# HELP!! We have a horrible cat.



## Kat1972 (Jan 28, 2011)

After trawling the net for several months and being unable to find any information that works...im really hoping that someone on here may be able to help.

We have a 2 year old medium haired Tabby Tortoiseshell which can only be described as horrible. My youngest son is autistic and my wife and myself often think we have the feline equivalent of him. From the offset she has always being very skittish...the slightest noise makes her run for cover, if she is sat at the bottom of the stairs and you walk towards her she will shoot up the stairs at 100mph. Everything is on her terms, she will only sit on your lap if she is cold or hangs around you if she is hungry. If she is sat upstairs in the bedroom window and you happen to walk past she will think nothing of swiping at you and hissing.

Sometimes if she is feeling in the mood to be stroked she will catch you off guard and sink her teeth in to you when you arent looking....which again is normally followed by a hiss. She is also fond of swiping at the backs of your legs and ankles when walking past.

She has been like this since she was 8 weeks old when we got her. She has been neutered but was the same before and after...she has always been horrible!! We really dont want to get rid of her but shes not putting up a very good case for herself. 

I really appreciate any advise on what we could try or with any ideas to why she may be like the way she is. Thanks in advance PS...she gets on really well with our 7yr old Westie!!


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

Kat1972 said:


> From the offset she has always being very skittish...the slightest noise makes her run for cover, if she is sat at the bottom of the stairs and you walk towards her she will shoot up the stairs at 100mph.
> 
> *you got her at 8weeks which is 5weeks too early, im guessing that she wasnt socialised so is very nervy  shes sound very fearful, you could try being very slow around her and try a feliway plug in, one upstairs and one downstairs, you can buy them online.*
> 
> ...


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## Gem16 (Aug 5, 2010)

I don't mean any offence but do you think it's possible she is worried by your son? sometimes animals pick up on things like that and it worries them if their sensitive.
The fact you call your cat horrible suggests you may not be a very experienced cat owner and perhaps you would be happier with a more laid back cat and she would be happier in a different environment? you may just not suit each other, it happens unfortunately.


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## Cloudygirl (Jan 9, 2011)

my aunt has a horrible cat and she's about 14 now. When she was a kitten she clawed her way up peoples legs and across feet and even now she gives you death stares. Sometimes she just jumps at you and she tolerates strokes for about 2 mins before going for you. 

We still love her though. She doesnt seem distressed she seems to like being horrible.


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## Philski (May 28, 2010)

Gem16 said:


> I don't mean any offence but do you think it's possible she is worried by your son?


It sounds a bit like crying for attention. If your son takes up a lot of your time, maybe the cat is trying to compete...


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## Gem16 (Aug 5, 2010)

Cloudygirl said:


> my aunt has a horrible cat and she's about 14 now. When she was a kitten she clawed her way up peoples legs and across feet and even now she gives you death stares. Sometimes she just jumps at you and she tolerates strokes for about 2 mins before going for you.
> 
> We still love her though. She doesnt seem distressed she seems to like being horrible.


There is NO such thing as a horrible cat. It's called character


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

I have a horrible cat too , well, she's not so horrible now but she was for many years! She's calmed down since she turned about 7, she's actually verging on nice, we can stroke her now anyway. I think time and patience is a miracle worker, at let her come round in her own time.

She was abandoned at 2 weeks, and her mother died along with her littermates but one, when she was 3 weeks, so she never received the socialisation kittens need. I'm sure its something to do with kittens being away from their mother too young.


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## XxZoexX (Sep 8, 2010)

I wouldnt say horrible either just Grumpy :lol:


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## Missiechan (Jan 28, 2011)

Kat1972 said:


> After trawling the net for several months and being unable to find any information that works...im really hoping that someone on here may be able to help.
> 
> We have a 2 year old medium haired Tabby Tortoiseshell which can only be described as horrible. My youngest son is autistic and my wife and myself often think we have the feline equivalent of him. From the offset she has always being very skittish...the slightest noise makes her run for cover, if she is sat at the bottom of the stairs and you walk towards her she will shoot up the stairs at 100mph. Everything is on her terms, she will only sit on your lap if she is cold or hangs around you if she is hungry. If she is sat upstairs in the bedroom window and you happen to walk past she will think nothing of swiping at you and hissing.
> 
> ...


She sounds a lot like my Biscuit. I joke to people that she has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from her bad start living in a parking area with a group of wild cats. She's very jumpy too and isn't good with people, but I find little things help her feel more secure. She doesn't go outside, she's a fully indoor cat, and she has a lot of little hidey holes around the house to run to. She sleeps on my bed and she understands that when my alarm goes off in the mornings, it's time for me to feed her. For some reason, she likes sitting with me in the shower. I dunno how helpful this info is, but it could be just a matter of finding out what she likes and encouraging it.


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## Kat1972 (Jan 28, 2011)

Thank you everyone for your speedy replies.

I bought her from what i thought was an experienced breeder, we were told 8 weeks is about the norm and found several people stating the same things. We have always been very gentle around her and tried to make our movements as slow as possible towards her. She doesnt always bite when we stroke her, sometimes she is fine but more usually than not she will bite scratch and hiss. We did wonder if our youngest was upsetting her however he has always been very sweet to her and gentle...so if it is him i would be very suprised.

Ive had cats for 20 yrs..i know most of their ways , what they like/dont like so it wasnt as if we jumped in to buying the first cat and treated her incorrectly....she is just a very odd cat

She is now sat next to the wife like butter wouldnt melt, but i know if i was to go over and attempt to stroke her/ move her so i could sit down she would turn in to bengal tiger.

I will get try the products as suggested... i will try anything within reason...like i said i really dont want to get rid of her but at the moment she doesnt have many endearing features


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## Nina_82 (Sep 26, 2010)

Taylorbaby said:


> sounds normal! everything is always on the cats terms!


Lol. Totally agree with that!

My cat thinks nothing of giving me a quick smack with her paw if she is in a grumpy mood! 
She also smacks the dog!

I have been around cats since I was a small child and all of them have been quite self-centred! I thought that's how most cats are?


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## Sparkles87 (Aug 30, 2010)

Hello!
Hmmm, I'm not very experienced, but I'm inclined to think she's not being deliberately 'horrible' as such. 
Buffie on the forum has a ragdoll kitten (well, he's almost a cat now!) who had/has behaviour problems. I don't know if it's an option but I know she took him to a behaviour therapist (if that's the right phrase ) to pinpoint why he was behaving the way he was, and gain some professional help as to what she could do to help Meeko (her beautiful kitten).
Also, as Taylorbaby said, have you tried Feliway? If she is highly stressed out this may take the edge off for her. Have you seen your vet to make sure no physical problems exist?
I hope you find something that helps and your family and puss soon have a great relationship 
Sparkles
xx


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Kat1972 said:


> I bought her from what i thought was an experienced breeder, we were told 8 weeks is about the norm and found several people stating the same things.


well it depends who you are asking what is the norm

for backyard breeders more interested in money than feline welfare it is the norm, in fact they often rehome < 8 weeks too. It's all about money and fast turnover!

for good ethical and responsible breeders 12-13 weeks is the norm


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## Kat1972 (Jan 28, 2011)

Perhaps that is the problem then, perhaps she was taken too soon from mum and never established anything. Is there a way to re-establish that?

Thank you everyone for the advise...i will buy the feliway over the weekend and keep you posted to how we get on.:thumbsup:


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## Kiwi (Nov 18, 2010)

Hi - I'm no expert but have a few suggestions/comments as your cat sounds similar to ours when we got her (sorry if this is teaching granny ): If you are buying feliway, I'd certainly buy the diffuser (I have one upstairs and down) AND the handy spray to spray on her bedding and carrier etc. But be warned - they are expensive, so you might need to prioritise. If she is stressed, does she have a place she can go to away from everybody in the house? If so, i'd put the diffuser there. You might also want to think about a grooming mit to stroke her with rather than your hand for a while. Also, there is a homeopathic stress-remedy called Zylkene which my vet recommended as they are having very positivie results with this. I'm pretty sure it is only for short term use but it might help if you are going to go back to basics to try to socialise her. My cat isn't horrible but as an ex-barn cat (probably removed from her mum too young & not at all socialised) she remains very skittish and the racing up the stairs is normal. A good (hands off toy) for expending all that energy is a laser mouse up and down the stairs. If she swipes you as you go up the stairs, it might be that she feels threatened and cornered as you pass. We have had the odd scratch and bite but after 18 mths, she has become quite affectionate. She'll never be a lap cat but likes to be with us (sleeps on the bed and wakes me up with licks) even tho she doesn't like being touched. Don't lose faith just yet. Incidentally, my cat also likes most dogs, although we don't own one. Good Luck


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## Kat1972 (Jan 28, 2011)

Thank you for the advice.

She has several places she goes to when she runs away, usually underneath my eldests sons bed ( god knows why you would want to hide under a teenagers bed ) but she does. Your cat sounds very similar to ours so its good to hear the Feliway made some difference.

Thanks again.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Hi, I'm interested to know,has something changed in her behaviour for you to be asking about it after two years?As Sparkles has said I have a Ragdoll who is now 11months and is greatly improved in his behaviour now,not perfect ,and probably never will be.I knew he had problems practically from day 1.As a kitten he would stalk,attack and tear lumps out of arms.He was very poorly socialised as a baby and taken from mum at 9 weeks,which i know now was far to early.I had to seek professional help from a behaviourist.Knowing why he was reacting and the triggers/signs to watch for and avoid gave me the tools I needed to help him,passing him on to someone else was never an option.If I couldnt help him I didnt see why I should pass his problems on so it was up to me to sort it out.I suggest you ask your vet to recommend a pet behaviourist and see if you can find out why she is behaving as she is.Good luck and please sed me a P.M.if you think I may be of help.


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## Kat1972 (Jan 28, 2011)

No shes been like it for the past 2 years , perhaps she has got a little worse the past 3 months but i put that down to her not going out that much because she seems to hate the bad weather. Im going to try all of the advice and keep you informed of her progress. Thanks for the help


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## Lu85 (Sep 20, 2010)

Hi my merlin was the same when he was younger you would sit watching tv and he would just attack you for no reason no he has grown up a little bit and found his feet he is not as bad although he does like to bite alot. You just need to stick with it and use the word 'NO' when is does something naughty


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## Lucyh (Dec 30, 2010)

Sounds like one of my cats, he is only 10 months and I thought he might grow out of it... I find spraying Feliway on my clothes, especially my sleeves, before stroking him helps a bit. (it doesn't smell of anything)
Mine were both born as strays and I got them from a rescue centre, so it's understandable, but his brother is the sweetest most affectionate little thing now, so it's not all to do with their experiences when kittens. Perhaps some cats are just grumpy!


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## ChinaBlue (Feb 3, 2008)

Agree with all the advice given especially about the Feliway. Just may be an idea for a quick visit to the vet to make sure she is 100% A OK, not suffering from problems with her teeth or whatever that may make her more grumpy.


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

My rescue female cat was found abandoned on a rooftop at about one year old. I suspect she was also taken from her mother too young. She was also what I would call "horrible": bitey, scratchy, hissy, aggressive. I got the help of an animal behaviourist who worked on what was termed "claw inhibition", also using T-Touch therapy. She is now almost 3 years old and has improved a great deal. Still has a bit of a quick-temper, though, and gets overstimulated (overexcited and bitey) very quickly when being petted. Still, the behaviourist helped me identify the signs of impending aggression so I could avoid being attacked. I have realised she will probably never be the "flopsy-cuddlebunny" lapcat like my male cat. Instead, she is the clown of the family and quite independent. We love her to bits (especially when she is asleep


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