Expert: Ali - 5/12/2009

Question
I found a cat about 5 1/2 months ago. He has never been  really affectionate and has always "attacked" me- literally, pouncing on me and my head, digging his claws in, bitting and wrapping his paws around while rapidly digging his back paws into me. He is now doing this several times a day like 5. I can't seem to go past him without him attacking me. He knows what he is doing because he will stop and debate then he pounces. He only seems to do this with me and I am the only female in the house. I don't want to give him away as I don't think he would be treated well anywhere, but I can't take it anymore. Im wondering if he would be happier living on a farm?

Answer
Renee,

I suspect that this kitty may have been abused, taken from mom too early, being very dominant or he was taught early in life that rough play with humans is acceptable. I fully believe that your kitty has the potential to be rehabilitated and life a successful life as a member of your family, but this means you will have to commit to caring for your cat and consistently applying humane disciplinary techniques when necessary. If your kitty isn't neutered I'd highly suggest you have his surgery done ASAP as reducing the levels of testosterone (a male sex hormone linked with increased aggression and other inherently male characteristics) in combination with some techniques that are included in this answer will likely help reduce the frequency and intensity of his "attacks" or eliminate them altogether. If your kitty has learned that it's okay to pounce on, bite or scratch people there are a few things you can do to turn things around...Regardless of how cute a cat or kitten is it should never be permitted to scratch, bite or pounce on any human being, ever - such behavioral issues can lead to abandonment, abuse, euthanasia or relinquishment to a shelter.

To stop this bad behavior I'd suggest that you change how you react to inappropriate play behaviors don't pull away, make high pitched noises, push the cat away, strike him or punish him in any physical manner. Prey moves away from a predator and cats are predators. Your cat won't expect you to push towards him or stay completely still and that alone may be enough to start putting positive change in motion. As for the pouncing you can carry around a water pistol and squirt the cat each time he attempts to run and pounce at you, most cats don't like water and it takes time and work for them to dry their coats and put them back into place in the event that your kitty doesn't respond appropriately to being squirted with water there are a few other disciplinary tools you can try.

You can use canned compressed air, the cans used for cleaning keyboards and other electronics work well but it's very important that you NEVER aim the the can directly at the cat when you pull the trigger because there are chemical propellants that can cause serious injury, especially to vulnerable areas like the face. I would suggest that you aim above the cat because it's safest for him, after all this tool isn't about making any contact with your cat, the hissing sound the air makes when you pull the trigger is almost universally understood by cats. Most cats will immediately respond to the compressed air by stopping what they're doing or moving away from the source of the sound and this tool has the advantage of being quiet enough to use for apartment dwelling cats.

You might find that burning your kitty's excess energy off with appropriate toys lessens the frequency/intensity of his physical attacks. I recommend that you try toys like kitty teases, toy mice of varying descriptions and various other toys. Even when your kitty improves it's never okay to allow him to bite, scratch or pounce on any human being ever again and there must be swift, predictable and appropriate consequences if he tries to get away with that type of behavior. You may also find that feeding small song birds outside of your window will help make your kitty more gentle and balanced because cats are predators and the enjoy watching small prey animals.

There is also a video series dedicated to cats called Cat Sitter DVD, to my knowledge there are 3 videos in the series, the first two are dedicated to birds, rodents and small prey animals while the third is all about fresh and salt water fish. If you decide to try the Cat Sitter DVDs out it's important to clear off the top of your television and provide your kitty with a safe place to sit and watch his movie. These videos are designed to be played when the cat's human caregivers aren't home or they're in another part of the house, so they're looped for convenience.

I've mentioned a few basics you can try, there are other options you might find useful and I can provide them for you if you'd like. It might be worth video taping several attacks because if you choose to speak with your vet about referral to a behaviorist the behaviorist can provide an appropriate assessment and begin a treatment plan based on the type of behavior that's happening. The behaviors you've described can happen for a variety of reasons and it's possible to rehabilitate your cat and have him live successfully at home with a commitment of time and patience as well as understanding that you may have to seek professional help. I would highly recommend that you consider checking out a book called The Natural Cat (newly revised and expanded edition) by Anitra Frazier & Norma Eckroate, this is a fabulous book with down to earth, common sense advice to help you deal with behavioral issues and general care for cats in the most natural way possible.