Angry Cat

[Micheal]

We have a 1 1/2 year old cat that we received from the humane society when she was 3 months old. Our cats behavior has changed considerably over the course of that time, she used to play and snuggle with us and visitors. I am not sure of any specific events that would of caused these behaviors over the course of that time. The situation now is that my wife is the only person that the cat will allow to touch her. She will get angry, growl, hiss and puff up when anyone else approaches her, or is even in the house. She will tolerate me and used to let me pet her and play with her, but now if I even look at her she gets "pissy". Here tail starts flapping wildly and she starts to growl. My wife feels that she is more tolerant of women, but I have not observed this myself.

I am not sure what happened to her, or why she got this way. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[moosmom]

Do you happen to know your cat's history?? What you described sounds like she may have been abused by a man. Usually cats who have been abused, will be aggressive and mean towards the gender that abused them.

What you might want to try is sitting on the floor with your cat with cat treats or catnip. Toss some her way and let her approach you. Don't make direct eye contact with her, but speak softly to her. Looking directly into her eyes is deemed a threat. Once she realizes that you mean her no harm, she should start warming up to you, especially if you shower her with food and kindness.

Good luck and please let us know how you make out!