How to deal with an extremely aggressive cat?

In My Humble Opinion
21

So, are you calling the OP a moron, as she has admitted hitting the cat in retaliation?

All the more reason not to waste time or energy trying to decide what the animal is “feeling,” or what it “wants.” This thread is about what the OP wants, not the cat. There’s literally millions of cats out there that need good homes, who would not bite the hand that feeds them. Time to give them a chance, I say. The cat in question has already had his.

I’d say that is for the OP to decide. It is her blood this animal is drawing, after all. You seem to think this cat has some independent right to exist, take up space, and consume food, while not even being a pleasant companion in return. I think not.

Maybe, maybe not. No solution is a cure-all. If this cat were vicious to everyone I’d say some of the soft-handling stuff advocated here should be tried. But this cat is only mean to the OP, which pretty clearly says something else is in play that is not right.

22

Well duh. Cat belonged to man. Woman comes to live with man. Man pays woman attention. This isn’t hard to understand. Nor is it hard to fix.

23

You are assuming facts not in evidence. I reviewed this entire thread, and the OP has never said her husband had the cat before they moved in together. And no matter what, the vast majority of cats can coexist just fine with new people.
Another point of view on this topic.

As for this being easy to fix, I’ve heard of PLENTY of pets that wound up in the pound after the significant other moved in. We’re getting off-topic, but if her husband won’t get rid of this animal even after it draws blood, something’s not right there, either.

24

There is a synthetic cat hormone…I think it’s called Feliway that is suppose to stop aggression in some cats. It comes in a spray or defuser that you plug in. You can get it at pet stores.

25

You’re right, I expect it definitely won’t take into consideration that ‘the OP already has the legal right to have the animal destroyed’.

Now, you do actually understand why this is, right?

Or do you suggest we attempt to get the cat into law school? I know! Let’s read the cat some classics from the Age of Enlightenment’s political philosophers! A few hours spent explaining the concepts of rights and responsibilities TO A FUCKING CAT will be time well spent I’m sure.

26

No personal insults in IMHO.

27

Have your husband correct the cat if it displays unwanted behavior, make sure the cat connects the punishment (my cat reacts strongly to a firm ‘Nee!’) with the unwanted behavior (punish it immediatly).
Try not to hit your cat, mine cowers when I shout at him 7-8 years after I last hit him, and I only hit him 3-4 times. I just made sure he associates my shouting with the physical punishment.
But ferchrissake YOU are the boss, don’t take abuse from your pet.

And if your cat doesn’t have a serious disorder, I strongly believe you can get it to behave with just a couple of treats and a smack. Sedatives seem a bit over the top (a last resort for idiots).

28

Simple solution is to tell your husband that YOU want to be the only one to feed the cat. Just make sure the cat sees you are the one feeding him. He’ll come around. Eventually

29

Yay! Catfight.

30

Now that’s just cruel- I’m calling the ASPCA on you right now.

31

We once adopted a cat from a shelter that was Mr. Wonderful Kitty at the shelter, but became Mr. Psycho Kitty once he got to our house. (It was so bad he earned the nickname Satan Kitty.) We tried everything, but nothing alievated the hissing and spiting and growling and attacks.

Finally, one day I’d had enough. I took a heavy duty, extra large bath towell and threw it over the cat and wrapped him up good and tight (hissing and spitting all the time–him, not me), so the only thing visiable was the front of his face. I tucked the whole towelled cat under my arm, talking to him in a normal tone of voice. (The tone I’d use to review my grocery list, for example.) Each time he’d growl or hiss, I’d tap him on the nose with my finger. Tap, not smack, talking all the time. I must have carried him around that way for about ten minutes, and after about the third tap, he stopped the growling and hissing. Still, I held him tightly. We walked all over the house–into the bathroom, the basement, closets, etc.

I finally put him down and after that we NEVER had any hissing, growling or biting. Nothing.

32

You can try the pheromone dispenser ‘Farnam Comfort Zone w/ Feliway’ to calm the cat. Some people have had good results with preventing aggression and inappropriate urination with this product, if customer reviews and a few online articles are to be believed. If you’re desperate, it seems worth a try.

Don’t hit the cat. Mainly because you are much larger and stronger, and if you are hitting under stress you may seriously injure the cat, and I don’t think you want the guilt. Also because it isn’t likely to help in the long term, since if he were the type of cat to be cowed, it would have already worked.

I have two questions: first, does he usually attack from behind? Will he come at you while you are making eye contact? I’ve had some cats that I sat for that were like this, and simply not turning my back on them worked for me, but I admit those were short visits and not very comfortable. Also, if the cat bites you when you try to touch him, why do you keep trying to touch him?

My advice would be to ask your husband to let you feed the cats, preferably when he is not there, and for you to keep treats on you and give them generously. Hopefully the cat will associate you with food and treats, and take a more favorable view of you soon. Also, they may distract him from your ankles, and you can use them to get a closed door between you and the little bastard whenever you need to be able to do something without having to worry about being bitten. Also, try to be aware of things you might be doing that could be upsetting him. Try to move calmly and walk softy, not like you are being timid or afraid, but like someone calm and confident, because some cats and dogs perceive ‘in a hurry’ as a state of fear, agitation or aggression and respond in kind. How does your husband talk to the cat? If he uses his normal, lower, voice, and you are trying to coax Victor into being friendlier with ‘baby talk’, that might be a mistake.

Cats can be incredibly frustrating and hard to figure.
Let us know how things work out for you, and good luck!

-Xa

33

Didn’t have mace or pepper spray available?

Way to go phall ! :slight_smile:

34

The cat misunderstands his rank in your “den.” He knows the husband outranks him and is the alpha critter. He has the mistaken idea that lirogue is either number three or equal to the cat.

Here’s my adjustment technique. Put your hand on top of the cat’s head, wrapping your fingers and thumb all around the head. Don’t squeeze hard enough to hurt, just firmly enough to prevent escape. Calmly say, “No, you can’t do that.” The first two or three times, he might struggle and give you some stripes on your arm, but DON’T LET GO until the cat has stopped trying to hurt you. Even if you’re angry, don’t shake him around or yell. Speak calmly. The cat will realize you are in control, not him. When he stops fighting, release the grip.

You’ll have to do it several times for the lesson to sink in, the lesson being that you outrank the cat. Eventually, though, the change of rank will be obvious to both of you.

35

Deal with it the same way mommy cats deal with it: scruff him when he rears back to bite or otherwise offers you any aggression. Do not lift him, grab him by the scruff of his neck and press gently but firmly. If you are lucky, he will freeze. If scruffing does not work, sheet him (this means wrap him in a sheet or towel so only his head is sticking out. Tuck in the back end, those back claws are lethal). Then continue doing whatever it is you were doing (petting him for instance). If he, sheeted or scruffed, continues to be aggressive, tap him lightly but firmly on the flat of his nose and say “no”. Not loudly but firmly. The continue what you were doing. When you are done, let him go and ignore him entirely.

Any time he offers you aggression during the first couple of days you must immediately either scruff him or sheet him and follow through by doing whatever it was you were doing when he was aggressive.

For identifiable triggers (like when you are getting dressed) in the immediate future confine the cat – in a carrier or in another room – because you won’t have time to mess with him then. But it shouldn’t take too long if you are completely consistent.

Your husband must not comfort him after these episodes in any way.

Sometime during the first day you will find him staring fixedly at you. When you do, deliberately close your eyes slowly at him and then open them just as slowly and leave them, er, slightly droopy for a moment. Do not project hostility – think of a cat stretching in the sun. Then turn away.

After a couple of days he will approach you for attention. When he does, hesitate just slightly, ignore him for just a moment. Then give him some attention.

Sriking a cat other than a tap on the nose just teaches the cat that you are a jerk. (I don’t mean that you are; I mean the cat will reach that conclusion).

Long term, there must be a total ban on playing with the cat with hands – make your husband wear gloves or play with a toy. Kitty must get that human flesh is poison and not to be breached. Also, consider changing his food if you have been feeding him the same thing for a long time. A lot of cats are sensitive to some kind of coloring agent in regular off the shelf cat food and it can make them very unpleasant.

36

That’s a good one too. I have never been able to do it as my hands are very small. So I had to scruff them.

37

I hope the OP comes back with some details. Our cat Pebbles (bitch cat) was about 4 when I started seeing my husband. Her hatred for me was complete and all encompassing and she growled at me, hissed, bit, and scratched. I didn’t ever lay a hand on her, but I let her know that she was NOT over me in the household by using LOUD shakey cans, spray bottles with vinegar water in them, and anything else she found unpleasant. She bit me, she got punished, period. Over time ( a few years) she came around, but man she was so nasty to me for a long time.

One thing I think helped a lot is that I am her sole caretaker. My husband doesn’t clean the box or feed her, I do all of that. The upside is that she’s affectionate and sweet to me now. The downside is, if her box isn’t perfectly clean she’ll piss on my laundry.

She’s 18 now and still going strong, FWIW.

38

:smiley: :stuck_out_tongue: The knights who say, “Nee!” and all that.

Nee is just an ancient way to say “No!” It is so ancient, in fact, that even I don’t use it. :rolleyes:

39

I guess you could use both hands. I never thought of that. :smack:

40

I will try to answer all of the questions so far:

We have had the cat since he was fairly young (about 6 months or so). A friend of mine (female) raise Victor since he was a kitten. When we got him, my husband and I were already together, so it wasn’t like hubby had the cat and I invaded their perfect relationship.

I have no idea what triggered his behaviour, but it has gotten steadily worse in the past year and a half. For example, he used to only attack my hands. Then he started attacking my bare legs when I got ready in the morning. Recently he has started attacking my legs, bare or clothed. He follows me around howling and yowling with the occaisional growl for good measure.

I usually don’t try to touch the cat, since it obviously does no good. But if one of my hands comes near him (while I’m sitting on the couch, for example, and he jumps up on the end table next to me), he will attack. My husband can pet him fine. In fact, I can pet him so long as he thinks it is my husband (for example, hubby will be petting him on the couch and Victor’s eyes will be closed. I can then take over for a very brief period of time. I assume the smell tips him off). Once he realizes who it is, he bites.

Let me clarify that I am not hitting the cat hard, etc. It is more defensive “batting away” type movement with the occaisional harder smack if he really just won’t leave me alone.

We tried using catnip (it sedates our other cat. We actually hang a little baggie of it around her neck when we clip her nails), but Victor becomes more aggressive, particularly to the other cat (who is just trying to enjoy her high).

The cat knows that my husband will “protect” me, so he generally reigns himself in until we are alone together. If he does bite me while hubby is here, he runs in for a quick nip then dashes under the bed to hide. He knows he is not supposed to attack me.

Victor will attack from any direction. I’ve tried staring contests with him in the hope that it would establish my dominance or somesuch, but the lesson seems lost on him.

I will definitely try some of the tactics listed here, such as the scruffing and sheeting. I’ll let you know how it goes.

In the mean time, please continue with the suggestions and questions!