Violently aggressive cat - long post

Hi, I just found this board and I'm hoping someone could give me some insight on cat behavior.
I've had several cats over the years, most of which I raised from small kittens. They turned into great, tolerant adults and I never had any problems with them.
I've never seen a cat actually get mad at a person until I moved in with my boyfriend and met his cat.
It took a few months for him to learn to trust me to a level where he didn't try to bite me when I touched him. He's very aggressive with people he doesn't know (indoor cat, de-clawed, fixed), he was worse at first, yowling at them and then attacking their legs. Biting hard!! But he's become better since I met him. Now he only warns people with a loud drawn out meow. Not really attacking unless they get too close.
Anyways, every time I think I've finally won the cat over he comes out of nowhere and bites into my forearm! Really hard, leaving two huge cuts from his teeth and a bruise.
Last time I was in bed, reading my book when he bit me. :confused: No provocation at all!
He doesn't attack my boyfriend out of nowhere like that but once in a while he'll get mad when he pets him for too long and bite him too. It seems he only wants attention on his own terms and when he doesn't want it to end, instead of getting up and leaving, he bites. :(
Any ideas on what I can do? We have to keep him, we do love him, most of the time he's good and we know that no one else could possibly have him the way he is.
How do I win him over? Stop the unprovoked attacks? What could have done this to him? My boyfriend had him since he was a tiny kitten and said he was fine in his youth.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Do you know any of his history? Three things spring to mind immediately. One is that maybe he was an abused cat before your boyfriend got him. If that's the case you may never see much change in him, unless he's still young and will eventually learn the abuse has stopped and he can trust again.

The only other thing that occurs off the top of my head is that he may have some organic mental disease - in other words, your cat may be psycho! :eek: I'm making light of it, but it is a possibility, albeit a slim one.

In either case, a good vet can help with calming drugs, if that's not against your beliefs (some people have trouble giving a cat Prozac).

I don't want to start the controversy, and even hesitate to mention this, but some cats exhibit this kind of behavior after declawing, especially if the procedure is done as they are older. Did this behavior start after the declawing? If so, there may not be much that can be done now.

I'm glad to hear you say you love him anyway, it sounds like this little guy needs it.

I'm sorry, the first time I read your post I somehow missed your statement that your boyfriend has had him since he was a tiny kitten! Scratch that first idea then! The second and third possibilities look even stronger with the limited information.

All I could think of when I read your post was "Butter" without claws. I have a stray that I took in almost 8 months ago, Butter, who my vet has nicknamed "Killer", after viewing the scars on my arms. He bites, but he also has all claws intact and uses them quite often! And he is totally unpredicatable. He will sneak up and attack my legs while I am at my desk, but then 15 minutes later, I might find him sleeping within inches of my feet, or right next to me on the bed or couch. I have learned that I need to calmly pet him a couple of times, and then keep my distance. I always make sure to talk softly and sweetly to him, but never fail to say a big, loud OUCH when he latches on to me. I startle him so that he usually lets go. He is NOT trusting yet. And as Leah mentioned, there is no telling what kind of abuse or neglect he suffered in his early life.

Patience is my only suggestion, and to make sure you isolate him in a comfortable space when visitors come. I am always warning people that Butter isn't quite as affectionate as he seems. But most of his aggression is taken out on me for some reason.

Good luck, and Welcome to Pet Talk.

Logan

Thanks for the advise!
I've probed my boyfriend a bit more to find out how long Scooby has been acting this way and it turns out that he wasn't like this until after he was de-clawed. He was fairly young, still biting but in a kittenish way until he came back from the vet.. :( Then he became as he is now. Hates having his paws touched especially. He's a terror at the vet's, they have get 2 people to hold him down, wearing thick leather gloves.
We'll take him back to a different vet and see what he or she suggests. I'll keep you up to date and thanks again for the advice!
I'll be sure to buy some feather toys, with that and the paper balls he fetches, yes, he fetches, perhaps he can channel his energy in more positive directions. :)

It sounds very much like it was the declawing. He may also have some nerve damage due to the procedure since he doesn't let anyone touch his paws. I would visit the vet again and give a complete history, including the type of behavior and when it started, and include the fact that his paws are apparently still painful. Good luck with this little guy.

You should also consider your behavior before and after the attacks. This happened to me with Noah for the first month...the reason was is that I was jumping around sreaming each time he attacked. It was FUN to have a giant squeek toy to play with! :eek:

Before you consider diagnosing this cat with mental problems, see how things go when you calmly react to his atacks by placing him on the floor, with a toy, away from you. If he continues, use a spray bottle.

It totally worked with Noah, and to be honest, I swear he KNOWS we don't like him clawing or biting becuase now when he plays with me, his claws are in and he nibbles, he doesn't latch on like before.

The reason I know this was the case with our kitten, was that he wouldn't attack my hubby like he did me. He seemed to think I was here just for him to practice his attack skills. :(

Good luck and let us know what happens with Scooby.

LuvDFuzz, welcome to Pet Talk! Reading about Scooby was just like me reading about my husband's cat Scooter. I can totally sympathize with your predicament! It almost sounds like the same kind of behavioral problem that my husband's cat has. I do agree with 4 feline at the possibility of the behavior occuring as a direct result of the declaw prodecure. I was startled to find out that behaviors such as these can develop after surgery. It is still a little unclear if it is a direct correlation between the surgery and behavior. I've read different articles and opinions from vets about this issue. Unfortunately, there really isn't a lot you can do but try to observe Scooby's behavior before attacks, so you can try to aviod them. Or, my vet recommended 2 different kinds of drugs for Scooter when we were trying to come up with alternatives. The first was to give valium. The benefits are it's cheap and it usually works. The downfalls is that you have to give it 2 times a day. We tried this. We definitely did notice that he relaxed considerably. Like your kitty, our Scooter is just a complete terror at the vet's to the point that they have to "net him" so that can tranquilize him before even touching him for an exam. The valium make him considerably more relaxed and friendly.
The other option was a drug called Ovaban. The plus sides of this were it works, it's affordable, you only had to give it once a week...I think. But, the downfalls was that there is a possibility of it causing a type of cancer in cats, that once you find out about it...it's too late. My vet did say it doesn't happen very often...but that doesn't mean much when it happens to your cat. My husband was a little leery of that choice...because knowing our luck...it would be our cat!!
Good luck with your kitty. I certainly hope you can get him to open up to you and not attack so much! Please keep us posted!!
*hugs*
Karen

Quote:

---

You should also consider your behavior before and after the attacks. This happened to me with Noah for the first month...the reason was is that I was jumping around sreaming each time he attacked. It was FUN to have a giant squeek toy to play with! :eek:

---

We noticed this kind of thing so running, sqealing and other exited behaviour is avoided when he's around. He attacks when I'm sitting quietly, coming out of nowhere, and is perfectly calm before he bites.

Quote:

---

Before you consider diagnosing this cat with mental problems, see how things go when you calmly react to his atacks by placing him on the floor, with a toy, away from you. If he continues, use a spray bottle.

---

Of course me must have one of the only cats in existance that doesn't mind getting wet!! He'll sit there and let us soak his furr and just look at us. The only time he bothers to walk away is when we spray him directly in the face.

Quote:

---

Good luck and let us know what happens with Scooby.

---

Thanks for the ideas! I'll keep you up to date!

Oh my goodness. I am sorry that I didn't think it was as serious as it was. :(

I hope you can find a solution to this...cat attacks hurt!

:eek:

Quote:

---

Good luck with your kitty. I certainly hope you can get him to open up to you and not attack so much! Please keep us posted!!
*hugs*
Karen

---

Thanks Karen! You've given me a lot to think about.. The information on the drugs is especially useful!

Cecilia

Noah's Mommy:
Thanks for the support! We're used to it now so it's not so hard to live with. I just wish my arm healed faster! lol

LuvDFuzz,

I just saw that on your profile you breed hampsters! They are so cute!!! Do you have a problem with the cat and the little ones?

P.S. I know what you mean! I swear kitties have something in them to prolong the healing process! Especially when they get you with thier teeth! Ouch! :eek:

Noah's Mommy:

Actually Scooby loves to watch the hamsters running around. That's about the extent of his interest though. He sits by their cages and watches, smells, and watches some more.
When the hamsters are out, he ignores them! Just walks right by like there's nothing special going on. The hamsters don't seem to mind him either. They grew up with him watching so I guess they know they're safe.

You would think he would be more aggressive with them but I guess he's content to watch. Birds are another matter, he sits on the windowsill and meows his frustrations at them! lol

LuvDFuz,

How funny! Scooby sounds like a character! Noah likes to watch the birds come to the bird feeder, but he seems intrigued with them. He is only 3 months old though, maybe when he's older he'll figure out he wants to eat them!

He likes to "attack" our rabbit though, as if it were another kitten. I don't think he understands...

Quote:

---

I had a bird feeder in the back yard. It's down now. I have witnessed Ms Vicky jump five feet and hang on the bird feeder for half a minute :eek:.

---

Wow! That's some feat!! Sounds like one very determined kitty!

Quote:

---

Worst of all, she is an "ace" - 5-6 kills and left them for Garbo to treat on. Doves on the ground are esp vunerable...

---

My last cat, Toby, was also a great hunger.. Very few days went by without some sort of "gift" waiting for us by the front door. Sometimes we took small animals away from him and managed to save them. He must have had his fill already!
His largest catch was a rabbit! Don't ask me how he managed to bring the poor thing back to the door!!

Quote:

---

I am planning to post the bird house seven feet high with a screen barrier that will keep the feed from the ground, the cats out of the air. I hope the new bird feeder will be safe.

---

I hope so too! Sounds like an interesting idea.. Unless of course Ms Vicky uses the screen to monkey bar his way over to the side, hoists herself over and gets herself a "feeding platform" to hunt from. But I think the birds would be long gone by then anyway! LOL :D

Quote:

---

If I get flamed over letting Ms. Vicky become a mass murder, it's deserved.

---

If someone flames you, they don't have an outdoor cat. Can you blame them for doing what's natural? I think not! :)

Quote:

---

Originally posted by NoahsMommy:
<STRONG>LuvDFuz,

He likes to "attack" our rabbit though, as if it were another kitten. I don't think he understands...</STRONG>

---

Some cats get along great with rabbits! My friend had a rabbit running free in her house, litter trained, and their cat didn't seem to mind much. Once in a while he would take a swipe at the rabbit, until the rabbit fought back.. Then they just left each other alone.
Perhaps since your kitty is so young they'll become fast friends! :)

OK, Spencer and Luv, I'm going to take the opposite view - come on flames! Of course, cats will do what comes naturally, but luring prey to their waiting claws and jaws is something else altogether, in my humble opinion. Spencer, I'm glad you've taken steps - all those pictures of dead birds really bothered me. No, you can't stop cats from being predatroy carnivores, but, like I said....I feed birds but my cats have never expressed an interest in them; besides, it's too difficult for them to reach the birds. They're much more interested in the cottonwood leaves blowing around.

Quote:

---

No, you can't stop cats from being predatroy carnivores, but, like I said....I feed birds but my cats have never expressed an interest in them; besides, it's too difficult for them to reach the birds. They're much more interested in the cottonwood leaves blowing around.

---

I think we may have our wires crossed somewhere.. I never meant that anyone would intentionally lure birds to their home so their cat would snack on them. The thought never even occured to me so your message came as a huge suprise!! :eek:
We lived in an area that was close to a forest when I had Toby, he would go off by himself for most of the day, not stay in our back yard to catch animals. We always called him away and make it very clear that we didn't like him stalking them if we saw him even watching birds when we were around.
Sorry if you misunderstood, but I'm not about to follow my cat around, even if I could, everywhere he goes to make sure he's always behaving the way I feel he should. I'll do what I can when he's in my sight. He didn't hunt at home anyway, he learned he would never get away with it when we just scared off his prey every time.

[ August 21, 2001: Message edited by: LuvDFuzz ]

LuvDFuzz, no I didn't think that's what you meant! I wouldn't expect anyone to follow their cats around every second! He he!

I noticed you guys have pictures of cats in your signatures.. Are these your cats?? Cute, if a bit small! The pictures not the cats! :D

ps let's stay away from the bird thing to keep things positive, k? :)

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SpencerTheLion:
<STRONG>That thumbnail is Spencer. The full-sized picture everytime would slow down the site. You can see my cats (& fosters) at URL HERE . My cats are Spencer, Xena, Ms. Vicky, AJ, and Garbo. Mr. Socks is in a new home by himself because he would not get along with the others...</STRONG>

---

That's a lot of cats! :eek:
I was always trying to convince my mom to have more cats when I lived with her.. Not until now, many years later, has she taken it to heart. She now has 3 with a stray that's become their "always outdoor" cat.
We had 2 living here until Scooby became used to Oreo and no longer feared her. He started to take his frustrations out on her and things got bad.. :( She's living with mom now too and is much happier.

I can't get into the site to see the pictures.. says i'm not the owner of the album.. Perhaps there's some other way to see them? If not, thanks anyway.

[ August 22, 2001: Message edited by: LuvDFuzz ]