I'm scared of my cat - what to do

[CatFearer]

I've had my rescue cat for around 6 years. She is very pretty, and sometimes allows me to stroke her cheeks, but other than that she is quite ferocious.

She refused to be picked up. She refuses to be groomed. And she's getting worse as she gets older. She lashes out with her claws at people's legs passing by.

Tonight she decided to sit on DS2s keyboard, I lured her off with Dreamies. Then she goes and sits on DS1s keyboard. I didn't want to give her more Dreamies as she'd just had some, so I tried to gently push her off from her rear end (quite hard to do when she's facing me). She lashed out at me, full-on aggressive hissing with her paws swiping at me and her claws out. This is what I mean when I say she refuses to be picked up. The only way I could get her off the keyboard was to give Dreamies again.

She is so difficult to live with. I don't know what I'm asking really, just having a vent. Has anyone else had such a difficult cat? How did you move them if they were somewhere they shouldn't be?

Is she a tortoiseshell?. They can be a bit feisty.

If you give her treats when she is on a keyboard you are training her to sit on keyboards! Put her treats in her cat tree or her bed.

Joopy I realise this - but how do I get her off the damn keyboard? That's what I'm asking. How to get her off the keyboard without giving her treats.

She doesn't have a specific cat bed or cat tree, she just sleeps on beds, sofas, bags, shoes, usual cat places.

Yes she's tortie

Choose a place and always give her the treats there. We give our cat treats when he's on his cat tree and he races up there when he thinks he might get a treat.

Jackson Galaxy on YouTube deals with cat aggression. Usually pretty easy to deal with if you put in the work, lots of Catification, redirecting unwanted behaviour, tiring them out with play as pent up energy comes out as aggression, recognising cat cues etc.

I think he does a series called My Cat From Hell on TV somewhere.

Joopy why are you focussing on where to give treats? This is a thread asking what to do about an aggressive cat.

Kakiweewee thanks I'll check out Jackson Galaxy. At the moment I'd like to take my cat out in the car and drop her off somewhere very far away! (Obviously am joking and not going to actually do this)

I've got a tortie and shes an absolute sweetheart. Sorry op no advice

I had a tortie when I was a kid and she was adorable.

@joopy is talking about treats as thats a way to get the cat off places she shouldnt be.... I thought that was obvious?

If you only give the cats treats in a certain place, then if you want the cat away from the place it shouldn't be, you get out the treats and she goes willingly to the designated treat place.

ScottishStottie but Joopy said if I gave her the cat treats when she's sitting on the keyboard - then I'm training her to sit on keyboards. Obviously I don't give her the cat treats at the keyboard / desk, or she wouldn't move. I shake the treats box to get her off the keyboard and moved to another room. Joopy very wisely pointed out that that was training her to sit on keyboards.

Maybe I'm missing something but I don't follow how me putting treats for the cat in a certain place to get her off the keyboard is any different from me shaking the box at her to get her off the keyboard.

Scuff her & move her quickly to treat location, that's what we did with our tortie

A feral tortie here, turned up six years ago a few months old and pregnant. I do not bribe at all just shoo off things. I would be a bit more assertive with her whilst respecting that she is not that friendly.

If treats get the behaviour you want then use treats!

Pushing (or picking up) a cat that you know will not like and will freak out when you do it is just cruel.

Regarding dealing with the behaviour, does she go outside? What enrichment activities are you doing? Does she take treats from your hand? I have a new rescue who could barely be touched in rescue and when she first arrived without lashing out, but 5 weeks in and she's improved loads, with lots of treats, consistency, the right toys to redirect until she can go and hunt, and mostly just accepting that she has a very low tolerance for touch and that it has to be on her terms.

Hiya @CatFearer. I used to have a huge ginger Tom cat that I was terrified of. He’d attack me scratch and bit chunks out of my arms and legs, jump on me in my sleep. I was always covered in bruising and plasters! People laughed when I said it was my cat that did it. Then Someone suggested Zyclene capsules, they chill cats out! After just 2 months my horrible cat, that I was going to rehome to the local farm morphed into the most sweetest loving cat ever! He sleeps on my pillow, kisses me gently strokes my face he’s just so sweet. You can buy the capsules on Amazon and sprinkle one capsule on his food which mine liked. Best of luck I hope it works it’s magic on your cat. 🐱

Trying to upload his photo!

Yey it worked. Look at the sweetheart 😊

I’ve tamed feral cats, we would wear ski gloves and long thick tops to move them and stroke them. Once you don’t react to them hissing, scratching or biting (hard to do at first but try not to jump or move away) they realise it’s not getting a reaction and stop doing it.
Then reward with strokes and treats.
Hope this might help.

ladybird69 he's adorable!

So... she's a rescue cat and I imagine she's had some trauma, possibly with being picked up or man handled or she had no socialisation at all.. it's not really her fault.

I would suggest moving her with thick gloves, once she realises it's not getting her the reaction she wants she may stop, it not it only takes two minutes to get her off the keyboard anyway.

Good suggestions. Thick gloves and a coat or thick dressing gown could work.

Even wearing those I'm not sure I'll be brave enough to pick her up but I'll try. It's human instinct to back off when an animal is trying to attack you!

Sadly I just don't have any love for the cat anymore.

My cats hate aerosol sprays. Now I just need to lift a can of deodorant and they will scarper. Obviously I dont spray it at them but the sound is enough to deter them

Pretty sure the person talking about rewarding the cat is talking about how the cat will notice that if she sits in certain places you will turn up with dreamies to feed her. Can't help with aggression through, my cat was aggressive when I first met her but now she's an only cat she's softened up loads.

In case you haven't tried - pet remedy plug in? Feliway did nothing for my two although is also worth a shot. Pet remedy diffusers make my home a much calmer one for all of us - and I know when it's running out because they start hissing and fighting with each other for no reason 😂

Zylkene as suggested by a pp also a good call.

Have you spoken to your vet to check it's not a reaction to pain?

My cat is a omg and an arsehole! So mean for no reason, but old now so will never change.