My cat attacking passing cats and dogs

[mollyblack]

We got a ginger rescue kitten nine months ago, now he is 14 months old. He has always been quite anxious and jumpy but also quite aggro. He loves having a swipe at your ankles as you walk past or even just sitting watching tv, and playing a lot with the fishing rod toy etc. Anyway he is allowed outside now has has been since the beginning of the summer.

He doesn't get on well with the local cats and I have seem him fighting with them before, cats twice his size. He also is intrigued by dogs and chases them. We have had people coming to the door to tell us our cat is chasing another cat or trying to attack/scaring their dog.

He is my first cat so I'm not sure what is normal, my husband has had lots of cats before and says this is what they do.

Not sure what I'm asking really but I'm nervous he will hurt another animal. I don't need to keep him in do I? I notice he is calmer inside the house when he has been running about mad outside.

It's not normal to have a cat this anxious, maybe he is chasing cats and dogs as he is fearful or marking his territory. If he's calmer being inside then keep him in, can you build a catio for him so that he can sit outside but feel safe, can you go out into the garden with him. Has he been neutered, it would be safer for all the animals if he was calmer, you could take him to the vet just for a check up, use feliway plugs in the house.

Yes he is neutred and been checked over at the vet recently.

He is more calm inside when he has had a spell outside, he hates being in all the time and goes in and out during the day as he pleases. His cat flap is closed with him indoors when it gets dark.

We did have feliway but it ran out, i will replace it and see if that helps. The majority of the time he is a lovely placid cat who will lounge about on us etc ans he never scratched without warning- we all keep an eye out when patting him etc that he is not getting annoyed. He is pretty jumpy though he’s terrified of boots, binbags and remote controls. His previous owner had him from 3- 5 months old and found him too wild and gave him up.

God I’d be so worried that a dog will attack him. He could be killed.