DH doesn’t like the cat

[Sleepdeprived42long]

I’ve posted before about our 9 month old ragdoll biting but this has continued despite our best efforts and he’s now doing it unprovoked at least once a day. He’s 90% loving, cuddly but the other 10% is very difficult to live with. We’ve tried everything to get him to stop-outdoor time, more playtime, spray bottle, hissing/blowing on his face, castration etc The biting has been bad for the last 3/4 months and doesn’t seem to be improving:(( DH is now saying he doesn’t like him, doesn’t trust him around our children and is getting really anxious around him. DH’s anxiety over the situation is starting to have a massive impact on our home life. I’m honestly not sure what to do! I love our cat but I don’t want DH to feel anxious in his own home.

Yup lots of hunting toys but he’s not interested in them :( When we try to play with him he just doesn’t chase or play.

Ive checked out Jackson Galaxy and tried the things he suggested but they didn’t work unfortunately as it comes so randomly it’s not like we can target one or two times when it happens.

Honestly it’s like he has a split personality as it seems to come out of nowhere. I’ve never had a cat like this before :(

We have a rag doll cross and she has never bitten or scratched anyone. I think you should cut your losses and rehome. There are plenty of lovey friendly cats out there.

in this case I would rehome him or make him an outside cat.

Ragdoll cats are strictly indoor only cats, I'd advise against him being outside.

I think In this case rehoming is best.

@Sleepdeprived42long

you’ve had good advice on this thread including that to seek professional help which you refuse.

for whatever reason you seem to think that bespoke professional advice tailored to your individual situation won’t tell you anything you don’t already know but are persisting with posting and asking for vague advice from unqualified internet strangers. Why do you think that’s more useful than advice from a trained professional?

if you seriously want help for your cat then seek it. But don’t post randomly on mumsnet so that you can claim you’ve ‘done everything’ to solve the problem.
Get some actual professional advice instead.

see APBC for qualified behaviourists

I don't think there is any easy answer here, especially if he won't play with toys.

It's impossible to say whether his behavioural issues are due to him being raised as a "solo" or whether he would have been like this regardless.

As far as I can see, your options are to re-home via the breeder or a reputable rescue, or go via your insurance for a behaviourist who can give you tailored advice to your cat. Jackson Galaxy is amazing but in most of his cases he recommends a vet visit and many cats end up on some kind of medication as a result.

Has he had a full health MOT to rule out issues like pain, deafness, poor sight etc? That would be my first port of call before making any drastic decisions. I'd want the vet checking everything - eyes, ears, teeth, joints etc.

No ones going to want a cat that bites though. It’s a live with it, fix it or PTS situation.

Its highly unusual for a cat to behave like this, I’d try a behaviourist if you can afford it or speak to the vet about more thorough investigations.

No need to PTS.

It's unusual behaviour but most likely something that can be changed and/or managed in the right environment.

Hi @Sleepdeprived42long that sounds really tough, you have my sympathy.

I think I would start with a vet visit and ask if they had any suggestions or could recommend a behaviourist. I agree you shouldn’t get a second cat in case he’s bored, it’s a massive commitment & there’s no guarantee it would solve the biting problem & could cause a whole load of new problems (We rehomed our current cat from a friend - she had been a single cat & absolutely hated the second cat my friend got to keep her company. She stopped using the litter tray & repeatedly attacked the new cat.) Our cat is a Ragdoll cross btw - she’s lovely but very different from the moggies I’ve had in the past, she’s very needy (follows us round the house) but doesn’t really like being petted & definitely not a lap cat.

I hope you find a way forward, but if you need to re home your cat why not try a Ragdoll rescue who will be knowledgable about the breed & hopefully can find a suitable new home.

BTW, I also wanted to say feel free to keep posting on mumsnet about this as much as you like - that’s what the litter tray is here for after all!

Well, my cat didn't grow out of biting until she was about 10. We got the kitten from a friend of a friend - we think she lied

But we loved her anyway. So ifs only 10%? Sure your DH can live with that. Our cat is now 17 and 100% affectionate/cuddly as she mellowed over the years.

*sorry think she lied about how old the kitten was and reason for the biting issue was being taken away from mother too early

Spray bottle, blowing and hissing in his face will just teach him to be afraid of you. He's more likely to bite if you do that to him.

Thanks for all the supportive messages on this thread. I hadn’t realised we could possibly get a pet behaviourist on our insurance-thanks to whoever mentioned that.

I definitely want to have exhausted all possible options-it would be heartbreaking esp for me and the kids if we had to rehome him.

@Blowyourowntrumpet we’ve not done that for months as it literally made no difference. If anything it just made him square up to attack again. I’ve never had a cat like him!