Odd behaviour - any cat psychologists out there?

[nogrip]

Hi, we got a beautiful 6 year old rescue cat in November. Hes very loving and we have got really close - he sleeps on my bed some times and will normally sit on me of an evening on the sofa. Hes nervous and I have worked hard to gain his trust. All fine.
We were away for 3 nights (first time we have left him), and on our return, he is acting really strangely. He gets on me when I am on the sofa like normal, but instead of falling asleep, he paces all over my tummy and legs (I am stretched out on the sofa) biting my clothing and getting a bit frantic. He has his claws out so it hurts and he gets bits of my jeans and holds it in his teeth for about 20 seconds, and then he (painfully!) climbs to another part of me and bites there.
Hes had the chop, but it seems like its something to do with him being on heat - is this a thing? I am clueless, does anyone have any ideas of whats wrong with him?

Anyone? I am really worried about him

Could it be him saying, "how dare you go away with out me, and don't do it again"? Did he have a stranger come in to look after him? That may have unsettled him.

No expert here but the biting sounds a bit like suckling. Does he knead his paws whilst doing it and sort of look like he's hanging on for dear life? It's probably been brought on by the stress of being seperated from you. I would expect it to calm down in a few days.

Sounds like he's pissed off that you went away. Also, I bet you smelled different upon your return. He may not have liked that.

One of mine recognises mostly on scent. She attacks me if I come home smelling of another cat because she thinks I'm that cat. Takes a while, laundry and a few showers before she settles. She also only recognises her sister on scent... so if we've been to the vet or she's managed to smell like another cat then we have about a week to ten days of attack she/fighting. (even if i rub both down with towels and once rubbed the water from a can of tuna on the two if them). i now bring both to the vet and vet has to cuddle the stupid one so that they both smell the same

how long have you been back?

I now bring both to the vet and vet has to cuddle the stupid one so that they both smell the same

What a silly cat!

Feliway to help him settle down again? And maybe for if you leave him again?

Consider yourself reprimanded for leaving him!!My friends cat Leroy used to poo in front of her on the carpet if she left him too long during the day!!
Cats are strange!!

Thank you for replying. I left my smelly old dressing gown on the bed and apparently he slept there a lot. I thought that would comfort him.

He gets frantic, his eyes turn black and he wont stop, so I have to literally pull him off me.

He had my mother in law look after him - he knows her but not well and she spent a long time here with him to keep him company (shes a star).

We got back on sunday. He seems normal in every other way. I was thinking he was traumatised because he thought he had been abandoned. He was a rescue cat, and I think he must have had a bad experience in the past that I don't know about.

I'll do as you suggest ie wait a few days and hope he stops

I had 2 rescue kittens, they would both sit on my lap, knead me with their paws, claws out! and suck and bite on any bare skin! Quite painful!

Vet told me they are copying feeding from their mum and it's a comfort thing.

He probably won't always be like this about being left. We got a rescue cat in the summer. Left her for just one night about 2 weeks later and she pooed in the bath from the stress of it.

We didn't leave her again until a couple of weeks ago and she was fine that time. ime rescue cats take about 6 months to fully settle in.

It sounds like suckling which is a comfort thing.

The big black eyes suggest some mischievousness triggered by the suckling. Mine sometimes do this. It starts of as suckling while padding using the claws to grip while they're padding. Then they get bitey but not hard bites. It escalates into them running around like lunatics, knocking things over and generally causing mayhem.

It sounds normal to me!

I think user is right. One of my rescue cats used to do this for no apparent reason. He used to do it to the towel in his bed before setting down to sleep sometimes too.
One of my others showed his disapproval of being left by pooing on my pillow. He'd never put a paw wrong before, toileting wise.

I've never had this particular problem but Feliway has resolved several other cat behavioural issues in my house.

Put a blanket or a cap lap blanket over yourself when you're on the sofa in the meantime. Give it a couple of weeks (not days)

Also don't forget November isn't that long ago. Some rescues take longer to adjust to a new environment and cats dislike change generally.

I think it sounds like a comfort thing too but may be wrong. My rescue took over a year or more to fully show trust about some things, my patience paid off & it's so worth it. Hope he's okay.

OK, thanks for the replies. You mostly seem to think its a comfort thing because he missed me. I hope you are right. I have just never seen this manic behaviour before, he gets himself really het up, its not like normal padding about.

And understood, I'll give it a couple of weeks, not days. Maybe he was abandoned when he was younger and thought it was happening again

I have just had an hours siesta and the cat slept on my bed, he really likes to be with people and if you don't give him any fuss, he will tap you with his paw.

Aww sounds like he missed you.

We got our latest rescue in August and has gone from an extremely timid cat hiding under the bed to being my shadow. She curls up in the crook of my arm at night, puts her head on my shoulder and does a big contented sigh before purring herself to sleep. She wakes me with licks and that weird staring thing the do and also pokes me with her paw.

I am going away later in the year for a week and am quite anxious about her because she's so very close to me. I'm going to look into someone living in the house while we are away to care for all four cats and hope that she doesn't get too stressed.

Felliway is great btw. We have a felliway friends one which has stopped the odd bit of hissing going on between ours.

Mine who I first met when she was a few days old, and was kept with her mum until 3 months old with me visiting every week (so never been mis treated in any way)

Waits for me to arrive, after a trip away says hello I get settled on the sofa walks up to my shoes and pees in them, she sometimes even strains to do it! It first happened when I left for a day, thankfully I am allowed some social life now, always worked from home so she wasn't used to me going out for a long day, it used to be her bed but moved to my shoes about a year ago i have on many occasion told her I'm going to sell her on eBay of course I never would, nearly lost her the other week and it was awful.

Cats do have strange behaviour when unwell, mine has been very unwell recently (under specialist vets so very much loved and look after) and when she goes down hill a little bit she pees on my favourite rug, and claws at the cat carrier we take her to the vets in. Does he have any health issues causing the manic behaviour? Might be worth getting him in for a check up?

But they are funny creatures, one of mine steals notes out of my husbands pockets we found £20 notes in her cat bed!

Sounds like most other cats wake their owners/slaves nicely!

This one bashes my head with her paw and then slaps my nose!

I am toying with the idea of a check up at the vets. I may as well, although it will stress him out getting him into his carrier. I will give it say a week then if no better I'll see what the vet says.

Great to hear all your stories of your cats strange behaviour eg weeing in shoes etc. At least mine hasn't done that. I am giving him lots of fuss and reassurance in case he is feeling abandoned

Oh mine pissed on the cooker rings and the kitchen worktops when I had DC1