous mood for a while after a stroke (that she asked for!)

I chase her back so that i am not always prey. She has mice feathers etc but would rather hunt a human. She LOVES flies and anything flying but haven’t been able to recreate bluebottles hanging out in my living room this winter 😂😂

My cat sounds very similar to yours. He’s always been very anxious and nervous since I got him as a kitten. I’ve given him loads of love and affection over the years and we have a great bond but he doesn’t like anyone else. He seems desperate to go out at night and is always clawing at the doors to get out. But when I open them he just peers outside for a bit and then runs back inside if I begin to try and close the door. He sleeps on my bed with me (I’ve tried shutting him out but he howls all night long until I let him in). The vet gave me anxiety medication for him (think it’s called Zylkene) and it has calmed his nerves down a bit so I’d recommend trying something like that. Another thing that helped is having some energetic play with him just before I go to sleep. Tiring him out as much as possible seemed to make him sleep and be more settled during the night.
He does all the things you mentioned like hunting me and guarding the stairs (it’s definitely a game but he can get a bit over excited sometimes and the claws come out).
He also lashes out if I stroke him too much or touch certain areas like his belly or back paws.

I agree cat definitely needs more stimulation. Keep rotating toys and try some different ones. Ours loves ping pong balls and every night before bed we throw some around to tire him out.
Our lad is about 18 months or so (we adopted him in January). He can bite and grab you but we remove him and ignore. He never gets food after these moments. They happen infrequently now but god forbid a toe or bum poking out the duvet at 5am and then all our calmness and ignoring fails!

Love that you chase her back!

I really do think she might just be missing another cat, but it’s a big risk as it’s hard to know if they’ll get along.

Have you tried putting the food bowls in different places so that she has to "hunt" for them?

There's a brilliant American TV program called "my cat from hell" with a guy who is basically a cat whisperer. All of the suggestions made by posters on this thread are pretty much what he suggests. Might be easier for you to see the suggestions in action, in order for you to be able to replicate in your home with your cat.

The program is called my cat from hell and you can see quite a few episodes via a YouTube channel owned by Alice D. Glen .

This is a link to the most recent episode uploaded:

I know and I don’t want to get a cat that ends up just being bullied as that would be unfair. She’s not antisocial she doesn’t hide ever (unless hunting you obvs 🙄) even visitors and a regular dog I think she’s more territorial.

Haha making HER jump has been the highlight of my day the little bugger

Thanks will watch that x

Chasing her is not a good idea. Cats are not prey, this will surely fuck with her head.

She isn’t afraid of me. I don’t agressively chase her back if that is what it sounds like. She rushes at me, does a mini attack (not a violent one like with stroking) then bolts off. I actually think she runs away so I will go find her - because she will wait for me. so then I stalk her a bit and jump out on her then she will repeat stalking me and jump out on me etc etc

I would stop all that as I suspect it's contributing to the behaviour that's causing you problems. If she comes at you chuck a ball or toy for her to chase and attack. You need to work with her instincts.

A puzzle feeder is a good suggestion from PP's. Uses up mental energy as well as physical. Would she enjoy a cat video? (See the Cat Gallery catalogue).I'm not joking; one of my furry boys is transfixed, the other couldn't care less. My friend's cat watches Match of the Day avidly, checking behind the screen when the ball goes off.
If she claws the furniture, would she enjoy an empty cardboard box she could rip up? My other cat sees this as his favourite treat. After two years (rescue cat) we have progressed to purring and being stroked.
The hunting habit probably began when she was a cute little kitten and it was rather sweet; not so funny in an adult cat. No fun payback is all you can do, but goodness it's a hard habit to break.

I agree New play would help - but nothing seems to interest her except hide hunt attack. Balls feathers soft things strings and boxes etc she has loads I rotate never touched one, I leave things in the hall or hide them no interest. Sits and stares at them. She doesn’t even like chasing spiders (only moths and flies). Laser pen the first few times she loved then now just sits and looks at me like

Why I keep playing the hunt game is because that is the ONLY activity she will engage in, otherwise she’s just behaving badly with too much energy and not getting much attention (or the type she likes). If she gets too over excited I will stop the play. Puzzles is something I have not tried though. Yes have tried TV for cats she’s not interested. Had to pick up DD so will watch some videos now and look at puzzles. I think kongs could work as she likes dreamies

She sounds like a cat who needs to be roaming outside and getting stimulation from real life, I think. Is this honestly not an option in any way? Could you put her out at night, after getting her acclimatised to it and let her in in the morning? Maybe with a cat kennel for shelter.

Sounds like a lack of exercise and boredom in the night. We don’t have a cat flap but our cat is out most of the day and comes in basically to sleep and eat. He sleeps in the living/dining area at night with the doors to upstairs and the kitchen closed as I don’t want him disturbing the kids when they have school (they would be up all hours stroking him). On weekends and holidays he sleeps on one of our beds.
I’m not sure what the answer is if your cat won’t go out though. Will he go out with you for a bit to get used to it?

I had a cat who didn't tolerate Feliway. It made her stressed and volatile. Really quite bizarre.

Sorry I haven't read the whole thread, does she have a good diet?

My cat drags his food off his plate onto the floor every time! He's now on a high quality, high-meat content complete dry food (pros and cons to dry foods I know) that I order in bulk online. Saves mess. I supplement with pouches and meaty titbits from time to time. His coat and temperament are excellent.

Mine loves Da Bird toy (actually a rip off I purchased from Zooplus). The long pole protects your hands and exercises kitty really well if they take to it. The original Da Bird has loads of interchangeable feathers and toys you can attach. Zooplus had loads of fishing rod/pole cat toys last time I looked. Agree with pp you need to somehow discourage cat from wrestling and attacking you!

Mine also really liked a laser pointer. You can pick these up on ebay for about £1. He actually tired me out playing with his and I considered investing in a 'Bolt' battery powered one to do the work for me

Sorry just seen your update about toys! Mine hates quite a lot of traditional cat toys - not fussed by small furry toys at all. Like pp say the biggest success has been ping pong balls, da bird toy and laser pointer. Nothing else really. He'll scratch the fence outside but refuses my lovely, tall indoor cat scratching tower. He's quite partial to shredding newspaper l, especially in conjunction with the da bird toy rustling within it.

I wouldn't put the cat out overnight as it's the most dangerous time for them. I believe cats are most partial to going out at dawn and dusk, overnight isn't as thrilling!

I've heard some good things about Zylkene but I don't know enough to recommend.