# Sticky  Types of Cat Aggression, the signs and how to combat



## luisa

Since being on this forum I have noticed so many threads about cat aggression. Here is a guide to knowing your cat, its body language and warning signs.

*Know your cat*

*Cats body language - their tail*

A cats tail like a dogs gives many different messages to other cats and their owners. The following is a basic guide to reading your cats mood via the way they hold their tail. Obviously all cats are different and different factors/environments may change how they react.

1, Tail curled slightly downwards and then curved at the tip ( think of an elongated S shape ) = Cat is very relaxed an content.
2, Tail is erect but not ridged and has a curved top ( think of a ? shape ) = cat is friendly and greeting. 
3, Tail is limp but the end is flicking = cat is getting agitated, the more the tail flicks the more annoyed the cat is getting. Beware that pushing the cat further when showing this twitching tail can possibly result in the cat being aggressive.
4, Tail is erect and bobbing/dancing = cat is showing sheer affection.
5, Tail is swishing from side to side ( think of an S shape again ) = This cat is VERY angry
6, Tail is erect and the hair is sticking out ridged - this is normally towards another cat = Showing aggression do not approach.
7, Tail is arched ( n shape ) and hair is sticking out ridged - this follows point 6 = Cat will attack. normally the cat also is standing on tip toes and has a sideways stance.
8, Tail is between their legs = the cat is giving in / scared / submissive
9, Tail is slightly raised but not ridged and the hair poofed out = cat is playing / often chasing.
10, Female cat tail held to one side with bum in the air = cat is flirting and is in call. ready to mate.

*Cats body language - Ears*

1, Both ears flat each side of their head ( -o- shape ) = normally with dilated pupils the cat is intrigued and playful.
2, Both ears are pointing back and flat = cat is annoyed and angry an ready to pounce. 
3, One ear side ways one ear forward = cat is relaxed this is a waiting position.
4, Both forward = cat is alert and focusing on a noise.

*Cats body language - Eyes*

Dilated pupils - Playful and in extreamly dilated cases agressive.

*Cats body language - Whiskers*

Normally whiskers are spread out at the side of the face. If a cat is agitated they will move back with the ears.

*Cat body language - Head, legs and body*

Legs - stiff walking along side the fact that the back leg follows the front shows awkwardness in the cat. This cat is stressed

Head - lowered head is a cat about to pounce or can also show submissiveness

Arched body - cat is getting ready to attack and defend itself.

Here are some different types of common aggression factors and how to try to combat the behaviour.

*Kitten & Adult Play Aggression *

cats are naturally predators. This instinct will never die and due to the nature of the animal will never be "bred out". Nature created a cat with teeth and sharp claws to prey/ defend themselves and attack. Every cat has these natural urges to stalk and pounce.
Some cats get pleasure in attacking feet, sleeping owners and the odd little animal. Cats love to explore, stalk anything that moves, and bat and pounce on small objects that they pretend to be prey. This mostly is seen in young kittens during their learning period but many adult cats still love to play hunt. 
Kittens learn their limits of what is and isn't acceptable between the ages of 5 and 13 weeks of age.
Kittens play and attack one another often they quickly learn the limits of biting and scratching. Their litter mates bite back when play gets too rough.
Kittens taken from the litter before this do not have this option and transfer this play attacking on their owners. This is natural for them and don't see themselves as doing wrong.
*How to spot it:-*
Play aggression is easy to recognise by the cat/kittens body language.
They crouch, flatten their ears, their pupils dilate and their tail swishes back and forth while they stalk or pounce at the owner. Before pouncing they normally wiggle their back end a little.

*How to combat :-*
Not allowing the kitten to get into the habit of stalking you. Once you recognise this body language in the kitten distract the kittens attention to a fishing rod type toy or ball. Drag string along the floor or dangle a toy on a string for it to play with.
Never encourage the kitten if they are pouncing on you by running, making quick movements or fighting the kitten back. Never encourage hand play. This will only encourage the kitten to stalk you more as they think you are playing with them.
Do not condone rough play at all between a human or kitten - this extends to all family members.
If a kitten is to attack you in this manor play dead and don't move. They will soon get bored of you and walk off when they do get a toy for them to play with. If you are petting your kitten and they try to play bite you, say a firm NO and remove yourself from the kitten and ignore the behaviour. From this the kitten will realise what they have done.
If all this fails a bottle with coins in to shake will startle the kitten and stop this behaviour. Warning IMO this latter bottle shaking can produce a shy jumpy kitten. I myself have never used this type of aggression technique as i feel the other methods work better.
NEVER PUNISH. Always encourage good play with lots of treats and verbal encouragement I.E "your such a good girl/boy" etc
You can also hiss at the cat a a mother cat would. simply making a hiss noise with your mouth isn't realistic enough. Get saliva in your mouth and inhale quickly sucking the saliva back with bared teeth. this creates a more realistic noise and gets the kitten to stop what its doing. It will normally back off and sulk for a little while but remember what he did wrong.

Some people will suggest the old technique of removing the cat/kitten and placing it into "time out" IMO again this seldomly works, and can mentally disturb the cat giving it anxiety problems

*Territory Based Aggression*

Cats are one of the most territorial of animals, in some cases even more so then dogs.
In the wild cats are solitary hunters and hunt within their own territory. 
Cats will be territorial as indoor or outdoor cats. Territorial aggression normally starts when a cat reaches adult hood ( 1-2 yrs of age ) but can also be present in kittens. 
Outdoor cats can become extreamly territorial of the area surrounding the house. Should they see another cat/dog/bird or other animal in their territory they can become upset. In these situations your kitten/cat can indeed transfer his aggression out on their owners or other pets. This same agression also occurs with indoor cats.
*How to spot it:-*
When territory aggression occurs cats/kittens will hiss, spit and make growling or warning noises. This can be either to its owner or another litter mate or cat.
Cats can attack. Normally in this type of aggression the cat will attack the hind quarters of the other cat. Wounds will occur on hind quarter legs and tail of the more submissive cat, and on the face nose and neck area of the aggressor. 
In indoor cats the aggression behaviour can differ. Multiple cat households can live completely at ease with cats sharing each others territories at different times of the day. This can be upset by a number of different things I.E moving household furniture, getting a new sofa, moving the room about or even moving cat trees. Adding a new kitten/cat will also upset this balance.
Spotting it in the home can sometimes be more difficult. The aggressive more assertive cat will guard favoured places and objects by growling and or threatening to attack the other cat/person. Stressed territory based aggression can also be spotted through hiding toys, walking round with toys in their mouth, spraying urine and excessive licking or grooming.

*How to combat :-* 
Multicat households need 1 litter tray for every cat plus one spare, these need to be put in different areas of the house.
Cats dont like sharing eating/drinking areas so give each cat its own food and water bowl and feeding space. 
Provide territories for your cats give them places to hide and chill out and retreat. Boxes behind sofas or on top of shelves, radiator beds, pryamid type beds up high and down low. Sometimes coloured toys work - ie red toys for one cat blue for another yellow for another etc only play with each coloured toy with the correct cat and don't mix. Allow cats to gain access to high up areas. 
When introducing new cats keep the new cat confined to one room at first. Allow the other cats to smell under the door. spend time with the new cat and allow the older cats to get used to the sent of the new cat on your clothes.
Over a period of time allow the new cats area to become larger. when the old cat is sleeping in a different room or put into another room an the doors closed allow the new cat to wonder and smell this area, allow the older cat into the new cats room to also do this. Never put a new cat straight into your home and expect things to be hunky dory. A slow integration period must occur first. Be patient. 
Another good way to combat this aggression is a feilaway diffuser.

*Aggression Towards Humans/Fear Aggression* _Also related to kitten aggression_

This normally occurs when a kitten has been taken at an age that is too young, and hasn't been correctly handled, petted and socialised when they were between five and twelve weeks of age. 
These cats are normally fearful, shy, wary of new people, easily angered and upset.
Cats that are frightened can be misinterpreted as an aggressive cat.
*How to spot*
Uptight and Frightened cats crouch with their ears laid back, their tails curled inward and they tilt their bodies away from the threat. They will lash out and claw or bite anything that approaches them. Also the way they walk is a big clue to how a cat is feeling. If the cat has a ridgid upright tail with the back right leg and front right leg moving at the same time the cat is stressed. This behavior often occurs when the cat is in new surroundings or being approached by a stranger. Before attack the cats pupils will often dilate and they may hiss and show their teeth. The cats fur will stand along their back, and they will stick their tail up vertical.

*How to combat:-*
Kittens need to be socialised and handled from an early age. When getting a young kitten get them being used of being touched every where. To get them to allow them to let you touch them wait until they are relaxed and content ( purring ) one way of getting the socialisation period started is to provide the cats favorite healthy treat on the floor infront of you. whilst eating start off by slowly scratching the head and cheeks. Do not make any jerky or sudden movements. Try to progress down the cats back and tail. As you are doing this talk to the cat. Look for signs of the cat becoming agitated. You can tell this as they stop purring and the end of their tail starts flicking. If this happens don't continue for the time being and allow the cat to relax again. Give food treats after the kitten has allowed you to pet them. Slowly the cat will like being touched and relate it to being treated and being calm.
For socialisation allow your kitten to come into contact with LOTS of different types of people ( different races, male/female, tall, short, fat, thin, young and old. )

Fear aggression is really hard to combat in older cats but can be done slowly with time and patience. This is because the cat has an inbuilt fear that has been intergrated into the cats personality. With adult cats that have fear aggression never approach it. Everything has to be done on the cats terms. Let the cat approach you. Always have treats available to reward when it does come to you this encourage it to come to you again. Take baby steps each time the cat comes to you. slowly raise a hand towards it to allow it to get your smell. With lots of treats and encouragement the cat will eventually learn to gain trust and allow you to pet it. Never push the boundrys if the cat shows any signs of hostility or agitation stop what your doing and allow the cat to relax again.

*Redirected Aggression*

This happens when someone strange or a strange animal or situation/smell that the cats not used to upsets it. Instead of taking its aggression out on the perpetrator they take it out on their owner. When its not happened before this can break a lifelong bond with a cat.

*How to combat:-*
Find the trigger as to why this is happening and remove it. If its a stray cat in your garden shut the curtains/blinds and shoo the stray away. If the cat shows aggression towards you leave it to calm down! Never shout or punish the cat in this situation it will only fuel more hostility and aggression towards you. Interacting with a cat with this aggression is counter productive. Once the cat is calm and comes to you reward its calm behaiviour with treats and play.

*Stop stroking me biting!*

This is cats that seem immensely pleased by your petting only to suddenly whirl around and bite you. These cats purr up to the moment they attack. This is due to the cat's short attention span. That there is a fine line between what is pleasurable and what is annoying. Sometimes these displays occur when a sensitive area on the body has been touched. Some cats will beg for attention only to sink their teeth into you a few minutes later.

*How to combat:-*
Release your cat at the first sign it has had enough petting. Some signs that you are approaching the limits of the cats tolerance are restlessness, tail twitching, flattened ears, twitching ears and a tendency to move its head toward your hand. One can attempt to desensitise these cats by feeding them a tasty treat just before you think they might attack and move away.

*Dominance based Aggression* _Also relates to territory_

Some cats will treat their owners as another cat and attempt to dominate them.
These cats may growl or hiss when you join them on the bed or attempt to move them. Some will block doorways and show the typical signs of aggression such as tail switching, dilated pupils, flattened ears, and hissing and spitting.

*How to combat :-*
Ignore the cat. Do not give it any attention, withhold treats and petting until the cat has calmed down.
Feilaway diffusers are good to combat this aggression.
Don't give a cat treats when it is being aggressive this will teach the cat to bully you when it wants food.

*None Recognition Aggression*

This commonly occurs in a multi-cat household.
For example one of the cats needs to visit the vet to be spayed. The cats that are normally victim to this type of aggression are those that have been to the vet. These cats are victimised as they return home with a different scent. The cats remaining in the household do not recognise the unfamiliar smell so think that a new cat is intruding into their territory.

*How to combat :-*
If one of the cats needs to go to the vet take the others along too in different carriers.
upon returning home take the cats into a neutral area of the home and leave them in the carriers side by side for up to half an hour. Give each cat a bowl of the same food ( nice stinky tuna as a treat ) and once they have finished eating let them out. Also using a feiliaway diffuser in this situation helps too.

*Medical based Aggression*

Sometimes some cats aggression does not fit into any of the above categories.
They may growl and hiss when you pick them up, or touch a certain part of the body. If this occurs get the cat straight to a vet to be checked out. It may be unclear that your cat is ill but cats are strong willed and rarely show that they are in pain. Get your vet to do a good check on the cat and an X-ray to rule out any health problems.

Cats with a high fever show signs of aggression and irritability.

Some cat behaviours also may be down to diet. Some commercial foods have cerials and grains that in rare incidences can cause different behaviour problems in the cat. Get this ruled out by a vet also.

Further more some cat aggression can not be "fixed" it is purely down to the genes that they have been given. This is also rare but does sometimes happen.

hope this helps!!


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## buffie

Very useful thread .Will be of value to many, but sadly in some cases of aggression it is in the kitten/cats hard wiring where the problems lie i.e.bad breeding.Most of the methods to combat this kind of aggression,(predatory,interactive ) may have limited effect.With kindness, patience and perseverance behaviour can be improved but not always rectified.


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## luisa

buffie said:


> Very useful thread .Will be of value to many, but sadly in some cases of aggression it is in the kitten/cats hard wiring where the problems lie i.e.bad breeding.Most of the methods to combat this kind of aggression,(predatory,interactive ) may have limited effect.With kindness, patience and perseverance behaviour can be improved but not always rectified.


Yup agreed. There will always be one offs and some that dont get better no matter what you do, although most of the time its how we react to them etc.

its all down to the owner and the kitten/cat itself


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## sarah28

Really great thread, very helpful! Vote for STICKY!!


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## luisa

sarah28 said:


> Really great thread, very helpful! Vote for STICKY!!


:thumbup::thumbup: thank you !! took me long enough to write it out haha

i should really add more i havent covered everything just the main types. If i get time tomorrow ill definately finish it off!


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## Ivybuttons

Good stuff Lusia, really useful.


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## luisa

Ivybuttons said:


> Good stuff Lusia, really useful.


Thank you 

ill try and expand more when i can xx


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## Tje

sarah28 said:


> Really great thread, very helpful! Vote for STICKY!!


same here, great post Luisa and should definitely be stickied!!

(that then makes it easier to just refer people to it ... as in "go to the training and behaviour section, read the sticky at the top of the page, then if you have any specific questions just ask" )

so much easier than repeating all the time 

Good work Luisa.


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## luisa

Tje said:


> same here, great post Luisa and should definitely be stickied!!
> 
> (that then makes it easier to just refer people to it ... as in "go to the training and behaviour section, read the sticky at the top of the page, then if you have any specific questions just ask" )
> 
> so much easier than repeating all the time
> 
> Good work Luisa.


Thank you 

i got bored of saying the same thing to everyone so thought this could help

How does it become a sticky ?


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## SuperCat86

This is really good advice! Thanks for taking the time to get it all down, it's definitely a keeper xxx


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## luisa

SuperCat86 said:


> This is really good advice! Thanks for taking the time to get it all down, it's definitely a keeper xxx


thank you.

it was no problem at all. iv read that many behaviour books for cats and dogs its unbelievable.


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## luisa

Bump to keep thread up top


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## luisa

bump up top


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## luisa

bump to the top bump bump


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## catz4m8z

Def very good thread. :thumbup:
It can sometimes be so hard to see aggression starting in cats as they can be quite subtle about it. One of my indoors cats was bullying one of my other more timid cats for ages without me noticing.
She would sit at the top of the stairs and just stare her down when she tried to go up. I later realiesed that guarding entry points (as well as resources) was a way of intimidating other cats. 
Thats cats for you, subtle and mysterious!!


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## luisa

bump bump bump


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## trixl

Hi

I recently spent a fortune sending my cats from Dubai to NZ for a better life in the countryside rather than being cooped up in a small apartment and not being able to go outside due to the heat.

They went to live with my parents, but after 6 months, my female cat is still attacking my parents cat. We had introduced them very slowly and carefully, but my cat just keeps stalking my parents' cat and attacking her at every opportunity. It's like she's become evil and obsessed. My parents are now scared for their cat's life as the attacks are becoming more vicious and their cat is not young anymore and less able to defend herself.

I really don't want to give my cats away to another home after spending so much on sending them back to a loving family, but I also don't want my parents cat to keep suffering. I'm also worried about sending only my female cat to another home, as the male would probably pine for her, but I really don't want to lose both! Any ideas, or is relocation the only option?


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## luisa

trixl said:


> Hi
> 
> I recently spent a fortune sending my cats from Dubai to NZ for a better life in the countryside rather than being cooped up in a small apartment and not being able to go outside due to the heat.
> 
> They went to live with my parents, but after 6 months, my female cat is still attacking my parents cat. We had introduced them very slowly and carefully, but my cat just keeps stalking my parents' cat and attacking her at every opportunity. It's like she's become evil and obsessed. My parents are now scared for their cat's life as the attacks are becoming more vicious and their cat is not young anymore and less able to defend herself.
> 
> I really don't want to give my cats away to another home after spending so much on sending them back to a loving family, but I also don't want my parents cat to keep suffering. I'm also worried about sending only my female cat to another home, as the male would probably pine for her, but I really don't want to lose both! Any ideas, or is relocation the only option?


no its not the only option.

split the cats up and re introduce them slowly

its a territorial issue your cats trying to be alpha female.

the issue can be diffused by seeing the signs before the attacks happen and distract her with toys food etc before it escalates to an attack.

you also need to provide the cats retreat areas ( high and low ) for example pyramid/teepee type beds / boxes behind chairs / radiator beds / cat trees

Also look up a feliaway diffuser for the home - its calming cat pheramones that will help control the situation better xx


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## luisa

Yay at my post being stickied !!!


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## HollyM

Great thread!!:thumbup:


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## luisa

HollyM said:


> Great thread!!:thumbup:


thank you !! 

this is my one forte that i can be proud to say i know loads about LOL

I'm thinking of setting up my own mobile behaviourist teaching. Its something id love to do ( dogs and cats )

your litter thread is dead good you need to contact one of the site moderators to get it stickied xx


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## HollyM

luisa said:


> your litter thread is dead good you need to contact one of the site moderators to get it stickied xx


Thanks, yeah i did contact a moderator so finger's crossed!! And yeah you should definitly do that mobile behaviourist thing that you talked about, you would be great at it!


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## hobbs2004

My god Luisa, when did you rustle this one up? Hadn't even noticed it was here  Sorry.

Really good thread. I know that you spent a lot of time reading animal behaviour books and it shows. However, you know what would make this excellent post even better? If you put below your info some further reading so that people who would like to read more can get some ideas as to where to look next.

For example, I came across this one from the US: Dealing With Aggressive Behavior In Your Cat or Why Cats Bite Their Owners. Some really great info, which mirrors a lot of what you say. But being from the US it also has slightly different perspectives from us.


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## tyrole

Thanks for this thread,very handy to refer back to. Max fits the purring one moment then biting me the next.

He also arches his back, walks sideways and pins his ears back when he wants me to chase him :lol:


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## Stacey Long

Thank you so much for this.

I am new to the forum, and have a rescue cat.

She is indoor, and definately has the habit of attacking me when i least suspect it!

I think she is just playing, as she never hurts when she bites/grabs, its more play fighting, but she has starting doing it to guests, and i dont want to encourage it!

Hopefully these tips will help me calm her down a little

:thumbup:


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## TatiLie

Thank you so much for the advice! 
Yesterday, we brought home our first cat, and we were told at the shelter that herself and two siblings were found abandoned at 4wks old! Now, reading the forum, I learned that it's way too early and that's why she's so frightened of people. This advice will help us and Ariostea (our kitten) to get on well.
Thanks again!


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## Faden

Thanks so much for this guide! Reading through it I had to laugh as I recognized and better understood so many of these behaviours. I'm a foster parent for the Humane Society (I care for cats while they are injured, until they are healthy enough to be adopted) and I also have one "permanent" kitty, Salem (who was the first cat I cared for.. I`d keep them all if he would let me lol). I care for one foster cat at a time, and the info in this guide is really useful for integrating their living space. I keep them apart most of the time, as I know how upsetting it would be for Salem to always have his territory invaded, but they have to share certain spaces occasionally.


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## Romania Animal Aid

Good post, thanks. I can't win with one of my cats, he comes over for a love, I pick him him up (bite) then he comes back so I stroke him while he's on the ground (bite) if he jumps on my lap I don't touch him at all and if he snuggles into my face I just close my eyes and pray because he's bit me on the face before and then jumps down and toddles off (THANKS) lol

He was a stray and in a truly bad way, when I moved into the house i'm in now it was empty for 3 years, we believe he belonged to the old lady who had owned the house but had died. When I first saw him he was living in my back yard, he didn't even look like a cat, his coat was like dreadlocks and he was dragging it around. It took me over a year to cut it off, day by day, piece by piece. I put his behavior down to what he's been through, poor little fellow.


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## darkshines

Gizmo has two main types of aggression at the moment:

The "pet me until I bite you" thing. Normally he will just snap his lips at me, like a tester bite, and let him jump off my lap. But the other day he made contact with his fangs and although it didn't break the skin, I got a raised scratch. When I tried to get him to move off, he dug his claws in, then hissed and swiped at me! If he was fed up with being petted, why didn't he just jump off?

He also has started having "mad half hours" where he will suddenly decide to jump everywhere (he just jumped over me as I typed this!). When he goes to pounce, he doesn't do the butt wiggle/stalk thing, he just goes from 0-60 and the next thing you know there is 4.4 kilo of cat leaping at your head! At first I thought it was play, but now I am worried it is genuine aggression.

He is a strange fruit, half the time he is curled up next to me, or on me, making biscuits or chirping. Then the rest of the time he runs away, pounces on me and bites!

Is it just because we have only known each other for three weeks? Or, at four and a half years old, is this just his personality?

I like him when he is sweet and lovely, but when he is bad I just don't know what to do!


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## Nando

darkshines said:


> Gizmo has two main types of aggression at the moment:
> 
> The "pet me until I bite you" thing. Normally he will just snap his lips at me, like a tester bite, and let him jump off my lap. But the other day he made contact with his fangs and although it didn't break the skin, I got a raised scratch. When I tried to get him to move off, he dug his claws in, then hissed and swiped at me! If he was fed up with being petted, why didn't he just jump off?
> 
> He also has started having "mad half hours" where he will suddenly decide to jump everywhere (he just jumped over me as I typed this!). When he goes to pounce, he doesn't do the butt wiggle/stalk thing, he just goes from 0-60 and the next thing you know there is 4.4 kilo of cat leaping at your head! At first I thought it was play, but now I am worried it is genuine aggression.
> 
> He is a strange fruit, half the time he is curled up next to me, or on me, making biscuits or chirping. Then the rest of the time he runs away, pounces on me and bites!
> 
> Is it just because we have only known each other for three weeks? Or, at four and a half years old, is this just his personality?
> 
> I like him when he is sweet and lovely, but when he is bad I just don't know what to do!


hey, my cat does the exact same at one year old, so id say thats probably his personality now to have the mad half hours were he just runs round and goes a bit mental for a bit. but you know what after you having him like that if he all of a sudden changed to just being a lazy cat who sits there all day and doesnt do much, youd miss the madness.

mine has a trick called annoy daddy, your all settled at computer desk, couch whatever and if theres somewhere hes not meant to go and he knows hes not meant to go he goes there i get up and he runs away its probably extreme fun for him but me it just annoys but its his personality, wouldnt change it about him


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## Moggykins

Hi Everyone!

I have a lovely female kitten/cat 9months old, neutered and in the last month or two out exploring the world!

The problem I'm having is that she can't stand other cats and when they are around she runs off scared or if she is in the house and they are outside she goes crazy, hissing and attacking the windows.

I think the two cats that come into our garden are just curious about her as she is the new kid on the block. They never act aggressively towards her,just pure curiosity.

Does anyone know of any ways to help my moggy adjust to other cats in the outside world? She really works herself into a tizzy and I worry about her!

Thanks for any advice that can be sent my way!

Ann


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## Chickpea1

Thanks for the good info - am now looking at trying to read the signs of this naughty bengal.... mainly a swishing tail and stomping around the house with a very loud meow then rolling over for a tummy tickle...... so am relaxed about how he feels about us but not so sure about my cat - she seems to be submissive to him although is trying to maintain her territory - hissing and bears her teeth when he comes near the sofa but then relaxes when he just sits on the floor.... cats are just so interesting aren't they :001_smile:


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## furryfriendhut

luisa said:


> Since being on this forum I have noticed so many threads about cat aggression. Here is a guide to knowing your cat, its body language and warning signs.
> 
> *Know your cat*
> 
> *Cats body language - their tail*
> 
> A cats tail like a dogs gives many different messages to other cats and their owners. The following is a basic guide to reading your cats mood via the way they hold their tail. Obviously all cats are different and different factors/environments may change how they react.
> 
> 1, Tail curled slightly downwards and then curved at the tip ( think of an elongated S shape ) = Cat is very relaxed an content.
> 2, Tail is erect but not ridged and has a curved top ( think of a ? shape ) = cat is friendly and greeting.
> 3, Tail is limp but the end is flicking = cat is getting agitated, the more the tail flicks the more annoyed the cat is getting. Beware that pushing the cat further when showing this twitching tail can possibly result in the cat being aggressive.
> 4, Tail is erect and bobbing/dancing = cat is showing sheer affection.
> 5, Tail is swishing from side to side ( think of an S shape again ) = This cat is VERY angry
> 6, Tail is erect and the hair is sticking out ridged - this is normally towards another cat = Showing aggression do not approach.
> 7, Tail is arched ( n shape ) and hair is sticking out ridged - this follows point 6 = Cat will attack. normally the cat also is standing on tip toes and has a sideways stance.
> 8, Tail is between their legs = the cat is giving in / scared / submissive
> 9, Tail is slightly raised but not ridged and the hair poofed out = cat is playing / often chasing.
> 10, Female cat tail held to one side with bum in the air = cat is flirting and is in call. ready to mate.
> 
> *Cats body language - Ears*
> 
> 1, Both ears flat each side of their head ( -o- shape ) = normally with dilated pupils the cat is intrigued and playful.
> 2, Both ears are pointing back and flat = cat is annoyed and angry an ready to pounce.
> 3, One ear side ways one ear forward = cat is relaxed this is a waiting position.
> 4, Both forward = cat is alert and focusing on a noise.
> 
> *Cats body language - Eyes*
> 
> Dilated pupils - Playful and in extreamly dilated cases agressive.
> 
> *Cats body language - Whiskers*
> 
> Normally whiskers are spread out at the side of the face. If a cat is agitated they will move back with the ears.
> 
> *Cat body language - Head, legs and body*
> 
> Legs - stiff walking along side the fact that the back leg follows the front shows awkwardness in the cat. This cat is stressed
> 
> Head - lowered head is a cat about to pounce or can also show submissiveness
> 
> Arched body - cat is getting ready to attack and defend itself.
> 
> Here are some different types of common aggression factors and how to try to combat the behaviour.
> 
> *Kitten & Adult Play Aggression *
> 
> cats are naturally predators. This instinct will never die and due to the nature of the animal will never be "bred out". Nature created a cat with teeth and sharp claws to prey/ defend themselves and attack. Every cat has these natural urges to stalk and pounce.
> Some cats get pleasure in attacking feet, sleeping owners and the odd little animal. Cats love to explore, stalk anything that moves, and bat and pounce on small objects that they pretend to be prey. This mostly is seen in young kittens during their learning period but many adult cats still love to play hunt.
> Kittens learn their limits of what is and isn't acceptable between the ages of 5 and 13 weeks of age.
> Kittens play and attack one another often they quickly learn the limits of biting and scratching. Their litter mates bite back when play gets too rough.
> Kittens taken from the litter before this do not have this option and transfer this play attacking on their owners. This is natural for them and don't see themselves as doing wrong.
> *How to spot it:-*
> Play aggression is easy to recognise by the cat/kittens body language.
> They crouch, flatten their ears, their pupils dilate and their tail swishes back and forth while they stalk or pounce at the owner. Before pouncing they normally wiggle their back end a little.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Not allowing the kitten to get into the habit of stalking you. Once you recognise this body language in the kitten distract the kittens attention to a fishing rod type toy or ball. Drag string along the floor or dangle a toy on a string for it to play with.
> Never encourage the kitten if they are pouncing on you by running, making quick movements or fighting the kitten back. Never encourage hand play. This will only encourage the kitten to stalk you more as they think you are playing with them.
> Do not condone rough play at all between a human or kitten - this extends to all family members.
> If a kitten is to attack you in this manor play dead and don't move. They will soon get bored of you and walk off when they do get a toy for them to play with. If you are petting your kitten and they try to play bite you, say a firm NO and remove yourself from the kitten and ignore the behaviour. From this the kitten will realise what they have done.
> If all this fails a bottle with coins in to shake will startle the kitten and stop this behaviour. Warning IMO this latter bottle shaking can produce a shy jumpy kitten. I myself have never used this type of aggression technique as i feel the other methods work better.
> NEVER PUNISH. Always encourage good play with lots of treats and verbal encouragement I.E "your such a good girl/boy" etc
> You can also hiss at the cat a a mother cat would. simply making a hiss noise with your mouth isn't realistic enough. Get saliva in your mouth and inhale quickly sucking the saliva back with bared teeth. this creates a more realistic noise and gets the kitten to stop what its doing. It will normally back off and sulk for a little while but remember what he did wrong.
> 
> Some people will suggest the old technique of removing the cat/kitten and placing it into "time out" IMO again this seldomly works, and can mentally disturb the cat giving it anxiety problems
> 
> *Territory Based Aggression*
> 
> Cats are one of the most territorial of animals, in some cases even more so then dogs.
> In the wild cats are solitary hunters and hunt within their own territory.
> Cats will be territorial as indoor or outdoor cats. Territorial aggression normally starts when a cat reaches adult hood ( 1-2 yrs of age ) but can also be present in kittens.
> Outdoor cats can become extreamly territorial of the area surrounding the house. Should they see another cat/dog/bird or other animal in their territory they can become upset. In these situations your kitten/cat can indeed transfer his aggression out on their owners or other pets. This same agression also occurs with indoor cats.
> *How to spot it:-*
> When territory aggression occurs cats/kittens will hiss, spit and make growling or warning noises. This can be either to its owner or another litter mate or cat.
> Cats can attack. Normally in this type of aggression the cat will attack the hind quarters of the other cat. Wounds will occur on hind quarter legs and tail of the more submissive cat, and on the face nose and neck area of the aggressor.
> In indoor cats the aggression behaviour can differ. Multiple cat households can live completely at ease with cats sharing each others territories at different times of the day. This can be upset by a number of different things I.E moving household furniture, getting a new sofa, moving the room about or even moving cat trees. Adding a new kitten/cat will also upset this balance.
> Spotting it in the home can sometimes be more difficult. The aggressive more assertive cat will guard favoured places and objects by growling and or threatening to attack the other cat/person. Stressed territory based aggression can also be spotted through hiding toys, walking round with toys in their mouth, spraying urine and excessive licking or grooming.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Multicat households need 1 litter tray for every cat plus one spare, these need to be put in different areas of the house.
> Cats dont like sharing eating/drinking areas so give each cat its own food and water bowl and feeding space.
> Provide territories for your cats give them places to hide and chill out and retreat. Boxes behind sofas or on top of shelves, radiator beds, pryamid type beds up high and down low. Sometimes coloured toys work - ie red toys for one cat blue for another yellow for another etc only play with each coloured toy with the correct cat and don't mix. Allow cats to gain access to high up areas.
> When introducing new cats keep the new cat confined to one room at first. Allow the other cats to smell under the door. spend time with the new cat and allow the older cats to get used to the sent of the new cat on your clothes.
> Over a period of time allow the new cats area to become larger. when the old cat is sleeping in a different room or put into another room an the doors closed allow the new cat to wonder and smell this area, allow the older cat into the new cats room to also do this. Never put a new cat straight into your home and expect things to be hunky dory. A slow integration period must occur first. Be patient.
> Another good way to combat this aggression is a feilaway diffuser.
> 
> *Aggression Towards Humans/Fear Aggression* _Also related to kitten aggression_
> 
> This normally occurs when a kitten has been taken at an age that is too young, and hasn't been correctly handled, petted and socialised when they were between five and twelve weeks of age.
> These cats are normally fearful, shy, wary of new people, easily angered and upset.
> Cats that are frightened can be misinterpreted as an aggressive cat.
> *How to spot*
> Uptight and Frightened cats crouch with their ears laid back, their tails curled inward and they tilt their bodies away from the threat. They will lash out and claw or bite anything that approaches them. Also the way they walk is a big clue to how a cat is feeling. If the cat has a ridgid upright tail with the back right leg and front right leg moving at the same time the cat is stressed. This behavior often occurs when the cat is in new surroundings or being approached by a stranger. Before attack the cats pupils will often dilate and they may hiss and show their teeth. The cats fur will stand along their back, and they will stick their tail up vertical.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Kittens need to be socialised and handled from an early age. When getting a young kitten get them being used of being touched every where. To get them to allow them to let you touch them wait until they are relaxed and content ( purring ) one way of getting the socialisation period started is to provide the cats favorite healthy treat on the floor infront of you. whilst eating start off by slowly scratching the head and cheeks. Do not make any jerky or sudden movements. Try to progress down the cats back and tail. As you are doing this talk to the cat. Look for signs of the cat becoming agitated. You can tell this as they stop purring and the end of their tail starts flicking. If this happens don't continue for the time being and allow the cat to relax again. Give food treats after the kitten has allowed you to pet them. Slowly the cat will like being touched and relate it to being treated and being calm.
> For socialisation allow your kitten to come into contact with LOTS of different types of people ( different races, male/female, tall, short, fat, thin, young and old. )
> 
> Fear aggression is really hard to combat in older cats but can be done slowly with time and patience. This is because the cat has an inbuilt fear that has been intergrated into the cats personality. With adult cats that have fear aggression never approach it. Everything has to be done on the cats terms. Let the cat approach you. Always have treats available to reward when it does come to you this encourage it to come to you again. Take baby steps each time the cat comes to you. slowly raise a hand towards it to allow it to get your smell. With lots of treats and encouragement the cat will eventually learn to gain trust and allow you to pet it. Never push the boundrys if the cat shows any signs of hostility or agitation stop what your doing and allow the cat to relax again.
> 
> *Redirected Aggression*
> 
> This happens when someone strange or a strange animal or situation/smell that the cats not used to upsets it. Instead of taking its aggression out on the perpetrator they take it out on their owner. When its not happened before this can break a lifelong bond with a cat.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Find the trigger as to why this is happening and remove it. If its a stray cat in your garden shut the curtains/blinds and shoo the stray away. If the cat shows aggression towards you leave it to calm down! Never shout or punish the cat in this situation it will only fuel more hostility and aggression towards you. Interacting with a cat with this aggression is counter productive. Once the cat is calm and comes to you reward its calm behaiviour with treats and play.
> 
> *Stop stroking me biting!*
> 
> This is cats that seem immensely pleased by your petting only to suddenly whirl around and bite you. These cats purr up to the moment they attack. This is due to the cats short attention span. That there is a fine line between what is pleasurable and what is annoying. Sometimes these displays occur when a sensitive area on the body has been touched. Some cats will beg for attention only to sink their teeth into you a few minutes later.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Release your cat at the first sign it has had enough petting. Some signs that you are approaching the limits of the cats tolerance are restlessness, tail twitching, flattened ears, twitching ears and a tendency to move its head toward your hand. One can attempt to desensitise these cats by feeding them a tasty treat just before you think they might attack and move away.
> 
> *Dominance based Aggression* _Also relates to territory_
> 
> Some cats will treat their owners as another cat and attempt to dominate them.
> These cats may growl or hiss when you join them on the bed or attempt to move them. Some will block doorways and show the typical signs of aggression such as tail switching, dilated pupils, flattened ears, and hissing and spitting.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Ignore the cat. Do not give it any attention, withhold treats and petting until the cat has calmed down.
> Feilaway diffusers are good to combat this aggression.
> Don't give a cat treats when it is being aggressive this will teach the cat to bully you when it wants food.
> 
> *None Recognition Aggression*
> 
> This commonly occurs in a multi-cat household.
> For example one of the cats needs to visit the vet to be spayed. The cats that are normally victim to this type of aggression are those that have been to the vet. These cats are victimised as they return home with a different scent. The cats remaining in the household do not recognise the unfamiliar smell so think that a new cat is intruding into their territory.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> If one of the cats needs to go to the vet take the others along too in different carriers.
> upon returning home take the cats into a neutral area of the home and leave them in the carriers side by side for up to half an hour. Give each cat a bowl of the same food ( nice stinky tuna as a treat ) and once they have finished eating let them out. Also using a feiliaway diffuser in this situation helps too.
> 
> *Medical based Aggression*
> 
> Sometimes some cats aggression does not fit into any of the above categories.
> They may growl and hiss when you pick them up, or touch a certain part of the body. If this occurs get the cat straight to a vet to be checked out. It may be unclear that your cat is ill but cats are strong willed and rarely show that they are in pain. Get your vet to do a good check on the cat and an X-ray to rule out any health problems.
> 
> Cats with a high fever show signs of aggression and irritability.
> 
> Some cat behaviours also may be down to diet. Some commercial foods have cerials and grains that in rare incidences can cause different behaviour problems in the cat. Get this ruled out by a vet also.
> 
> Further more some cat aggression can not be "fixed" it is purely down to the genes that they have been given. This is also rare but does sometimes happen.
> 
> hope this helps!!


I had a cat with aggression issues. I tried everything to correct it and figure out what was going on. My vet was unsure as well and we did many of tests and tried many differnent things mentioned in this thread. The bottom line, is some cats are just aggressive.


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## Chickpea1

Our cat is being bullied by an unneutered tom - see naughty bengal post.
Although they seem to get on ok when in the house - he darts out at her when they are in the garden and chases her at high speed so she scarpers swiftly into the house - is this because we are all in the garden and he is trying to claim us as his new family I wonder ..?? Or is this a bully tactic that will prevail if he does move in ? How does one modify this kind of behaviour or is there no hope ?:


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## PennyS

This thread is really helpful!
We had our kittens neutured and spayed yesterday, they spent the first half hour or so feeling sorry for themselves.

I then noticed Sheldon trying to bite Pennys stitches....straight away they were split up. 
We had already planned to keep them separated when we werent around for a few days, but I dont really want to keep them split up for the sake of it.

Today its worse. They were both crying for eachother during the night and were all happy when they came downstairs together thismorning, until.....he tried to bite her again (not the 'play biting' he normally does), I distracted him so he left her alone. He then went up to see her - took one sniff of her and hissed in her face! Now he keeps trying to attack her.

Hes now been put back upstairs as I dont want to risk them fighting and her ripping her stitches. (I hate the thought of sort of punishing him - but shes the one with the stitches so I'd rather keep her somewhere where we can keep an eye on her - I'll go and keep him company soon!)

My plan is to keep him active today and hopefully tire him out. Penny likes to sleep on a blanket by the window (shes there now!) so I was going to put that with him tonight in case its a scent thing, also going to make sure they are fed together.

Does anyone else have any more ideas of what to do?


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## alster

My cat suffers bouts of irritableness at times - I've been told it's a symptom of her hyperthyroid. However, she also has moments of being incredibly sweet still! I guess you just get to know your cat and what ticks them off....!

:0)


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## benn

Top quality guide!! 
Defo going to be using this for when I get my new arrivals!!!


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## shyboots

Ohh so that's what the tail swishing is about! Biffy goes crazy with that when chasing the laser light. I guess that's fine because his stalker instinct is being directed into play and not people. He was swishing his tail so much the other morning, he was on the window sill behind curtains so I guess the other side he could see something chaseable out of the window!


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## luisa

I havent been on the forum in absolutely ages i would like to say thank you to all that have left comments on here 

I am glad that this post has helped you all out so much xx


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## margot

'5, Tail is swishing from side to side ( think of an S shape again ) = This cat is VERY angry'

Can it depend on the manor of swishing the tail, such as the speed and whatever it is the cat happens to be doing? I understand swishing of the tail can mean that they are angry, however, my cat seems to swish her tail vigorously whenever she's stimulated and excited by something (her eyes will change to amber, typically, too). This happens usually when there's an insect in the flat or she's on the balcony observing the world around her.


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## mgreen1

Hi, I've just read your thread & it was really interesting.
I'm having big problems with my 2 yr old cat, Charlie. He belonged to a young man who had him in one room and I suspect was treated roughly as a kitten. we've had him since he was 7months but he has never taken to me, lashes out etc if i walk past him. My husband & 2 adult sons can stroke him and he loves their affection. We already had 2 old cats in the house and they accepted him and he was fine with them. sadly, they both died recently so we decided to adopt 2 kittens from a rescue centre.
unfortunately, we didn't read your thread before we got them and just bought them straight into the house. We expected a bit of hissing etc from Charlie as this is what our old cats did when he came. However, Charlie seems quite afraid of the kittens, he won't come in very much & if he see's them he goes straight out again. Worse though he is hissing and growling at everyone and even scratched my sons face last night because he could hear the kittens in another room. He was quite content on my sons lap until this point. The kittens aren't scared of Charlie at all and apart from hissing he hasn't attacked them at all so they go up to him as soon as he comes in unless we can stop them first.
is there anything we can do to rectify this mess? Sorry about the length of this question.


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## LorraineK

Hey,

Great tips, only thing is it didnt really cover the one aggression problem that Im sitting with my fully grown male cat Shado, he has been very aggressive with the other cats in our area, bullying them and looking for fights.

How do I convey the message to him that this behaviour is not on, I need to find some solution quick as our landlord has warned us that if this goes remedied we will have to move.

I don't know what to do; I am at my wits end.:mad2:


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## buffie

LorraineK said:


> Hey,
> 
> Great tips, only thing is it didnt really cover the one aggression problem that Im sitting with my fully grown male cat Shado, he has been very aggressive with the other cats in our area, bullying them and looking for fights.
> 
> How do I convey the message to him that this behaviour is not on, I need to find some solution quick as our landlord has warned us that if this goes remedied we will have to move.
> 
> I don't know what to do; I am at my wits end.:mad2:


Sadly some cats are very territorial and will fight with anyone that comes in to their "patch".Obvious question but is he neutered.


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## LorraineK

Yes Shado is fixed, has been since a kitten, before our other female cat that he grew up with passed away he was a very shy and scared cat, after Amber we got Leo and Chua, also fixed male kittens and for the first bit he was fine, there was the hissing and running away but no aggression to them, but then Leo ran away and then all of a sudden he has been attacking our neighbours cats and bully them into cowering under him.

Its like he has had a complete mind shift. I have kept him inside from last night in fear of the other cats safety, but I feel so guilty as he has always had free access to come and go as he pleased. I feel Im being cruel but at the moment I see no other way. Its either this or a new home on my boyfriends parents farm. I think sending him away would just break my heart as my animals are my kids.


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## buffie

I'm no expert so sadly cant really offer much advice but it does look like it is more fear induced aggression.Did Leo ever return and what is Shado's relationship with Chua like.If Shado accepts being kept in over night then I would say that is the best thing to do,apart from the fighting ,cats out at night are at quite a risk from injury or worse and it isnt cruel to want to protect him.


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## LorraineK

No Leo never came back, and his relationship with chau is on the tense side, he tolerates him but there is still a lot of hissing and spitting going on, seeing as Chau is still fairly new to our home, I'm hoping that the time he does stay indoors for will help him adjust to Chau! They both sweet cats with their own personalities and I wouldn't want to get rid of either of them.


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## buffie

LorraineK said:


> No Leo never came back, and his relationship with chau is on the tense side, he tolerates him but there is still a lot of hissing and spitting going on, seeing as Chau is still fairly new to our home, I'm hoping that the time he does stay indoors for will help him adjust to Chau! They both sweet cats with their own personalities and I wouldn't want to get rid of either of them.


Have you heard of Feliway diffusers All about Feliway I see you live in South Africa so cant advice where you would get the cheapest supply from.I have used it with a cat with behaviour issues and found it very useful.Good luck I hope you manage to sort out Shado's problems.


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## blueali

Hi, I am new here and found this thread really interesting as I have a big problem called Scooter.

He is now 5 and was given to me age 2 to be my stable cat as he was attacking his family and their dogs and cat. They had had him since 2 months old and he had been neutered at 6 months. He had a normal upbringing but terrorised the household to the point where they would not enter rooms/ use stairs if he was there because he tended to bite legs.

He settled in with my horse very well and stopped biting legs as a rule. Over 2 years his behaviour improved a lot and I would sometimes take him home when the weather was bad and he was well behaved on his visits.

In November we moved house and decided, as he had improved so much, we would bring him with us and re-convert him to a house cat. He likes the house and initially was only as unsettled as expected (nervous about going out etc.). Then he started spraying, made worse by a neighbour's adopted stray coming in, I dealt with this by shooing it with avengence. Outside Scooter was not too botherd by neighbouring cats, he stares them off (he is 6Kg and confident - see Scooter the adventure cat - YouTube for a video of him).

I got a feliway diffuser and spray which appeared to help until we got a new sofa, which smelt of 'new' and he started spraying a lot so we had to ban him from the lounge unsupervised.

I cannot work out the reason for his aggression. Some is dominance although not towards me any more (but he is protective of me if there is a stranger), my partner is more wary and Scooter is more likely to behave badly if he is in charge. Strangers and new things do make Scooter more nervous and this sometimes becomes aggression (the ultimate is the vet). Sometimes he attacks randomly and without warning, usually me, so probably redirected aggression. Sometimes his eyes go into hunting mode with targetting locked onto your hand. There are parts he does not like touched but I am slowly improving this over the years, and he is learning to ask me to stop before trying to sever my hand. He is not timid and asks for attention but then suddenly attack (this behaviour very rarely with me).

We have considered giving him up as the spraying is becoming impossible (never mind the attacking). However, we are fond of him as he does have redeeming qualities. He has been very easy to train not to scratch furniture, go on tables etc. with a combination of positive reinforcement and punishment. But for the spraying we have tried: not making a fuss, calmly moving him to his litter tray/outside, telling him off - nothing has worked.

I now want to try calming drops/tablets but he only eats Punira Natural Chicken biscuits and an occasional cat treat, so don't know how I would get him to take them.

Apologies for the long post - well done for getting here - please help!


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## Jenna84

What a wonderful post thank you so much! This has really helped me and I will change my approach to my kitty from now on xx


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## NellBijou

Hello Luisa,
Ollie and Willow are gorgeous! And thank you for sharing , it is really helpful, I knew some of them but I didn't know every behaviour you talked about. I love cats and I want to know as much as possible about them.

Cats kneading  Kneading is very natural for cats, coming from the time when they were kittens


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## V1ckst3r

I have 2 cats, 1 male & 1 female and they've both been 'done'. We all live relatively happily together and have lived at my current address for 5 years. During that time there have been only a handful of standoffs with other cats as there can't be that many cats in the village.
However, a cat has appeared in the last couple of weeks, making lots of noise and obviously very curious of it's surroundings. Then yesterday another cat appeared and it seems has 'joined forces' with the other one and they've pretty much set up camp outside my house! I've smelt urine so spraying and marking of territory is occurring.
My two are completely traumatised and scared to leave the house. I even had one of these strange cats at the front door and one at the back. Even I'm unnerved!
To make matters worse, my female cat has recently been treated for 'cystitis' and the antibiotics don't appear to have worked. Could this be stress-induced? Or an anxiety reaction? 

Please help!!!!!


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## giorkos

Hi, 
I would like to introduce you my cat: George. He was born in my bed and I grow up him in the dearest way... It was always me and George, we walked together, we played, I feed him my portion of grill and after I ate. But George grew up and now he is 3 years old, and he uses to go out in the back of the flat to make his poo, where is a large field and where he uses to play... I spent all the 3 years with him, as I don't work, and I even walked him around and protected him from older cats... But lately he started acting strange, not letting me touch him, always moody and difficult to be around him, scratching me seriously and biting me... Started going around to the neighbours to eat, and left me alone... And then I found a small, oh so friendly perhaps 5-6 weeks kitten and brought it home... George didn't came home this time too often, and when he saw her he reacted very bad, we was annoyed. And staying and trying to get them together, I couldn't manage to do it... Ok, thought about throwing the small kitten, but George is very aggressive with me, he doesn't come inside the home at all and if he comes is only in the night to eat, when he thinks that i sleep...and he hits me and he is trying to punish me for the other cat... Then I got angry and I throw him away, to leave to another area... Why would I allow a cat to manipulate me? And why a grown male cat would be aggressive for his mother? He knows me as his mother... but even from before to bring the small kitten looks like he doesn't want me too much... why is this happening?


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## giorkos

Why dont you try to give dry food to those cats somewhere more far away, to move out?


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## lollie5765

Hi All,

I am new to this site, but as a cat owner of 3 cats, and struggling with inter-cat aggression, I recently found this very sound advice and wanted to share it with you all.

We have 3 cats, 2 two year olds, very laid back, male and female, and an older female, nearly 5, Ziggy. Ziggy, through no fault of her own was not socialised properly as a kitten or young cat so remained fearful/aggressive towards other cats; lashing out unnecessarily, growling, hissing etc. Anyway, here's what the advice said, please try it, its BRILL and really works and very quickly too 

When, or even before you see the aggressive cat strike out at another gentler cat, walk up to the aggressive cat silently, scruff them at the back of the neck, as a mother cat would do to a kitten and whilst silently holding your cat to the floor hiss loudly. Then let the cat go. Do not shout at or smack the aggressive cat before, during or after the scruffing. Cats do not understand shouting or smacking and this will only make your cat fearful of you.

Initially the cat that has been scruffed and hissed at will be a little bit alarmed and may slink or run away from you. Remain silent to the aggressive cat, and within a few minutes the cat that's been scruffed should return to you, for reassurance, just as it would to the mother cat. Once the cat comes back to you, reassure it with strokes and speak gently and quietly to it.

What you are doing here is simply telling the aggressive cat, like it's cat mother would, that their behaviour is not on and to stop. You will notice, very quickly, that the aggressive cat will become calmer, will not be fearful of the scruffing and hissing, although will not like it (!). It's amazing, weird yes, but amazing, and it works very quickly. It's like a big penny drops with the aggressive cat and they, and all the other cats in the household become much calmer. It does take time and watchful patience for the first couple of days, but after that a simple hiss at the aggressive cat is usually enough to remind them that aggression is not on.

My neighbour, who also has two cats, was also experiencing inter-cat aggression within her home, but also there was inter-cat aggression between some of the 5 cats outside. So we decided to start scruffing and hissing on the same day! What a difference! All 5 cats now inter-mingle with no aggression allowing the gentler cats to relax.

Also, to further build the new bond between the gentler household cats and the aggressor, sit on the floor and get all the cats to come closer and closer, so that they are all very close to each other, using treats. Praise the cats as they get closer. This will affirm and re-affirm that "nice things happen when I get close to other cats" Again, this works very quickly!

I hope this has been of help to anyone suffering from inter-cat aggression, as disharmony amoungst cats is not good!!! I was prompted to write this after reading one poor woman has 7 cats in her household and only 2 will happily mix, thereby forcing her to keep the cats that don't get on in separate parts of the house!!

Thanks for reading,


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## mathie911

Thank you for the detailed post, however my cat does not seem to fit directly into any of those categories. Perhaps you could help:

At 10 months old, he is very social. He greets us at the door, enjoys being in the same room, sits on our laps in the evenings, is very playful, and enjoys being stroked when relaxed. The cat is not left alone for many hours of the day (we work half days) and has free roam of the house.

While he does sometimes fall into the petting aggression, this is foreseeable and avoidable and not a regular occurrence.

However, what concerns me is his *unprovoked aggression*. He will sometimes calmly walk up to my partner or I and bite. No stalking, no hissing, and nothing obvious that would have provoked him - he just decides to bite (hard). There is also no consistency in what we are doing that might upset him. It is a hard, angry bite.

90% of the time, he is a playful, cute, social and happy cat, but these attacks happen daily at different times, in different rooms and during different activities and are worrying.

Any thoughts would be hugely appreciated.


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## Black Cloud

Hi all, 
Some very interesting discussions on this thread. I wonder if anybody has any experience of their cat attacking dogs? This is our current problem. Our 1 year old cat (recently spayed) will attack any dog that passes in front of our house. She has given at least 3 dogs quite nasty scratches on the face, when all they were doing was innocently walking along with their owner. I have had to face the wrath of the owners. I am thinking it is a territorial thing but she is okay with the neighbourhood cats. At home she is very calm and loving and sweet. Then she goes out and... Hulk mode. 
I am worried that sooner or later she'll pick the wrong dog and that will be the end of her. 
Friends think we should find her a new home away from dogs. Were not keen on that course of action but are not sure what we can do. Any thoughts? 
Many thanks all


----------



## Marisa Ramos

Hi there

My name is Marisa and I live in Spain. I have joined the forum in desperation with our new kitten, Levi, who seems to have a behavioural problem which I am eager to correct. He is now almost 4 months old. My husband found him abandoned and lost in the middle of the night, miowing his heart out. He was about 3 weeks old. We fed him, took him to the vet the next day and decided to adopting, having failed to find his mum. 

As he's growing, the playing activities such as scratching and biting had gotten really painful. I've talked to our vet and has given me a few things to do but don't seem to be working, such ignoring him, as many times he follows me to keep playing (bitting and scratching!) I realised that not having siblings to play with and a mum to set the boundaries has influenced his behaviour and limited his education, but I can't have him bitting and getting aggresive, either with us at home or with my small nieces or my guests, and I of course refuse to use any threats or violence against him. I want him to be happy and be part of our household, without us bleeding to death. 

I went online to see if this ultrasonic noise device could be used (switch it on everytime he bites or scratches us) as a "punishment" so he relates the annoying noise to this particular behaviour, but I am not sure if it is going to work.

We had an adopted female cat, around 5 years old, very sweet who is the only one who seems to know how to put Levi back in his place.

Please help. We love him and want him to be part of our lives.

Thank you


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## Bigbadjan

Hi - i'm a new member here, so hello  I wonder if anyone has got any advice... I'm having problems with an 8 month old tom cat which I'm trying to introduce to my 2 older queens (one is 10, the other is about 8). 

We only got him yesterday so I know its early days, but he has already attacked both cats to such an extent they wont venture downstairs. 

I've never owned a young cat with older cats so I'm not sure how to stop this behaviour. The younger cat is obviously very lively which I was expecting, but the agression seems a bit over the top. He has been neutered (thank goodness!!!). 

I have plugged in a Feliway so hopefully this will calm the household (do they do them for humans??). 
Cheers
Jan


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## spid

Integrating Kittens with Cats try the advice on this site


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## craigandlaura

hey all, its our first post here and on this subject.

I brought a kitten about 14 months ago as a kitten and brought him home to my girlfriend and her mums home where he lives. 

Now when i first got him home he would only come to me, he would sit on my lap and chest, i was able to smooth him and he would be fine.

this was the case for a little while but for the past 10 months he has been absolutely horrible to me lol. i try to smooth him and he growls, hiss's, bites and scratches! i have been trying to handle it, as im not always over here but when i am im always trying to play with him. But today was the final straw i have to find something out, i gave him some treats and he came and sat on my lap which i thought ok, maybe this can be good. i closed the packet and he finished eating then he sat there still, and just growled without any provacatation, then i went to smooth him and he lashes out.

please help, my girlfriend reckons i should just leave him alone, but i just want to be able to smooth him properly again! he loves her but hates me!!


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## stever

Thank you for the excellent article...


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## PEANUT1

Hello

Thks for the info, I have a question though. I believe my older female (Pebble -15 months) has territorial aggression. We picked up a stray kitten and adopted it. We didnt know any better at the time and just brought the kitten into the house and expected Pebble to accept it. Ever since then she growls when we pick her up or the kitten ( now 7 month old) comes near her. They do sometimes play together but most of the time she is pretty moody. How can I fix this since we didnt introduce them properly.


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## fravimal

yeah, great post, thanks for the thorough run-down on behaviours


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## nobby2000

hi have just joined thi ite..
i have a cat called nobby love him to bits ..he is very loving and follows me everywhere . he its more or less on my face and is very sweet but then his eyes go crossed eyed and he will go for me then run off... not ure how to stop this as i don;t know why he changes so fast...


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## babygirl017

wow this info was just what I needed for my Dexter. We adopted him from Va animal adoption center. He is now 5 months old. And does most of what was said. My hubby treats him diff then I do so Dexter is getting mixed signals! I try to tell hubby but he just convinced his way is better. He also feels that I should only b feeding him one can food a day...I disagree


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## Lilly27green

Hi,

I am new to the forum and you seem very knowledgable,please could you give a little advice? 

I recently lost one of my cats and now have two elderly but fit females, I have rehomed a cat from the local shelter a female picked as she has gentle personality, and is 4 years old,she has had a rough time in the past,

Things are going ok, with obviously a few hisses from mine but none from the newbie, the last couple of days she has benn rushing up to them, no hiss or growl but with a bushy tail turned sideways, not straight up,she backs off if they hiss and I usually intervene, do you think she is playing? 

I made the mistake of reading too much on the Internet and am now consumed with worry and becoming neurotic that it won't work out!

Please do you have any advice to help me to stop worrying, as I say no real upset yet,

Thank you so much


----------



## buffie

Lilly27green said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am new to the forum and you seem very knowledgable,please could you give a little advice?
> 
> I recently lost one of my cats and now have two elderly but fit females, I have rehomed a cat from the local shelter a female picked as she has gentle personality, and is 4 years old,she has had a rough time in the past,
> 
> Things are going ok, with obviously a few hisses from mine but none from the newbie, the last couple of days she has benn rushing up to them, no hiss or growl but with a bushy tail turned sideways, not straight up,she backs off if they hiss and I usually intervene, do you think she is playing?
> 
> I made the mistake of reading too much on the Internet and am now consumed with worry and becoming neurotic that it won't work out!
> 
> Please do you have any advice to help me to stop worrying, as I say no real upset yet,
> 
> Thank you so much


Hi and welcome to the forum.I dont have any experience of intro's,having only had to do this once .It may be better if you make a new thread asking for advice in "training and behaviour" section or in "Cat Chat" as this one can sometimes be a bit quiet.
Did you introduce them slowly as this method tends to have better results .Have a read of this link in the meantime...........Living Together - Introducing a New Cat

Good luck and keep us posted,oh and BTW we would love to see pics


----------



## Lilly27green

Thanks so much for your reply,I have read the article and it was very helpfully, we have had progress today in the form of "nose sniffing" so my worrying is stopping a little, it is nerve racking though, 

Thanks again for your time


----------



## buffie

Lilly27green said:


> Thanks so much for your reply,I have read the article and it was very helpfully, we have had progress today in the form of "nose sniffing" so my worrying is stopping a little, it is nerve racking though,
> 
> Thanks again for your time


You are very welcome.Do come into "cat chat" and join in


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## EddyB

Thanks very much for this article, particularly liked the tail part! I didnt realise relaxed but tip wagging was an indication of agitation!


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## tbay007

Funny thing, I knew all of this after 2 to 3 weeks of owning our kitten. I observed the way she stalked, played, being angry, and all of those moods. I wanted to be able to tell when she would attack and when she was aloof and relaxed. 

These are great tips to learn how to read your cat. A lot of them are very accurate, although I still haven't witnessed the tail between the legs yet. But I can vouch for the rest of the poses with the cat.


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## JoeysMum

Ok, so i have 2 beautiful little girls (sisters) both 7 months old and one of them is super loving and playful ..i think... I've had cats all my life but none of them have been like these two! They are like a pair of dogs! Anyways 1 of them puurs like a maniac whilst shes rubbing up against me and flopping against me, i stroke her and the purring intensifies but after a few seconds she wraps herself around my arm (still purring) and places her mouth on my hand ( shes doesnt bite) and then stops and the whole rubbing, flopping and being silly starts again...is she playing?? I thought she was getting annoid but then why would she do it all over again?


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## JordanWalker

This is such a useful and informative thread about our pet cat. Thank you for the information on what are the signs of cat aggression and the tips on how to combat it. I'm so grateful that I found this thread. I have now an idea regarding cat aggression. Thank you so much for sharing it to us. Keep up the good work Lisa.


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## Lingers14

Hi, I'm new to this so hope I'm in the right place to ask this question. I have two cats (1x male, 1 x female), both are about 10 years old (no idea if important. We are a well moved household and they are both used to moving and new houses. The last couple of times we've moved they have moved into an area with quite a few cats already and I believe they are being bullied or are just chickens when it comes to being outside around new cats. As such one cat has taken to poo'ing in my plant pots (sometimes even on top of wire mesh put there to stop her). The other is now going outside when pushed but choosing to poo when back inside the house (on one of our childrens book was a low point) or now in the middle of the grass in the garden. 

I have two toddlers and can't have cat poo everywhere, any ideas how to retrain them to poo over the fence or deterrents that I can use so they are not fouling an area where the kids may come into contact with it???

Really can't bear the thought of giving them to another home but have no idea how to make it safe for all parties to live as we are! 

Thanks


----------



## buffie

Lingers14 said:


> Hi, I'm new to this so hope I'm in the right place to ask this question. I have two cats (1x male, 1 x female), both are about 10 years old (no idea if important. We are a well moved household and they are both used to moving and new houses. The last couple of times we've moved they have moved into an area with quite a few cats already and I believe they are being bullied or are just chickens when it comes to being outside around new cats. As such one cat has taken to poo'ing in my plant pots (sometimes even on top of wire mesh put there to stop her). The other is now going outside when pushed but choosing to poo when back inside the house (on one of our childrens book was a low point) or now in the middle of the grass in the garden.
> 
> I have two toddlers and can't have cat poo everywhere, any ideas how to retrain them to poo over the fence or deterrents that I can use so they are not fouling an area where the kids may come into contact with it???
> 
> Really can't bear the thought of giving them to another home but have no idea how to make it safe for all parties to live as we are!
> 
> Thanks


Hi and welcome to PF.
If your cats feel threatened when outside that is most likely the cause of them choosing to toilet inside.Cats are clean animals and this will be stressing them out as much as it is annoying you.
You don't mention whether they have litter trays indoors or not,if not, then I suggest as a starting point you give them a couple of trays in a safe spot indoors to see if that sorts the problem.
Even cats who prefer to toilet outside should always have a tray indoors .
You say you don't want your kids to come in contact with the cats poo but if they go outside then you are just shifting the problem not curing .


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## Kitchen Maid

The real problem we have is the aggression that other cats in the neighbourhood show towards ours. Blackie is very much an outdoor cat and our fences are old, have many holes underneath them. and it would be too expensive for us at the moment to replace them - besides cats can jump over them if they wish. 

This means that cats stray into his territory and he strays into theirs. On one occasion 2 cats came right up to the lawn outside our house to basically confront Blackie. Our French doors were shut so he had no choice but to defend his territory. It was only hearing some terrible screeching that I knew he was involved in a fight. (we were in the front lounge at the time). He very much got the worst of it - fur missing off his hind quarters - in fact black fur all over the lawn when we switched the patio light on. The other cat had the nerve to stand its ground even when I stepped out onto the patio until I screamed at it which made it run off. Blackie limped through the front door and up the stairs and slept until 1pm the following day. 

A couple of weeks ago, a b/w cat that I know belongs to neighbours over the road was boldly coming up to the steps to the top lawn and I found Blackie cowering inside the open French doors, hissing and growling - but clearly not wanting to fight.

This morning I think Blackie went into the garden 2 doors along which this b/w cat also thinks is his territory. Again there was some terrible screeching which I instinctively knew belonged to Blackie so out I rushed, calling him and within seconds he came rushing back to our garden, followed in hot pursuit by the same b/w cat who is 17 years old and no slouch when it comes to fighting! Even when I yelled and stood behind it, he was hell bent on attacking Blackie in his own garden, with Blackie cowering against the doors of the chalet at the end of the garden in a submissive pose. A very hard slap on the hind quarters of this b/w cat soon stopped him in his tracks and he shot off back from where he came.

After these fights/skirmishes, Blackie will only toilet indoors or outside if I'm standing by him.

Do cats sense that another cat is weak? Blackie was the runt of a litter born on a farm and had hypothermia when he was born. Its got to the stage now where if we go out, even for a little while, I get him indoors as I'd only worry he might end up getting seriously hurt if we're not around to rescue him.


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## chillminx

As Blackie is rather a timid boy it might be an idea for you to invest in a water pistol (you can buy cheap ones from ebay), and spray any strange cats that come into your garden. It will soon drive them away, you just need to persevere for a while. 

A bit of water won't hurt a cat, unlike a "hard slap" could. If I knew my neighbour was squirting water at any of my cats to keep them out of his/her garden I would have no objections, but if I knew they were slapping my cats, especially if it was a hard slap, I'd be furious!


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## Kitchen Maid

We do have a water pistol - but it was in the garage and I could tell there wasn't a moment to lose in getting down the end of the garden to stop the fighting - or, as I knew, another cat attacking ours. As it happens, my husband has used the water pistol on this b/w cat but it hasn't deterred him from coming back. If I'd had water to hand, then I would have used it - though based on the fact that this cat seems to know no fear, I don't know what good it would have done in the long run.

I'm not sorry I slapped the cat on his hind quarters - it'll take me a while to forget the fear on Blackie's face and the way he was cowering in front of the shed doors. As furious as the neighbour might be if she knew I'd slapped her cat, I was more than furious to see how her cat had no intention of doing anything but mauling our cat in his own garden. My shouts at him did nothing to deter him I rather feel that if I'd tried to push this cat away, I'd have been turned on. 

Later in the day I saw Blackie sitting at the edge of next door's garden peering into the one beyond, obviously nervous about venturing further. He looked round, saw me and decided it was safer to return back to his own patch. A lesson learned ... but doubt it'll be for long!


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## DarkAngelMJH

My Sister and Mum bought 2 sisters, Sophie & Lexi about 5 years ago. Then after about 6 months of living together my sister moved out for 2 years. Then split up with her boyfriend and moved back with Lexi. 

When she was back Lexi started chasing Sophie upstairs and wouldn't let her downstairs in the living room & kitchen unless we were standing guard for Sophie.

After about a year of this my sister moved out with Lexi again only this time Lexi went depressed and after 2 weeks she brought her back home. It took 3 weeks for Lexi to perk up and behave like herself again only now she's chasing Sophie even more and being a lot more agressive with it. We won't get rid of any of them but are hoping to make it a better place for Sophie so can feels she can come downstairs also. Currently her territory is my room where she gets fed and sleeps, her litter box is in the bathroom about 3 strides from my room. But all 5 cats also share this although there is also one in the kitchen downstairs and they can go out (Lexi, Sophie, Cassi, Rio & Luca - Luca can't go out due to not being old enough to be cut yet).

Lexi doesn't chase Rio & Luca at all but both are young boys and below 2 years of age. She has now started to chase Cassi the eldest also who is now displaying the same signs as Sophie. 

I have now purchased a Feliway which will be here this week but has anyone any idea on how to help Lexi become more settled and stop chasing Sophie & Cassi?


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## chillminx

For chasing behaviour to be effective it needs two factors: a cat who chases and a cat who runs when chased. Once you have these two ingredients, then it is very hard, almost impossible, to stop it I'm afraid.

For the cat (or cats) being chased it is enormously stressful, and it is very unfair to allow the situation to continue. You could end up with behavioural problems or physical health problems in Sophie and/or Cassie. .

You can't stop Cassie and Sophie running I'm afraid (it is an instinct, some cats run some don't) But you can try and stop Lexi chasing.

To take on this task you will need to be dedicated, patient and prepared for it to take weeks, if it works at all, which is not guaranteed. You will have to be prepared to follow Lexi around whenever you allow her to be in the same part of the house as Sophie and Cassie. You will need to step in the moment Lexi's body language shows she is about to chase one of them, and physically stop her. Firm, gentle, consistent repetition is the way to change cat behaviour. You can distract her with a game such as Flying Frenzy, or some treats, whichever she responds best to.

Because the training of Lexi will be labour intensive, and lengthy I strongly recommend that you divide the house up so that Cassie & Sophie have one part to themselves and Lexi and the boys have the other half. The boys can in fact move between the two halves, if they get on with everyone.

When I say "divide the house" I mean literally, installing a full size barrier door at the bottom or the top of the stairs. Make a full size door from a wooden frame and chicken wire, and fit this to a frame, then fit hinges one side and bolts the other side to keep it closed. It MUST reach the ceiling or you'll have the cats climbing over it..

The idea is that Sophie and Cassie have a safe place in the house where they can go, where Lexi cannot chase them. This reduces their stress levels and gives them their self confidence back. Lexi can see them and smell them but she cannot chase them, so there is a chance she MAY become more accepting of them.

However, to progress the relationships forward there need to be periods each day when Lexi and the 2 girls are together, and I suggest you limit these periods at first to one a day, an hour at a time. (You can increase them when you see Lexi's behaviour improve but not until then).

You are going to have to be very vigilant indeed during these periods, and if Lexi does start trouble and you can't stop it in time, then Sophie or Cassie are going to get stressed, and this is what you're trying to prevent.

If you follow this method exactly then you should see some improvement within a few weeks. Set yourself a time limit, e.g. 3 months, and if there is almost zero improvement in Lexi's behaviour in that time, then I think you have to accept she is not going to change. So then you'd need to keep the house divided permanently and not allow Lexi any direct contact at all with Sophie or Cassie.

If you feel that's an impractical way to live, then I think you should consider rehoming Lexi. If she does not change her ways, it will be very apparent she does not want to share her territory with other females under any circumstances.

EDIT: along with the above training you could also give the girls a course of Zylkene, a supplement which is calming where there are territorial issues. The capsules can be opened and the powder mixed with food. It is not cheap but can be effective sometimes.

Zylkene Capsules - Pack Of 100 - 75mg - Animed Direct


----------



## Jonny and Slush

Really great thread for me to read before adopting my stray, deaf cat in a few weeks. I am really wanting to create a happy haven for Slush and I to live in together.

Since she was a starving stray found in the middle of winter, combined with being completely deaf, I am expecting to need to work with her to make her as comfortable as possible in her new lifelong home. Fingers crossed I get lots of head bumping and no aggressive behaviour but it is great to know the signs, what they mean and how to work with Slush should they occur.

Many thanks!


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## Singinghorse

luisa said:


> Yup agreed. There will always be one offs and some that dont get better no matter what you do, although most of the time its how we react to them etc.
> 
> its all down to the owner and the kitten/cat itself


I couldn't agree ore with what you say about it being down to the owner of the cat ... I know someone with a cat who continually refuses to learn to recognise the signs when his cat has had enough petting or playing, consequently he has had some terrible injuries. I have tried to re-educate him but he thinks cats are just like little humans. "Cat lovers" like him should not be allowed to own a cat!


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## GRANDMASTERFLASH

luisa said:


> Since being on this forum I have noticed so many threads about cat aggression. Here is a guide to knowing your cat, its body language and warning signs.
> 
> *Know your cat*
> 
> *Cats body language - their tail*
> 
> A cats tail like a dogs gives many different messages to other cats and their owners. The following is a basic guide to reading your cats mood via the way they hold their tail. Obviously all cats are different and different factors/environments may change how they react.
> 
> 1, Tail curled slightly downwards and then curved at the tip ( think of an elongated S shape ) = Cat is very relaxed an content.
> 2, Tail is erect but not ridged and has a curved top ( think of a ? shape ) = cat is friendly and greeting.
> 3, Tail is limp but the end is flicking = cat is getting agitated, the more the tail flicks the more annoyed the cat is getting. Beware that pushing the cat further when showing this twitching tail can possibly result in the cat being aggressive.
> 4, Tail is erect and bobbing/dancing = cat is showing sheer affection.
> 5, Tail is swishing from side to side ( think of an S shape again ) = This cat is VERY angry
> 6, Tail is erect and the hair is sticking out ridged - this is normally towards another cat = Showing aggression do not approach.
> 7, Tail is arched ( n shape ) and hair is sticking out ridged - this follows point 6 = Cat will attack. normally the cat also is standing on tip toes and has a sideways stance.
> 8, Tail is between their legs = the cat is giving in / scared / submissive
> 9, Tail is slightly raised but not ridged and the hair poofed out = cat is playing / often chasing.
> 10, Female cat tail held to one side with bum in the air = cat is flirting and is in call. ready to mate.
> 
> *Cats body language - Ears*
> 
> 1, Both ears flat each side of their head ( -o- shape ) = normally with dilated pupils the cat is intrigued and playful.
> 2, Both ears are pointing back and flat = cat is annoyed and angry an ready to pounce.
> 3, One ear side ways one ear forward = cat is relaxed this is a waiting position.
> 4, Both forward = cat is alert and focusing on a noise.
> 
> *Cats body language - Eyes*
> 
> Dilated pupils - Playful and in extreamly dilated cases agressive.
> 
> *Cats body language - Whiskers*
> 
> Normally whiskers are spread out at the side of the face. If a cat is agitated they will move back with the ears.
> 
> *Cat body language - Head, legs and body*
> 
> Legs - stiff walking along side the fact that the back leg follows the front shows awkwardness in the cat. This cat is stressed
> 
> Head - lowered head is a cat about to pounce or can also show submissiveness
> 
> Arched body - cat is getting ready to attack and defend itself.
> 
> Here are some different types of common aggression factors and how to try to combat the behaviour.
> 
> *Kitten & Adult Play Aggression *
> 
> cats are naturally predators. This instinct will never die and due to the nature of the animal will never be "bred out". Nature created a cat with teeth and sharp claws to prey/ defend themselves and attack. Every cat has these natural urges to stalk and pounce.
> Some cats get pleasure in attacking feet, sleeping owners and the odd little animal. Cats love to explore, stalk anything that moves, and bat and pounce on small objects that they pretend to be prey. This mostly is seen in young kittens during their learning period but many adult cats still love to play hunt.
> Kittens learn their limits of what is and isn't acceptable between the ages of 5 and 13 weeks of age.
> Kittens play and attack one another often they quickly learn the limits of biting and scratching. Their litter mates bite back when play gets too rough.
> Kittens taken from the litter before this do not have this option and transfer this play attacking on their owners. This is natural for them and don't see themselves as doing wrong.
> *How to spot it:-*
> Play aggression is easy to recognise by the cat/kittens body language.
> They crouch, flatten their ears, their pupils dilate and their tail swishes back and forth while they stalk or pounce at the owner. Before pouncing they normally wiggle their back end a little.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Not allowing the kitten to get into the habit of stalking you. Once you recognise this body language in the kitten distract the kittens attention to a fishing rod type toy or ball. Drag string along the floor or dangle a toy on a string for it to play with.
> Never encourage the kitten if they are pouncing on you by running, making quick movements or fighting the kitten back. Never encourage hand play. This will only encourage the kitten to stalk you more as they think you are playing with them.
> Do not condone rough play at all between a human or kitten - this extends to all family members.
> If a kitten is to attack you in this manor play dead and don't move. They will soon get bored of you and walk off when they do get a toy for them to play with. If you are petting your kitten and they try to play bite you, say a firm NO and remove yourself from the kitten and ignore the behaviour. From this the kitten will realise what they have done.
> If all this fails a bottle with coins in to shake will startle the kitten and stop this behaviour. Warning IMO this latter bottle shaking can produce a shy jumpy kitten. I myself have never used this type of aggression technique as i feel the other methods work better.
> NEVER PUNISH. Always encourage good play with lots of treats and verbal encouragement I.E "your such a good girl/boy" etc
> You can also hiss at the cat a a mother cat would. simply making a hiss noise with your mouth isn't realistic enough. Get saliva in your mouth and inhale quickly sucking the saliva back with bared teeth. this creates a more realistic noise and gets the kitten to stop what its doing. It will normally back off and sulk for a little while but remember what he did wrong.
> 
> Some people will suggest the old technique of removing the cat/kitten and placing it into "time out" IMO again this seldomly works, and can mentally disturb the cat giving it anxiety problems
> 
> *Territory Based Aggression*
> 
> Cats are one of the most territorial of animals, in some cases even more so then dogs.
> In the wild cats are solitary hunters and hunt within their own territory.
> Cats will be territorial as indoor or outdoor cats. Territorial aggression normally starts when a cat reaches adult hood ( 1-2 yrs of age ) but can also be present in kittens.
> Outdoor cats can become extreamly territorial of the area surrounding the house. Should they see another cat/dog/bird or other animal in their territory they can become upset. In these situations your kitten/cat can indeed transfer his aggression out on their owners or other pets. This same agression also occurs with indoor cats.
> *How to spot it:-*
> When territory aggression occurs cats/kittens will hiss, spit and make growling or warning noises. This can be either to its owner or another litter mate or cat.
> Cats can attack. Normally in this type of aggression the cat will attack the hind quarters of the other cat. Wounds will occur on hind quarter legs and tail of the more submissive cat, and on the face nose and neck area of the aggressor.
> In indoor cats the aggression behaviour can differ. Multiple cat households can live completely at ease with cats sharing each others territories at different times of the day. This can be upset by a number of different things I.E moving household furniture, getting a new sofa, moving the room about or even moving cat trees. Adding a new kitten/cat will also upset this balance.
> Spotting it in the home can sometimes be more difficult. The aggressive more assertive cat will guard favoured places and objects by growling and or threatening to attack the other cat/person. Stressed territory based aggression can also be spotted through hiding toys, walking round with toys in their mouth, spraying urine and excessive licking or grooming.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Multicat households need 1 litter tray for every cat plus one spare, these need to be put in different areas of the house.
> Cats dont like sharing eating/drinking areas so give each cat its own food and water bowl and feeding space.
> Provide territories for your cats give them places to hide and chill out and retreat. Boxes behind sofas or on top of shelves, radiator beds, pryamid type beds up high and down low. Sometimes coloured toys work - ie red toys for one cat blue for another yellow for another etc only play with each coloured toy with the correct cat and don't mix. Allow cats to gain access to high up areas.
> When introducing new cats keep the new cat confined to one room at first. Allow the other cats to smell under the door. spend time with the new cat and allow the older cats to get used to the sent of the new cat on your clothes.
> Over a period of time allow the new cats area to become larger. when the old cat is sleeping in a different room or put into another room an the doors closed allow the new cat to wonder and smell this area, allow the older cat into the new cats room to also do this. Never put a new cat straight into your home and expect things to be hunky dory. A slow integration period must occur first. Be patient.
> Another good way to combat this aggression is a feilaway diffuser.
> 
> *Aggression Towards Humans/Fear Aggression* _Also related to kitten aggression_
> 
> This normally occurs when a kitten has been taken at an age that is too young, and hasn't been correctly handled, petted and socialised when they were between five and twelve weeks of age.
> These cats are normally fearful, shy, wary of new people, easily angered and upset.
> Cats that are frightened can be misinterpreted as an aggressive cat.
> *How to spot*
> Uptight and Frightened cats crouch with their ears laid back, their tails curled inward and they tilt their bodies away from the threat. They will lash out and claw or bite anything that approaches them. Also the way they walk is a big clue to how a cat is feeling. If the cat has a ridgid upright tail with the back right leg and front right leg moving at the same time the cat is stressed. This behavior often occurs when the cat is in new surroundings or being approached by a stranger. Before attack the cats pupils will often dilate and they may hiss and show their teeth. The cats fur will stand along their back, and they will stick their tail up vertical.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Kittens need to be socialised and handled from an early age. When getting a young kitten get them being used of being touched every where. To get them to allow them to let you touch them wait until they are relaxed and content ( purring ) one way of getting the socialisation period started is to provide the cats favorite healthy treat on the floor infront of you. whilst eating start off by slowly scratching the head and cheeks. Do not make any jerky or sudden movements. Try to progress down the cats back and tail. As you are doing this talk to the cat. Look for signs of the cat becoming agitated. You can tell this as they stop purring and the end of their tail starts flicking. If this happens don't continue for the time being and allow the cat to relax again. Give food treats after the kitten has allowed you to pet them. Slowly the cat will like being touched and relate it to being treated and being calm.
> For socialisation allow your kitten to come into contact with LOTS of different types of people ( different races, male/female, tall, short, fat, thin, young and old. )
> 
> Fear aggression is really hard to combat in older cats but can be done slowly with time and patience. This is because the cat has an inbuilt fear that has been intergrated into the cats personality. With adult cats that have fear aggression never approach it. Everything has to be done on the cats terms. Let the cat approach you. Always have treats available to reward when it does come to you this encourage it to come to you again. Take baby steps each time the cat comes to you. slowly raise a hand towards it to allow it to get your smell. With lots of treats and encouragement the cat will eventually learn to gain trust and allow you to pet it. Never push the boundrys if the cat shows any signs of hostility or agitation stop what your doing and allow the cat to relax again.
> 
> *Redirected Aggression*
> 
> This happens when someone strange or a strange animal or situation/smell that the cats not used to upsets it. Instead of taking its aggression out on the perpetrator they take it out on their owner. When its not happened before this can break a lifelong bond with a cat.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Find the trigger as to why this is happening and remove it. If its a stray cat in your garden shut the curtains/blinds and shoo the stray away. If the cat shows aggression towards you leave it to calm down! Never shout or punish the cat in this situation it will only fuel more hostility and aggression towards you. Interacting with a cat with this aggression is counter productive. Once the cat is calm and comes to you reward its calm behaiviour with treats and play.
> 
> *Stop stroking me biting!*
> 
> This is cats that seem immensely pleased by your petting only to suddenly whirl around and bite you. These cats purr up to the moment they attack. This is due to the cat's short attention span. That there is a fine line between what is pleasurable and what is annoying. Sometimes these displays occur when a sensitive area on the body has been touched. Some cats will beg for attention only to sink their teeth into you a few minutes later.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Release your cat at the first sign it has had enough petting. Some signs that you are approaching the limits of the cats tolerance are restlessness, tail twitching, flattened ears, twitching ears and a tendency to move its head toward your hand. One can attempt to desensitise these cats by feeding them a tasty treat just before you think they might attack and move away.
> 
> *Dominance based Aggression* _Also relates to territory_
> 
> Some cats will treat their owners as another cat and attempt to dominate them.
> These cats may growl or hiss when you join them on the bed or attempt to move them. Some will block doorways and show the typical signs of aggression such as tail switching, dilated pupils, flattened ears, and hissing and spitting.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Ignore the cat. Do not give it any attention, withhold treats and petting until the cat has calmed down.
> Feilaway diffusers are good to combat this aggression.
> Don't give a cat treats when it is being aggressive this will teach the cat to bully you when it wants food.
> 
> *None Recognition Aggression*
> 
> This commonly occurs in a multi-cat household.
> For example one of the cats needs to visit the vet to be spayed. The cats that are normally victim to this type of aggression are those that have been to the vet. These cats are victimised as they return home with a different scent. The cats remaining in the household do not recognise the unfamiliar smell so think that a new cat is intruding into their territory.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> If one of the cats needs to go to the vet take the others along too in different carriers.
> upon returning home take the cats into a neutral area of the home and leave them in the carriers side by side for up to half an hour. Give each cat a bowl of the same food ( nice stinky tuna as a treat ) and once they have finished eating let them out. Also using a feiliaway diffuser in this situation helps too.
> 
> *Medical based Aggression*
> 
> Sometimes some cats aggression does not fit into any of the above categories.
> They may growl and hiss when you pick them up, or touch a certain part of the body. If this occurs get the cat straight to a vet to be checked out. It may be unclear that your cat is ill but cats are strong willed and rarely show that they are in pain. Get your vet to do a good check on the cat and an X-ray to rule out any health problems.
> 
> Cats with a high fever show signs of aggression and irritability.
> 
> Some cat behaviours also may be down to diet. Some commercial foods have cerials and grains that in rare incidences can cause different behaviour problems in the cat. Get this ruled out by a vet also.
> 
> Further more some cat aggression can not be "fixed" it is purely down to the genes that they have been given. This is also rare but does sometimes happen.
> 
> hope this helps!!


This is really interesting and very useful, thank you.

Yesterday we adopted a 1 year old female cat, she came out of hiding within hours and has been pretty good at settling in. But in the last few hours she has started jumping up at our legs and walking on our laps but with her claws out. This is our first cat and she seems very pleasant but is this aggressive behaviour? We want to combat it so have been saying no and leaving the room and praising other behaviours but am I doing enough?

I'm a bit lost.

Cheers


----------



## chillminx

Hi @GRANDMASTERFLASH and welcome 

At one year old your cat is still a kitten, or an adolescent cat anyway, and as such she will need lots of entertaining with interactive play. She is jumping at your legs as a way of telling you she wants to play, and she is excited, not being aggressive. The way to teach her not to do this is to *redirect her attention *to an alternative way of playing that does not harm you. The best toys for this are the fishing rod toys which are used to play with kitties at arms length. e.g. Flying Frenzy with all its lovely alternative attachments.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias=pets&field-keywords=flying+frenzy&sprefix=flying+frenzy,aps,236

If you keep a few of these rods and attachments around the house (but out of kitty's reach) then the moment she goes for your legs, you redirect her attention to the Flying Frenzy and get her jumping, leaping, cartwheeling etc so that she burns up a lot of her energy.

With regard to walking on your lap with claws out, I am not sure I have it clear. Do you mean she is marking time on your lap (often purring at the same time)? If so that is a sign of affection and pleasure, and you don't want to miss out on that, so protect your lap with e.g. a little folded fleece blanket, so she can mark time without her claws getting through to your lap.

If that is not what you meant, and you mean she is walking across your lap with her claws out, then it could be that her claws are long and sharp and need trimming. This is often the case with cats who don't go outdoors. You need a pair of pet nail clippers such as these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clippers-Ki...=1443442547&sr=1-3&keywords=cat+nail+clippers

You trim off the very tip of the claw, no more than that or you could damage the nail bed. If you are unsure ask one of the nurses at your vets to show you. They won;t charge much if anything for a regular customer.

To help your kitty keep her claws trim (and protect your furniture and carpets) provide her with plenty of cat scratchers, several to each room, you can't have too many cat scratchers. Provide a variety, as every cat has their preferences, e.g. upright poles covered in sisal, and the cardboard ones you lay on the floor are very popular with cats,

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/cardboard_cat_furniture/315507

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/scratching_pads/scratching_mat/280459

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/scratching_pads/scratching_mat/101907

The cardboard ones are cheap enough to have several in every room. 

Not only do cats need to use scratching posts to keep their claws trim, but they also use them for scent marking their territory (they have scent glands in the base of their paws near their claws) .

If after her claws are trimmed and she has plenty of scratchers to use she is still walking on your lap with her claws out it may be the case she is not able to sheath her claws fully. My sister had a cat like that years ago, he was an Abyssinian, but I don't know how common it is in the general cat population, or in Abyssininas come to that. But if that is the case with your kitty, you will just need to get into the habit of remembering to protect yourself with a little blanket before you allow her on your lap. 

Just one more thought, your cat may be jumping at your legs partly because she is hungry. At one year old she still has lots of growing to do so she needs feeding at least 3 times a day, possibly more than that. My one year olds eat 400 grams of wet food a day. So feed a high meat protein wet food that is low in carbs, as it is digested more slowly as natures intends for cats. Avoid dry food which is full of carbs (which cats do not need) and choose a good quality wet food, so much better for her health.


----------



## mrb

luisa said:


> Since being on this forum I have noticed so many threads about cat aggression. Here is a guide to knowing your cat, its body language and warning signs.
> 
> *Know your cat*
> 
> *Cats body language - their tail*
> 
> A cats tail like a dogs gives many different messages to other cats and their owners. The following is a basic guide to reading your cats mood via the way they hold their tail. Obviously all cats are different and different factors/environments may change how they react.
> 
> 1, Tail curled slightly downwards and then curved at the tip ( think of an elongated S shape ) = Cat is very relaxed an content.
> 2, Tail is erect but not ridged and has a curved top ( think of a ? shape ) = cat is friendly and greeting.
> 3, Tail is limp but the end is flicking = cat is getting agitated, the more the tail flicks the more annoyed the cat is getting. Beware that pushing the cat further when showing this twitching tail can possibly result in the cat being aggressive.
> 4, Tail is erect and bobbing/dancing = cat is showing sheer affection.
> 5, Tail is swishing from side to side ( think of an S shape again ) = This cat is VERY angry
> 6, Tail is erect and the hair is sticking out ridged - this is normally towards another cat = Showing aggression do not approach.
> 7, Tail is arched ( n shape ) and hair is sticking out ridged - this follows point 6 = Cat will attack. normally the cat also is standing on tip toes and has a sideways stance.
> 8, Tail is between their legs = the cat is giving in / scared / submissive
> 9, Tail is slightly raised but not ridged and the hair poofed out = cat is playing / often chasing.
> 10, Female cat tail held to one side with bum in the air = cat is flirting and is in call. ready to mate.
> 
> *Cats body language - Ears*
> 
> 1, Both ears flat each side of their head ( -o- shape ) = normally with dilated pupils the cat is intrigued and playful.
> 2, Both ears are pointing back and flat = cat is annoyed and angry an ready to pounce.
> 3, One ear side ways one ear forward = cat is relaxed this is a waiting position.
> 4, Both forward = cat is alert and focusing on a noise.
> 
> *Cats body language - Eyes*
> 
> Dilated pupils - Playful and in extreamly dilated cases agressive.
> 
> *Cats body language - Whiskers*
> 
> Normally whiskers are spread out at the side of the face. If a cat is agitated they will move back with the ears.
> 
> *Cat body language - Head, legs and body*
> 
> Legs - stiff walking along side the fact that the back leg follows the front shows awkwardness in the cat. This cat is stressed
> 
> Head - lowered head is a cat about to pounce or can also show submissiveness
> 
> Arched body - cat is getting ready to attack and defend itself.
> 
> Here are some different types of common aggression factors and how to try to combat the behaviour.
> 
> *Kitten & Adult Play Aggression *
> 
> cats are naturally predators. This instinct will never die and due to the nature of the animal will never be "bred out". Nature created a cat with teeth and sharp claws to prey/ defend themselves and attack. Every cat has these natural urges to stalk and pounce.
> Some cats get pleasure in attacking feet, sleeping owners and the odd little animal. Cats love to explore, stalk anything that moves, and bat and pounce on small objects that they pretend to be prey. This mostly is seen in young kittens during their learning period but many adult cats still love to play hunt.
> Kittens learn their limits of what is and isn't acceptable between the ages of 5 and 13 weeks of age.
> Kittens play and attack one another often they quickly learn the limits of biting and scratching. Their litter mates bite back when play gets too rough.
> Kittens taken from the litter before this do not have this option and transfer this play attacking on their owners. This is natural for them and don't see themselves as doing wrong.
> *How to spot it:-*
> Play aggression is easy to recognise by the cat/kittens body language.
> They crouch, flatten their ears, their pupils dilate and their tail swishes back and forth while they stalk or pounce at the owner. Before pouncing they normally wiggle their back end a little.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Not allowing the kitten to get into the habit of stalking you. Once you recognise this body language in the kitten distract the kittens attention to a fishing rod type toy or ball. Drag string along the floor or dangle a toy on a string for it to play with.
> Never encourage the kitten if they are pouncing on you by running, making quick movements or fighting the kitten back. Never encourage hand play. This will only encourage the kitten to stalk you more as they think you are playing with them.
> Do not condone rough play at all between a human or kitten - this extends to all family members.
> If a kitten is to attack you in this manor play dead and don't move. They will soon get bored of you and walk off when they do get a toy for them to play with. If you are petting your kitten and they try to play bite you, say a firm NO and remove yourself from the kitten and ignore the behaviour. From this the kitten will realise what they have done.
> If all this fails a bottle with coins in to shake will startle the kitten and stop this behaviour. Warning IMO this latter bottle shaking can produce a shy jumpy kitten. I myself have never used this type of aggression technique as i feel the other methods work better.
> NEVER PUNISH. Always encourage good play with lots of treats and verbal encouragement I.E "your such a good girl/boy" etc
> You can also hiss at the cat a a mother cat would. simply making a hiss noise with your mouth isn't realistic enough. Get saliva in your mouth and inhale quickly sucking the saliva back with bared teeth. this creates a more realistic noise and gets the kitten to stop what its doing. It will normally back off and sulk for a little while but remember what he did wrong.
> 
> Some people will suggest the old technique of removing the cat/kitten and placing it into "time out" IMO again this seldomly works, and can mentally disturb the cat giving it anxiety problems
> 
> *Territory Based Aggression*
> 
> Cats are one of the most territorial of animals, in some cases even more so then dogs.
> In the wild cats are solitary hunters and hunt within their own territory.
> Cats will be territorial as indoor or outdoor cats. Territorial aggression normally starts when a cat reaches adult hood ( 1-2 yrs of age ) but can also be present in kittens.
> Outdoor cats can become extreamly territorial of the area surrounding the house. Should they see another cat/dog/bird or other animal in their territory they can become upset. In these situations your kitten/cat can indeed transfer his aggression out on their owners or other pets. This same agression also occurs with indoor cats.
> *How to spot it:-*
> When territory aggression occurs cats/kittens will hiss, spit and make growling or warning noises. This can be either to its owner or another litter mate or cat.
> Cats can attack. Normally in this type of aggression the cat will attack the hind quarters of the other cat. Wounds will occur on hind quarter legs and tail of the more submissive cat, and on the face nose and neck area of the aggressor.
> In indoor cats the aggression behaviour can differ. Multiple cat households can live completely at ease with cats sharing each others territories at different times of the day. This can be upset by a number of different things I.E moving household furniture, getting a new sofa, moving the room about or even moving cat trees. Adding a new kitten/cat will also upset this balance.
> Spotting it in the home can sometimes be more difficult. The aggressive more assertive cat will guard favoured places and objects by growling and or threatening to attack the other cat/person. Stressed territory based aggression can also be spotted through hiding toys, walking round with toys in their mouth, spraying urine and excessive licking or grooming.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Multicat households need 1 litter tray for every cat plus one spare, these need to be put in different areas of the house.
> Cats dont like sharing eating/drinking areas so give each cat its own food and water bowl and feeding space.
> Provide territories for your cats give them places to hide and chill out and retreat. Boxes behind sofas or on top of shelves, radiator beds, pryamid type beds up high and down low. Sometimes coloured toys work - ie red toys for one cat blue for another yellow for another etc only play with each coloured toy with the correct cat and don't mix. Allow cats to gain access to high up areas.
> When introducing new cats keep the new cat confined to one room at first. Allow the other cats to smell under the door. spend time with the new cat and allow the older cats to get used to the sent of the new cat on your clothes.
> Over a period of time allow the new cats area to become larger. when the old cat is sleeping in a different room or put into another room an the doors closed allow the new cat to wonder and smell this area, allow the older cat into the new cats room to also do this. Never put a new cat straight into your home and expect things to be hunky dory. A slow integration period must occur first. Be patient.
> Another good way to combat this aggression is a feilaway diffuser.
> 
> *Aggression Towards Humans/Fear Aggression* _Also related to kitten aggression_
> 
> This normally occurs when a kitten has been taken at an age that is too young, and hasn't been correctly handled, petted and socialised when they were between five and twelve weeks of age.
> These cats are normally fearful, shy, wary of new people, easily angered and upset.
> Cats that are frightened can be misinterpreted as an aggressive cat.
> *How to spot*
> Uptight and Frightened cats crouch with their ears laid back, their tails curled inward and they tilt their bodies away from the threat. They will lash out and claw or bite anything that approaches them. Also the way they walk is a big clue to how a cat is feeling. If the cat has a ridgid upright tail with the back right leg and front right leg moving at the same time the cat is stressed. This behavior often occurs when the cat is in new surroundings or being approached by a stranger. Before attack the cats pupils will often dilate and they may hiss and show their teeth. The cats fur will stand along their back, and they will stick their tail up vertical.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Kittens need to be socialised and handled from an early age. When getting a young kitten get them being used of being touched every where. To get them to allow them to let you touch them wait until they are relaxed and content ( purring ) one way of getting the socialisation period started is to provide the cats favorite healthy treat on the floor infront of you. whilst eating start off by slowly scratching the head and cheeks. Do not make any jerky or sudden movements. Try to progress down the cats back and tail. As you are doing this talk to the cat. Look for signs of the cat becoming agitated. You can tell this as they stop purring and the end of their tail starts flicking. If this happens don't continue for the time being and allow the cat to relax again. Give food treats after the kitten has allowed you to pet them. Slowly the cat will like being touched and relate it to being treated and being calm.
> For socialisation allow your kitten to come into contact with LOTS of different types of people ( different races, male/female, tall, short, fat, thin, young and old. )
> 
> Fear aggression is really hard to combat in older cats but can be done slowly with time and patience. This is because the cat has an inbuilt fear that has been intergrated into the cats personality. With adult cats that have fear aggression never approach it. Everything has to be done on the cats terms. Let the cat approach you. Always have treats available to reward when it does come to you this encourage it to come to you again. Take baby steps each time the cat comes to you. slowly raise a hand towards it to allow it to get your smell. With lots of treats and encouragement the cat will eventually learn to gain trust and allow you to pet it. Never push the boundrys if the cat shows any signs of hostility or agitation stop what your doing and allow the cat to relax again.
> 
> *Redirected Aggression*
> 
> This happens when someone strange or a strange animal or situation/smell that the cats not used to upsets it. Instead of taking its aggression out on the perpetrator they take it out on their owner. When its not happened before this can break a lifelong bond with a cat.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Find the trigger as to why this is happening and remove it. If its a stray cat in your garden shut the curtains/blinds and shoo the stray away. If the cat shows aggression towards you leave it to calm down! Never shout or punish the cat in this situation it will only fuel more hostility and aggression towards you. Interacting with a cat with this aggression is counter productive. Once the cat is calm and comes to you reward its calm behaiviour with treats and play.
> 
> *Stop stroking me biting!*
> 
> This is cats that seem immensely pleased by your petting only to suddenly whirl around and bite you. These cats purr up to the moment they attack. This is due to the cat's short attention span. That there is a fine line between what is pleasurable and what is annoying. Sometimes these displays occur when a sensitive area on the body has been touched. Some cats will beg for attention only to sink their teeth into you a few minutes later.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Release your cat at the first sign it has had enough petting. Some signs that you are approaching the limits of the cats tolerance are restlessness, tail twitching, flattened ears, twitching ears and a tendency to move its head toward your hand. One can attempt to desensitise these cats by feeding them a tasty treat just before you think they might attack and move away.
> 
> *Dominance based Aggression* _Also relates to territory_
> 
> Some cats will treat their owners as another cat and attempt to dominate them.
> These cats may growl or hiss when you join them on the bed or attempt to move them. Some will block doorways and show the typical signs of aggression such as tail switching, dilated pupils, flattened ears, and hissing and spitting.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Ignore the cat. Do not give it any attention, withhold treats and petting until the cat has calmed down.
> Feilaway diffusers are good to combat this aggression.
> Don't give a cat treats when it is being aggressive this will teach the cat to bully you when it wants food.
> 
> *None Recognition Aggression*
> 
> This commonly occurs in a multi-cat household.
> For example one of the cats needs to visit the vet to be spayed. The cats that are normally victim to this type of aggression are those that have been to the vet. These cats are victimised as they return home with a different scent. The cats remaining in the household do not recognise the unfamiliar smell so think that a new cat is intruding into their territory.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> If one of the cats needs to go to the vet take the others along too in different carriers.
> upon returning home take the cats into a neutral area of the home and leave them in the carriers side by side for up to half an hour. Give each cat a bowl of the same food ( nice stinky tuna as a treat ) and once they have finished eating let them out. Also using a feiliaway diffuser in this situation helps too.
> 
> *Medical based Aggression*
> 
> Sometimes some cats aggression does not fit into any of the above categories.
> They may growl and hiss when you pick them up, or touch a certain part of the body. If this occurs get the cat straight to a vet to be checked out. It may be unclear that your cat is ill but cats are strong willed and rarely show that they are in pain. Get your vet to do a good check on the cat and an X-ray to rule out any health problems.
> 
> Cats with a high fever show signs of aggression and irritability.
> 
> Some cat behaviours also may be down to diet. Some commercial foods have cerials and grains that in rare incidences can cause different behaviour problems in the cat. Get this ruled out by a vet also.
> 
> Further more some cat aggression can not be "fixed" it is purely down to the genes that they have been given. This is also rare but does sometimes happen.
> 
> hope this helps!!


----------



## mrb

i enjoyed reading all that , i have this small black cat that visits me , dunno who he belongs to , he looks healthy enough , funny thing is iv tried for 2 years to make friends with him , he walks in , spits , hisses , and as of late hes started growling , i feed him his treats , like chicken , fish ect ect , we wont let me stroke him or any were near him , the only time we make contact is when he puts his paw on my leg lifts himself up to see whats on my plate , he will take the food eat it hiss again and do the same again , today he drew a little blood from my hand as he swiped the food out of my hand , his claw stuck right in , as usual i looked at him and thought jezzzz dude , i told him today he need to see a shrink , now does anyone know what on earth his problem is , hes not feral , hes to healthy looking for that , im just glad im bigger than him or id be killed for sure , and i aint jokin


----------



## andrewjacson

This is really a great information about cat, Thanks For Sharing.It can sometimes be so hard to see aggression starting in cats as they can be quite subtle about it.


----------



## FeeSussex

luisa said:


> Yay at my post being stickied !!!


Hi... my parents have taken on 2 new cats. .. one had been in the house for 3 weeks before the other joined them. First cat (a rescued ragdoll) second cat (a Siamese snowshoe cross rescue)... cat 2 has gradually been introduced...parents carefully followed all cat introductory rules. However...cats still apart at 4 weeks as cat 2 keeps physically attacking and stalking cat 1. Tried Feliway spray... any other helpful suggestions as parents are in their mid 70s?  
ost: 1747573, member: 1240202"]Since being on this forum I have noticed so many threads about cat aggression. Here is a guide to knowing your cat, its body language and warning signs.

*Know your cat*

*Cats body language - their tail*

A cats tail like a dogs gives many different messages to other cats and their owners. The following is a basic guide to reading your cats mood via the way they hold their tail. Obviously all cats are different and different factors/environments may change how they react.

1, Tail curled slightly downwards and then curved at the tip ( think of an elongated S shape ) = Cat is very relaxed an content.
2, Tail is erect but not ridged and has a curved top ( think of a ? shape ) = cat is friendly and greeting.
3, Tail is limp but the end is flicking = cat is getting agitated, the more the tail flicks the more annoyed the cat is getting. Beware that pushing the cat further when showing this twitching tail can possibly result in the cat being aggressive.
4, Tail is erect and bobbing/dancing = cat is showing sheer affection.
5, Tail is swishing from side to side ( think of an S shape again ) = This cat is VERY angry
6, Tail is erect and the hair is sticking out ridged - this is normally towards another cat = Showing aggression do not approach.
7, Tail is arched ( n shape ) and hair is sticking out ridged - this follows point 6 = Cat will attack. normally the cat also is standing on tip toes and has a sideways stance.
8, Tail is between their legs = the cat is giving in / scared / submissive
9, Tail is slightly raised but not ridged and the hair poofed out = cat is playing / often chasing.
10, Female cat tail held to one side with bum in the air = cat is flirting and is in call. ready to mate.

*Cats body language - Ears*

1, Both ears flat each side of their head ( -o- shape ) = normally with dilated pupils the cat is intrigued and playful.
2, Both ears are pointing back and flat = cat is annoyed and angry an ready to pounce.
3, One ear side ways one ear forward = cat is relaxed this is a waiting position.
4, Both forward = cat is alert and focusing on a noise.

*Cats body language - Eyes*

Dilated pupils - Playful and in extreamly dilated cases agressive.

*Cats body language - Whiskers*

Normally whiskers are spread out at the side of the face. If a cat is agitated they will move back with the ears.

*Cat body language - Head, legs and body*

Legs - stiff walking along side the fact that the back leg follows the front shows awkwardness in the cat. This cat is stressed

Head - lowered head is a cat about to pounce or can also show submissiveness

Arched body - cat is getting ready to attack and defend itself.

Here are some different types of common aggression factors and how to try to combat the behaviour.

*Kitten & Adult Play Aggression *

cats are naturally predators. This instinct will never die and due to the nature of the animal will never be "bred out". Nature created a cat with teeth and sharp claws to prey/ defend themselves and attack. Every cat has these natural urges to stalk and pounce.
Some cats get pleasure in attacking feet, sleeping owners and the odd little animal. Cats love to explore, stalk anything that moves, and bat and pounce on small objects that they pretend to be prey. This mostly is seen in young kittens during their learning period but many adult cats still love to play hunt.
Kittens learn their limits of what is and isn't acceptable between the ages of 5 and 13 weeks of age.
Kittens play and attack one another often they quickly learn the limits of biting and scratching. Their litter mates bite back when play gets too rough.
Kittens taken from the litter before this do not have this option and transfer this play attacking on their owners. This is natural for them and don't see themselves as doing wrong.
*How to spot it:-*
Play aggression is easy to recognise by the cat/kittens body language.
They crouch, flatten their ears, their pupils dilate and their tail swishes back and forth while they stalk or pounce at the owner. Before pouncing they normally wiggle their back end a little.

*How to combat :-*
Not allowing the kitten to get into the habit of stalking you. Once you recognise this body language in the kitten distract the kittens attention to a fishing rod type toy or ball. Drag string along the floor or dangle a toy on a string for it to play with.
Never encourage the kitten if they are pouncing on you by running, making quick movements or fighting the kitten back. Never encourage hand play. This will only encourage the kitten to stalk you more as they think you are playing with them.
Do not condone rough play at all between a human or kitten - this extends to all family members.
If a kitten is to attack you in this manor play dead and don't move. They will soon get bored of you and walk off when they do get a toy for them to play with. If you are petting your kitten and they try to play bite you, say a firm NO and remove yourself from the kitten and ignore the behaviour. From this the kitten will realise what they have done.
If all this fails a bottle with coins in to shake will startle the kitten and stop this behaviour. Warning IMO this latter bottle shaking can produce a shy jumpy kitten. I myself have never used this type of aggression technique as i feel the other methods work better.
NEVER PUNISH. Always encourage good play with lots of treats and verbal encouragement I.E "your such a good girl/boy" etc
You can also hiss at the cat a a mother cat would. simply making a hiss noise with your mouth isn't realistic enough. Get saliva in your mouth and inhale quickly sucking the saliva back with bared teeth. this creates a more realistic noise and gets the kitten to stop what its doing. It will normally back off and sulk for a little while but remember what he did wrong.

Some people will suggest the old technique of removing the cat/kitten and placing it into "time out" IMO again this seldomly works, and can mentally disturb the cat giving it anxiety problems

*Territory Based Aggression*

Cats are one of the most territorial of animals, in some cases even more so then dogs.
In the wild cats are solitary hunters and hunt within their own territory.
Cats will be territorial as indoor or outdoor cats. Territorial aggression normally starts when a cat reaches adult hood ( 1-2 yrs of age ) but can also be present in kittens. 
Outdoor cats can become extreamly territorial of the area surrounding the house. Should they see another cat/dog/bird or other animal in their territory they can become upset. In these situations your kitten/cat can indeed transfer his aggression out on their owners or other pets. This same agression also occurs with indoor cats.
*How to spot it:-*
When territory aggression occurs cats/kittens will hiss, spit and make growling or warning noises. This can be either to its owner or another litter mate or cat.
Cats can attack. Normally in this type of aggression the cat will attack the hind quarters of the other cat. Wounds will occur on hind quarter legs and tail of the more submissive cat, and on the face nose and neck area of the aggressor.
In indoor cats the aggression behaviour can differ. Multiple cat households can live completely at ease with cats sharing each others territories at different times of the day. This can be upset by a number of different things I.E moving household furniture, getting a new sofa, moving the room about or even moving cat trees. Adding a new kitten/cat will also upset this balance.
Spotting it in the home can sometimes be more difficult. The aggressive more assertive cat will guard favoured places and objects by growling and or threatening to attack the other cat/person. Stressed territory based aggression can also be spotted through hiding toys, walking round with toys in their mouth, spraying urine and excessive licking or grooming.

*How to combat :-*
Multicat households need 1 litter tray for every cat plus one spare, these need to be put in different areas of the house.
Cats dont like sharing eating/drinking areas so give each cat its own food and water bowl and feeding space.
Provide territories for your cats give them places to hide and chill out and retreat. Boxes behind sofas or on top of shelves, radiator beds, pryamid type beds up high and down low. Sometimes coloured toys work - ie red toys for one cat blue for another yellow for another etc only play with each coloured toy with the correct cat and don't mix. Allow cats to gain access to high up areas.
When introducing new cats keep the new cat confined to one room at first. Allow the other cats to smell under the door. spend time with the new cat and allow the older cats to get used to the sent of the new cat on your clothes.
Over a period of time allow the new cats area to become larger. when the old cat is sleeping in a different room or put into another room an the doors closed allow the new cat to wonder and smell this area, allow the older cat into the new cats room to also do this. Never put a new cat straight into your home and expect things to be hunky dory. A slow integration period must occur first. Be patient. 
Another good way to combat this aggression is a feilaway diffuser.

*Aggression Towards Humans/Fear Aggression* _Also related to kitten aggression_

This normally occurs when a kitten has been taken at an age that is too young, and hasn't been correctly handled, petted and socialised when they were between five and twelve weeks of age.
These cats are normally fearful, shy, wary of new people, easily angered and upset.
Cats that are frightened can be misinterpreted as an aggressive cat.
*How to spot*
Uptight and Frightened cats crouch with their ears laid back, their tails curled inward and they tilt their bodies away from the threat. They will lash out and claw or bite anything that approaches them. Also the way they walk is a big clue to how a cat is feeling. If the cat has a ridgid upright tail with the back right leg and front right leg moving at the same time the cat is stressed. This behavior often occurs when the cat is in new surroundings or being approached by a stranger. Before attack the cats pupils will often dilate and they may hiss and show their teeth. The cats fur will stand along their back, and they will stick their tail up vertical.

*How to combat:-*
Kittens need to be socialised and handled from an early age. When getting a young kitten get them being used of being touched every where. To get them to allow them to let you touch them wait until they are relaxed and content ( purring ) one way of getting the socialisation period started is to provide the cats favorite healthy treat on the floor infront of you. whilst eating start off by slowly scratching the head and cheeks. Do not make any jerky or sudden movements. Try to progress down the cats back and tail. As you are doing this talk to the cat. Look for signs of the cat becoming agitated. You can tell this as they stop purring and the end of their tail starts flicking. If this happens don't continue for the time being and allow the cat to relax again. Give food treats after the kitten has allowed you to pet them. Slowly the cat will like being touched and relate it to being treated and being calm.
For socialisation allow your kitten to come into contact with LOTS of different types of people ( different races, male/female, tall, short, fat, thin, young and old. )

Fear aggression is really hard to combat in older cats but can be done slowly with time and patience. This is because the cat has an inbuilt fear that has been intergrated into the cats personality. With adult cats that have fear aggression never approach it. Everything has to be done on the cats terms. Let the cat approach you. Always have treats available to reward when it does come to you this encourage it to come to you again. Take baby steps each time the cat comes to you. slowly raise a hand towards it to allow it to get your smell. With lots of treats and encouragement the cat will eventually learn to gain trust and allow you to pet it. Never push the boundrys if the cat shows any signs of hostility or agitation stop what your doing and allow the cat to relax again.

*Redirected Aggression*

This happens when someone strange or a strange animal or situation/smell that the cats not used to upsets it. Instead of taking its aggression out on the perpetrator they take it out on their owner. When its not happened before this can break a lifelong bond with a cat.

*How to combat:-*
Find the trigger as to why this is happening and remove it. If its a stray cat in your garden shut the curtains/blinds and shoo the stray away. If the cat shows aggression towards you leave it to calm down! Never shout or punish the cat in this situation it will only fuel more hostility and aggression towards you. Interacting with a cat with this aggression is counter productive. Once the cat is calm and comes to you reward its calm behaiviour with treats and play.

*Stop stroking me biting!*

This is cats that seem immensely pleased by your petting only to suddenly whirl around and bite you. These cats purr up to the moment they attack. This is due to the cat's short attention span. That there is a fine line between what is pleasurable and what is annoying. Sometimes these displays occur when a sensitive area on the body has been touched. Some cats will beg for attention only to sink their teeth into you a few minutes later.

*How to combat:-*
Release your cat at the first sign it has had enough petting. Some signs that you are approaching the limits of the cats tolerance are restlessness, tail twitching, flattened ears, twitching ears and a tendency to move its head toward your hand. One can attempt to desensitise these cats by feeding them a tasty treat just before you think they might attack and move away.

*Dominance based Aggression* _Also relates to territory_

Some cats will treat their owners as another cat and attempt to dominate them.
These cats may growl or hiss when you join them on the bed or attempt to move them. Some will block doorways and show the typical signs of aggression such as tail switching, dilated pupils, flattened ears, and hissing and spitting.

*How to combat :-*
Ignore the cat. Do not give it any attention, withhold treats and petting until the cat has calmed down.
Feilaway diffusers are good to combat this aggression.
Don't give a cat treats when it is being aggressive this will teach the cat to bully you when it wants food.

*None Recognition Aggression*

This commonly occurs in a multi-cat household.
For example one of the cats needs to visit the vet to be spayed. The cats that are normally victim to this type of aggression are those that have been to the vet. These cats are victimised as they return home with a different scent. The cats remaining in the household do not recognise the unfamiliar smell so think that a new cat is intruding into their territory.

*How to combat :-*
If one of the cats needs to go to the vet take the others along too in different carriers.
upon returning home take the cats into a neutral area of the home and leave them in the carriers side by side for up to half an hour. Give each cat a bowl of the same food ( nice stinky tuna as a treat ) and once they have finished eating let them out. Also using a feiliaway diffuser in this situation helps too.

*Medical based Aggression*

Sometimes some cats aggression does not fit into any of the above categories.
They may growl and hiss when you pick them up, or touch a certain part of the body. If this occurs get the cat straight to a vet to be checked out. It may be unclear that your cat is ill but cats are strong willed and rarely show that they are in pain. Get your vet to do a good check on the cat and an X-ray to rule out any health problems.

Cats with a high fever show signs of aggression and irritability.

Some cat behaviours also may be down to diet. Some commercial foods have cerials and grains that in rare incidences can cause different behaviour problems in the cat. Get this ruled out by a vet also.

Further more some cat aggression can not be "fixed" it is purely down to the genes that they have been given. This is also rare but does sometimes happen.

hope this helps!![/QUOTE]


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## chillminx

Hello @FeeSussex, welcome to the forums. 

You don't mention the age of each cat? If they are kittens (under the age of a year) then 4 weeks is quite a long time, but if they are adult cats then 4 weeks is very little time in which to get two strangers to accept each other.

What gender are the two cats? Which gender is the cat who is doing the stalking and attacking?

Do your parents know much about the history of the two cats? Has the aggressive cat previously lived as an only cat?

Have both cats been neutered? If so, how long ago?

Your parents will need to keep the two cats apart for the time being. The best thing is divide the house in two so each cat has its own area of the house. Tall pet gates can be used as a divider but you would need two of them and fix one on top of the other to prevent the cats jumping over. The idea is for the cats to see each other and smell each other's scent but not have direct contact. You may be able to buy used gates on e.g. ebay or gumtree.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bettacare-C...qid=1459777708&sr=8-1&keywords=tall+pet+gates

The plan should be to expose the cats to each other's presence through the safety gates for periods of perhaps
10 minutes to start with, gradually increasing the exposure day by day if all is going well. After the timed periods of exposure the cats should be out of sight of each other, e.g. in separate rooms.

If there is any yowling, growling then stop the exposure and try again next day. When there is no more growling etc then the cats can be fed on opposite sides of the gates, either meals or treats so they begin to associate each other with pleasant things.

Once the cats can tolerate sight and scent of each other through the safety gates without any aggression then the next stage is to allow them short periods together, ALWAYS under supervision. The cat who has been chasing and stalking must not be allowed to continue that if he/she is still inclined to. Your parents must follow him/her around and prevent it happening. If he/she does become aggressive then separate the cats for the rest of the day and try again next day. Keep the contact short - it must be 'good' contact so that a foundation can be built upon. The cats need to be helped to gradually see each other in a more positive light, and this won't happen if they are allowed to be together at this stage long enough for squabbles to start. Introductions must proceed at a pace that is comfortable for both cats.

In addition to the slow introductions, multiple resources should be provided to reduce competition. This means giving them their own feeding station, out of sight of each other (not just for now but permanently) providing multiple litter trays (at least 3 but preferably 4) and spread them around the house, not grouped together. Several water bowls and plenty of cat scratching posts and scratching mats, several to each room, and a number of cat beds so they can rotate where they sleep, and high up places to retreat to, e.g. tall cat trees or shelves proving a safe route both up and down to tops of cupboards etc.

Having followed the above guide lines I think your parents should set themselves a target of 3 months and if the cats are not living together peaceably by then (even if not actual friends) they might want to consider re-homing one of the cats. It will be less stressful for everyone than keeping the two cats separate permanently.


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## FeeSussex

Hi... thank you so much! So... 'stalking cat' is a 2yr old male (neutered) and rescued ragdoll is female 10 yrs old (neutered)...
Several of the ideas you've mentioned they've already implemented though (separate areas, bowls, trays etc). 2yr old is obsessed with finding other cat--he was only cat in previous home and excessively spoilt and treated like a baby. 10yr old was with a couple who then had children who in turn terrorised the cat!
10yr was adopted first...then the 2yr old who is indeed, acting like a spoilt child.
2yr old has been allowed outside which he enjoys but now he goes round to the patio doors straight away (where 10yr old likes to sit looking out on the top of a sofa) and yowls at her through the glass!!!
I was wondering about a cat psychologist or something similar??? :/


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## chillminx

By all means try a cat behaviourist. These people are good.

http://capbt.org/findabehaviourist.php

If your parents have insurance then it will cover the cost as long as the vet makes the referral.

I have to say though that I feel very sorry for the poor 10 yr old female. What a miserable time she has had, having to lose her home at the age of 10 all because her previous owners were too irresponsible to teach their kids how to treat her with respect and _*allowed *_ them to terrorise her!  Shocking! :Banghead If it were me I would have been tempted to get rid of the kids, not the poor cat!

Anyway the fact she has this sad history means it is even more vital she can now have a peaceful existence and is not bullied by the male cat.

Do your parents know why the male cat was rehomed? The fact he was treated like a baby and spoiled in his previous home is often the way with only cats. What is significant is that he has always been used to being only cat and evidently prefers it that way. Some cats are like that and if he is one of those you won't change him no matter what you do.

I fear he does not sound suited to sharing his home with another cat, certainly not one who is entering her senior years and wants a quiet life, bless her, not more persecution!

If your parents have already put in place many of the things I have suggested and there has been no improvement at all then the kindest thing would be to rehome the male cat as an only cat and if they want a companion for the female choose a quiet, laid back cat who will let her live her life in peace.

But by all means see what the cat behaviourist says.


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## FeeSussex

Hi Chilliminx 

Thanks for all your help - yes, I agree with you regarding a lot of things you've said 
I think that they'll try and sort it out as much as possible but in reality... I'm not sure how long term this can be in the end. I'll pass on your kind and helpful words to my parents. Thank you once again


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## E AW

Hi Luisa,

Thanks a lot for your post, it was quite informative!
But I was wondering if you could also advise on our cat sudden change/aggression...
He is a 9 year old male & we have been taking care of him since he was born. He is quite friendly & would never dare to hurt or show any kind of aggression even if you spank him.
Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago the building where we used to stay in caught fire & luckily the firefighters saved our cat as we weren't allowed to get in & save him.
We took him to the vet the next day & thankfully they took good care of him & assured us that he is sound & healthy with no affect to his lungs by any smoke.
He is staying with my mom now (since a week or so). She has a female cat that is not showing any kind of aggression or rejection to his presence.
Two days ago, my mom was tiding up something when our cat had suddenly ran to her & bit her arm pretty badly where she had to rush to emergency for stitches.
We were absolutely shocked & confused as we can't figure out what triggered or provoked him to do so. Mom is 100% sure that hasn't made any sudden loud sound or movement & even if she did so, still he is not the kind of cat that would attack someone for any reason.
We are not sure if the fire incident has traumatized him or if it has any role in his sudden behavior change. If so, what could we do to correct this as we have no cat care centers here.
Please note that ha has always been peaceful & friendly whether he staying alone or with other cats around him. And would never even try to scratch let alone bite!


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## chillminx

Hello @E AW and welcome to the forums. 

I am hoping your reference to "spanking" the cat is meant as a joke or a humorous exaggeration, and that of course you would not dream of doing anything so dreadful as hitting your cat to chastise him! As I am sure you know cats do not respond well to being physically hit. (Neither do dogs, but that is a different topic)

Your poor cat has been through a huge ordeal recently - caught in a house fire, which he had to be rescued from by a stranger, then being at the vet, then going to a strange place (your mum's house), and having to adjust to living with a new cat! I should imagine he is probably shell-shocked, bless him!

How did your mum introduce the two cats to each other? I hope she did not just put them together and leave them to get on with it. They should have been kept in separate parts of the house for a week and then gradually introduced to each other for short periods every day and supervised the whole time they were together until it was certain they were safe together and neither viewed the other as a threat. .

I am sorry your mum was bitten. I know from experience how painful and nasty cat bites can be, and your mum was right to go to A & E for treatment, as bites can become infected because they are puncture wounds..

Basically your cat attacked your mum because he is feeling hugely insecure and anxious at present. From his POV he has lost his territory (your home), his main source of comfort and resources (you and your family) and he has been uprooted and put into another cat's territory and is expected to share her resources. No wonder he is upset!

I assume your cat is a singleton (an only cat) normally, and so he does not like having to share territory with another cat. Evidently he is unhappy with the other cat and so he misdirected his anger onto your mum. If there was no other cat in the house, I am certain your cat, with his history of being placid and always tolerant of your own family, would not have attacked your mum like that.. When they are very stressed, cats can behave out of character. I have seen it in cats at the Shelter.

Your cat needs to be treated with kindness and patience to help him get over his ordeal of being in the fire and being uprooted from his home. He needs to be given his own space at your mum's house, a room he can go to where he has his food, his water, his litter trays, his bed, his scratch post, his toys etc. It can be a room he shares with humans, but not with the other cat. I am not suggesting at all he is shut in the room all the time without company, but that he has a room to go to as a retreat so he can be quiet and try and recover from his recent stress.

If your mum wants to introduce your cat to her cat then it must be done slowly, taking several weeks over it. So that neither cat feels threatened by the other one.

If it is envisaged your cat will only be temporarily with your mum for a couple of weeks, then it may be wiser to keep the two cats separate permanently. It will be less stressful for everyone that way. But if he is going to be with your mum for months, then she will want to integrate the two cats with each other. In which case, as I say, it must be done gradually with say half an hour's supervised exposure a day.

Also multiple resources need providing once the cats are spending time together so there is less competition between the two of them. Resources are : separate feeding stations at least 10 feet apart from each other, and preferably at different heights in the room, separate water bowls, at least 3 litter trays, cat scratchers and scratch mats in every room, lots of cat beds so the cats have a choice of where to sleep, and plenty of high up places (tall cat trees or shelves) and hidey holes to go to when they want to be alone.

And I would give your cat a calming herbal supplement called Beaphar Calming spot-on. It goes on the back of the cat's head, once a week. It is a cheap and effective way of calming anxious, stressed cats without making them sleepy or dopey. I have used it on my cats before their vet visits and travelling and it really works.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beaphar-Cal...8-1&keywords=beaphar+calming+spot+on+for+cats


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## kimthecat

The original advice in the original post , Know your cat , was posted five years ago and some of info sounds like the type of stuff I read back in the late nineties / noughties. I wondering if more recent information could be provided that doesn't include advice about shaking cans of pennies etc .


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## Quartermass

My cat has done a bit of aggression I can't make sense of a couple of times.

He's laid down in the hall, blocking it, and as I get closer he stretches his legs out, and the claws come out. If I try to go around or over the top of him he attacks me. Twice I've just backed off and he's got up and stopped, but just there I thought I'd see if he'd follow through, and he did. He attacked my leg. I don't know why but he didn't seem angry, his tail was wagging but in the way that's usually indicated he's happy, the hair wasn't sticking up. Immediately afterwards he was head bumping my legs as usual. About 10 minutes before this I got the ball wand thing out to play with him thinking that was what he wanted, but he wasn't interested.


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## chillminx

@Quartermass - he's trying to play with you when he does that. Two of my cats often grab me playfully when I walk past them, or step over them if they are blocking my path. It's not aggression, it's just high spirits, especially in a young cat like yours.

I don't mind it when my cats do it, as it amuses me. But if you don't want to play with your cat that way then do as you did - move away, or just stand still quietly until he lets go. He will realise then you don't want to play.

Try distracting him with an interactive game when he does it. Throw some ping pong balls for him to chase, or have him jumping after Flying Frenzy fishing rod toys.


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## Quartermass

Thanks - it didn't seem like anger/fear aggression but he didn't seem to want to play other than leg shredding. As I get more toys I will find things he's really into. Or I might put on a pair of jeans and tuck them into my wellies and let him get stuck in!

If it's play then he'll know not to do any real damage I suppose. I can live with scratches, claws and bites but I'd be unhappy if he did enough that I needed to dress the wound.

Main thing is that it's not some kind of territorial/stress/psycho thing!


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## chillminx

No it wouldn't be 'territorial' behaviour addressed at you. You are his main resource, as you provide food, water, warmth, comfort, a safe place to live, litter trays, cat beds, cat trees, cat scratch posts. Cats value their resources greatly and therefore you are very valuable to him.

He scent marks you as "his resource" by rubbing around you. He has scent glands on his cheeks. Some cats have a gorgeous musky smell around their necks and cheeks - males more so than females. All 3 of my neutered males smell wonderful, better than expensive perfume !

Your cat's main concern at present is pleasing you, so that you will be a kind human and let him stay with you. This is why he has been very friendly and affectionate to you from the start - he is in effect saying "I am a nice cat, I will be loyal to you, please let me stay".

Once he has got to know you and fully trust you then he will develop genuine affection for you. But naturally this takes time. 

You are likely to get a bit scratched if you let him grab your legs and play, but if you don't mind it that's fine! I don't mind when my boys are a bit boisterous with me, as it makes me laugh, but if it gets too painful then I give a high pitched "ouch" and they let go immediately.


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## Quartermass

Yeah I'm hoping he uses his scratching post because at the moment his claws are knife sharp. I've twice let him have a go at my leg and it still hurts!










He's been a very naughty boy too... I lay in bed blissfully hearing him using his scratching post. Except he wasn't, he was shredding open the bag of treats in the kitchen. Thankfully he'd only got about 1/3 of the bag before I separated him from them. He's already learned how to open the bin, and the drawers in the spare room. I hadn't expected to have to outsmart him so fast. On the other hand he's now peed in his litter box, so tomorrow I'll wash the carpets and hopefully that'll stop him repeating.


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## Quartermass

What to do about growling.

I needed to move Johnny's bowl. He'd picked the Lily's Kitchen food out of it and put it on the ground, so I picked the food up, put it back in the bowl and moved it away from where it was onto a towel. Johnny growled really quite loudly, I've seen videos of cats fighting and it's the same growl I hear just before they attack. He didn't attack though.

I'm not sure if I should back off when he's growling, or if I should challenge him when he growls. I don't want to upset him more, but I do want to make sure he doesn't think he's in charge. This time it didn't amount to anything as I was just moving his bowl, but if it happens again should I be picking him up and moving him away from where he was as a way of challenging his behaviour, or is that going to make it worse?


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## chillminx

Johnny's growling was food connected. Cats are very protective of their food. You touched Johnny's food when he was still eating and you moved his bowl, so he thought you were going to take it away from him. That's why he growled at you in warning to stop touching the dish.

We must be respectful of our cats' protective feelings towards their food and not intervene or touch the food once it has been given to the cat to eat. You may not like Johnny making a mess but it he wants to drag it off the dish on to the floor to eat it then he should be allowed to do so. To expect him to have table manners like a human has is being anthropomorphic. .

Some cats like to take mouthfuls out of the bowl onto their cat mat and eat the food off the mat. This is natural behaviour. Raw fed cats often take their meat out of the dish to eat it. Mine do it all the time. If you put a cat place mat under the dish, it is easy to give the mat a once over with damp kitchen paper when the cat has finished eating.

But mostly cats are tidy in their eating habits and may only need to take food out of the dish to eat off the floor if the dish is too small for them to eat from in comfort, or if the food has been served to them not cut up or mashed. If you served Johnny his meal in a cup again like you did recently then he probably scooped it out with his paw and placed it on the floor to eat it in comfort. Who could blame him ? .

I very much doubt he would attack you, as you are his provider. He feared you were going to take away his food that was all.

You must never challenge him if he growls at you over food. Instead stop what you are doing and examine your own behaviour. I think every time you would find it was your behaviour that caused him to growl.

Please try to understand that living with a cat should not be a battle of wills or a struggle for supremacy between human and animal. Johnny is not "in charge". You, as the big powerful human are always "in charge" because you have the ultimate power to reject Johnny, throw him out of your house etc etc. He is always going to be at your mercy.

Living harmoniously with a cat is a question of the human being trying to see things as the cat sees them, compromising on certain things, and allowing the cat to exhibit as many of his natural behaviours as possible, so he can be himself. Growling to protect his food is one of a cat's natural behaviours.


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## Quartermass

I didn't find your response in any way helpful and the tone of it read as if I'm being cruel to my cat.

You've been helpful with all the questions I've had but the overall tone is as if I've been mistreating Johnny. That is not the case.

Edit : Sorry that was a bit uncalled for - but all the same I'm not trying to be cruel to Johnny. Any time I have doubts about something I'm asking first to make sure I'm not cruel.


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## QOTN

Growling is an instinctive behaviour. So is hissing. Cats are born with these sounds in their repertoire. They do not always mean what you think they do. A new litter of kittens, only a few days old with their eyes still shut, will hiss really loudly at somebody looking fondly into their box.

There is always one kitten in the litter who is very protective of toys or food and growls loudly even if nobody is anywhere near them. Please do not think Johnny is being aggressive. He was probably the growly kitten in his litter. Don't take it personally. In any case growling between adult cats is usually only a warning. My cats start growling if they hear a strange noise and it is a signal for all the others to leap to investigate.

My old lady always growls at my vet when he takes a blood test. He says she doesn't love him any more but immediately he has finished she is head butting him and purring again. It would never occur to her to be aggressive. She is just telling him off.

I realise that Johnny is not an Oriental. If he were, you would soon get used to a continual stream of very varied vocal criticism. Perhaps he has some Siamese blood in his ancestry.


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## Quartermass

I don't have any real knowledge of cats other than what I've read online. The side of my family that did own cats I now realise were getting lots wrong, which is why their cats were aggressive.

My concern with what I was worried was Johnny's aggression is because I've heard what can happen if it grows with dogs. I know cats aren't dogs... but they are pets and I wanted to check.

I have a friend who's mother has badly raised her border collie puppy and it's continued aggression towards the grand children now mean it's going to have to be given away/adopted. My understanding is if it had been handled correctly it would have been entirely avoidable.


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## chillminx

Sadly there are still ignorant dog owners who think the right way to train a puppy is to be aggressive and dominate it.  Then the owner is surprised when the puppy grows up to be an aggressive dog. 

I took the time to explain the logical reason for Johnny's behaviour. As you have not had a cat before I thought it might be helpful, and add to your knowledge about cat behaviour. Re-reading my post I can't see anything where I implied you are being cruel to Johnny.  Do you think you could be reading things into my words that were not intended?


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## eve.ashley

I've decided to make a separate thread for my question and did not know how to delete this post.


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## Rosa Amor

I own a 5 year old, tortoiseshell, rescue cat with a very fiesty temperament. She loves nothing more than to leap about outside catching prey. However she doesn't like the cold weather and I think she's getting rather bored. I have a few toys on strings and suchlike for her to play with but I suffer from ME and aren't able to play with her constantly. Few people could probably be able to entertain their cat 24/7.

She's always suffered from a degree of play aggression, lashing out with her claws when she's demanding attention, play fighting or we're attempting to move her (I have to remove her from my bed sometimes as I'm currently bedridden and need some complete rest away from her for just a small part of the day). She comes from rescue and I think she never learned to sheath her claws properly as a kitten. Also, although she's very friendly and affectionate, she's very sensitive and lived in a family with of about 8 children (or something) and German shepherds before i rehomed her last year and I think it's scarred her. I also think boredom maybe exsasabating it. I've read the tips at the start of this thread about combating aggression but am wondering if anyone could give me extra help on teaching my cat to sheath her claws!?


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## chillminx

Hi there, you can't really teach your cat to sheath her claws as such, but there are some measures you can take to reduce the damage she does with her claws:

1/ have the pointy ends of her claws clipped every 4 to 6 weeks. Ask one of the veterinary nurses at your vet to show you how it's done so you'll be able to do it yourself after that. You will need to buy a pair of good quality pet nail clippers.:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harzara-Pr...316&sr=8-4&keywords=pet+nail+clippers+for+cat

2/ don't allow your cat to play with your hands. Keep several toys near your bed which you can use to distract her. The Kong Kickeroo is popular, or the Yeowww catnip banana toy. Slip either of these between her paws so she can bite and kick them to her heart's content.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KONG-Kicke...4839596&sr=8-1&keywords=kong+kickeroo+cat+toy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yeowww-Ban...1514839605&sr=1-2&keywords=yeowww+catnip+toys

3/ if she does get her claws in you don't pull away as it will make her think it is a game. Instead keep still, and squeal loudly, then she should let go.

4/ buy her two or three play tunnels, and fasten them together,, or space them around the room separately. Cats love these for hiding in and playing chase if you throw small toys, ping pong balls or screwed up pieces of baking foil into the tunnels for her. These long tunnels (120 cm) are the best IME

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Me-My-Pets...d=1514839986&sr=1-12&keywords=cat+play+tunnel

5/ give her other things to do to amuse herself so you can rest undisturbed sometimes e.g. buy some Nature DVD's or record some off the TV, (birds and small rodents are most popular but my cats also like programmes about big cats). Put one of these on the TV for her when you want some time for yourself.

6/ Buy a bird feeder that you can fix to the outside of a window. Or close to a window. Fill it with nuts or bird seed. Choose a window that has a wide window sill so your cat can sit there comfortably.

7/ Try some plug in calming herbal diffusers such as Feliway or Pet Remedy, in the rooms where she spends most time.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FELIWAY-Cl...0525&sr=1-3&keywords=feliway+friends+diffuser

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pet-Remedy...0&sr=1-3&keywords=pet+remedy+plug+in+diffuser

8/ if she used to catching and eating prey, consider giving her a treat of some raw food a couple of times a week, e.g. very fresh minced lamb or beef, or chunks of lamb, beef or turkey, from the supermarket. Or a chicken wing to gnaw on (which will be good for her teeth)

Please let us know if any of these ideas help.


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## Pam Brace

Hi Luisa
Im wondering if you can help me figure out the next step with my cat.

Backstory: she's a Torty that I got when she was approximately 6 months old in 2007. She has been moved around a lot since then. In the first year after I got her, a man I was dating physically kicked her (with his feet) out of the bed during the night. A year after I got her I also got a second cat - a male Bombay. She was mad and I have scars from it but she got over it and they have gotten along. But she has never been okay with anyone but me touching or petting her and hisses and swats when anyone else tries. I chalk it up to fear. Most people have been content to leave her be when i warn them of it. Her behavior seems worse towards men in particular.
A few years ago, I moved in with a man and his six year old son for a few years. The fella could not touch her unless we were in the bed and it was her idea. Eventually she did become comfortable enough to sleep on him and let him pet her but only in the bed and only after a year and a half of living together. His so, though, she never got used to and the poor boy was scared of her. He would often call me over to get her out of his room or off his bed so he could use his bedroom because she would stand her ground and hiss at him, swatting at him a few times, scratching him a few times. Somehow we subsisted and she was not a factor in the relationship.
Now I'm in a newish relationship with a man with three children (ages 11, 5, and 3 - a girl and two boys). She has hated him the most out of all of them. She's taken to sitting in the hallways and doorways and won't move when he approaches which results in a standoff with eventual hissing swatting and scratching. It makes him extensively angry which upsets me. And he's concerned for the safety of his young boys with her behaving this way. I've tried gel caps on her nails to prevent damage with the attacks but they have failed to remain in place. She's been provided with a cat tree and carpeted shelves to retreat to up high. We have tried having him give her treats when he comes over. She used to saunter over and eat them out of his hand them hiss and walk away. Sometimes she even approaches him and leans in to his leg but hisses when he reaches his hand down. And if he doesn't know exactly where she is and he walks by her she's likely to swat at him with little warning which is often when she's able to scratch him.
We are currently in the process of moving in together and because he's concerned about her aggressive behavior potentially being directed at the kids, I took her to the vet and we started her on an oral SSRI solution given daily which requires me to hold her down to give it. We have increased the dose once and could go higher or even change medication if necessary but I'm not seeing any improvement. I have also tried Feliway Friends which has helped with her aggression towards my other cat (that has increased in the last year too; poor guy has crazy dandruff) but not with her aggression towards my boyfriend.
I'm concerned I'm going to have to re-home her but with her apparent anxiety and aggression I doubt it would go well and I'd be better off putting her to sleep while she's with me, though the idea of doing either breaks my heart utterly.
I'm short on time as the kids move in with my boyfriend in less than two weeks and he's been firm that if she acts that way with them then it will be time for a new home or other solutions.
I'd like to know if you have any suggestions for me....
Thank you


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## chillminx

Hello @Pam Brace and welcome 

Luisa, to whom you addressed your post, has not been on the forum for 7 years so I am afraid you are unlikely to get a response from her.

I am very sorry to hear of your problems with your tortie. Torties as you may know have a bit of a reputation for their "attitude", and for being a bit feisty. Also they are often very bonded with one human in the household. Not that all torties are like that of course, but I assume enough of them are for them to have gained their reputation.

I think it is a great shame she has to be dosed with a heavy duty drug like an SSRi, with its potentially harmful side effects (e.g. urine retention and resulting damage to kidneys ). Particularly as you say the drug is having no beneficial effect at all on her. 

She sounds as though she is quite an edgy, anxious cat and it she were mine I would take her off the SSRi and instead give her a supplement called Zylkene.. It is non addictive and has no side effects. It is very good at calming anxious cats. Give a course for a month, and then review. It can be given long term. If she weighs over 5 kg you can give 75 mg twice a day (mix the powder in her food), Otherwise it's 75 mg once a day.

Also I would use Pet Remedy Diffusers throughout the home, rather than Feliway Friends.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/natural-st...&sr=1-4&keywords=pet+remedy+natural+de-stress

I understand from what you say that Tortie is about 11 yrs old by now and therefore coming into her senior years. Probably what she really wants is a quiet, calm life, with a regular routine. At her age, with her history of being a bit feisty, she is quite possibly not going to be very tolerant of young children.

Coming into their senior years, a cat is more prone to developing one of the chronic feline diseases. Has your cat been investigated with tests recently by the vet for Hyperthyroid disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Diabetes Type 2, High BP or arthritis, any one of which could be causing her pain and discomfort and making her irritable. Cats are excellent at hiding pain, but it shows in their intolerant behaviour to others.

Also, you mention you have another cat that Tortie does not get along with, and that he may have a stress-related skin condition. So there is another source of stress in the household to make Tortie feel even more unhappy and on edge.

I appreciate you care about your cat and do not want to give her up. But in the current circumstances I'm afraid I don't see anyone in the home benefitting (least of all Tortie herself) from the current discord, with your partner and his children afraid of the cat and Tortie herself so constantly distressed you have had to dose her with antidepressants.

Probably Tortie would be happier in a quiet home as an only cat and the ideal would be for you to find her such a home. However, against that possible solution is her age. Not too many people will want to adopt an 11 yr old cat I'm afraid (though some will).

I certainly would not dream of putting a healthy 11 yr old cat to sleep unless she were to develop a serious chronic health condition causing her to have a very poor quality of life.

Basically, unless you can find her a quiet, loving home as an only cat, your best way forward will be to compromise by making some adaptations within your home to accommodate her needs to make her happier, along with using the Pet Remedy and the Zylkene to keep her calm.

What she needs is a room where she can go to get away from everyone, including your other cat. In the room she needs her food, water, litter trays, cosy bed, scratch posts. I am not talking about shutting her in the room, and therefore a cat flap fitted to the door will enable the door to be kept shut but for Tortie to be able to get in and out of the room whenever she pleases. The room needs to be a fair size (not a bathroom or a utility room).

If there is no such suitable room exists in the house (which I understand may be the case in a large household,) then I would build her an enclosure in your garden, attached to the house, which she can access from the house through a cat flap on the door or the ground floor window. The enclosure should be protected in winter with perspex panels over the mesh, and heated to encourage her to use it. And equipped with cat trees, scratch posts, cosy beds, water and litter trays. This is the kind of thing I mean, you buy it as a kit. :-

https://www.woodenart.org.uk/bespoke-outdoor-cat-run-cat-enclosure-cat-pen-bespokecatrun-woodenart

Judging by Tortie's territorial attitude to your partner - blocking doorways, swatting at him when he passes, I am guessing Tortie does not go outdoors and this is partly why she is so possessive about her indoor territory. I assume that going outdoors would not be safe for her in your area, and therefore an enclosure will be the best alternative.

Within your house I recommend utilising the vertical space to make some high up places for Tortie to sit and sleep, out of the reach of humans. Here are some excellent ideas you can adapt cheaply. Ready made inexpensive shelves can be bought from DIY stores or from IKEA.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...Wip9PYAhXlK8AKHRXFAs8QsAQIJg&biw=1440&bih=826

I do hope you manage to resolve the situation for your cat so she can feel content in her senior years. She may only have another 6 years of life left to her and it will be good to make those as comfortable as possible for her.


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## Mary Nappier

luisa said:


> Since being on this forum I have noticed so many threads about cat aggression. Here is a guide to knowing your cat, its body language and warning signs.
> 
> *Know your cat*
> 
> *Cats body language - their tail*
> 
> A cats tail like a dogs gives many different messages to other cats and their owners. The following is a basic guide to reading your cats mood via the way they hold their tail. Obviously all cats are different and different factors/environments may change how they react.
> 
> 1, Tail curled slightly downwards and then curved at the tip ( think of an elongated S shape ) = Cat is very relaxed an content.
> 2, Tail is erect but not ridged and has a curved top ( think of a ? shape ) = cat is friendly and greeting.
> 3, Tail is limp but the end is flicking = cat is getting agitated, the more the tail flicks the more annoyed the cat is getting. Beware that pushing the cat further when showing this twitching tail can possibly result in the cat being aggressive.
> 4, Tail is erect and bobbing/dancing = cat is showing sheer affection.
> 5, Tail is swishing from side to side ( think of an S shape again ) = This cat is VERY angry
> 6, Tail is erect and the hair is sticking out ridged - this is normally towards another cat = Showing aggression do not approach.
> 7, Tail is arched ( n shape ) and hair is sticking out ridged - this follows point 6 = Cat will attack. normally the cat also is standing on tip toes and has a sideways stance.
> 8, Tail is between their legs = the cat is giving in / scared / submissive
> 9, Tail is slightly raised but not ridged and the hair poofed out = cat is playing / often chasing.
> 10, Female cat tail held to one side with bum in the air = cat is flirting and is in call. ready to mate.
> 
> *Cats body language - Ears*
> 
> 1, Both ears flat each side of their head ( -o- shape ) = normally with dilated pupils the cat is intrigued and playful.
> 2, Both ears are pointing back and flat = cat is annoyed and angry an ready to pounce.
> 3, One ear side ways one ear forward = cat is relaxed this is a waiting position.
> 4, Both forward = cat is alert and focusing on a noise.
> 
> *Cats body language - Eyes*
> 
> Dilated pupils - Playful and in extreamly dilated cases agressive.
> 
> *Cats body language - Whiskers*
> 
> Normally whiskers are spread out at the side of the face. If a cat is agitated they will move back with the ears.
> 
> *Cat body language - Head, legs and body*
> 
> Legs - stiff walking along side the fact that the back leg follows the front shows awkwardness in the cat. This cat is stressed
> 
> Head - lowered head is a cat about to pounce or can also show submissiveness
> 
> Arched body - cat is getting ready to attack and defend itself.
> 
> Here are some different types of common aggression factors and how to try to combat the behaviour.
> 
> *Kitten & Adult Play Aggression *
> 
> cats are naturally predators. This instinct will never die and due to the nature of the animal will never be "bred out". Nature created a cat with teeth and sharp claws to prey/ defend themselves and attack. Every cat has these natural urges to stalk and pounce.
> Some cats get pleasure in attacking feet, sleeping owners and the odd little animal. Cats love to explore, stalk anything that moves, and bat and pounce on small objects that they pretend to be prey. This mostly is seen in young kittens during their learning period but many adult cats still love to play hunt.
> Kittens learn their limits of what is and isn't acceptable between the ages of 5 and 13 weeks of age.
> Kittens play and attack one another often they quickly learn the limits of biting and scratching. Their litter mates bite back when play gets too rough.
> Kittens taken from the litter before this do not have this option and transfer this play attacking on their owners. This is natural for them and don't see themselves as doing wrong.
> *How to spot it:-*
> Play aggression is easy to recognise by the cat/kittens body language.
> They crouch, flatten their ears, their pupils dilate and their tail swishes back and forth while they stalk or pounce at the owner. Before pouncing they normally wiggle their back end a little.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Not allowing the kitten to get into the habit of stalking you. Once you recognise this body language in the kitten distract the kittens attention to a fishing rod type toy or ball. Drag string along the floor or dangle a toy on a string for it to play with.
> Never encourage the kitten if they are pouncing on you by running, making quick movements or fighting the kitten back. Never encourage hand play. This will only encourage the kitten to stalk you more as they think you are playing with them.
> Do not condone rough play at all between a human or kitten - this extends to all family members.
> If a kitten is to attack you in this manor play dead and don't move. They will soon get bored of you and walk off when they do get a toy for them to play with. If you are petting your kitten and they try to play bite you, say a firm NO and remove yourself from the kitten and ignore the behaviour. From this the kitten will realise what they have done.
> If all this fails a bottle with coins in to shake will startle the kitten and stop this behaviour. Warning IMO this latter bottle shaking can produce a shy jumpy kitten. I myself have never used this type of aggression technique as i feel the other methods work better.
> NEVER PUNISH. Always encourage good play with lots of treats and verbal encouragement I.E "your such a good girl/boy" etc
> You can also hiss at the cat a a mother cat would. simply making a hiss noise with your mouth isn't realistic enough. Get saliva in your mouth and inhale quickly sucking the saliva back with bared teeth. this creates a more realistic noise and gets the kitten to stop what its doing. It will normally back off and sulk for a little while but remember what he did wrong.
> 
> Some people will suggest the old technique of removing the cat/kitten and placing it into "time out" IMO again this seldomly works, and can mentally disturb the cat giving it anxiety problems
> 
> *Territory Based Aggression*
> 
> Cats are one of the most territorial of animals, in some cases even more so then dogs.
> In the wild cats are solitary hunters and hunt within their own territory.
> Cats will be territorial as indoor or outdoor cats. Territorial aggression normally starts when a cat reaches adult hood ( 1-2 yrs of age ) but can also be present in kittens.
> Outdoor cats can become extreamly territorial of the area surrounding the house. Should they see another cat/dog/bird or other animal in their territory they can become upset. In these situations your kitten/cat can indeed transfer his aggression out on their owners or other pets. This same agression also occurs with indoor cats.
> *How to spot it:-*
> When territory aggression occurs cats/kittens will hiss, spit and make growling or warning noises. This can be either to its owner or another litter mate or cat.
> Cats can attack. Normally in this type of aggression the cat will attack the hind quarters of the other cat. Wounds will occur on hind quarter legs and tail of the more submissive cat, and on the face nose and neck area of the aggressor.
> In indoor cats the aggression behaviour can differ. Multiple cat households can live completely at ease with cats sharing each others territories at different times of the day. This can be upset by a number of different things I.E moving household furniture, getting a new sofa, moving the room about or even moving cat trees. Adding a new kitten/cat will also upset this balance.
> Spotting it in the home can sometimes be more difficult. The aggressive more assertive cat will guard favoured places and objects by growling and or threatening to attack the other cat/person. Stressed territory based aggression can also be spotted through hiding toys, walking round with toys in their mouth, spraying urine and excessive licking or grooming.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Multicat households need 1 litter tray for every cat plus one spare, these need to be put in different areas of the house.
> Cats dont like sharing eating/drinking areas so give each cat its own food and water bowl and feeding space.
> Provide territories for your cats give them places to hide and chill out and retreat. Boxes behind sofas or on top of shelves, radiator beds, pryamid type beds up high and down low. Sometimes coloured toys work - ie red toys for one cat blue for another yellow for another etc only play with each coloured toy with the correct cat and don't mix. Allow cats to gain access to high up areas.
> When introducing new cats keep the new cat confined to one room at first. Allow the other cats to smell under the door. spend time with the new cat and allow the older cats to get used to the sent of the new cat on your clothes.
> Over a period of time allow the new cats area to become larger. when the old cat is sleeping in a different room or put into another room an the doors closed allow the new cat to wonder and smell this area, allow the older cat into the new cats room to also do this. Never put a new cat straight into your home and expect things to be hunky dory. A slow integration period must occur first. Be patient.
> Another good way to combat this aggression is a feilaway diffuser.
> 
> *Aggression Towards Humans/Fear Aggression* _Also related to kitten aggression_
> 
> This normally occurs when a kitten has been taken at an age that is too young, and hasn't been correctly handled, petted and socialised when they were between five and twelve weeks of age.
> These cats are normally fearful, shy, wary of new people, easily angered and upset.
> Cats that are frightened can be misinterpreted as an aggressive cat.
> *How to spot*
> Uptight and Frightened cats crouch with their ears laid back, their tails curled inward and they tilt their bodies away from the threat. They will lash out and claw or bite anything that approaches them. Also the way they walk is a big clue to how a cat is feeling. If the cat has a ridgid upright tail with the back right leg and front right leg moving at the same time the cat is stressed. This behavior often occurs when the cat is in new surroundings or being approached by a stranger. Before attack the cats pupils will often dilate and they may hiss and show their teeth. The cats fur will stand along their back, and they will stick their tail up vertical.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Kittens need to be socialised and handled from an early age. When getting a young kitten get them being used of being touched every where. To get them to allow them to let you touch them wait until they are relaxed and content ( purring ) one way of getting the socialisation period started is to provide the cats favorite healthy treat on the floor infront of you. whilst eating start off by slowly scratching the head and cheeks. Do not make any jerky or sudden movements. Try to progress down the cats back and tail. As you are doing this talk to the cat. Look for signs of the cat becoming agitated. You can tell this as they stop purring and the end of their tail starts flicking. If this happens don't continue for the time being and allow the cat to relax again. Give food treats after the kitten has allowed you to pet them. Slowly the cat will like being touched and relate it to being treated and being calm.
> For socialisation allow your kitten to come into contact with LOTS of different types of people ( different races, male/female, tall, short, fat, thin, young and old. )
> 
> Fear aggression is really hard to combat in older cats but can be done slowly with time and patience. This is because the cat has an inbuilt fear that has been intergrated into the cats personality. With adult cats that have fear aggression never approach it. Everything has to be done on the cats terms. Let the cat approach you. Always have treats available to reward when it does come to you this encourage it to come to you again. Take baby steps each time the cat comes to you. slowly raise a hand towards it to allow it to get your smell. With lots of treats and encouragement the cat will eventually learn to gain trust and allow you to pet it. Never push the boundrys if the cat shows any signs of hostility or agitation stop what your doing and allow the cat to relax again.
> 
> *Redirected Aggression*
> 
> This happens when someone strange or a strange animal or situation/smell that the cats not used to upsets it. Instead of taking its aggression out on the perpetrator they take it out on their owner. When its not happened before this can break a lifelong bond with a cat.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Find the trigger as to why this is happening and remove it. If its a stray cat in your garden shut the curtains/blinds and shoo the stray away. If the cat shows aggression towards you leave it to calm down! Never shout or punish the cat in this situation it will only fuel more hostility and aggression towards you. Interacting with a cat with this aggression is counter productive. Once the cat is calm and comes to you reward its calm behaiviour with treats and play.
> 
> *Stop stroking me biting!*
> 
> This is cats that seem immensely pleased by your petting only to suddenly whirl around and bite you. These cats purr up to the moment they attack. This is due to the cat's short attention span. That there is a fine line between what is pleasurable and what is annoying. Sometimes these displays occur when a sensitive area on the body has been touched. Some cats will beg for attention only to sink their teeth into you a few minutes later.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Release your cat at the first sign it has had enough petting. Some signs that you are approaching the limits of the cats tolerance are restlessness, tail twitching, flattened ears, twitching ears and a tendency to move its head toward your hand. One can attempt to desensitise these cats by feeding them a tasty treat just before you think they might attack and move away.
> 
> *Dominance based Aggression* _Also relates to territory_
> 
> Some cats will treat their owners as another cat and attempt to dominate them.
> These cats may growl or hiss when you join them on the bed or attempt to move them. Some will block doorways and show the typical signs of aggression such as tail switching, dilated pupils, flattened ears, and hissing and spitting.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Ignore the cat. Do not give it any attention, withhold treats and petting until the cat has calmed down.
> Feilaway diffusers are good to combat this aggression.
> Don't give a cat treats when it is being aggressive this will teach the cat to bully you when it wants food.
> 
> *None Recognition Aggression*
> 
> This commonly occurs in a multi-cat household.
> For example one of the cats needs to visit the vet to be spayed. The cats that are normally victim to this type of aggression are those that have been to the vet. These cats are victimised as they return home with a different scent. The cats remaining in the household do not recognise the unfamiliar smell so think that a new cat is intruding into their territory.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> If one of the cats needs to go to the vet take the others along too in different carriers.
> upon returning home take the cats into a neutral area of the home and leave them in the carriers side by side for up to half an hour. Give each cat a bowl of the same food ( nice stinky tuna as a treat ) and once they have finished eating let them out. Also using a feiliaway diffuser in this situation helps too.
> 
> *Medical based Aggression*
> 
> Sometimes some cats aggression does not fit into any of the above categories.
> They may growl and hiss when you pick them up, or touch a certain part of the body. If this occurs get the cat straight to a vet to be checked out. It may be unclear that your cat is ill but cats are strong willed and rarely show that they are in pain. Get your vet to do a good check on the cat and an X-ray to rule out any health problems.
> 
> Cats with a high fever show signs of aggression and irritability.
> 
> Some cat behaviours also may be down to diet. Some commercial foods have cerials and grains that in rare incidences can cause different behaviour problems in the cat. Get this ruled out by a vet also.
> 
> Further more some cat aggression can not be "fixed" it is purely down to the genes that they have been given. This is also rare but does sometimes happen.
> 
> hope this helps!!


Very useful information.I
Thanks.


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## Balou1609

Hi,

I adopted my cat Balou from a shelter 5 years ago. He has since started living with my mum because I moved abroad and unfortunately couldn’t move him with me. He’s been living there for 3 years and has settled in well.

My problem is that, when I’m visiting my mother and she is away and I try to go to bed, he will follow me around, purring loudly, but always making sure he is either in front of me or right behind me. He will start doing this as soon as I start my bed time routine. Usually, he will try and keep me downstairs by trying to use his paw to wack me, but that never hurts. Unfortunately, today it escalated to him biting me and scratching me. The bite clearly was meant as some kind of warning, as it didn’t necessarily hurt and didn’t draw blood. This situation surprised me because he’s never bitten me (or anyone) before. 

What can I do to stop this from happening again? I usually allow him to sleep on my bed with me, but today I’ve kicked him out. What do I do?


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## chillminx

Hello @Balou1609 and welcome 

If your cat normally sleeps on your bed with you at night then why is he trying to stop you going upstairs to bed? Perhaps he's hungry? Or perhaps he wants your full attention, e.g. for you to play with him. Or perhaps (if he is an outdoor cat) he wants to go out. Cats are logical creatures, they have sensible reasons for everything they do.

To stop your cat giving you more of these warnings you describe, you'll need to understand what he's upset about and put it right for him.


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## Artur Ribeiro

Hello Luísa, how do you explain my cat attacking me (only me) when I’m near my sister ? One time we were on an entrance of a division of the house, and the other time I was behind him and my sister was on it’s left side pouring wet food, the cat look at me two times and next it growled. The cat is male, if you need more information just aks

Se quiseres podes responder em português


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## chillminx

Artur Ribeiro said:


> Hello Luísa, how do you explain my cat attacking me (only me) when I'm near my sister ? One time we were on an entrance of a division of the house, and the other time I was behind him and my sister was on it's left side pouring wet food, the cat look at me two times and next it growled. The cat is male, if you need more information just aks
> 
> Se quiseres podes responder em português


Luisa has not been seen on the forum for the past 9 years so I am afraid it is doubtful you will get a reply from her. You could consider starting a new thread of your own with your question.


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## Faye parsons

catz4m8z said:


> Def very good thread. :thumbup:
> It can sometimes be so hard to see aggression starting in cats as they can be quite subtle about it. One of my indoors cats was bullying one of my other more timid cats for ages without me noticing.
> She would sit at the top of the stairs and just stare her down when she tried to go up. I later realiesed that guarding entry points (as well as resources) was a way of intimidating other cats.
> Thats cats for you, subtle and mysterious!!


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## Faye parsons

Hi...I'm looking for some reassurance that my cats (sisters) will start to get along again! 
They're 3yrs old and got along ok, but something changed four weeks ago. I've read all the advice, spoken to the vet and a cat behaviourist and I've implemented all they're advice, but still not much improvement. The aggressor can be distracted when I'm around but the minute I turn my back she tried to chase the little cat. Does anyone have some happy ending experiences to give me some encouragement?


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## buffie

Faye parsons said:


> Hi...I'm looking for some reassurance that my cats (sisters) will start to get along again!
> They're 3yrs old and got along ok, but something changed four weeks ago. I've read all the advice, spoken to the vet and a cat behaviourist and I've implemented all they're advice, but still not much improvement. The aggressor can be distracted when I'm around but the minute I turn my back she tried to chase the little cat. Does anyone have some happy ending experiences to give me some encouragement?


This thread doesn't have a lot of viewers so it would probably be better for you to start a new thread in the behaviour section .
Sorry but I have no first hand knowledge of the problem you are having with your girls .
Did the behaviourist visit you to see the cats or was this just a phone conversation as one size definitely doesn't fit all where behaviour is concerned .
Hopefully someone will be able to help you soon


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## chillminx

Hello @Faye parsons and welcome 

Since the COVID-19 lockdown there have been quite a few cases recently of forum members' cats falling out with each other. It may have something to do with the increased stress levels of their human owners, which the cats are reflecting. Or it may be simply that with the humans at home 24/7 the house is busier, noisier, much less peaceful for cats who were used to having the daytimes to themselves during the week, while the humans were out at work.

Basically you need to separate the cats for a while (several days) and then slowly reintroduce them, cautiously.

There are two recent threads where there has been success in reintroducing the cats. I think it would be worth you reading the threads for encouragement and ideas. Neither member had an easy time of it, but their patience has been rewarded.

https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/sudden-sibling-agression.525624/

https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/my-indoor-cats-are-fighting.526922/#post-1065612402

Please post again with updates and any questions you may have. We are happy to help. 

Maybe, as buffie suggests, you could start a new thread,


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## Faye parsons

buffie said:


> This thread doesn't have a lot of viewers so it would probably be better for you to start a new thread in the behaviour section .
> Sorry but I have no first hand knowledge of the problem you are having with your girls .
> Did the behaviourist visit you to see the cats or was this just a phone conversation as one size definitely doesn't fit all where behaviour is concerned .
> Hopefully someone will be able to help you soon


Hi Buffie...thank you for replying, I just had a quick chat with the behaviourist, I've decided to pay for the full consultation. I want to give my cats the best chance of being able to live with each other again. I've been reading a lot of threads and I'm learning a lot.


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## buffie

Faye parsons said:


> Hi Buffie...thank you for replying, I just had a quick chat with the behaviourist, I've decided to pay for the full consultation. I want to give my cats the best chance of being able to live with each other again. I've been reading a lot of threads and I'm learning a lot.


I had to get a behaviourist help with my lad when he was a kitten so I know just how useful having a home consult is.
The one I had was recommended by my vet and was a member of ................ https://www.apbc.org.uk/ ....she spent over an hour just watching how he was with different situations and tailored a plan for me to follow which seemed a bit strange at the time but it did work eventually.
Getting the right advice for each situation is vital as approaching behaviour issues from the wrong angle can make matters worse which is why I said there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to behaviour.

Good luck and please let us know how you get on .


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## kh1985

Hi, I was going to make a thread for this but I see this one covers it pretty well! I've tried all I can with my little one Gigi but nothing seems to be working so thought I might ask here for any additional advice. I adopted an 8 week old kitten. She is super affectionate and playful, but lately it seems like she is just so high energy that nothing tires her out and it has turned into constantly attacking me. It was easy to do the standard things listed in this thread at first because she was small but she is growing super fast and is now 14 weeks so she is getting stronger and more energetic.

I am pretty sure it is play aggression. She follows me everywhere, purrs constantly whenever I am around, hides and pounces and loves attention, but the petting quickly turns into biting. She rarely scratches unless it's an accident like jumping up on me, and her claws are always retracted, but the biting is getting harder. She goes for my ankles, or goes for my arms if I am sitting down. Normally a firm 'NO' and ignoring her would work, but for all of a few seconds. I distract her with toys when I can, ignore her when she acts up, etc but she's getting bigger and it's harder to ignore because it damn hurts.

Part of me wonders if it's pent up energy because there are times where I have no choice to put her back in her room (my main goal of course is that she will be free roaming, sleep in bed at night, etc), but I work from home and being attacked or having her jump on my screen mid conference call makes my job difficult - and in non-covid times I would be out for these hours anyway. And there's no settling her at bed time. I'll let her out in the mornings and play with her, put her back whilst I work, let her out at lunch, and then let her out in the evenings for a few hours before bed.

I've raised kittens before and the last one I had was scared, skittish and jumpy from the moment I got her and terrified of other people (I suspect she didn't have a good first 10 weeks of life). Determined for Gigi to be good natured, she certainly loves affection and play, and boy is she curious and fearless. I know that kittens at this age are hyperactive little things, so I hope that she calms down with age but I just worry that as she ages these play-hunting ambushes could become problematic when she's old enough to inflict some damage, if she is already giving me war wounds so young!


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## chillminx

@kh1985 - it sounds as though Gigi is very much regarding you as her playmate, a substitute for a kitten playmate. Do you have lots of interactive play sessions with her every day, getting her running and leaping, so she is tired out ?

At her age, as a solitary kitten, she needs about 3 or 4 hours interactive play time a day with you. Having a young kitten is very time consuming, it is true, but this period doesn't last for long, and is over all too soon.

Do you have interactive toys for her e,g, long play tunnels (several tied together) so you can play hide and seek and pounce with her? My girls loved that game with me when they were kittens. Do you have ping pong balls to throw for her to chase, throwing them up the stairs is especially good as it uses up a lot of the kitten's energy.

Could you shut yourself in your office/study while you're busy working and let Ziggy have the run of the house? It would be better for her than shutting her in her room for hours at a time. Especially if you can provide some challenging play equipment for her to climb, eg. tall cat trees, or shelves fitted up the wall creating steps to the top of a tall cupboard. I had these kind of shelves in my stairwell when my girls were kittens and they used them a lot.

The other alternative would be to get another kitten of a similar age to Ziggy, so they can be playmates for each other. This would certainly take the pressure off you to be a playmate. Many of the UK Rescues are now doing online rehoming by video link and there may be some who still have kittens for homing


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## kh1985

chillminx said:


> @kh1985 - it sounds as though Gigi is very much regarding you as her playmate, a substitute for a kitten playmate. Do you have lots of interactive play sessions with her every day, getting her running and leaping, so she is tired out ?
> 
> At her age, as a solitary kitten, she needs about 3 or 4 hours interactive play time a day with you. Having a young kitten is very time consuming, it is true, but this period doesn't last for long, and is over all too soon.
> 
> Do you have interactive toys for her e,g, long play tunnels (several tied together) so you can play hide and seek and pounce with her? My girls loved that game with me when they were kittens. Do you have ping pong balls to throw for her to chase, throwing them up the stairs is especially good as it uses up a lot of the kitten's energy.
> 
> Could you shut yourself in your office/study while you're busy working and let Ziggy have the run of the house? It would be better for her than shutting her in her room for hours at a time. Especially if you can provide some challenging play equipment for her to climb, eg. tall cat trees, or shelves fitted up the wall creating steps to the top of a tall cupboard. I had these kind of shelves in my stairwell when my girls were kittens and they used them a lot.
> 
> The other alternative would be to get another kitten of a similar age to Ziggy, so they can be playmates for each other. This would certainly take the pressure off you to be a playmate. Many of the UK Rescues are now doing online rehoming by video link and there may be some who still have kittens for homing


Thanks for the response! Yes I have considered getting a playmate for her. It's definitely on my list of options. She does seem a very sociable cat and was with her littermates right up until I got her. Up here in Glasgow there are actually very few available. I normally use Cats Protection League but there are no cats that need rehomed at the moment on their site (2 reserved)

I could look into sites where people sell kittens that they breed like Gumtree, but I don't necessarily agree with that practice. And if I was going to adopt another I think it would make sense to get one around Gigi's age. I think she would be too much for an older cat! If you know other avenues I am all ears!

I do have interactive toys for her, she loves one which has balls that she can push around a maze. I have the mouse on a string toys I play with her and also a laser pen which I try to use and associate with me by giving her treats alongside with.

I would say I have about an hour's play time with her in the morning, maybe half an hour at lunch, (she generally sleeps during the day now which is probably why she's so high energy at night) and then in the evenings I spend a lot of time playing with her. So I would say at least 3 hours daily yes. Even when watching TV or cooking I multitask! haha

I'm trying the 'just keep the study closed' approach as we speak so she can free roam. Definitely getting her a cat tree, she'd love that - she loves playing peekaboo in boxes.

Thanks again for the advice!


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## chillminx

Just to add, if you keep the study door closed all the time, even when you are not working in there, she will not be used to having any access to the room. I used to do this when I worked from home.


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## Guest

Cross-posted from another thread https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/cat-attacked-me.537691/#post-1065765364 due to the usefulness of the information.

I agree with others. It sounds like your boy is very stressed. It also sounds like there has been some trigger stacking with your reaction in bed scaring him and then several other stressors. It's also possible there are other stressors you are unaware of like neighbourhood cats or even some subtle stress from his cat companion. Two of mine generally got on well but sometimes went through patches of subtle bullying. Cats are masters of silent aggression and can control resources without humans even being aware through subtle body postures. It doesn't mean that they don't get on but sometimes there is a bit of underlying stress that isn't obvious.

Cats are also well known for redirected aggression. When something stresses them and triggers the fight or flight response they can sometimes attack a person or other animal that is close by even if they are not the cause of their stress.

I noticed with one of my foster boys that my upset and surprised reaction to my neighbour drilling unexpectedly on the party wall just behind where I was sitting raised his anxiety levels considerably for several weeks and he was a lot more hypervigilant and wary of me and any sound. Usually he was a confident and calm boy in all situations.

Cats also live in a world where scent is very significant to them. The presence of a dog in the house and garden would have been stressful. As likely would having human visitors, especially if visitors have been a rare thing over the last year due to lockdown ( different scents, noise levels and changes in behaviour by his people, increased energy levels of his people, laughing, chatting and some stress/excitement of owners anticipating the visit).

The fact that your cat is stressed when your other cat comes back from the vet shows that he is very responsive to unusual scents in his territory. It's a good idea to scent swap when the other cat comes back from the vets. Get a clean cloth and stroke the cat who went to the vet with it then rub the cloth on the cat who stayed behind. Then rub the vet cat with the cloth again rinse and repeat. Do this where they don't have sight of each other and let them settle down separately for a while. This should allow everyone to get used to each other again.

Things you can do:

Start him on Zylkene. Although this doesn't work on all cats, if it does then it can really reduce anxiety levels. It's just a natural protein found in milk but can have soothing effects. It does take a few days to a week to kick in though. Buy the capsules for dogs and divide up the portions in the twist apart capsules into 75mg doses. Dosage isn't critical but you will save a lot of money this way.

Reduce stress for your boy by giving him lots of safe spaces he can hide away and get away from the kids, the other cat and any other stressors. High up spaces can be helpful if your cat likes that.

Provide lots of resources: food litter trays resting places, water and food stations and anything else you cat considers valuable. Space them out so that your other cat can't control all of the resources in case this is the cause of some subtle stress.

Play can be helpful. It can use up some of the energy and anxious feelings your cat is experiencing.

If your cat has access to outdoors or can see outdoors then it may be other cats are encroaching on his territory and making him feel insecure. You can buy semi opaque window sheets which you can stick to the bottom of your window so he can't see other cats if you think that may be an issue.

If you have visitors then be aware that your increased stress levels ( and stress is excitement too) or just a change in your energy levels and normal habits can add to his stress. Try and keep things low key if possible and ahead of visitors settle him into a safe room with lots of secure spaces for him to hide. If there is lots of noise some back ground noise like classic FM on the radio etc may help.

Don't approach your boy for interaction. Let him come to you. Don't allow your kids to to initiate an interaction either. If he does approach you then hold out your fingers and let him dictate where he wants to be touched by where he rubs you. A few small strokes and then stop. If he asks for more attention then repeat a few more times but don't over do it. You want to keep his arousal levels low and all your behaviour calm.

Definitely get him checked by the vet. Sometimes anxiety can be a sign of pain or discomfort. Cats as small prey animals are masters at hiding illness or pain and often the only sign is a behavioural change. I suggest he has some Zylkene before his vets visit so it doesn't add to anxiety.

It may be also a good idea to get the advice if a cat behaviourist. Often they can provide suggestions and make observations about your cat which are not obvious to you his owner.

This is an article by Vicki Halls a cat behaviourist about cat aggression you may find useful:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAEegQIBBAC&usg=AOvVaw1eCPYJ3l4hGtjUGvqLW-eh


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## Isolette

kh1985 said:


> Thanks for the response! Yes I have considered getting a playmate for her. It's definitely on my list of options. She does seem a very sociable cat and was with her littermates right up until I got her. Up here in Glasgow there are actually very few available. I normally use Cats Protection League but there are no cats that need rehomed at the moment on their site (2 reserved)
> 
> I could look into sites where people sell kittens that they breed like Gumtree, but I don't necessarily agree with that practice. And if I was going to adopt another I think it would make sense to get one around Gigi's age. I think she would be too much for an older cat! If you know other avenues I am all ears!
> 
> Agree re a second cat. The sooner the better. I got my three last ones on donedeal /adverts ie. Do you not have similar there? Home raised kittens. Watching the interplay is amazing.


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## Samantha Thomson

Hello everyone,

I am new hear. I enjoyed this threat about kitten behaviour.

I have a 16 week old little male who just loves to attack my boyfriend and I. Its sometimes like he, doesn't want to be touched at all or he at times he just starts attacking us for no reason. Unless he is tiered then he likes to cuddle.

We have tried the spraying of water (advised by the vet) but works in that moment only.

My boyfriend has said we will need to rid of him, if he doesn't stop it as he thinks it will get worse as he gets older.

Is there anything else I can do?
Will it stop or at least be less when he is older / neutered?

Thanks
Sam

*Know your cat*

*Cats body language - their tail*

A cats tail like a dogs gives many different messages to other cats and their owners. The following is a basic guide to reading your cats mood via the way they hold their tail. Obviously all cats are different and different factors/environments may change how they react.

1, Tail curled slightly downwards and then curved at the tip ( think of an elongated S shape ) = Cat is very relaxed an content.
2, Tail is erect but not ridged and has a curved top ( think of a ? shape ) = cat is friendly and greeting.
3, Tail is limp but the end is flicking = cat is getting agitated, the more the tail flicks the more annoyed the cat is getting. Beware that pushing the cat further when showing this twitching tail can possibly result in the cat being aggressive.
4, Tail is erect and bobbing/dancing = cat is showing sheer affection.
5, Tail is swishing from side to side ( think of an S shape again ) = This cat is VERY angry
6, Tail is erect and the hair is sticking out ridged - this is normally towards another cat = Showing aggression do not approach.
7, Tail is arched ( n shape ) and hair is sticking out ridged - this follows point 6 = Cat will attack. normally the cat also is standing on tip toes and has a sideways stance.
8, Tail is between their legs = the cat is giving in / scared / submissive
9, Tail is slightly raised but not ridged and the hair poofed out = cat is playing / often chasing.
10, Female cat tail held to one side with bum in the air = cat is flirting and is in call. ready to mate.

*Cats body language - Ears*

1, Both ears flat each side of their head ( -o- shape ) = normally with dilated pupils the cat is intrigued and playful.
2, Both ears are pointing back and flat = cat is annoyed and angry an ready to pounce.
3, One ear side ways one ear forward = cat is relaxed this is a waiting position.
4, Both forward = cat is alert and focusing on a noise.

*Cats body language - Eyes*

Dilated pupils - Playful and in extreamly dilated cases agressive.

*Cats body language - Whiskers*

Normally whiskers are spread out at the side of the face. If a cat is agitated they will move back with the ears.

*Cat body language - Head, legs and body*

Legs - stiff walking along side the fact that the back leg follows the front shows awkwardness in the cat. This cat is stressed

Head - lowered head is a cat about to pounce or can also show submissiveness

Arched body - cat is getting ready to attack and defend itself.

Here are some different types of common aggression factors and how to try to combat the behaviour.

*Kitten & Adult Play Aggression *

cats are naturally predators. This instinct will never die and due to the nature of the animal will never be "bred out". Nature created a cat with teeth and sharp claws to prey/ defend themselves and attack. Every cat has these natural urges to stalk and pounce.
Some cats get pleasure in attacking feet, sleeping owners and the odd little animal. Cats love to explore, stalk anything that moves, and bat and pounce on small objects that they pretend to be prey. This mostly is seen in young kittens during their learning period but many adult cats still love to play hunt.
Kittens learn their limits of what is and isn't acceptable between the ages of 5 and 13 weeks of age.
Kittens play and attack one another often they quickly learn the limits of biting and scratching. Their litter mates bite back when play gets too rough.
Kittens taken from the litter before this do not have this option and transfer this play attacking on their owners. This is natural for them and don't see themselves as doing wrong.
*How to spot it:-*
Play aggression is easy to recognise by the cat/kittens body language.
They crouch, flatten their ears, their pupils dilate and their tail swishes back and forth while they stalk or pounce at the owner. Before pouncing they normally wiggle their back end a little.

*How to combat :-*
Not allowing the kitten to get into the habit of stalking you. Once you recognise this body language in the kitten distract the kittens attention to a fishing rod type toy or ball. Drag string along the floor or dangle a toy on a string for it to play with.
Never encourage the kitten if they are pouncing on you by running, making quick movements or fighting the kitten back. Never encourage hand play. This will only encourage the kitten to stalk you more as they think you are playing with them.
Do not condone rough play at all between a human or kitten - this extends to all family members.
If a kitten is to attack you in this manor play dead and don't move. They will soon get bored of you and walk off when they do get a toy for them to play with. If you are petting your kitten and they try to play bite you, say a firm NO and remove yourself from the kitten and ignore the behaviour. From this the kitten will realise what they have done.
If all this fails a bottle with coins in to shake will startle the kitten and stop this behaviour. Warning IMO this latter bottle shaking can produce a shy jumpy kitten. I myself have never used this type of aggression technique as i feel the other methods work better.
NEVER PUNISH. Always encourage good play with lots of treats and verbal encouragement I.E "your such a good girl/boy" etc
You can also hiss at the cat a a mother cat would. simply making a hiss noise with your mouth isn't realistic enough. Get saliva in your mouth and inhale quickly sucking the saliva back with bared teeth. this creates a more realistic noise and gets the kitten to stop what its doing. It will normally back off and sulk for a little while but remember what he did wrong.

Some people will suggest the old technique of removing the cat/kitten and placing it into "time out" IMO again this seldomly works, and can mentally disturb the cat giving it anxiety problems

*Territory Based Aggression*

Cats are one of the most territorial of animals, in some cases even more so then dogs.
In the wild cats are solitary hunters and hunt within their own territory.
Cats will be territorial as indoor or outdoor cats. Territorial aggression normally starts when a cat reaches adult hood ( 1-2 yrs of age ) but can also be present in kittens. 
Outdoor cats can become extreamly territorial of the area surrounding the house. Should they see another cat/dog/bird or other animal in their territory they can become upset. In these situations your kitten/cat can indeed transfer his aggression out on their owners or other pets. This same agression also occurs with indoor cats.
*How to spot it:-*
When territory aggression occurs cats/kittens will hiss, spit and make growling or warning noises. This can be either to its owner or another litter mate or cat.
Cats can attack. Normally in this type of aggression the cat will attack the hind quarters of the other cat. Wounds will occur on hind quarter legs and tail of the more submissive cat, and on the face nose and neck area of the aggressor.
In indoor cats the aggression behaviour can differ. Multiple cat households can live completely at ease with cats sharing each others territories at different times of the day. This can be upset by a number of different things I.E moving household furniture, getting a new sofa, moving the room about or even moving cat trees. Adding a new kitten/cat will also upset this balance.
Spotting it in the home can sometimes be more difficult. The aggressive more assertive cat will guard favoured places and objects by growling and or threatening to attack the other cat/person. Stressed territory based aggression can also be spotted through hiding toys, walking round with toys in their mouth, spraying urine and excessive licking or grooming.

*How to combat :-*
Multicat households need 1 litter tray for every cat plus one spare, these need to be put in different areas of the house.
Cats dont like sharing eating/drinking areas so give each cat its own food and water bowl and feeding space.
Provide territories for your cats give them places to hide and chill out and retreat. Boxes behind sofas or on top of shelves, radiator beds, pryamid type beds up high and down low. Sometimes coloured toys work - ie red toys for one cat blue for another yellow for another etc only play with each coloured toy with the correct cat and don't mix. Allow cats to gain access to high up areas.
When introducing new cats keep the new cat confined to one room at first. Allow the other cats to smell under the door. spend time with the new cat and allow the older cats to get used to the sent of the new cat on your clothes.
Over a period of time allow the new cats area to become larger. when the old cat is sleeping in a different room or put into another room an the doors closed allow the new cat to wonder and smell this area, allow the older cat into the new cats room to also do this. Never put a new cat straight into your home and expect things to be hunky dory. A slow integration period must occur first. Be patient. 
Another good way to combat this aggression is a feilaway diffuser.

*Aggression Towards Humans/Fear Aggression* _Also related to kitten aggression_

This normally occurs when a kitten has been taken at an age that is too young, and hasn't been correctly handled, petted and socialised when they were between five and twelve weeks of age.
These cats are normally fearful, shy, wary of new people, easily angered and upset.
Cats that are frightened can be misinterpreted as an aggressive cat.
*How to spot*
Uptight and Frightened cats crouch with their ears laid back, their tails curled inward and they tilt their bodies away from the threat. They will lash out and claw or bite anything that approaches them. Also the way they walk is a big clue to how a cat is feeling. If the cat has a ridgid upright tail with the back right leg and front right leg moving at the same time the cat is stressed. This behavior often occurs when the cat is in new surroundings or being approached by a stranger. Before attack the cats pupils will often dilate and they may hiss and show their teeth. The cats fur will stand along their back, and they will stick their tail up vertical.

*How to combat:-*
Kittens need to be socialised and handled from an early age. When getting a young kitten get them being used of being touched every where. To get them to allow them to let you touch them wait until they are relaxed and content ( purring ) one way of getting the socialisation period started is to provide the cats favorite healthy treat on the floor infront of you. whilst eating start off by slowly scratching the head and cheeks. Do not make any jerky or sudden movements. Try to progress down the cats back and tail. As you are doing this talk to the cat. Look for signs of the cat becoming agitated. You can tell this as they stop purring and the end of their tail starts flicking. If this happens don't continue for the time being and allow the cat to relax again. Give food treats after the kitten has allowed you to pet them. Slowly the cat will like being touched and relate it to being treated and being calm.
For socialisation allow your kitten to come into contact with LOTS of different types of people ( different races, male/female, tall, short, fat, thin, young and old. )

Fear aggression is really hard to combat in older cats but can be done slowly with time and patience. This is because the cat has an inbuilt fear that has been intergrated into the cats personality. With adult cats that have fear aggression never approach it. Everything has to be done on the cats terms. Let the cat approach you. Always have treats available to reward when it does come to you this encourage it to come to you again. Take baby steps each time the cat comes to you. slowly raise a hand towards it to allow it to get your smell. With lots of treats and encouragement the cat will eventually learn to gain trust and allow you to pet it. Never push the boundrys if the cat shows any signs of hostility or agitation stop what your doing and allow the cat to relax again.

*Redirected Aggression*

This happens when someone strange or a strange animal or situation/smell that the cats not used to upsets it. Instead of taking its aggression out on the perpetrator they take it out on their owner. When its not happened before this can break a lifelong bond with a cat.

*How to combat:-*
Find the trigger as to why this is happening and remove it. If its a stray cat in your garden shut the curtains/blinds and shoo the stray away. If the cat shows aggression towards you leave it to calm down! Never shout or punish the cat in this situation it will only fuel more hostility and aggression towards you. Interacting with a cat with this aggression is counter productive. Once the cat is calm and comes to you reward its calm behaiviour with treats and play.

*Stop stroking me biting!*

This is cats that seem immensely pleased by your petting only to suddenly whirl around and bite you. These cats purr up to the moment they attack. This is due to the cat's short attention span. That there is a fine line between what is pleasurable and what is annoying. Sometimes these displays occur when a sensitive area on the body has been touched. Some cats will beg for attention only to sink their teeth into you a few minutes later.

*How to combat:-*
Release your cat at the first sign it has had enough petting. Some signs that you are approaching the limits of the cats tolerance are restlessness, tail twitching, flattened ears, twitching ears and a tendency to move its head toward your hand. One can attempt to desensitise these cats by feeding them a tasty treat just before you think they might attack and move away.

*Dominance based Aggression* _Also relates to territory_

Some cats will treat their owners as another cat and attempt to dominate them.
These cats may growl or hiss when you join them on the bed or attempt to move them. Some will block doorways and show the typical signs of aggression such as tail switching, dilated pupils, flattened ears, and hissing and spitting.

*How to combat :-*
Ignore the cat. Do not give it any attention, withhold treats and petting until the cat has calmed down.
Feilaway diffusers are good to combat this aggression.
Don't give a cat treats when it is being aggressive this will teach the cat to bully you when it wants food.

*None Recognition Aggression*

This commonly occurs in a multi-cat household.
For example one of the cats needs to visit the vet to be spayed. The cats that are normally victim to this type of aggression are those that have been to the vet. These cats are victimised as they return home with a different scent. The cats remaining in the household do not recognise the unfamiliar smell so think that a new cat is intruding into their territory.

*How to combat :-*
If one of the cats needs to go to the vet take the others along too in different carriers.
upon returning home take the cats into a neutral area of the home and leave them in the carriers side by side for up to half an hour. Give each cat a bowl of the same food ( nice stinky tuna as a treat ) and once they have finished eating let them out. Also using a feiliaway diffuser in this situation helps too.

*Medical based Aggression*

Sometimes some cats aggression does not fit into any of the above categories.
They may growl and hiss when you pick them up, or touch a certain part of the body. If this occurs get the cat straight to a vet to be checked out. It may be unclear that your cat is ill but cats are strong willed and rarely show that they are in pain. Get your vet to do a good check on the cat and an X-ray to rule out any health problems.

Cats with a high fever show signs of aggression and irritability.

Some cat behaviours also may be down to diet. Some commercial foods have cerials and grains that in rare incidences can cause different behaviour problems in the cat. Get this ruled out by a vet also.

Further more some cat aggression can not be "fixed" it is purely down to the genes that they have been given. This is also rare but does sometimes happen.

hope this helps!![/QUOTE]


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## Finn’s Mum

luisa said:


> Since being on this forum I have noticed so many threads about cat aggression. Here is a guide to knowing your cat, its body language and warning signs.
> 
> *Know your cat*
> 
> *Cats body language - their tail*
> 
> A cats tail like a dogs gives many different messages to other cats and their owners. The following is a basic guide to reading your cats mood via the way they hold their tail. Obviously all cats are different and different factors/environments may change how they react.
> 
> 1, Tail curled slightly downwards and then curved at the tip ( think of an elongated S shape ) = Cat is very relaxed an content.
> 2, Tail is erect but not ridged and has a curved top ( think of a ? shape ) = cat is friendly and greeting.
> 3, Tail is limp but the end is flicking = cat is getting agitated, the more the tail flicks the more annoyed the cat is getting. Beware that pushing the cat further when showing this twitching tail can possibly result in the cat being aggressive.
> 4, Tail is erect and bobbing/dancing = cat is showing sheer affection.
> 5, Tail is swishing from side to side ( think of an S shape again ) = This cat is VERY angry
> 6, Tail is erect and the hair is sticking out ridged - this is normally towards another cat = Showing aggression do not approach.
> 7, Tail is arched ( n shape ) and hair is sticking out ridged - this follows point 6 = Cat will attack. normally the cat also is standing on tip toes and has a sideways stance.
> 8, Tail is between their legs = the cat is giving in / scared / submissive
> 9, Tail is slightly raised but not ridged and the hair poofed out = cat is playing / often chasing.
> 10, Female cat tail held to one side with bum in the air = cat is flirting and is in call. ready to mate.
> 
> *Cats body language - Ears*
> 
> 1, Both ears flat each side of their head ( -o- shape ) = normally with dilated pupils the cat is intrigued and playful.
> 2, Both ears are pointing back and flat = cat is annoyed and angry an ready to pounce.
> 3, One ear side ways one ear forward = cat is relaxed this is a waiting position.
> 4, Both forward = cat is alert and focusing on a noise.
> 
> *Cats body language - Eyes*
> 
> Dilated pupils - Playful and in extreamly dilated cases agressive.
> 
> *Cats body language - Whiskers*
> 
> Normally whiskers are spread out at the side of the face. If a cat is agitated they will move back with the ears.
> 
> *Cat body language - Head, legs and body*
> 
> Legs - stiff walking along side the fact that the back leg follows the front shows awkwardness in the cat. This cat is stressed
> 
> Head - lowered head is a cat about to pounce or can also show submissiveness
> 
> Arched body - cat is getting ready to attack and defend itself.
> 
> Here are some different types of common aggression factors and how to try to combat the behaviour.
> 
> *Kitten & Adult Play Aggression *
> 
> cats are naturally predators. This instinct will never die and due to the nature of the animal will never be "bred out". Nature created a cat with teeth and sharp claws to prey/ defend themselves and attack. Every cat has these natural urges to stalk and pounce.
> Some cats get pleasure in attacking feet, sleeping owners and the odd little animal. Cats love to explore, stalk anything that moves, and bat and pounce on small objects that they pretend to be prey. This mostly is seen in young kittens during their learning period but many adult cats still love to play hunt.
> Kittens learn their limits of what is and isn't acceptable between the ages of 5 and 13 weeks of age.
> Kittens play and attack one another often they quickly learn the limits of biting and scratching. Their litter mates bite back when play gets too rough.
> Kittens taken from the litter before this do not have this option and transfer this play attacking on their owners. This is natural for them and don't see themselves as doing wrong.
> *How to spot it:-*
> Play aggression is easy to recognise by the cat/kittens body language.
> They crouch, flatten their ears, their pupils dilate and their tail swishes back and forth while they stalk or pounce at the owner. Before pouncing they normally wiggle their back end a little.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Not allowing the kitten to get into the habit of stalking you. Once you recognise this body language in the kitten distract the kittens attention to a fishing rod type toy or ball. Drag string along the floor or dangle a toy on a string for it to play with.
> Never encourage the kitten if they are pouncing on you by running, making quick movements or fighting the kitten back. Never encourage hand play. This will only encourage the kitten to stalk you more as they think you are playing with them.
> Do not condone rough play at all between a human or kitten - this extends to all family members.
> If a kitten is to attack you in this manor play dead and don't move. They will soon get bored of you and walk off when they do get a toy for them to play with. If you are petting your kitten and they try to play bite you, say a firm NO and remove yourself from the kitten and ignore the behaviour. From this the kitten will realise what they have done.
> If all this fails a bottle with coins in to shake will startle the kitten and stop this behaviour. Warning IMO this latter bottle shaking can produce a shy jumpy kitten. I myself have never used this type of aggression technique as i feel the other methods work better.
> NEVER PUNISH. Always encourage good play with lots of treats and verbal encouragement I.E "your such a good girl/boy" etc
> You can also hiss at the cat a a mother cat would. simply making a hiss noise with your mouth isn't realistic enough. Get saliva in your mouth and inhale quickly sucking the saliva back with bared teeth. this creates a more realistic noise and gets the kitten to stop what its doing. It will normally back off and sulk for a little while but remember what he did wrong.
> 
> Some people will suggest the old technique of removing the cat/kitten and placing it into "time out" IMO again this seldomly works, and can mentally disturb the cat giving it anxiety problems
> 
> *Territory Based Aggression*
> 
> Cats are one of the most territorial of animals, in some cases even more so then dogs.
> In the wild cats are solitary hunters and hunt within their own territory.
> Cats will be territorial as indoor or outdoor cats. Territorial aggression normally starts when a cat reaches adult hood ( 1-2 yrs of age ) but can also be present in kittens.
> Outdoor cats can become extreamly territorial of the area surrounding the house. Should they see another cat/dog/bird or other animal in their territory they can become upset. In these situations your kitten/cat can indeed transfer his aggression out on their owners or other pets. This same agression also occurs with indoor cats.
> *How to spot it:-*
> When territory aggression occurs cats/kittens will hiss, spit and make growling or warning noises. This can be either to its owner or another litter mate or cat.
> Cats can attack. Normally in this type of aggression the cat will attack the hind quarters of the other cat. Wounds will occur on hind quarter legs and tail of the more submissive cat, and on the face nose and neck area of the aggressor.
> In indoor cats the aggression behaviour can differ. Multiple cat households can live completely at ease with cats sharing each others territories at different times of the day. This can be upset by a number of different things I.E moving household furniture, getting a new sofa, moving the room about or even moving cat trees. Adding a new kitten/cat will also upset this balance.
> Spotting it in the home can sometimes be more difficult. The aggressive more assertive cat will guard favoured places and objects by growling and or threatening to attack the other cat/person. Stressed territory based aggression can also be spotted through hiding toys, walking round with toys in their mouth, spraying urine and excessive licking or grooming.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Multicat households need 1 litter tray for every cat plus one spare, these need to be put in different areas of the house.
> Cats dont like sharing eating/drinking areas so give each cat its own food and water bowl and feeding space.
> Provide territories for your cats give them places to hide and chill out and retreat. Boxes behind sofas or on top of shelves, radiator beds, pryamid type beds up high and down low. Sometimes coloured toys work - ie red toys for one cat blue for another yellow for another etc only play with each coloured toy with the correct cat and don't mix. Allow cats to gain access to high up areas.
> When introducing new cats keep the new cat confined to one room at first. Allow the other cats to smell under the door. spend time with the new cat and allow the older cats to get used to the sent of the new cat on your clothes.
> Over a period of time allow the new cats area to become larger. when the old cat is sleeping in a different room or put into another room an the doors closed allow the new cat to wonder and smell this area, allow the older cat into the new cats room to also do this. Never put a new cat straight into your home and expect things to be hunky dory. A slow integration period must occur first. Be patient.
> Another good way to combat this aggression is a feilaway diffuser.
> 
> *Aggression Towards Humans/Fear Aggression* _Also related to kitten aggression_
> 
> This normally occurs when a kitten has been taken at an age that is too young, and hasn't been correctly handled, petted and socialised when they were between five and twelve weeks of age.
> These cats are normally fearful, shy, wary of new people, easily angered and upset.
> Cats that are frightened can be misinterpreted as an aggressive cat.
> *How to spot*
> Uptight and Frightened cats crouch with their ears laid back, their tails curled inward and they tilt their bodies away from the threat. They will lash out and claw or bite anything that approaches them. Also the way they walk is a big clue to how a cat is feeling. If the cat has a ridgid upright tail with the back right leg and front right leg moving at the same time the cat is stressed. This behavior often occurs when the cat is in new surroundings or being approached by a stranger. Before attack the cats pupils will often dilate and they may hiss and show their teeth. The cats fur will stand along their back, and they will stick their tail up vertical.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Kittens need to be socialised and handled from an early age. When getting a young kitten get them being used of being touched every where. To get them to allow them to let you touch them wait until they are relaxed and content ( purring ) one way of getting the socialisation period started is to provide the cats favorite healthy treat on the floor infront of you. whilst eating start off by slowly scratching the head and cheeks. Do not make any jerky or sudden movements. Try to progress down the cats back and tail. As you are doing this talk to the cat. Look for signs of the cat becoming agitated. You can tell this as they stop purring and the end of their tail starts flicking. If this happens don't continue for the time being and allow the cat to relax again. Give food treats after the kitten has allowed you to pet them. Slowly the cat will like being touched and relate it to being treated and being calm.
> For socialisation allow your kitten to come into contact with LOTS of different types of people ( different races, male/female, tall, short, fat, thin, young and old. )
> 
> Fear aggression is really hard to combat in older cats but can be done slowly with time and patience. This is because the cat has an inbuilt fear that has been intergrated into the cats personality. With adult cats that have fear aggression never approach it. Everything has to be done on the cats terms. Let the cat approach you. Always have treats available to reward when it does come to you this encourage it to come to you again. Take baby steps each time the cat comes to you. slowly raise a hand towards it to allow it to get your smell. With lots of treats and encouragement the cat will eventually learn to gain trust and allow you to pet it. Never push the boundrys if the cat shows any signs of hostility or agitation stop what your doing and allow the cat to relax again.
> 
> *Redirected Aggression*
> 
> This happens when someone strange or a strange animal or situation/smell that the cats not used to upsets it. Instead of taking its aggression out on the perpetrator they take it out on their owner. When its not happened before this can break a lifelong bond with a cat.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Find the trigger as to why this is happening and remove it. If its a stray cat in your garden shut the curtains/blinds and shoo the stray away. If the cat shows aggression towards you leave it to calm down! Never shout or punish the cat in this situation it will only fuel more hostility and aggression towards you. Interacting with a cat with this aggression is counter productive. Once the cat is calm and comes to you reward its calm behaiviour with treats and play.
> 
> *Stop stroking me biting!*
> 
> This is cats that seem immensely pleased by your petting only to suddenly whirl around and bite you. These cats purr up to the moment they attack. This is due to the cat's short attention span. That there is a fine line between what is pleasurable and what is annoying. Sometimes these displays occur when a sensitive area on the body has been touched. Some cats will beg for attention only to sink their teeth into you a few minutes later.
> 
> *How to combat:-*
> Release your cat at the first sign it has had enough petting. Some signs that you are approaching the limits of the cats tolerance are restlessness, tail twitching, flattened ears, twitching ears and a tendency to move its head toward your hand. One can attempt to desensitise these cats by feeding them a tasty treat just before you think they might attack and move away.
> 
> *Dominance based Aggression* _Also relates to territory_
> 
> Some cats will treat their owners as another cat and attempt to dominate them.
> These cats may growl or hiss when you join them on the bed or attempt to move them. Some will block doorways and show the typical signs of aggression such as tail switching, dilated pupils, flattened ears, and hissing and spitting.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> Ignore the cat. Do not give it any attention, withhold treats and petting until the cat has calmed down.
> Feilaway diffusers are good to combat this aggression.
> Don't give a cat treats when it is being aggressive this will teach the cat to bully you when it wants food.
> 
> *None Recognition Aggression*
> 
> This commonly occurs in a multi-cat household.
> For example one of the cats needs to visit the vet to be spayed. The cats that are normally victim to this type of aggression are those that have been to the vet. These cats are victimised as they return home with a different scent. The cats remaining in the household do not recognise the unfamiliar smell so think that a new cat is intruding into their territory.
> 
> *How to combat :-*
> If one of the cats needs to go to the vet take the others along too in different carriers.
> upon returning home take the cats into a neutral area of the home and leave them in the carriers side by side for up to half an hour. Give each cat a bowl of the same food ( nice stinky tuna as a treat ) and once they have finished eating let them out. Also using a feiliaway diffuser in this situation helps too.
> 
> *Medical based Aggression*
> 
> Sometimes some cats aggression does not fit into any of the above categories.
> They may growl and hiss when you pick them up, or touch a certain part of the body. If this occurs get the cat straight to a vet to be checked out. It may be unclear that your cat is ill but cats are strong willed and rarely show that they are in pain. Get your vet to do a good check on the cat and an X-ray to rule out any health problems.
> 
> Cats with a high fever show signs of aggression and irritability.
> 
> Some cat behaviours also may be down to diet. Some commercial foods have cerials and grains that in rare incidences can cause different behaviour problems in the cat. Get this ruled out by a vet also.
> 
> Further more some cat aggression can not be "fixed" it is purely down to the genes that they have been given. This is also rare but does sometimes happen.
> 
> hope this helps!!


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## Megank1996

Hi 

I am new on this and looking for advice on my cat he’s badly attacked me for the 2nd time in the space of a week I want to help him as I love him to bits but I keep looking for the signs of aggression but he doesn’t seem to show much before he attacks me or my dog. Tbh not sure if there is anybody out there that can help but I am kinda at my last straw with him I want to keep him but I can’t take anymore scars and pain from him. 

thanks for reading this


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## buffie

@Megank1996 I'm sorry to read that you are having problems , it may be better to post another thread in the " Cat Training and Behaviour " section as it may be overlooked here..................https://www.petforums.co.uk/forums/cat-training-and-behaviour.12/
How old is your cat /how long have you had him /is this new behaviour/is he neutered Sorry for all the questions but as you can see we really need as much information about him and what has been happening.
Has he been checked over by your vet to make certain that there is no health problems which may be causing him to attack.
Hopefully with all the information needed someone may be able to give you some useful advice.


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## Megank1996

He is 4 years old I have had him for 2 years he’s had check ups at vets and I mention this to them he is an undone male. When I talk to the vets about it they just suggest that he needs his balls taken off but that’s not his problem his aggression is cause he’s not going for me or my dog cause he wants to get to a female like today when he attacked me he came up on the bed and lay next to me and I put my hand to his body to give him a wee bit of loving and as soon as he saw my hand go down he attacked me. I mean I live with him and I can’t figure him out he can be the sweetest cat on the planet but he has these as I say personality changes and goes from sweet and loving to I want to kill u and the dog. It’s not fair on him or my dog or me I just don’t know what to do anymore.


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## buffie

Megank1996 said:


> He is 4 years old I have had him for 2 years he's had check ups at vets and I mention this to them he is an undone male. When I talk to the vets about it they just suggest that he needs his balls taken off but that's not his problem his aggression is cause he's not going for me or my dog cause he wants to get to a female like today when he attacked me he came up on the bed and lay next to me and I put my hand to his body to give him a wee bit of loving and as soon as he saw my hand go down he attacked me. I mean I live with him and I can't figure him out he can be the sweetest cat on the planet but he has these as I say personality changes and goes from sweet and loving to I want to kill u and the dog. It's not fair on him or my dog or me I just don't know what to do anymore.


I'm sorry to disagree with you but being unneutered is most likely at t the root of the problem.
Not only is it causing g him intense frustration it could cause him many health issues.
I suggest you get him neutered ASAP .
It will take a few weeks for the testosterone levels to drop but it should make him a much happier cat.


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## Megank1996

buffie said:


> I'm sorry to disagree with you but being unneutered is most likely at t the root of the problem.
> Not only is it causing g him intense frustration it could cause him many health issues.
> I suggest you get him neutered ASAP .
> It will take a few weeks for the testosterone levels to drop but it should make him a much happier cat.


Okay will do that see if it helps any thanks


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## buffie

Megank1996 said:


> Okay will do that see if it helps any thanks


Please let us know how it goes ,I think your boy will be a lot happier minus his pom poms .


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## Isabella C

very useful thanks..


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