# Aggressive Behavior *only* when on top of cat tree?



## Enslaved by Moose (Jan 30, 2013)

Wonder if anyone else has had this experience and what you did about it.

I have a 3 1/2 year old mush of a cat, sweet and NEVER aggressive. I bought him a new cat tree about 4 months ago. He loves it and uses it all the time -- but if I walk by him while he's hanging out at the top level, or if I try to pet him, he SMACKS me with claws out. He never ever is aggressive or uses his claws me with *any* other time. Today I was close by, not even trying to touch him, and he smacked me on the head so hard his claws got tangled in my hair. 

I know enough *not* to come in over his head or move suddenly so that he can't see my hand so that it feels like a threat, but it doesn't seem to matter. I don't like this behavior! It's like he's not my sweet mushy cat. So do I just stay away from him if he's on his tree? Why would he do this? He just feels so powerful being high up there he gets cocky? The use of claws in such a 100% docile cat surprises and bothers me.

Walking away doesn't seem to change the behavior, as he makes no connection between me leaving and his actions. Loudly saying OUCH and pulling away hasn't worked either. I'm like, I'm so glad I spent over $100 to make my sweet cat act like a jerk.  

Any thoughts or experiences appreciated. Thanks.

Moose's Mom


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

I am really looking forward to reading replies on this one!
Defending "his" territory? The height making him feel dominant? Many thoughts, no real knowledge!
He is fine everywhere else?


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Lol, I hear your frustration - yes, $100 so your cat can scratch and smack you, what a bargain.  I don't know what others will say, but to me this is likely one of those cat quirks that it would be best to work around - i.e. exactly what you said: don't go up to him when he's on the cat tree. You bought it for him to enjoy, so let him enjoy it and interact with him when he's mushy the other 90% of the time.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

It sounds to me like he might feel trapped or cornered up there. Sure, he's up high , but if theres no easy escape (in his eyes) he could still feel threatened.

I'd suggest a few things to help him feel more comfortable. Don't approach him directly when he's on the post, and dont look at him when you're moving to the post. Pass by, out of paw-range, completely ignoring him.

Sometimes bring him treats when he's on the post. Grab the goodie bag and shake it as you approach the post, hopefully his desire for treats will get him into an inquisitive or happy mood, rather than a defensive one.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Your cat is probably thinking that you're not learning how to play very quickly. :grin: 

Pretty easy just to NOT approach the tree or your cat. 

When I had a really high cat tree, my girls loves swatting me when I went by, it was their way of playing, I thought it was cute.


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## struckers (Oct 2, 2013)

My cat Edgar does this, but in an obviously playful way. Totally possible something's triggering aggression, but are you sure he's not just playing? Just because his claws are out when he's swatting doesn't necessarily equal aggression or that he's actually trying to hurt you/warn you to go away. He might just be simply trying to initiate a play session.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

My girls even do this when I walk close to them near the edge of my bed or on one of their hangouts. I walk close on purpose so they'll reach out and grab me, then I give them attention and play with them.


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

Here is where we can do some teaching.
Any time you walk by a cat that swipes at you;
with claws- high pitched "no" and keep walking
without claws- talk to, play

with claws gets no playtime, without claws is rewarded with attention and/or play.

Of course this only works IF the cat is wanting attention!:kittyball:thumb


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

This is what I'd do. 

I'd buy some freeze dried liver treats (or whatever treat he can't resist) and each time I walked by I would place one on a* lower level* of the cat tree. 

I'd kind of show it to him then show him where I"m putting it and walk away. Doing that each time until when I s tarted to walk by he'd run to that spot waiting for his treat... low enough where he has to move off that top perch completely.

After a while I"d slack off on how often I put the treats down until I wasn't putting them down at all.

Basically I'd be trying to create a distraction to stop the behavior without engaging him. You'd only have to actually engage him the first few times to show him teh treat and where it's going to be placed...after that it's a preemptive trick.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

GREAT advice!! Enforce the good behavior and discourage the bad. Brilliant!


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

MowMow said:


> After a while I"d slack off on how often I put the treats down until I wasn't putting them down at all.
> 
> Basically I'd be trying to create a distraction to stop the behavior without engaging him. You'd only have to actually engage him the first few times to show him teh treat and where it's going to be placed...after that it's a preemptive trick.



I'm alright with using treats, I'm not so sure about the "wasn't putting them down at all" part.
"...after that it's a preemptive trick"

I prefer the idea of teaching not tricking. The cat will learn that the treat never shows up after a while. They are smarter than that. I don't want them to learn I can't be trusted.
With attention you can be consistent. Be a loving "parent" not a trainer.
The first picture in my head is those big eyes, looking at me, wondering why I'm not giving him/her the goody. That "look" makes me feel about 2 inches tall.:dis


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

....That is not how training works.

The GOAL of training is to link behaviors you like to positive things, and then to wean out the treats for positives like petting or verbal praise.

In any case, not trusting you is very different than "I want a cookie. GIMME!" I've trained all my cats, they do not expect treats from me all the time, and if they did I would be awfully miffed about it. I want my kitties to want to be around me, and to behave because that's what I've trained them to do and they have learned to enjoy doing the right things.

Pets in general don't need treats for every positive behavior they ever do. If you did that you'd end up with hugely fat, demanding, and ultimately untrained pets. Training is only successful when the end result is a pet who will offer the desired behavior without bribes or the expectation of a treat.

I'll also add that if you're such a sucker for 'those eyes' what do you do when you have to medicate them? Just not do it 'because they'll look sad'? That train of though is just such a non-starter with me. I do things for their ultimate good, regardless of how they might feel about it. Not giving them treats 'just 'cause' (often  ) is part of that, IMO.


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

I do understand training techniques, what you talk about I do use, more with dogs and horses. 
I have learned a lot dealing with ferals. Cats are very different critters.
Let's just agree to use what works for our situation. If it works, that's all that matters.
Believe me, with the cats I've had and have, I do know how to medicate! As a matter of fact it's insulin time!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

The same techniques can definitely apply to cats as well. They are different, so you need to change your expectations and approach a bit...but it still works. That's the lovely thing about science-based training methods - they work on everything with a brain. Feral cats included 

I'm much more cautious about 'use what works' though. I've seen THAT go badly on more than one occasion. *shrugs* Not saying that's the case with you, just that I'm very wary about that particular saying.

I don't know that being a parent and being a trainer are different. As a parent you still need to teach appropriate behavior, manage situations, and look for positive outcomes...IMO it's part of the job description.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

My point was the distraction (food) to bring the cat down out of perch that causes the problem. Not as a reward for attacking. It's to come BEFORE the attack to prevent it completely. By the time you taper off the treats the attack part is history to hopefully never return because he's used to his person walking around his cat tree.

By the time the cat stops getting the treats he'll be used to his person walking around under him on the perch.

If you don't think it'll work for your cat then... don't do it. All I know is, it worked GREAT for Book when he did the exact same thing to me when I got his tower two years ago. It wasn't about 'tricking' anyone. It was about providing a distraction to stop the attacks before they start.


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## Enslaved by Moose (Jan 30, 2013)

*Lots of good ideas*

Thanks everyone, lots of good ideas here & I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with an otherwise sweet cat with an on-cat-tree-only attitude. 

Moose's Mom


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## tezster (Jun 4, 2013)

I'm thinking that there are certain areas, or even situations, that trigger a cat's territorial response more than others, resulting in "this is mine, not yours, so scram!" behaviour.

With my cats, this translates to most of the elevated cat-shelf lookout points by the windows. There's plenty of room to share, but sometimes, one cat likes to spread out and occupy as much space as possible, preventing the other cat to come too close. Hissing ensues if they encroach on their perceived personal space.

There are certain spaces my cats go where I make it a point not to bother them. Hopefully, this reinforces in the cats mind that they are 'safe' spots they can go to if they don't want to be bothered.


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

librarychick said:


> The same techniques can definitely apply to cats as well. They are different, so you need to change your expectations and approach a bit...but it still works. That's the lovely thing about science-based training methods - they work on everything with a brain. Feral cats included
> 
> I'm much more cautious about 'use what works' though. I've seen THAT go badly on more than one occasion. *shrugs* Not saying that's the case with you, just that I'm very wary about that particular saying.
> 
> I don't know that being a parent and being a trainer are different. As a parent you still need to teach appropriate behavior, manage situations, and look for positive outcomes...IMO it's part of the job description.


You're right. I think my problem is having heard too many idiots (which you are absolutely not) boast of training techniques that fall into that category of "whatever works"
It actually sounds like you and I may be more alike than not.
It amazes me how many purrsonalities cat's have. Sometimes the hardest, or funnest, part of training is fitting the technique to the animal. 
But then. I think I run into that more with horses than with cats.


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

MowMow said:


> My point was the distraction (food) to bring the cat down out of perch that causes the problem. Not as a reward for attacking. It's to come BEFORE the attack to prevent it completely. By the time you taper off the treats the attack part is history to hopefully never return because he's used to his person walking around his cat tree.
> 
> By the time the cat stops getting the treats he'll be used to his person walking around under him on the perch.
> 
> If you don't think it'll work for your cat then... don't do it. All I know is, it worked GREAT for Book when he did the exact same thing to me when I got his tower two years ago. It wasn't about 'tricking' anyone. It was about providing a distraction to stop the attacks before they start.


I do understand the part about distraction. I guess I'm not sure if that changes the idea of the level in question though. You have moved him from that place to another one. Doesn't that just cause him to change locations when he sees you, not change the attitude of the one? I don't know if I make any sense. The point is that you have peace in your home and that is what is important!:kittyturn:kittyturn


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