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Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)/my aggressive cat pooky
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Question
My cat pooky is 18 yrs. old i dont know breed what she is she is spayed. She will attack anything that comes near here but me and my step mom. We have tried to train but she will ignore us. Is there anyway we can get her to pay attention to us while training??
Liz,
At 18 your cat is approximately 88 years old and I would say that her behavior is age-related. And no, you normally can not train her at that age. Aggression can be a sign of arthritis and/or pain from a number of things that can go out.
She should be seen by a vet that specializes in geriatric cat care and their conditions (not all vets do) and be given an older cat checkup to check the function of her kidneys, her liver, her thyroid, and see if she has arthritis. She can be given pain medication for it if that is what is making her act aggressively.
Cats also get a form of kitty Alzheimer's which can make them act in a bizarre manner.
Being prepared and knowledgable about elderly cats will make things easier for the cat and for you. I am including some very good links about elderly cats:
(Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar)
http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html
http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm
http://www.2ndchance.info/oldcat.htm
I hope this helps. And don't get angry and frustrated with the cat, she can't help it.
Tabbi
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Answers by Expert:
Dear Tabbi
Expertise
My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too. Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again. Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.
Experience
Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).
Education/Credentials
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Awards and Honors
* One of the top 50 Experts Of 2008 *
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