Beginning to really hate my cat

[Soubriquet]

Just a little bit.

She keeps viciously attacking me. Getting to the point where I can't even touch her. Fine. Ill stay away. But then she will sit next to you, tense up and pounce, with teeth out and claws. Not a fun playing pounce but a I hate you and will kill you pounce.

I'm getting fed up with it.

I'm putting it down to teenage hormones at the moment as she's now 6 months. Does that sound about right or do I need to accept that I have a cunt for a cat?

I didn't think about warning the cattery! Thank you.

I doubt she will go near them tbh. She doesn't like strangers

My cat will do anything for a bit of ham and the clicker reinforces good behaviour. Won't help with the hormones but it is fun and might help her feel a bit more kindly toward you.

I really don't think this is hormones, to be honest. Cats aren't people and hormones don't effect them the same - if she's in heat, she'll be walking around meowing very loudly but other than that I've not seen any 'different' behaviour in young cats other than increased energy. I might be wrong though.

Is she affectionate at other times? Do you have other cats, pets or children? What's her background?

You can buy Feliway pheromone diffusers which calm cats, though I've never used one.

If she's not affectionate at all, I would very slowly try and gain her trust through treats and short strokes on her head/shoulders. Never go near her back end or stomach - most cats find that very distressing. Make sure she has her own spaces to retreat to.

Think about your own body language towards her too. If she looks at you, slowly close and open your eyes because cats find that behaviour submissive. There must be something triggering her behaviour and it's a matter of finding out what it is and then moving forward.

Also, be very careful in how you "reprimand" her. They're not the same as dogs and don't learn in the same way.

To a cat, if it is hurt, shouted at or isolated it will just associate that with you - not its own behaviour. That could then further damage the relationship.

Water sprayers are good because they don't see it as coming from you but it shocks them - but it would probably need to be done by somebody else to catch her at the very moment she attacks you.

Anything more than a second or two after the attack would be entirely pointless as she won't understand the link.

Try some lick e Lix. It comes in a box of 5 little tubes. Take the top of the tube and it squeezes out like a yogurt texture. When she's near you, put a little on your finger for her to lick.
If she bites put her on the floor. Repeat.

Hopefully she'll lick and have a fuss and learn that if she's nice, you're nice in return.

Doesn't that stuff stink?

I got some on my finger through misadventure and - ill-advisedly but automatically - licked it off. It's vile.

Seniorboy loves it though and it doesn't seem to stink too much when he has it spread on the bottom of his bowl or mixed with some cold meat.

I put up with it.

She looks lovely when she's asleep though, OP.

It isn't nastiness or malice, she's a cat. How often are you playing with her? A kitten that age with lot of energy should be played with several times a day for at least a few minutes at a time. She'll need active play with something she can chase, attack and "kill".

Yes. She is gorgeous when she's asleep. Pity she doesn't sleep very often

I do play with her. She loves playing stair hiss. She pokes her head out of a gap on the stairs, I hiss or swipe and she runs to a different gap and tries again. She will play that for ages

I suggest you don't hiss at her...I get that it's a game but if you are hissing and swiping at her surely you can see that to her that is aggressive cat behaviour?

Try throwing a ping pong ball up the stairs instead.

You might have a point there

Though she does seem to understand the difference between playing on the stairs and sitting in the living room but all the same

If she weren't a cat you were having aggression problems with I don't think it'd matter, but as you are I think you need to limits anything that she could interpret as aggressive.

When she goes for you, what are you doing? Sitting still? Twitching your toes etc?

Sitting still. One minute she's fine. The next she suddenly freezes and bites

Have you tried Feliway plug ins or pheromone spray?

Not yet. Will give them a go

Mine did this so I had him neutered. It's all very well for vets to want to wait but their not the ones getting shredded every 30 seconds.