# Cat hissing at growling



## janinefay (Sep 1, 2009)

Can anybody help me with this? I have a 2 year old spayed female cat. She started hissing and growing at people, but only when I'm not around. My stepson comes over every other weekend and as long as I am around the cat is OK, but if I leave the room she starts to hiss and growl at him. At first I thought they just needed time to get to know each other, but that hasn't help. Then I thought maybe the boy was mistreating the cat, he said he wasn't. And then the other day we had a friend over and the cat was being perfectly friendly, until I left the house and she started hissing and growlling at her. What is going on here?????


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## Zachariah Atteberry (Sep 2, 2009)

This sounds like the cat feels very un-safe without you around - as you said their not abusing the cat. but has the cat been abused before you got her? if so she might be acting out of instinct and only trusting the guardian/protector of her which is you, if you have had her 2 years and and now is just starting to happen, then this is a very strange occurance - has anyone else handled the cat or possibly could of done anything to her? also inside/or outside if shes outside she could of got into a fight and is very unsecure about being around anyone except for you for now cause shes scared - sence cats can always feal fear/and other emotions.

Another problem that could be is if the cats just hissing at that one person - some cats just don't get along with certain people, period. some cats are just judgemental like that - i just don't see how a cat could just hiss at someone when they have done nothing, the person had said they did nothing 'mean' to the cat but NOTHING can be proven, im not blaming anyone of being mean to a cat but like i said, nothing can be proven. just ask someone to keep an eye on happenings around the house, which would be probably your best bet.

If problems persist try to be around the cat and your step-son so and see if the cat will allow the person to hold her and try to get them to like each other - this is my only idea of how to fix this problem.

I have gone though this once - my friend my cat always use to hiss at him, i really wondered why until i was really around seems that she was being mean to the cat - which served him a kick out of my house, just one more thing some people say their not mean to the cat, 

but they never really think what 'mean' is if your throwing a cat even holding it in the air for a long time can make it mad- and if your forcing it to be held that can lead to problems also.

Just a few thoughts with what could be causing this to happen, i do hope you resolve this problem soon,as pet stress in a house is never good for the people around or the cat its self.

Like i said its VERY rare a cat just hisses at one certain person for no reason, i really think she had to do something to make the cat not like him - just my 2 cents worth.

Hope this helps&Best of luck resolving the problem.
~Zach


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## gus (Aug 18, 2009)

maybe she took for herself the place where people sit, and, whenever anybody (but you) sits on it, she says: "hey!!! this is :evil: MY :evil: place! everbody knows that!!!"

only a thought that occured here :wink: ...

g


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## janinefay (Sep 1, 2009)

Thanks Zach,

As far as the stepson being mean to her. He has always been afraid of cats, because he was previously scratched by one. Whenever the cats goes near him he starts to panick (screamng and yelling), if I am around I take the cat and show him that she is harmless. He tries to pet her, but gets scared because she starts to turn her head to have her ears rubbed. When all this was happening I just figured they needed time together until they learned they can trust each other. But then the other day we had a cable lady come by and as long as my husband or myself were around she was fine. Going up to the lady and rolling around wanting to be petted. But when we would leave the lady said that she woud start hissing at her. So maybe the lady is not being nice to her when we are not around and that is why she is hissing. And it may be purely a coincident that this happen at the same time that my step-son and cat are trying to get to know each other. So hopefly things will eventually sort thenselves out between step-son and cat.


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## Woodsman (Jan 9, 2007)

janinefay said:


> Thanks Zach,
> 
> Whenever the cats goes near him he starts to panick (screamng and yelling),


Well there's your problem.

Cats pick up on anxiety in people. Not to mentional all the yelling and screaming maybe appears as aggression to the cat.

How old is your stepson. I would just keep them apart for now until the kid is older. Maybe see if you can introduce him to a more tolerant cat so he can see that cats can be nice. Teach how to play with the cat using a wand toy or something similiar.


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