Show us your kitty cats

NVP said:
A month is still fresh, time and patience, calm energies and consistency should help. Your partner doesn't get the same treatment, so maybe see if there's something you're doing or somewhere you're touching that might be the trigger?

I can't fathom having cats for 50years and being unaware of the cruelty of declawing :confused:
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Never needed protection from one before. This cat is a little bit of a mental case tbh, with razor sharp little claws. Like I said, I didn't mean a declawing, I meant a trim. I only looked it up after I types it before realising what I had written. I would never do such a barbaric thing to a cat.

I'm thinking his behaviour is something he got from his previous owner. I don't know anything about them.
 
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Cats can suffer from over stimulation and petting agression.

My suggestion is, if he comes to lay on you or sits on you, give him ONE stroke and then leave him be. Will probably settle down and sleep. Do not continue to stroke him.
 
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Maybe we stop with the faux Internet horror- dude clearly didn't mean declawing.

aaronyuri said:
Something is going awry here and it's not with the cat. They are very consistent in their behaviour, especially aggressive acts.
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Strong disagreement from me there. Cats can be very varied, specific and targeted with affection and aggression depending on the human or cat.
 
brightside229 said:
Cats can suffer from over stimulation and petting agression.

My suggestion is, if he comes to lay on you or sits on you, give him ONE stroke and then leave him be. Will probably settle down and sleep. Do not continue to stroke him.
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yeh sometimes if im petting gizmo a lot and he is purring his head off he suddenly sticks his claws in me and gives me wee bites, nothing painful like the other guy describes though i can tell he is holding back and just over stimulated :)
 
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get the one the cat is been aggressive against to start been the one to hand out food and dreamies and watch the cats mood change but dont try and pet the cat unless it comes to you :)
 
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Yeah, I've known quite a few cats who'll go from friendly to scratchy in a heartbeat. It's sometimes an overstimulation thing, but usually an unfamiliarity thing. They both enjoy being fussed and are nervous and at some point the switch flips on which is primary in their mind. You can learn to read their signals with time but mostly it's a matter of letting them be and patience. Once they're more comfortable and relaxed, they're less likely to be aggressive in letting you know they're done being fussed, until then cut the pets short and let them just get comfortable with you.

Getting the claws trimmed doesn't really change the underlying issue and you should absolutely not do it if they go outside since they can neither defend themselves not mount a rapid escape with their claws blunted.
 
Dr Jack said:
Yeah, I've known quite a few cats who'll go from friendly to scratchy in a heartbeat. It's sometimes an overstimulation thing, but usually an unfamiliarity thing. They both enjoy being fussed and are nervous and at some point the switch flips on which is primary in their mind. You can learn to read their signals with time but mostly it's a matter of letting them be and patience. Once they're more comfortable and relaxed, they're less likely to be aggressive in letting you know they're done being fussed, until then cut the pets short and let them just get comfortable with you.

Getting the claws trimmed doesn't really change the underlying issue and you should absolutely not do it if they go outside since they can neither defend themselves not mount a rapid escape with their claws blunted.
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ah awesome gizmo hasnt flipped his switch for a year and i get away with belly rubs he is 4 now :)
 
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Bill has returned for his trip to the vets with trimmed claws. He is still being naughty and I am still withdrawing from him when he does but at least I am not pouring blood now. I really hope he gets the message as I don't really want him to go through that again.
 
something daft already!! said:
Bill has returned for his trip to the vets with trimmed claws. He is still being naughty and I am still withdrawing from him when he does but at least I am not pouring blood now. I really hope he gets the message as I don't really want him to go through that again.
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When he starts to get a bit boisterous with your hand, are you drawing away quickly? That can sometimes cause them to "dig in" more.

I ask because with our Milly, I found that when she gets a bit over excited and the claws/teeth come out, that not actually drawing away but just keep my hand still stops her scratching/biting, and also adding a sound they don't like (a high pitch "eek" or such like) at the same time has stopped her and she's quite gentle with me now.
 
ljt said:
When he starts to get a bit boisterous with your hand, are you drawing away quickly? That can sometimes cause them to "dig in" more.

I ask because with our Milly, I found that when she gets a bit over excited and the claws/teeth come out, that not actually drawing away but just keep my hand still stops her scratching/biting, and also adding a sound they don't like (a high pitch "eek" or such like) at the same time has stopped her and she's quite gentle with me now.
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Yeah, I withdraw at once, usually with a stern, "No!".
 
something daft already!! said:
Yeah, I withdraw at once, usually with a stern, "No!".
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Yeah, I know your instinct is to whip your hand away, but that can sometimes be counter-productive with cats as their natural instinct is to go for anything moving quickly. Could always wear a glove the first few times to stop lessen any damage!
 
ljt said:
Yeah, I know your instinct is to whip your hand away, but that can sometimes be counter-productive with cats as their natural instinct is to go for anything moving quickly. Could always wear a glove the first few times to stop lessen any damage!
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He's had his claws trimmed now so I no longer spurt out blood when he does! I just don't want to have to have this done every few weeks. I'd rather he would learn not to. He's an 19 month old rescue cat and I have no idea what his previous home was like.
 
something daft already!! said:
He's had his claws trimmed now so I no longer spurt out blood when he does! I just don't want to have to have this done every few weeks. I'd rather he would learn not to. He's an 19 month old rescue cat and I have no idea what his previous home was like.
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Our Milly was rescue that was found abandoned with her kittens by her previous owner on the street by the rescue centre. She was wary of me first. We've had her 18 months now and she took a good 12 months to fully feel comfortable around us. It just takes time, especially with ones that have had a hard life before.
 
something daft already!! said:
Yeah, I withdraw at once, usually with a stern, "No!".
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Shouting at them counts as overstimulation as well. You're negatively reinforcing the behaviour along with the sudden withdrawl that triggers their predator instinct to go for the kill on fleeing prey. When he gets overexcited, relax, remove hand calmly. Calmness is everything with cats if cats could do Zen meditation they would. Once the stimulus is removed they'll calm down though it won't happen instantly its more a sliding slope thing.
 
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Anyone got any tips on handling elderly long haired cats? Our Maggie is no longer grooming herself properly and her fur is getting matted really quickly. She likes being brushed so keeping her fur neat used to be easy but now she needs much more aggressive brushing with more aggressive brushes over more of her body than she'll put up with and we don't want to distress her too much by pushing it too much.
 
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