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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Aggressive cat getting worse

55 replies

EssexMummy123 · 18/12/2014 09:18

I've posted before about my cat and was advised to remove him from the room whenever he bit/clawed. It's now so bad that he can't ever spend 5 minutes in company before biting/clawing (draws blood) or attempting to trip you up, he's just clawed my OH in the face when he was putting him outside (cat won't use cat flap) and I'm fed up with him, he bullies other cats and I can't trust him to be anywhere near my toddler. Not sure what to do, I don't know that he could be successfully rehomed - he's an ex feral but ended up living in my kitchen after some major operations due to injury.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
Original poster
EssexMummy123 · 22/12/2014 19:10

well i spoke to the cat rescue again today and been advised to not let him in at all for a week and keep a water bottle handy to spray him with. i hadn't spoke to the vet about the biting etc because it's not like he is being aggressive - vet has seen him be aggressive this is just like bad/dominant behaviour. I had tried cat-nip to no avail.

OP posts:
PolterGoose · 22/12/2014 19:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Rollypoly100 · 22/12/2014 20:55

Have you tried Feliway? Sorry if you already have but my 14 year old rescue cat was very insecure and a bit bitey when he first came to us. We got a few Feliways (expensive but worth it) and he is very relaxed now. I think as long as they have a cosy place to sleep uninterrupted, food and water and you aren't picking him up all the time and disturbing him, they eventually calm down. Our boy had been returned to the rescue centre a couple of times because of his aggression but now he has really settled.

Fluffycloudland77 · 22/12/2014 21:36

Zylkene works quickly. Amazon sell it.

Original poster
EssexMummy123 · 22/12/2014 22:26

Ok - maybe i will call the vets and see if they'd recommend Feliway.

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 23/12/2014 09:32

I have to say that my own hackles rose a bit when I read that 'advice' from the rescue.

I think you have a big edge here in that this is a boy who clearly doesn't know how to behave but who does want to be with you. (He's an outside-going cat so if he didn't like/love you, he'd simply not come home - cats aren't daft.)

Maybe it is time for some meds along with the behavioural concessions. Some posters have had good results with Feliway although I don't, myself, use it - and it's pretty expensive, I'm afraid. The Zylkene that Fluffy mentioned seems to work well with many cats and is significantly more moderately priced.

(There are other products also - Calmex and Kalmaid come to mind and maybe other posters could advise on those.)

As I said, I'd be keeping up the behabioural concessions as well as giving him some 'calmer', keeping on with the rejection for bad behaviour but also doing a lot of talking. Our own household has a very straightfoward approach to cats - we talk to them all the time (and as they're mostly Siamese, I mean all the time when they're around - I'm mostly on autopilot as with a 3 year old) but generally don't initiate physical contact. The cats do their own thing and mostly tell us - by word or deed - when they want some love. It all seems to work well.

Original poster
EssexMummy123 · 23/12/2014 10:50

I was looking at petforums.co.uk about which product was better to try
someone said that
" Zylkene boosts confidence, so works wonders for fearful cats or fearful behaviours such as fear related biting, aggression, inappetance etc. However, were you to give it to a cat who is aggressive due to dominance or territorial issues, you would see an increase in the unwanted behaviour, as you increase already overflowing confidence."

And i think it is a dominance thing.

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 23/12/2014 11:10

Our cat is dominant but it makes him more chilled.

cozietoesie · 23/12/2014 11:55

I'm not convinced it's a dominance thing - I think he spends a lot of the time being frightened. (His history would give him some reasons for that but also he may not be a particularly dominant cat - even though he's a big strapping boy: some cats are just wusses natural wingmen.)

And Fluffy's experience is worth noting - she has a Bengal who I think would want to carry light weaponry if he got the chance!

I reckon that the Zylkene is worth a shot and it's only moderately priced.

Does he have a safe warm place to go to where no-one can get at him if he's having a 'mood' ? (The Lodger used to adore the back of the airing cupboard because it was warm, smelt nice and had lots of fluffy towels to sleep on - but basically, somewhere high-ish and out of the way is good, especially if you have a toddler roaming around.)

Original poster
EssexMummy123 · 23/12/2014 13:41

To walk in from another room where he's on his own, walk up behind someone and bite them on the leg, to me is not a fear thing - surely fear would mean he keeps away from people. Likewise he will chase and corner other smaller cats, that can't be fear. Will see which one the vet suggests.

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 23/12/2014 15:35

Who can tell, eh? (Without counselling that is - and that would be......challenging!)

See what your vet says then. Just to check (because I can't remember) has he had a clean bill of health from the vet recently? (I'm thinking about possible thyroid dysfunction for example.)

chockbic · 23/12/2014 15:40

www.icatcare.org:8080/advice/problem-behaviour/aggression-humans

I'd be considering a behaviourist on referral from your vet.

gamerchick · 23/12/2014 15:49

Have you tried watching a load of cats from hell on animal planet? I've learned loads on how to keep a happy cat from that.

He's literally saved loads of cats from being put to sleep by going and training the owners. I seriously would recommend it.

shaska · 23/12/2014 16:11

When you say he was found at 4 months - have you had him since then? If not, when did you get him, and what was he doing in the interim? Sorry if you answered this already.

When he bites out of the blue, does he 'stalk' beforehand - ie get low and wiggle? Does he bite in response to movement/touching? Does he hiss and/or growl at all?

Original poster
EssexMummy123 · 23/12/2014 16:18

Vet - well vet nurse thinks that Feliway might be worth a try, lots cheaper from Amazon so i'll order some from there.

OP posts:
gamerchick · 23/12/2014 18:08

And do you play with him? I mean really play for a chunk of time every day?

AngelCauliflower · 23/12/2014 18:41

I hope it helps essexmummy

I am lucky my cat has settled down so it must have been fear that made her bite us so much.

Please let us know if it helps.

Original poster
EssexMummy123 · 23/12/2014 21:26

I will do - ordered it earlier, to Shaska, he was at a cat rescue centre before we had him no other owners. He doesn't hiss or growl - at us anyway, he does to next doors dogs (he's already fought them once and come off worse and still goes back to taunt them) and the vet, he will have nothing to do with people he doesn't know - e.g. if we have visitors you won't see him for dust.

OP posts:
gamerchick · 23/12/2014 21:33

so DO you play with him then?

timtam23 · 23/12/2014 21:53

The advice from the rescue sounds very strange, make him stay outside & spray him with water?? Hmm I can't see how punishing him would help in the slightest & surely it would make him even more confused & fearful? He does sound very stressed & in a state of high arousal. I have never tried Zylkene but it might be worth a try here, as well as Feliway.

Also there is a cat care book called Cat Confidential which has at least 1 case study of an "aggressive" cat quite similar to your situation - might be worth a look?

Original poster
EssexMummy123 · 24/12/2014 09:43

Gamerchick, he's not interested in playing with us using cat toys either home-made or bought, his toys tend to be rodents/rabbits which i am not playing with! - we talk to him, occasionally stroke him if he comes and sits next to us, and give him treats but we don't throw toys or bits of string around if that's what you mean by playing.

I think the rescue centre thought that as he was a stray/feral he would be ok being outside and the water spray would be a good way to stop him biting, biting is not acceptable.

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 24/12/2014 10:19

Could you try talking to him a lot ? Not just a 'Hi Essexcat' when he's in the room with you but eg calling to him when he's in another room - so that he knows who is in the house and where they are. Treat it as an academic exercise for a couple of days, say, even if it doesn't come naturally.

I'd also stop stroking him completely. Substitute lots of oral contact for physical contact.

Does he have any lovable qualities that you can see? I'm getting just a small sense that you don't actually like him that much. (I grant you that it's difficult to love an animal that seems (from your perspective) to see you as a punch bag some of the time.)

cozietoesie · 24/12/2014 10:25

PS - and Yes. Biting is completely unacceptable. We don't allow that in cozietowers and even Seniorboy - who was given to biting my Mum when he wanted attention - stopped that almost immediately when he came to live with us.

Do you give him a firm reproof when he sins ? (As well as putting him down and ignoring him.)

gamerchick · 24/12/2014 10:34

All cats like to play. I have to give mine a good hour each day to knacker her out. I use a long wand with a feathery bell thing on a string and get her to stalk it.. jump Into the air and run about. I have to do that or she gets frustrated and one if us will bear the brunt of it. Usually me.

Would you be willing to do something like that?

PolterGoose · 24/12/2014 11:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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