About 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 ***********
Awards and Honors * One of the top 50 Experts Of 2008 *
Question I have a one year old un-neutered male cat that keeps attacking everybody in the house. He has left sever bite marks on everybody that lives in our house. He has even bit and scratched guests. The first time this happened I thought my daughter had aggravated him somehow. But then he kept happening and yesterday he attacked my boyfriend. Last weekend my 10 year daughter was on the coach sleeping and the cat jumped up on her arm biting and scratching her, what a way to wake up. Help everybody is feed up with him and they want me to give him away. Also we have an eight year old spayed female that stays out on the back porch just to stay away from him. He is always tormenting her by jumping on her and biting her and chasing her around. Help I don't know what to do with him????
Answer Sherry,
The first thing to do is get him neutered ASAP!
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. They have been known to attack people if no other animals are in the house. You may not see the animal that the cat sees.
The first thing you need to do is block the window past the cat's eye level of the window 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.
There is a very popular cat calming spray and plug-in you can use called Feliway. It is available at pet stores or on-line. It copies relaxing pheromones that cats produce from rubbing their faces on things.
There is also a calming product that you can add to the cat's food or water that reduces anxiety called Bach's Rescue Remedy. It is available on-line and in health food stores. Here is a link about it: (copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar) http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm
If your cat is still being very stressed the vet can put him on "kitty Prozac" for a short term (usually 2 weeks) until he calms down. You may want to speak to the vet about it.
I am including links to 2 good articles on Redirected Aggression that may be helpful to you:
(copy and paste, or type, the whole link into your address bar)
But first make sure it's not a medical issue causing the behavior. Whenever a cat changes his behavior noticeably you should take him to the vet for a checkup. Pain from ear problems, tooth problems, etc. can cause aggression.
