# New cat showing aggressive behavior towards people



## Nem-nem (Mar 24, 2011)

Hello!

I hope I could find information and possible advice for some concerns I have regarding some behavioral issues that I observed from my new kitty, Nadia.

We recently adopted her from our local animal shelter. My mom, dad and I did the meet and greet with all the kitties that were adoptable.

While we were visiting with the Nadia, she was very approachable and happy and immediately purred and nuzzled my mom and dad (while ignoring me the whole time). She let me pet and play with her while we were visiting.

Anyway, now that we have her home, it seems that she only pays attention to my parents and has taken a dislike towards me. I'm not doing anything to make her scared of me but she bites, growls and hisses at me when I try to pet her. I'm sure that I did not do anything that would offend or hurt her. However, cats are smart creatures and she may have noticed a habit of mine that annoyed her?

Is this a possible sign that the cat sees me as the lowest ranking member of the household and she's just exhibiting some "Social Status Aggression"?

Moreover, I noticed that when she does approach me for attention, she doesn't have her tail up, she just wags her tail in an annoyed way. Now I just ignore her and don't pet her. I would occasionally give her a light pat on the head and be done with it because I don't know if she's going to bite or hiss at me for petting her.

Has anyone experienced a cat hating a member of the family? Thanks for any advice or anecdotes~

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*UPDATE (28/03/11):*

I my family's new kitty is beginning to accept me because when I called her she came and sat on my bed. She was purring and then stayed on my bed for a good hour. I'm glad that I had some treats to give her to reward her calm behavior. She didn't seemed threatened when I slowly moved closer to put the treats in front of her. It was so cute when she was purring while eating the treats, too!

So far there's no more hissing and growling at me when I'm in the same room. Thanks for the suggestions and advice from *Cleo38 *and *Paddypaws*!  I think my kitty just needed some time to get accustomed to her new people and home~

I'll report back when there's more progress~


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

Try not too worry too much, I'm sure she doesn't hate you! Animals can take a while to settle in to new homes & during this period they can be under alot of stress.

The fact that you have tried to pet her may have made her worse but I don't believe this will be a long lasting effect. 

I also don't believe that she views you as a'lower ranking' member of the family - maybe just as someone who tried to pet her when she didn't want to be petted 

I would carry on as you are & not approach her for the time being. Don't try & fuss her but instead watch her body language, watch how your parents interact with her & how she responds.

Treats can work well for getting animals attention, mine love me when I have some dried chicken! So maybe once she appears calmer around you give her the odd treat just for being close to you.

This will take time so just take things slowly & try not get offended that she is taking a bit longer to bond with you


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Try not to get upset by this contrary behaviour!
Remember that cats see direct eye contact as threatening behaviour, so try to avoid that. Instead sit quietly until you see she is looking at you, let your gaze drift past her and yawn a couple of times or smack your lips. She will see both these movements as polite cat chat.
I agree that treats or fun play sessions can be used to convince her that you are a great person to hang out with, also maybe you should be the one to put all her meals out for her for a while...again she will soon learn which side her bread is buttered on! If all else fails there is a pheromone spray called Felifriend which might be worth a try.
Felifriend Spray : MedicAnimal.com


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## Nem-nem (Mar 24, 2011)

Hi and thank you for your response!

Yeah, the treats trick worked BUT she ran away after she got them from my hand. Then she made a warning meow and dilated her eyes at me. I know what this means: she does not want me to come near.

My observation on how she behaves around my parents is veery different from from how she acts around me. She likes my parents and licks and grooms them. She ignores me most of the time and walks all over me after she uses her litterbox.

Since she was adopted, we were made aware that her former owners gave her up because she could not adjust to the newborn baby that the couple had.

So I'm guessing that she sees me as an intruder? I just ignore her and I'm getting used to living with a cat who hates me. I'm just disappointed because all the cats that lived with us before were affectionate and loving...


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## Nem-nem (Mar 24, 2011)

Thank you for your input!

I feel that she's just being territorial since I'm sort of the "third wheel" or intruder. She adores my parents and licks and grooms them while she's indifferent and sometimes mean towards me.

I work full time while both parents are retired and she gets to spend most of the day with them at home. Perhaps she just doesn't see me as part of the family (she was given up by the couple who used to own her because she could not adjust to their new baby).

Anyway, I'll keep trying but I'm somewhat resigned to living with a cat who doesn't like me. Maybe she will become used to me and would eventually tolerate my presence.

But I'll check out that felifriend spray you suggested.


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