Cat Experts?

Joshy

Joshy

Joshy

Soldato
Joined
15 Jun 2009
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London
I know we've got some cat lovers in here, so I thought I'd ask.

I've got a young cat, he's only about 6 months old and we've had him since 6 weeks. He's entire a house cat and is utter terrified of outside (despite our best efforts to get him out there for a play)

Now, since we got him he's not liked to be stroked, touched or picked up. If you put your hands near him he will try and bite you. I thought he'd grow out of this behaviour but it seems like he is getting worse.

During the morning he's a sod. He goes around biting everyone in the house, and not in the cute "Come on, I'm hungry/Want to play" way, but in the "I'm going to hurt you and draw blood" way :o.

I don't actually think he's got an issue with being around humans. He loves to be in the same room as one of us and his absolute favourite place in the world to fall asleep is on my shoulders (he wraps himself around my neck like a scaf and purrs himself to sleep which is cool :)), but if you try and touch or stroke him he'll bite, and if he's feeling particularly bad he'll then go for my neck, sometimes even when unprovoked :eek:.

He hasn't been neutered yet. I do intend on getting him done soon but apparently it is a myth that giving them the snip makes them less aggressive?

Also it has came to light that perhaps he was mistreated a little by the home that we got him from which obviously could have some effect?

Sadly if there's nothing we can do he's going to end up in a home. My mother has made it quite clear that she can't put up with his behaviour much longer and to be honest, I agree.

Any thoughts?
 
Joshy said:
He hasn't been neutered yet. I do intend on getting him done soon but apparently it is a myth that giving them the snip makes them less aggressive?
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Really? I would've thought that neutering would make any animal less aggressive.

I'd definitely get him neutered if he were my cat.

You could try squirting him with cold water whenever he's overly aggressive.
 
None at all.

Actually it's funny, if it's on his terms he's got no issues touching humans, he frequently does the whole purring and rubbing against me thing, but if I try to touch him or stroke him I get a hand full of teeth :(
 
Bob his nose when he bites and give a sharp 'no'

Or more severely, scruff him(pick up by scruff, supporting body weight). Its what the mother cat does to discipline her young.
 
I'm a lurker, but a huge cat lover (have 4), so here are my thoughts.

Sounds like he's either been abused or simply not handled enough while a small kitten. Best advice I can give is let him come to you for affection, and try to keep your hand where he can see it so there is no surprise contact. This means under the chin and top of head contact only. Try that first, let the wee fella get used to it first and see if he'll let you touch him more.

Secondly, try a product called Feliway. It comes as a plug-in defuser and contains cat hormones that help felines feel more relaxed. This helped somewhat in getting two of ours used to each other. Some folks swear by it, but I'm not convinced.

Thirdly, get him snipped! It will calm down a lot of aggressive and dominant behaviour, hopefully before it becomes 'normal'.

Hope that helps.
 
Get him snipped asap, and get a spray and fill it with water. Whenever he bites/attacks, give him a spray - cats don't like this and will know that they're in the trouble.

Obviously don't do it at point blank range! Hopefully it will get to the point where you just have to pick up the spray and he'll know straight away.
This worked for our cat anyway!
 
getting them neutered 100% makes a difference


you also need to teach him that biting/scratching = baaad , water pistol idea is a good one , we always just gave our cats a tap on the head.

as for going outside you could try putting his food or a treat at the back step or in the garden , move it progresively further away. some cats just dont like outside though , one of ours only goes out for the toilet
 
Personally I'd focus on getting him snipped then into a position where you can handle him, persistence is the key here and whatever you do don't scare him with a raised voice or water spray yet. You need to be able to handle him ASAP.

Daily brushing and picking him up regularly. As someone else said it's likely he's been abused or not handled enough as a kitten, so you have to rise about the biting and simply show the love! My cats hated being petted and brushed, now they positively fall over when the brush is on show purring like crazy!
 
Just asked my GF as she knows a lot more about cats than I do.

Get him neutered as after 3 weeks this will lower the level of his testosterone and will calm him down and reduce the amount of aggression. Also his food tray, litter tray and bed needs to be in a clear space as they will not be very happy otherwise. Try your cat with cat treats as well and another good thing to try is cat nip, this will make him happy.

One last thing which is expensive, but it does work for stressed cats is a plug in device called Feliway. You can get it from your vets or online, it releases pheromones that make a happy cat.

Liam
 
Maccy said:
Get him snipped asap, and get a spray and fill it with water. Whenever he bites/attacks, give him a spray - cats don't like this and will know that they're in the trouble.

Obviously don't do it at point blank range! Hopefully it will get to the point where you just have to pick up the spray and he'll know straight away.
This worked for our cat anyway!
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With the spray thing, you have to get him with it immediately when he does the whole bitey bitey thing. There's no point telling him off after the event.
Just give him a quick squib right there and then. They get the message.
 
LEK-89 said:
One last thing which is expensive, but it does work for stressed cats is a plug in device called Feliway. You can get it from your vets or online, it releases pheromones that make a happy cat.

Liam
Click to expand...

Do you get ones that make it angry?
 
Joshy said:
He hasn't been neutered yet. I do intend on getting him done soon but apparently it is a myth that giving them the snip makes them less aggressive?
Click to expand...
It's a fact, removing his balls will remove his testosterone.
This means less aggressive, less oily substances in his pee so less smell, will make him lazy, less playful, wont want to chase females and will never want to venture outside.

I'm also very surprised the home didn't have him snipped before giving him away.

Just reread the OP, at only 6 months he wouldn't want to go out all that much or if at all, one day he will have the balls to go out, just leave a window or door open for a while. Even if he's gone for a couple hours he will come back when he's hungry.
 
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A loud stern "no" when ever he does it, let him know you mean it in your tone. It won't belong before he knows what the word "no" means.

Our Ginger Tom Murray can get bitey and start rabbit kicking after a few mins of play but saying NO loudly to him stops him dead in his tracks.
 
I do the whole "No!" thing and it more often than not stops him. Then he'll just have another pop at me a few seconds later :p.

I'll get him the snip and go from there

Cheers guys :).
 
Joshy said:
I do the whole "No!" thing and it more often than not stops him. Then he'll just have another pop at me a few seconds later :p.

I'll get him the snip and go from there

Cheers guys :).
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When he has a "pop" for the second time, grab by the scruff of the neck (makes them go all relaxed/floppy) shout "No!" and give him a tap on the nose/head.

He should soon learn that biting = bad with this routine, but you must do it every time as he can't think that he'll ever get away with it.

Giving him the snip should also help a lot.
 
Also, I would suggest that when you go near him to give him a stroke etc, it is best if you can approach him at his level (i.e. get on all fours) rather than towering over him. It appears the poor little mite is scared of a lot of things (outside, you etc.) He is probably attacking you in defence.

I agree, get him snipped ASAP.

As mentioned previously, try to get him to come to you, this is less threatening for him. Also try to avoid staring at him. To a cat this can be seen as a sign of agression.
 
Snipped. Give him treats. Play with him lots. Take time out (10 mins a day at least) to play and pet him.

Eventually he'll come around.
 
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