Spontaneously aggressive cat. HELP!

Hi. I really need some advice. I have a two year old female cat who shows spontaneous aggression towards me (not my husband). For the most part my cat is very loving and enjoys sitting on laps, being held, etc. However, about once a week she will lurch forward and give a quick but strong bite to my leg, foot, or arm. This often occurs when I am not even moving or touching her (this has happened several times when I was asleep). Or she will lurch forward and swipe at my leg as I am walking by leaving three short blood tracks on my lower calf. Can you please tell me why my cat might do this? Each time this happens I ponder having the cat put down because I am so tired of these attacks especially since they so frequently draw blood.

Additional information: We got the cat at a very young age (4 weeks?) and we know that the mother was farrel. Also, we have a male cat who lives in the apartment, and while the cats really get along, the male cat does occasionally pounce on her and make her mad. Both cats are fixed.

Do you have any possible solutions to this problem?

 

First I would recommend having her checked over by a vet to rule out any medical problems that might be associated with her aggression.

Have you ever noticed this happening prior to her spontaneous attatcks? If so, it could be re-directed aggression....where your male cat upset her but she later takes out on you. If not, it could be predatory or play aggression which you can probably decrease by playing with her more with stimulating toys that she can attack.

Here are a few links with further info. on aggression towards humans in cats:
http://web.vet.cornell.edu/Public/FHC/aggression.html
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/cathumag.htm
http://www.perfectpaws.com/agg.html

 

i totally

I totally agree with what nern said.. and i think that maybe you should look into having them declawed if they stay inside if the problem persists...

 

Dear Nern,
Thank you for your reply. I believe my cat exhibits re-directed aggression (due to my other cat startling her or pouncing), petting-induced aggression (she has suddenly decided she has had too much of me), and play induced aggression (this is when she swats me because I am moving and she wants to play).

I think I can solve the re-directed aggression by not allowing the cats into the bedroom at night. This way she won't bite me while she and my other cat are fighting for "bed territory".

As far as the petting-induced aggression I just need to be VERY careful about reading her signs and maybe avoid having her on my lap for too long.

The play-induced aggression thing is tricky because she plays so much with my other cat that it seems she has enough running around time. Maybe she just isn't suited to being an apartment cat. She would be better as an outside housecat where she can chase bugs and stuff. I will try to set up some sort of play schedule.

Anyway I am going to do my best with her. The most difficult thing is not to get angry and yell when she bites/scratches me.

 

Re: i totally

I disagree. Declawing is not neccessary, could make matters worse and won't solve the problem since the cat is also biting.

 

Well, she is still young so I imagine she may become a little less active as she gets older and then maybe she won't have such a strong need to play as often.
One of mine (almost 3yrs old) is pretty active...though he has just recently started to calm down a bit. He used to love to grab me while I was walking by or suddenly attack and bite my feet while I was watching TV...thats when I would usually get out the toys and tire him out. He's usually good for the rest of the night after that.

Best of luck. :wink:

 

Hi. I agree %100 with everything Nern said. I also agree that declawing is not the answer.

My cat Handsome does the same thing. I call it 'sneak attack.' I think it's so funny (mind you I usually have pants on). Sometimes I know the sneak attack is coming, because I can see him wiggling his body from side to side waiting for the perfect moment for him to 'sneak attack me.' I always let him think that I am surprised. It makes him happy. Anyway, like Nern said I too get all the various toys out, as I know he wants to play.

 

try this

I was thinking if her claws are the problem maybe you could try softclaws. We have them on both of our cats and it has helped immensly with the problem. Just a suggestion! :lol:

 

You could try purchasing a lazer pointer...i can tire my cats out pretty quickly with one of those...they are a great toy and you dont have to be right next to them to play with it...goodluck

 

lol

I am glad to hear my cat is not the only one out there that does that! She will attack my head in the middle of the night if I move (she sleeps on my pillow!) bites my feet as I walk, bites when patted too long, etc...... and she is 5 1/2 years old now.

I was told that cats can get overstimulated when patted. I just avoid patting too long and promptly remove her when she attacks. Sometimes a water bottle helps. She runs if I make a move for it and she knows she has done something I don't like. Trimming their claws will take the edge off a scratch...I really dont recommend declawing. It's like removing your fingernails and you can imagine what that would feel like!!

Good Luck!

 

Can you tell me what softclaws are? I have never heard of this.
Also, I was surprised to read that cats can get overstimulated by petting. I had never heard of that either. My one cat just LOVES it and could get his head scratched all day.

Since I wrote my first letter, it doesn't seem that things have changed much. THe only thing I will say is that it is nice not having the cats in the bedroom because they take up too much space. Patience.

 

Hi. Here is a link below on information on Soft Paws/Claws.

http://www.softpaws.com/

 

Also check out this site. It has tons of info and solutions about cat aggression. Very cool site. I hope you take a look at it.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Poin ... avior.html