To rehome my cat?

[FittyCent]

I'm not saying I definitely will and I'm not sure I want to but I'm so fed up of him ruining every nice thing I have and of him being an evil little shit.

Sofas, washing baskets, divan beds, carpets.

He has multiple scratching posts. I've tried the plug in from the vet to keep him calm, no change. Tried sprays to get him to scratch only his things and sprays to keep him away from mine.

I just be minding my own business and he goes into attack mode.

I've now got a young baby and he can't be around her.

At my wits end. So AIBU to be thinking of rehoming him.

For additional info he's 6. Had him since 8 weeks and he was neutered at 4 months as advised. All up to date with jabs and flea/worming.

It's bored a new home might be best for it

Poor cat. And poor you.
It's not an easy situation managing a pet and a new baby.
Don't rush in to rehoming he might settle down once everything else settles down with the baby etc.
Is he getting enough time outside?
All my cats have scratched furniture. I tried all the felliway calming stuff and it's never worked for me. Would you be able to cover up some of the fabric things he's scratching, until this phase (hopefully phase) has passed

Does your cat have outdoor access? Mine does and she hardly ever scratches things indoors preferring the tree or the garden fence.
Indoor cats get bored. They 'll scratch anything (mine used to as a kitten when she was too young to go out).

My cat a bit like that, used to random attack and scratch everything in the house. As soon as we moved to a new house he was able to go outside and he changed overnight. Became much happier, confident, less aggressive and that's because he could burn his energy off.

If he's not allowed out then can you try to let him out unless it's dangerous? He's probably bored and frustrated.

Most scratching posts are too small - cats like to stretch out and have a good go on something that won't tip over. hence the state of one leg of my wooden kitchen table and the bedroom rug - different cats .

In addition, the divan and settee scratching might be the satisfaction of dragging himself round on his back.

It also sounds like he wants to play with you.

Add in possibly the smell of bleach/Milton (which sends pretty much every male cat in the world absolutely fucking loopy) all over the place and what you get is a demented little shit being even more of a demented little shit than usual. Mine is a goodnatured twat 94.8% of the time, but when the bleach has been out, even when he's doing his best to be cute and cuddly, he'll feel compelled to come over for fuss and then start chewing on my hands.

I'd think about giving him something more entertaining to do, like murdering a catnip mouse chucked into a cardboard box, a bunch of toilet roll inners taped together and treats dropped into some of them and, if you can bear it, a giant cat tree so he can nob about at head level, rather than bothering you all the time.

It does sounds like you're trying.

I'd recommend taking 20 mins a day to play with your cat, if you can. Try and burn off some of its energy.

Yabvu.

If he is going into attack mode it's not for no reason.

Do you play with him enough? He may be bored

He could be stressed about the baby if it's new behaviour.

Another suggestion here for looking up Jackson Galaxy and my cat from Hell. He's the Daddy for anything to do with cat behaviour.

I will also express my concern at the way you speak about your pet, he is not evil, he is a cat and something is obviously bothering him

My friend went on holiday and put his cat in a cattery. Came home to new cat. After a week in one, the cat lost all his attitude and was generally nicer and more appreciative.

Yes totally rehome. I'm in a position with an older cat on whether to rehome it and I know it's a hard decision but in your case and for your baby's safety, it will be a good decision.

My puss jumped in the moses basket with my DD when she was a 6 week baby. A stare-off ensued and the cat was more scared than DD.
Both my kids now love cats and have learned about bereavement when said puss passed away. They then enjoyed caring for a new kitten who has grown into a massive cat who can't bear to be apart from the kids 😂

One of my cats is due to get rehomed on the weekend. I feel incredibly torn about it. I can cope with the scratching, presents & pulling out of his hair but he seems very stressed out by the children, it appears to be getting worse & he’s now lost a lot of weight. The kids don’t do anything to him, they never see him. He spends his days hiding & shooting out through the flap if he hears one, he’s so nervy. Our other cat is not fussed at all & will sit on DCs lap etc. I just want the other one to be happy & unsure how to achieve that.

Of course YANBU.

Neither of you are happy, re-home the cat to someone who can meet all its needs.

It does sound like you're trying

Yes. Very.

My cat goes into attack mode unprovoked all of the time and regularly really hurts me. He’s nearly sixteen now and he has really always been like it. I have wanted to rehome him loads of times, but realistically who would want an aggressive cat when there are so many nice ones about. He’s my responsibility so I have kept him and treated him as a much loved pet despite his horrible temper. He is sometimes quite nice too and I love his complete air of ‘fuck you’! Don’t rehome unless it’s a last resort I think.

I don't know how easy some people think it is to rehome a 6 year old cat whose owner has declared it aggressive. Not that the OP seems too bothered about that.

Awful owner. Another one who cannot be arsed with an animal when a baby comes along. Appalling.

Mine doesn’t use scratching posts but does use these

www.amazon.co.uk/Catit-Wide-Scratching-Board-Catnip/dp/B0032GEE8S/ref=pd_day0_hl_199_2?psc=1&pf_rd_p=b082d07b-aaea-4f40-9ff3-d27463f747d7&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=wGHEW&pf_rd_r=BNP4GEYYKSPYSH61Y9PK&pd_rd_i=B0032GEE8S&pd_rd_w=3npPJ&tag=mumsnetforum-21&refRID=BNP4GEYYKSPYSH61Y9PK&pd_rd_r=cf4e8ccd-0f81-11e9-a9fe-5926893675db

He also uses logs outside and the fence to scratch and never scratches furniture. If he is getting frisky we play with him-feather on string cat toy or throwing a ball to chase or a kong ball you can put cat treats in for him to chase- does your cat get to play outside?

Don’t waste your time everyone, obvs the op has a new toy to play with (baby) and the old one (cat) is no longer required

So unoriginal

Just for clarification the evil little shit comment is light hearted. He's been nick named mr evil by all of my friends and family that have ever met him. He's been like this since I've had him.

He could be mindlessly chilling on me and the next he's got his jaw clamped on me.

Yes he's an outdoor cat and mostly is out from dark til dusk. Sometimes he can go days being normal then he will just pounce again.

Yes I did know they scratched but I've never known a cat that scratched furniture like mine does.

Where can I get the flat scratcher things a PP mentioned?

I also have lots of toys for him and we do play. He likes balls and chasing things indoors.

It's possible I got him too early as he was just less than 8 weeks.

And I have already said I'm not sure I want him rehomed but I am at my wits end with what to do.

It's nothing to do with the fact I've got a child. She's 18 months and at nursery during the week while I work from home so it's not even like I don't get time with the cat alone.

He's the same before the baby came, while she's not there, when she is there.

Re-homing is probably the right decision in this instance but...we had 2 related cats some years ago and the female was vicious and would just want feeding and to be left alone whilst the male as soft as butter and loved his cuddles.
When DS was born, female cat suddenly changed her temperament more or less overnight and adored DS. She still wasn't that keen on me and DH though. When he was a toddler and it was time for a bedtime story, she'd nip upstairs and curl up on the pillow next to DS. They loved each other to bits but she sadly disappeared one night when he was about 5 and he was totally devastated. We now have 2 more sibling cats and both are cuddle monsters and the male is DS's best pal and sleeps on his bed whilst the female sleeps on ours.
We live rurally and our cats have always used cat flaps so they can go in and out at will. I'm not bothered by the presents. If they're still alive, I try to catch them and set them free.
Good luck with your decision OP.

@katekat383 it doesn't exactly sit right with me but please tell me what you'd do in my situation?!

The cat's not happy, you're not happy. I'd re-home, or at least ask an organisation like the Cats Protection League what they think.