Expert: Dear Tabbi - 6/30/2008

Question
What techniques can I use to teach my 8 month old cat not to be so violent with us, and does the food I feed him and the fact that we have 6 people living in the house, correlate with his attitude? He is snapping suddenly, biting and scratching with means to draw blood.

Answer
Louise,

There are a lot of possibilities and sometimes you have to be a detective to figure out what the problem is.

You don't say if you got him as a kitten at a shelter. He may have been an abused kitten and is defending himself the only way he knows how.  It can be difficult to break an abused cat of this behavior. Never hit the cat or use any kind of violence when he bites. Be strict and firm, but don't punish, because that can make him meaner.
If he was a feral kitten then that kind of behavior and distrust of humans is inbred. Usually they just bond with ONE person, and other people trying to pet him or hold him could cause him to strike out.

It IS possible that he is stressed by too many people and too much activity in what he considers "his" territory. I don't think food would have anything to do with his behavior, unless he is not getting enough.

Some cats are better indoor/outdoor cats if they have a feral history. They are happier with the freedom and the chance to hunt. A cat wanting to be outside can be a miserable cat if made to stay indoors all the time.

Another possibility is that he may have what is called Redirected Aggression. That happens when a cat sees a strange cat outside and  becomes territorial, but can't get to the strange cat to defend his territory. The cat then turns on the closest animal member of the family and fights with them as if they were the other cat. If there aren't any other animals they have been known to redirect their aggression towards people in the home and attack them instead. You may not even see the animal that the cat sees. If that is the case, you need to block the window past the cat's eye level of the window that he can see another cat out of (out of sight, out of mind). If it is allowed to go on your cat may develop a permanent personality change. Also put the cat in a room by itself for at least 4 hours to calm down when he behaves like that.

When there is a noticable change in a cat's behavior it could be related to a medical issue or from having severe pain. Either can cause that mean behavior in a cat. It is always good to have the cat examined by a vet to rule out the possibility. He may have a urinary tract infection, urinary crystals, etc. Could someone have accidently stepped on him? Is the cat neutered? That would cause behavioral issues also if he is not.

You can try a popular cat calming spray or plug-in called Feliway or Comfort Zone with Feliway. It is available at pet stores, from a vet (they use it too), or on-line. It copies relaxing pheromones that cats produce from rubbing their faces on things.

You may want to speak to your vet about putting your cat on 'kitty Prozac' to help calm him. It is a common medication for cats that have emotional issues or are stressed.

There are a lot of VERY loving kittens and cats in shelters that are going to be put to death because of over-crowding and being unwanted that you don't need to try and live with a cat that doesn't want to, or can't, be loveable, or that may injure you, your family, or some a child. I am definitely not suggesting you get rid of the cat, but you might want to weigh the pros and cons of keeping him.

DO keep his claws trimmed. Have the people in the family ignore him for awhile. Let him come to you, or them for affection...if he want's any. And I WOULD check to make sure his behavior is not caused by a medical issue.

I hope this helps, but if you have more questions feel free to write back.

Tabbi