To consider rehoming my cat?

[Extrapepperoni]

Our cat is a rescue, we've had him for two and a half years now. He's friendly, but grew up on the streets and wasn't socialised well. Hates other cats and regularly gets into fights. We had him neutered when we adopted him but he was already fully grown.

He has always been a bit mouthy - so petting aggression, giving you a swipe or nip if he didn't like something (even when he is the one who always initiates petting), usually with minimal warning.

A couple of days ago, he came and lay down on my chest for a pet, as he often does. I was petting him and completely out of the blue he clamped down on my hand and locked on so hard that one of his entire front teeth pieces through my hand. Have had to have antibiotics and a tetanus shot, my whole hand is swollen from it.

DH and I have just had a chat about the cat - this feels like new behaviour though he tells me he's done it once before to a houseguest (coming for petting and then locking on to the hand - a proper vicious bite not just a nip). He's of the opinion that we can't trust the cat given this behaviour, let alone around our 5 year old, her friends, houseguests etc.

What would you do? Is he being unreasonable to consider rehoming?

The cat is loved though I don't know how he feels back - certainly spoiled and enjoys his lifestyle here.

@Moon22 I hardly think a spray of water in the face is going to be soo cruel to him when he's biting his owners skin. All of us need to know our place in the pecking order unfortunately OP's cat is being a furry demon from hell so needs a lil reminder that his behaviour when he bites will come with consequence

Spraying water at your cat only teaches them to be frightened of you and doesn't stop a particular behaviour.

OP, a trip to the vet is a must as he may be in pain. Also look at Jackson Galaxy's YouTube channel, he has some great tips on working with aggressive cats. Have you tried Feliway?

The most aggressive rescue I ever took in came from a bad start (taped up in a box and dumped in a park 😡) and it took her a long time to feel settled to the point she wouldn't attack us - she's still not perfect even now but reacts well to a calm, loving environment and positive reinforcements.

I am so shocked at your picture being a cat bite! I hope your okay now?
I have 3 cats, 2 females, 2 males. Never in 5 years been bitten like that by either of them. The male is the friendliest of them all. I would maybe try a vet visit, to rule out any pain. What a belter of an injury though and I hope you recover quickly.

You dont say how old the cat is, but i would suggest a vet visit.

My Uncles cat got extra aggressive suddenly and he had developed cat dementia due to a brain tumour. I mean, the cat was always an arse to be honest. We just told kids and visitors not to try to pet him and made sure he always had a space he could go.

My girl was like this. A feral rescue. She was scared and nervous and very untrusting at first. Got a couple of bites and scratches. She used to groom me too

she was just 1 we think when we got her. She is now a softy softy spoiled lapcat.

she has taken a swipe at both dc before but they weren’t listening to me (telling them to be gentle) or her when she stopped purring and started getting twitchy.

I disagree. I think its cruel, don't think it will help and would never do it to any cat, dog, baby, whatever.
However, as I said, I'm not an expert. Perhaps that's what the vet will recommend as treatment. But I doubt it.

How would you feel if it bit your child or someone else's?? It has already bitten a visitor and now you. Not sure what else you are waiting for.

I have never heard of a cat being PTS due to being dangerous. Agree with pps to discuss with the vet though and get the cat a checkup.

I have a cat who is a rescue and she has never scratched us or bitten us once. My previous cat was a male and scratched us a few times as a kitten but he grew out of it and was much better when allowed to go outside. My son was only 2 when we got him and I considered giving him up but I'm glad we didn't. It is the reason I went for an adult female rescue after he died though.

Sorry you're in this position.

As you have a 5 year old child I'd return him to the rescue along with a donation. They can get him checked over by the vet before they look for a new home for him.

Get checked at vet to just make sure he is ok.
My girl has always been an arsehole like this but she rules the place and has always been feisty. I’ve let her get away with too much. There’s not any cat training classes like there is with dogs unfortunately we just tolerate the cats because they are the boss and we bloody love them. IMO

Have a word with yourself 😅🤣😅

FFS

Cats bite to tell you they don’t like something. Did you inadvertently touch something that hurt. Next time he’s dozy, perhaps give him a pet and take note if you touch an area that causes an aggressive reaction.

Put to sleep. Be the responsible person.

You sound like you’ve never had a cat. They’re well-known for getting fed up with being fussed and biting, scratching or hissing is the only way they can tell you to stop or show their fear with strangers. If someone has an aggressive cat, they tell visitors not to pet it. Easy.

If you do try to rehome, who is going to take in a cat with his record? Most cats mellow with age - an older female we had who had had a traumatic past was terrible for a few years - she's randomly attack if someone was petting her and not paying attention to the signs that she was about to do something bad (after a while, when we stroked her, we paid full attention to her and stopped before she reached that point) but in her old age, she's become sweet and tolerant, even to guests. You say that he is friendly generally, so perhaps he will mellow with age, feliway and vigilance when stroking?

Every cat is different. I'm nursing a lacerated hand where my eldest boy grabbed me last night as I was stroking him. Everyone knows you need to be wary around him. I'd had a wine and relaxed into a false sense of security lol.

My youngest boy though has never hissed or clawed in his life. He loves being picked up and the smallest of kids carry him around like a big toy. The middle boy is affectionate but nervy. I discourage visitors from picking him up. He doesn't get aggressive but wriggles to escape and scratches as he jumps.

Your first sentence is spot on

Is this your first cat?

Cats can get overstimulated if you stroke/pet them for longer than they would like. It really depends on the cat. This seems to be even more relevant if they've had a difficult start or been mistreated in any way.

Our cat was six when he came to us and he liked a fuss but not too much. His previous owner had treated him like a baby until she had a baby herself then got a new kitten. After which it all went a bit wrong. He was very quick to lose his rag with me and I got bitten quite a few times. He even attacked me in the street when I told him off one day. Probably the one and only time I told him off!

Fast forward to now and he's an absolute charmer. What happened? Well, we learned to read him. We know he loves a fuss but know when to stop. His big warning signs are when he starts to flick his tail which he simultaneously does while purring. As soon as his tail starts to go or his ears go down then it's time to stop the fussing. Sometimes he can only tolerate a minute or so. Other times it's a long time. He only sits on DH's lap (not mine) and it's always 10 minutes max. I seem to be the only one able to pick him up but again, it's only for a few minutes and he'll only let me pick him up in one way (sits on my forearm, facing forward with my hand around his chest). He's an odd one but his positives outweigh his negatives.

I've always had cats but I've learned that they respond best to positive language and respecting their boundaries. Never ever shout, smack or spray them with a water gun. That's an absolutely awful way to treat a cat. It's not acceptable to treat a child like that so why would you do that to an animal who can't even understand exactly what you're saying?

Overstimulation stuff is worth a read:

www.hshv.org/petting-induced-or-overstimulation-aggression-in-cats/

Spraying water at your cat only teaches them to be frightened of you and doesn't stop a particular behaviour

I agree, if anything spraying water in the face of an already angry cat is only going to make it worse.

Given his background, I wonder if he might be better suited as a barn or farm cat?
Cats Protection will assist in finding a suitable home and will advise. We found them very helpful.

He should be killed? For a tiny bite? Ffs

Surely no vet would do this?

This! One of mine is nearly 3 and lives here with her mother and she licks constantly. She grooms me whenever I stroke her.

First off, he needs a vet check to make sure he's not in pain. One of my boys doesn't like touching his back end as he has a touch of arthritis, for example.

But, assuming he's healthy, lots of cats don't actually like being petted. He might be choosing to sit on your lap, but that doesn't mean he actually wants you to stroke and fuss him - in all likelihood, he's sitting there because you're warm or because he likes the fabric of the clothing you're wearing.

I'm a professional cat sitter and I have lots of cat clients who will solicit fuss (rub over your legs, miaow, sniff your hands) and then as soon as you put your hand out, they'll attack you.

I don't think any of that means they're unsuitable pets, you just need to re-adjust your expectations of cat ownership if you choose to keep him. So, stop fussing him. Just let him sit with you, let him sniff and share his scent without having to worry about you touching him and stroking him.

Watch out for the warning signs - in our house, that's a swishy tail or the ears going back on their heads. Then, practise consensual stroking. So, when the cat solicits attention, let him see your hand and sniff you, and if he's agreeable, stroke him once or twice (under the chin or behind the ears), then stop. If he nudges you and asks for more, continue - if he doesn't, take it as a sign that he's not interested and stop.

I know your bite looks nasty but I don't think it means your cat is dangerous. Cats just have filthy mouths and most bites that pierce the skin will end up looking like that.