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Expert: - 8/23/2009


Question
My mate gave me his cat this morning. He is 10 months old. Unfortunately, he is quite stressful with new environment and a new owner. What would be the solution to this?

He was fine in the afternoon but in the evening he started to be aggressive. sometime I can touch him sometime I cannot. :>

Answer
Paul,

It is hard to tell what is going on.  Was this cat aggressive with your mate?  I suspect this cat has never been socialized to human beings.  Kittens and cats have very, very tough skin, so it is very natural for them, to want to play incredibly roughly, with much biting and scratching.  As kittens, we break them of this habit by holding them, speaking softly to them, and stroking them.  If the biting/scratching behavior begins, we put them down and walk away.  Most kittens like being held and stroked, so they quickly get the idea that they must play more gently with us softer skinned humans.

With a somewhat older cat, this process will take longer and require much perseverance.  Whenever the biting/scratching behavior begins, walk away and ignore the cat!.  If the cat is well behaved, reward it with a special treat.

With patience and perseverance, the cat can, eventually be socialized to people.

Between this retraining and getting used to his new environment, things should ease up quite a bit after some weeks.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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