# Very mean and defensive cat HELP!



## stellagifford (Sep 11, 2005)

My boyfriend has a cat that we adopted about a year ago, and since then she has become a very intollerable, mean, defensive cat who personally attacks and hisses at me whenever I walk by. The strange part is that this "attitude" of hers switches off periodically and she will want me to pet her and pay attention to her - but as soon as I do she becomes defensive again. I'm about ready to have her put down because I am extremely afraid and stressed out because I am afraid she is going to hurt me. I have no clue what to do because she is always nice and calm around my boyfriend... and he loves her very much. I don't think anyone would take her in if I took her to a shelter because she is also very rude to new people. She's a cute cat and a great snuggler when she's not being a complete jerk, but I cannot continue to live with this cat. Is there any medication or anything that I can do to calm her down? I've tried being nice to her and playing with her with no success. Please help... I really need it!


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## Cat Daddy (Aug 3, 2005)

How old is your cat?


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## AllergyCat (Aug 7, 2005)

Something could have changed recently to affect her personality.

But I will tell you what worked wonders for me! I purchased a Feliway plug in and a TON of lavender (insense, herbal plus ins, herbal spray) and put the cat in her room. Within 8 hours, she was back to her old self.

I made a mistake of letting her see a new kitten that was brought in and she all out attacked me. My wrist is healing nicely now! But I think it may scar from the marks she left on me. She also got the palm of my hand pretty good as well.

The Feliway was fantastic. I got the plug in and not the spray. Not sure which one works better.....the guy at the store said the spray was for a short term fix. I might purchase that when we try our introductions. But so far, I've been able to take out the Feliway and just keep the lavendar plug in and just keep spraying the lavendar all over the house. 

House smells great! And everyone is happy here! LOL


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

Some questions for you:

How long has the cat been acting this way? 

Is she still a young cat who is possibly trying to play? 

Has she been checked by a vet recently? 

Any new stresses in the home that she could be reacting to?

One possibility that comes to mind is redirected aggression. AllergyCat mentioned what happened to her when she brought in a new kitten -- the cat became upset and took it out on her.

This can be caused by something as simple as the cat having spotted another cat outside. Do you have any cats hanging around outside your home that your cat may have seen?

You can try doing a search on redirected aggression on this forum and on the internet. There is alot of info out there about how to deal with it. AllergyCat's suggestion sounds like a good one as well.

Good luck and keep us posted. :wink:


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

You're right -- the plug-in is better. It dispurses the scent further and lasts longer -- if you use the Feliway spray, then you have to keep spraying 2-3 times a day and it's only good in the area you sprayed it in. I also use Rescue Remedy. I bought it at a GNC store. You can put a drop of it in her water or in her food, and it can make her feel more relaxed. I don't have aggressive cats, but I use it when I know that strangers are going to come over, as my cats seem to have some stranger anxiety and go into hiding. But if I remember the Rescue Remedy, they keep lounging around just like usual. People also use it for aggression and for introducing new cats. 

If you are sure she doesn't have a medical problem, and you try the scent remedies, the problem won't go away unless you are sure you are not being intimidating to her. It sounds like you are not doing anything wrong, but I don't know the whole story and I'm trying to help, so I'll just throw this in for good measure. Make sure you never force contact on her -- if she is hiding, let her hide. Let HER come to you. Pretend she is not there, don't give attention to her hissing and spitting behaviors. Don't make any sudden movements around her, and try giving her some time with you every day where all you do is sit in the same room with her, without intruding on her space. Try sitting in the room with a bag of treats in your lap, and be patient. If she comes to you and gets treats, great. But if she doesn't, don't force it. Just let her be after you have tried for a while. Make sure you reinforce every positive interaction with a treat, and if she likes playing, get in the habit of playing with her. (wand toys or balls, etc., not hands) Also -- pay attention to her threshold. If she lets you give her attention for a short bit, quit while you are ahead. She may be telling you "okay that was nice, but now I am sick of it so get away." So if she is being nice, you might want to give her a treat and then leave her alone before she has had enough. Good luck!


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

As the others have mentioned, it sounds like a case of redirected aggression. After this long, it's really pointless to try to discover the cause. But basically what probably happened is that something at some time spooked your cat and she took it out on the nearest living creature ... you. And since she sees you all the time, every time she gets worked up, the behavior is repeated and reinforced.

I'd suggest research on the internet on redirected aggression so you can learn about it and see if this fits the profile of what's going on in your household. After all this time, a satisfactory conclusion is unlikely as a do-it-yourself project. You probably need professional intervention by a feline behaviorist. If you don't know of one, your vet should be able to give a referral.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.


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## stellagifford (Sep 11, 2005)

Thanks for all the help - I'd like to drop in some more info and possibly get some more help.

I've had the cat for about a year - she was about 3 weeks when we adopted her and she growled at my boyfriend when we went to see her in her foster home - I should have taken that as a sign. A few months ago she decided to jump off of our balcony which is three stories up (I live in an apartment building). There is grass and a concrete slab below us - I don't know what she landed on... seems like ever since she's been -meaner-, but she was always mean. 

Just today I was looking at my (other, older) cat (who has never had a problem with nina, the trouble child) and noticed a large puncture hole on the middle of her nose! I notice that everytime we try to get nina (trouble cat) out of a room or tell her to scoot over or something (NICELY) she violently attacks Alice (nice, older cat) and Alice does nothing to provoke this. She just lays down and tries to protect herself. 

Other than that I have been trying the "ignoring' technique with this cat for a few days now, and I'm not sure if it's working or not... today was a better day until she attacked Alice. My boyfriend now says that if she continues to attack Alice we will not tollerate it. Nina is locked in the bathroom now as a "time out." ...10 minutes. We don't yell at her unless she attempts to attack us... a stern "NO NINA" is said and she usually reacts with a hiss, a swipe at us and growls. 

I'll look into the scent thing more - I'm more into something that is a guarenteed fix or a medication because I have a limited budget and can't afford to "try" things that may not work. Although I wouldn't mind a nicer smelling apartment! 

Thank you all for your help... Please leave more advice - I don't want to put this cat back into a shelter or put her down, it would break my heart (although she has already done that herself.)


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## lilysong (Apr 4, 2005)

Whoa. Your cat took a three-story fall? You haven't mentioned taking her to the vet... have you? It sounds like this cat has been injured and is acting out as a result. 

I sincerely hope you've had a vet evaluate this cat after such a horrifying fall, but if you haven't, please do so immediately.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

10 minutes is an insufficient time-out for a cat. Two hours minimum, perhaps as long as 24 hours. The cat forgets why it's in timeout within a few seconds, but it takes that long for it to calm down from an aroused state. If the cat is let out while it's still aroused, chances are the associated behavior will be repeated.


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## BamMcg (Apr 25, 2005)

I have a few comments. First, you and boyfriend's health come before ANY animal. If it is not safe and doesn't seem to be a fixable problem, do what you have to do. And your poor other cat. Also remember that with any new visitors, if the cat bites them, you are liable especially since you knew about the problem before hand. Everyone thinks like this with dogs, but I think with any animal you keep, you should have the exact same frame of mind. We have a feral siamese in the dining room who is making progress. I have to warn anyone and everyone who comes into my house about her and still know that if they get bit, it's my fault. This is one reason we don't let her roam the house. She is tied to our sliding glass door. Second, she may have had some sort of brain damage from her fall. There are areas that control rationality. I babysat a mentally disabled child with an inoperable tumor in that area. If you put him in a cat's body, he sounds a lot like your cat, sweet on his terms but can flip out completely and mean for no reason at all. It could be a hormonal imballance, like forever PMS lol. It could be her personallity or even something in her early days that has some sort of trigger that you set off unknowingly. There are so many different possabilities, just work with one at a time so you can rule them out. A hormonal imballance is easily fixed with meds, personality is harder, but controlable, brain damage, you can't fix, you get my picture? I am not an expert in cats, but I was raised on a farm, so I do have experience with animals.


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## stellagifford (Sep 11, 2005)

Thanks everyone - I did not take nina to the vet after her fall (which was months ago) because it did not appear that she had any damage or broken or sprained bones. We felt her leg and everywhere else and she did not give us any indication she was in pain. Amazing - I know. Second, I don't think she's brain damaged haha. She has been acting quite normal the past few days - I think she just has spells. 

THIRD - RESCUE REMEDY - Okay, I bought some of this stuff at a supplement store - are you aware this is 27% alcohol? I put a drop under my toung and first of all it tasted like a rum and coke - second, it made me feel like I had had a shot within 10 minutes... with one drop! I can't get my cat to drink it so I will either have to force it in her mouth or heavily dilute it which would hardly work... I am not comfortable with the thought that I'm getting my cat drunk! But - I'm out $13.00 so I guess I better use it. There was also a pet "relaxing pill" at the store but I decided not to go with it because a pill would DEFINATELY not fly with Nina! 

So, I may have visitors tomorrow - I'll post if she acts out again. I'm hoping this helps more people than just me...


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

stellagifford said:


> THIRD - RESCUE REMEDY - Okay, I bought some of this stuff at a supplement store - are you aware this is 27% alcohol? I put a drop under my toung and first of all it tasted like a rum and coke - second, it made me feel like I had had a shot within 10 minutes... with one drop! I can't get my cat to drink it so I will either have to force it in her mouth or heavily dilute it which would hardly work... I am not comfortable with the thought that I'm getting my cat drunk! But - I'm out $13.00 so I guess I better use it.


You only use a DROP of it!!!!!! You put it in the food or the water, so that it is heavily diluted, not directly in her mouth. BAD IDEA. lol


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## BowerR64 (Aug 26, 2005)

The friend i got my cat from got another cat from his sister, that wasnt getting along with the old cats they had. He took her in (mary todd) they lived there about 6 months i think, after a while he started dating this girl and once mary todd came in the room when they were sleeping and she sprayed them both and ran. He told me he felt the cat was jelous of her. She would always hide when she came over but when she was gone mary todd would come out. I didnt really think much of it till this post it reminded me of this thing his cat did to them.

He did the very thing the time out thing. He rolled her up in a blanket (not over her head) and put her outside in a shed and she stayed there all night. He eventualy had to get rid of her, found a new home.


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