If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Aggressive cat
I adopted a tiny, cute 1.5 y.o. female from SPCA and have struggled
with her for almost 3 years. On a dime, she will turn and bite or scratch me. I had a friend over for brunch the other day and she drew blood! Any suggestions? She is a very nervous cat. Tx |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Aggressive cat
wrote in message
oups.com... I adopted a tiny, cute 1.5 y.o. female from SPCA and have struggled with her for almost 3 years. On a dime, she will turn and bite or scratch me. I had a friend over for brunch the other day and she drew blood! Any suggestions? She is a very nervous cat. Tx Was she declawed? -- Hugs, CatNipped See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/ |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Aggressive cat
No, she has her claws. I am hesitant about declawing her b/c my vet
says that sometimes makes them bite more. And she already put my on antibiotics when she bit me. I've never had a cat like this, all the rest have been calm and affectionate. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Aggressive cat
CatNipped raises an interesting point, because aggression has been associated
with declawed cats. I know this is a long-standing problem, but I would have her thoroughly checked by a vet to rule out anything medical. Here are a couple of links: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/aggression.html http://www.fabcats.org/nervous-aggression.html wrote: I adopted a tiny, cute 1.5 y.o. female from SPCA and have struggled with her for almost 3 years. On a dime, she will turn and bite or scratch me. I had a friend over for brunch the other day and she drew blood! Any suggestions? She is a very nervous cat. Tx -- Message posted via CatKB.com http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200605/1 |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Aggressive cat
Thanks for the links - helpful. She's more of a jittery cat than a
nervous cat and I think that her "aggression" may not be true aggression. Since she spent so much time at the SPCA, most of the time playing with other cats and kittens, I think that she never really learned proper "human manners" and just plays rough. However, how do I teach her that I'm not a cat! If she bites or claws me, I put her down and ignore her, but sometimes she will jump at my leg. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Aggressive cat
wrote in message
oups.com... No, she has her claws. I am hesitant about declawing her b/c my vet says that sometimes makes them bite more. And she already put my on antibiotics when she bit me. I've never had a cat like this, all the rest have been calm and affectionate. Your vet is right, that's why I asked. First you have to figure out why she's biting. Is she becoming too stimulated by play or petting? [Be sure you play with her *only* with toys and not with your hands.] If it's from too much petting you'll have to learn to watch for the signs she's getting enough *before* she bites. Look for twitching tail, ears laid slightly back, back twitching, very low pitched growling or grumbling, or increased respiration. Once you start to see those signs stop petting her immediately and set her down to let her calm down [and BTW, don't ever pick her up when she doesn't want to be picked up - let her come to you]. It's always better to leave her wanting more petting than to over-stimulate her into biting and having that become a behavioral problem. What you'll have to do next is start behavioral modification when she does bite you. First, as soon as she gets too rough with you give a high-pitched "MEW" - this is a kitten's signal to another kitten that they've gotten too rough - it should make her immediately stop her agression. Next, and this is the hardest thing to do - going against your every instinct, don't pull your hand back when she bites down on it - shove it slightly forward instead. This not only contradicts a prey's behavior in nature and throws her a surprise, it will make her gag her mouth open enough for you to withdraw your hand more easily with less damage to yourself (everything in a cat's mouth, teeth, tongue, and its structure, is designed to pull things inward that are struggling to get outward). Next, after the bite, give her time-out in another room with no distractions. Having a cat whose a biter (I was ignorant and had her declawed before I even knew what that entailed), I would advise you to keep current on your tetanus shots. -- Hugs, CatNipped See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/ |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Aggressive cat
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Aggressive Cat and Kittens - Part 2 | rose ricciuto | Cat health & behaviour | 17 | August 4th 05 07:16 AM |
What to do with my Aggressive Cat | mike_arl | Cat health & behaviour | 2 | June 27th 05 04:36 PM |
Need advice AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR | Toni&Nate | Cat health & behaviour | 2 | April 3rd 05 07:55 PM |
Surprisingly Aggressive Behavior by Older Kitten Towards New Kitten | Jonny R | Cat health & behaviour | 27 | June 25th 04 02:39 PM |
aggressive cat [long] | Fork | Cat health & behaviour | 36 | September 10th 03 03:49 PM |