# Cat hissing at me.



## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi there,

My Cat tipsy is still hissing at us. Ive seperated him as much as I can from the kitten to give them each a bit of space and I think he is much happier but from time to time Tipsy is still growling and hissing.

He has been unwell and I took him to the vet and all was ok. He was off his food but since the antibiotic injections he seems to have regained his appetite.

Still cant understand why he is hissing and growling he was always a wee bit moody but also very very loving when he wanted to be, which he still is, but this hissing is quite frightening I went to give him a cuddle and he looked at me and hissed very loudly .

Has anyone else had this problem. 


Thanks Kyria.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Kyria -- the hissing is his way of telling you he is unhappy and therefore not in the mood for cuddles. 

One of mine does this when he is upset by my latest adopted cat, whom he does not get on with. He is his normal friendly self as long as he has no contact at all with the other cat. But sometimes he sees him from the window, (when I have let the new cat out whilst the original cat is shut in), and gets very angry
.


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## Sussexplumber (Oct 5, 2011)

Yeah I have, mine hissed seriously at me a few days ago. I knew she wasn`t quite 100% and I was gently playing with her paw when she "flipped", teeth bared, full aggression, quite close to my face. All over in a flash. I thought she wasn`t herself by her behaviour that evening and I suspect she wasn`t feeling well. It`s never happened before and I`ve taken the hint!

She actually hisses quite regularly and I put it down to her previous negative life experience, living with two male cats, one of whom hated her.


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi guys

Thankyou for the replies.

I really dont know what to do. Is it something that Tipsy will stop once he acceps Nemo a bit more. Im giving them time apart. Tipsy downstairs (when he is home) and Nemo upstairs. They do obviously get together sometimes and recently have started to play with each other again so I thought things were going in a good direction as soon as I see Tipsy is having enough I part them again.

Im so confused as to what to do for the best.

Thankyou again for the replies. By the way chillminx Ive started Nemo off on the food you suggested, and so far so good no wind problems at the moment:thumbup:.

Kyria.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi Kyria, glad to hear Nemo is doing better on the new diet

The fact that Tipsy and Nemo play together sometimes, is a good sign. If they were always aggressive to each other (as my two *prize fighters* are) then I would feel less sure of a positive outcome eventually.

The fact is they may always need their own space at times, and as long as you continue to provide this for them, (so Tipsy feels she has somewhere to go on in the house on her own), then hopefully things will progress gradually, and they will come to accept each other. I really hope so!


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

chillminx said:


> Hi Kyria, glad to hear Nemo is doing better on the new diet
> 
> The fact that Tipsy and Nemo play together sometimes, is a good sign. If they were always aggressive to each other (as my two *prize fighters* are) then I would feel less sure of a positive outcome eventually.
> 
> The fact is they may always need their own space at times, and as long as you continue to provide this for them, (so Tipsy feels she has somewhere to go on in the house on her own), then hopefully things will progress gradually, and they will come to accept each other. I really hope so!


Thankyou again Chillminx,
Thankgoodness Im doing the right thing with the two cats..Yes it was lovely sight to see them playing with each other again, they have done this a few times now. Also Tipsy does let Nemo groom him, I have yet to see Tipsy do it back to Nemo though. I always take Nemo away when I see Tipsy has had enough though.
Tipsy was in a horrible fight this morning with my neighbours cat, he is a great big black tom cat, very beautiful but even bigger than my Tipsy..Thankgod Tipsy was ok and didnt get hurt.

Thankyou again for all your help.
Kyria.


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## jasonhair1 (Jun 19, 2013)

Kyria said:


> Thankyou again Chillminx,
> Thankgoodness Im doing the right thing with the two cats..Yes it was lovely sight to see them playing with each other again, they have done this a few times now. Also Tipsy does let Nemo groom him, I have yet to see Tipsy do it back to Nemo though. I always take Nemo away when I see Tipsy has had enough though.
> Tipsy was in a horrible fight this morning with my neighbours cat, he is a great big black tom cat, very beautiful but even bigger than my Tipsy..Thankgod Tipsy was ok and didnt get hurt.
> 
> ...


Hi kyria 
I have the same problem . I have a single female cat called suki and for the last year she has been hissing at me .she has been meowing at me to play and to have a cuddle then she just goes away hissing at me when she is going away from me . 
And when I say to her naughty girl then she hiss at me again . 
I don't know what to do ?
She has been shaded when she was younger . Saw it is not that.
She has endless toys and 2x floor to ceiling scratch post and small ones aswell . As the breed are climbers 
Can you help . Thanks
Jason


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Jason, when you say your cat was "shaded" when she was younger, do you mean she has been *spayed?*

If she is hissing during play it is because she is getting over-excited, and feels you are invading her personal space a bit too much. I am sure she loves to play games with you, but she wants it to be on her own terms, just like most cats do The best thing to do if she hisses at you, is to stop the game immediately 
and walk away without saying anything. Give her time to calm down by ignoring her, and let her come to you when she is ready.

If she is also hissing at other times when you are not playing with her, then it could be that she is in pain. Have you noticed any signs of injury or ill health?


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## mysak (Jun 21, 2013)

This is my first post into this website. I am an owner of male bengal cat that just turned 14 months old. I got him as a kitten and we had extremely good relationship until recently. We bonded well, we played together, he would come to greet me and follow me everywhere around the house. He would come to me when I called his name. Rather suddenly, I noticed a rapid change of his behavior. It seems he hates me. He does not comes to me, does not want me to pet him, and when I approach him, he hisses and growls. He is avoiding me, does not welcomes me anymore when I get to the house, and even when I open a can of his food, he would not show up until I clear away from the kitchen. I got him checked at the vet last week to make sure, he is not sick, injured, or something, but he said there was nothing wrong with him. But my cat seems to be even more angry at me to taking him to the vet, and does not even let me comes to him without hissing at me. My cat is indoor, it is only the pet, and does not interact with anyone except me.
My question is what causes sudden, unexplained change of the cat's behavior. It is temporary or he will stay permanently hostile, angry, unpleasant cat? And what to do to change that? Thank you for any replies.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi mysak, I am sorry to hear of the problems you are having with your cat. 
It sounds as though you have a very unhappy cat! If the vet is certain there are no health issues with him, then it must be the environment that is affecting him.

Bengals are a very intelligent breed of cat that need a lot of stimulation and entertainment.

They also need a lot of companionship, so if you are not at home with him most of the day, it would have been a good idea to have gotten a cat companion for him at the same time you got him. But bear in mind it may not be easy now to bring another cat in to the house, as your Bengal cat may not accept it. But it would still be worth considering, if you can find a young cat that would get on with him.....perhaps another Bengal.

Bengals are a breed that need a lot of exercise, and if yours is an indoor cat, you need to provide him with plenty of challenging activities, and also you need to play with him interactively for an hour or more every day without fail.

You should keep introducing new challenges for him, to prevent him getting bored with the same old things. If your cat does not have enough to occupy him he will become miserable and bored, and become withdrawn. I feel this is maybe what has happened, that he has become withdrawn through lack of stimulus.

Buy some fishing rod type toys such as Da Bird, and a laser light, and little ping pong balls for him to chase. These are all toys you can use to play with him, without invading his personal space. Kitty can decide to come to you when he is ready.

As Bengals are cats who love to climb and run, I would seriously recommend you get some of the following items for him, if he is an indoor cat.

either 
Cat Exercise Wheels - The Maclaw Wheel - this has been designed especially for Bengal cats.

or 
Cat exercise wheel for exercising your cat

and 
Cat wall - the long lasting cat tree

The Curvynest is a cat climbing tower

As well as mental stimulation, with toys and games, your cat needs a lot of gentle encouragement to be affectionate to you again. He sounds as though he has become wary and mistrustful of you -- can you think of any reason why this should be? This kind of behaviour can happen if a cat is left alone for long periods, or has been reprimanded a lot.

Try the following:- sit on the floor so you are down at his level. Have a length of string and draw it slowly towards you across the floor so he chases it. When he gets near you reward him with his favourite cat treats. Then gradually bring the string close up to you, and on to your lap. Continue to reward him with treats whenever he gets close to you. Do this every day for a few weeks until he is confident being close to you again.

Make sure meal times are occasions for him to really look forward to. Feed a variety of high quality high meat protein wet food. No dry food. If you are out all day, leave meals of wet food in auto-feeders. Buy the auto-feeders with removable freezer packs you can put underneath the dishes to keep the food fresh.

I think it is going to take time and patience to win back the affection and trust of your cat, but is surely worth doing, so your kitty is happy with his life again. I see no reason why things should not improve a lot if you follow the suggestions I have made. Best of luck!


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