# HELP! My cat lunges for my daughter up the stairs!



## liennca (Apr 22, 2007)

Our 2 yr old cat, Stuart refuses to allow my daughter to walk up the stairs without lunging at her, swatting at her, meowing and biting her feet. We live in a 3 story condo with lots of narrow stairs. She used to work 4pm - midnight and he got in the habit of chasing her then. It was hard for her to correct him since she had purse, coat, etc in her hands, and didn't really know what to do about it. She mentioned it several times and I had a hard time believing it since he is very loving to us the rest of the time, and has never chased me like that at all. She recently changed her work hours and I finally saw him in action. He literally flew off the sofa where he was sitting with me when he heard her come up the steps and began "heading her off," laying down in front of every step so she couldn't pass him, trying to bite her feet and being downright scary with his meowing and refusal to let her go up the stairs. 

He only terrorizes her with the stair issue, yet he can be loving to her, wanting her to pet him, talk to him, gives her little "kisses" and wants to curl up with her on the sofa, but she doesn't dare go use the stairs in his presence or she risks getting attacked. I realize he was in "play mode" late at night when this all started, but now it is a horrible habit during the day, or anytime she attempts to walk up either flight of stairs. She is almost 21 years old, so it's not like he just doesn't like kids, she is an adult, and he's always lived with us both since he was a kitten. She tells him NO, but he refuses to stop. We haven't tried any other methods other than NO, and don't want to cause him more aggression towards her.

Our first level is the garage, with stairs leading to the kitchen / living area, another small flight of stairs and a landing with a small bathroom, then another long flight of stairs leading to another landing and then our bedrooms. 

What can we do to stop him from acting like a jerk? He really has no other bad behavior other than this, but this is pretty serious one. My mother was here and watched him do it and was horrified. If I walk up the stairs "with" my daughter or behind her he immediately stops attacking and acts sweet and just follows me up the stairs - like a completely different cat. 

Can anyone give us some ideas how to tame our *stair beast*?


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

He only does it to her? 8O Wow! Dont know what is going on, but when she goes up the stairs, she can carry a squirt bottle and squirt him and tell him no.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Ditto. Squirt bottle him and soak him when he does this to her, either she uses the bottle or someone else squirts him. OR, she can use her purse, just lower her arm and let the purse bonk him on the head/shoulders.

This behavior is dangerous and needs to be corrected, because it is on stairs and he could cause a fall.
Heidi


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

It sounds like this started as play, and got way out of hand.
Doesn't really matter how it started, it's got to stop. 
I agree with Heidi and Zippy, a squirt bottle is a good deterrent. Or a child's water pistol might be easier to handle with an armful of other items.


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## CataholicsAnonymous (Dec 4, 2006)

I agree with everyone about the squirting.

My very first "own" cat was waiting on the steps 'for me' at the Ag School in college. I took him home to the house I shared with 3 other roommates. He was a loving (but ornery) boy and would play rough --- or not --- depending on how the person wanted to play. But one of my roommates had a dreadful cat phobia. She was the only one Enok bothered, and he did just what you describe. As soon as she headed up the stairs to her room, Enok would fly across the furniture, through the stair rails and PLANT himself a few steps above the poor girl. Oh, dear, she would scream and cry and rant about how she didn't know why I hated her so much that I had to bring this demon into the house. 

Well, that's my story, but I'm afraid it's not much help to you. I honestly cant' remember how it all turned out (it was the 60s, after all, and that period can be a littly blurry...... 8) ), but I do remember that both were still alive when we graduated and went our separate ways. :lol:


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## liennca (Apr 22, 2007)

gunterkat said:


> It sounds like this started as play, and got way out of hand.
> Doesn't really matter how it started, it's got to stop.
> I agree with Heidi and Zippy, a squirt bottle is a good deterrent. Or a child's water pistol might be easier to handle with an armful of other items.


Thank you everyone for responding. Yes, my *stair beast* only attacks my daughter, nobody else. We will try the squirt bottle, but I have a question. Will this deter him from going up and down the stairs at all? My concern is that his litter box is on the first level of the house in the garage where he uses a pet door. If he is on the third level in my bedroom, I wouldn't want him NOT to be afraid to go down 2 more flights of stairs to go to the bathroom in order not to be squirted. He has never had an "accident" and I'd love to keep it that way....I guess if it's only her that squirts him then he would just learn to avoid her? Or the stairs?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

You may want to place a box on each level to prevent any accidents, but I feel he will quickly learn that the squirting only occurs when he is going after the daughter, not necessarily when he is on the stairs.
I think you would be okay with the arrangement as it is now, unless you see him avoiding the stairs, then you can place boxes?
h


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