Advice needed on very naughty cat

[beenherewaytoolong]

Please can I ask for some advice and a little perspective on how to deal with our cat.

She is two years old and we adopted her at 16 weeks from the RSPCA. She was labelled as semi-feral but when we chose her, she lay in our arms like a baby.

Within days of settling in, her behaviour and demeanour changed and has gradually declined in the past 18 months.

Our biggest problem/worry is her biting and scratching. She doesn’t do it to my DD, but does do it to me and my DH. And now random visitors😩 it used to only occur when you tried to pet her, but now she will leap and attack for no reason whatsoever.

She also attacks other cats within our area and isn’t deterred by a water pistol aimed at her by their owners.

We have tried Feliway. We have taken her to a vet to check if she is poorly. She isn’t. She just appears to hate us.

Is there anything else we can try? We are at our wits end.

I don’t want to be negative but I don’t think you can really train a cat. If she wasn’t handled much as a kitten then she is unlikely to ever bond. Do you like her?

This link was posted on a thread I started about how to settle a cat that hadn't been properly socialised, and I found it really useful.

www.theluckyfew.org/site/feral_cats.html.

For the first 30 minutes of every day, she is the cutest cat in the world. She has obviously missed us overnight, so she flirts like hell with all of us. But will still bite if you touch her too much. Then for the rest of the day. she is a burden.

My DH doesn't like her, my DD (13) is upset that she hasn't got a cat that loves her and likes to be petted (our last cat, who died prematurely of cancer at 10 years old, was the most loving and affectionate cat you could ever want). I do love our cat, but she seems to hate me the most and I am the most targeted for her attacks.

Just now, I was on my knees cleaning the toilet floor when she leapt on my back and scratched the side of my neck. Hard enough to draw a thin line of blood. I am getting older and every scratch leaves a permanent mark .

She has wrecked so many things in our house. The wallpaper in the room where her litter tray is as she cannot do that right and the poo has gone all the way up the wall. The carpet outside our bedroom where she has scratched trying to get in.

I personally don't want to give up on her but I am in the minority at home and I want to try everything I can to make the situation better as currently, she makes us all miserable.

Does she go outdoors? Does anyone play with her as she needs an outlet for her energy? Cat tree/scratching posts? A high sided litter tray or a lidded tray would help with poo up the walls

This sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy as you consider her 'very naughty', 'a burden' and sounds like you don't like her much. So you interpret everything she does as her hating you or being deliberately difficult and your relationship with her becomes even more negative...

She sounds bored. Do you play with her using toys that let her express her hunting instinct and use up energy, such as those fishing rod type dangly toys and a laser pointer to get her running and chasing? Do a couple of 15 minute play sessions every day and end them on a positive note by giving her a treat when you put the toy away.

Are you able to read the signs when petting is about to lead into her biting? It could be she gets overstimulated and bites. Watch her ears, tail, eyes change as she is getting to that point.

For the litter tray issue, do you have a covered or high sided tray? For the carpet scratching - while this is sometimes hard to prevent - a couple of different scratching posts and pads around the house would give her somewhere more appropriate to scratch. Ideally one really tall, sturdy one (like a scratching barrel) and a cardboard scratcher if she prefers to scratch horizontally.

Yes dementedpixie we have all of that. She knows how to use a catflap so has permanent access to the outside, if she wants. She just chooses to try and get in the house by scaling outside doors. We play fetch with her, when she is in the mood. And she has a large cat playbed in the hallway.

ShyPussyCat I have looked at that link but they are all tips for newly homed cats, not cats that have been in a loving home for over 18 months. We did all the suggestions when we first got her home and she was brilliant for a few short weeks.

viccat I suspect you might be right. We do all of the things you mention and do stay away from her when her eyes turn "black". But having her jump on your back when you are kneeling or jumping onto the back of the sofa just to scratch you doesn't make for a warm and loving relationship.

When we were little we had a cat like this but he was worse. In the end we re homed him to a farm. The lady took cats like that. They come for food every now and then. She checks they are okay. We always had pets lots of cats and dogs. So my parents were used to animals.

Hi OP @beenherewaytoolong there is a product that you can buy of the net called Zylkene it is kind of like a kitty prozac. I am a volunteer with CP and find that with difficult cats it helps them a lot to relax and just not be violent, anxious, scared etc. You might want to try it, also it could be she is trying to play, have you tried a few interactive toys for cats?

Something is bugging her and she wants to let you know and unfortunately this is her only way. Try Zylkene and you can also buy a catnip spray called felisept which we use to spray on cat beds and scratching posts which does relax them quite a bit.

If still nothing speak to your vet again and see what he suggests, also have you tried changing her diet?

Thanks all. Beaverhausen she has been to the vets three times because of this. Twice she also needed treatment for injuries sustained when she bullied the local cats. He suggested Feliway and also said that this is likely her temperament and she cannot be changed.

We have spent a fortune on toys, sprays, vets etc. We are desperate to try anything as we don’t want to give up on her.

But our patience is not never ending

Could you ask your vet to refer you to a cat behaviourist? They can visit you at home and assess your interactions with your cat and offer advice.

@beenherewaytoolong try the zylkene it will help, it is kind of a pet prozac :)