ANGRY CAT
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atticuscat
- New Cat Chatter
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 11:26 pm
ANGRY CAT
So our cat, Atticus, is 10 months old and we rescued him from a shelter. He usually has a very loving temperament but recently he's developed a few concerning problems. He now picks fights with us when we walk past him and also steals food from the sides (including an 8-pack of bread rolls!!!) He also runs about the house really late at night and keeps us awake, he's not sleeping much except for a couple hours during the day. We've tried letting him out but he has no interest and we've also gotten him a variety of toys but these also don't interest him. He also has peed on our bed and scratches the stairs. What can we do??? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Re: ANGRY CAT
Hi, and welcome to Catchat! A few things come to mind.
1. He's very young and needs lots of exercise and stimulation at this age.
2. He's just doing what comes naturally, particularly at this stage in his development, ie honing his hunting skills. Hence the food thefts.
3. He may also just be hungry - how much (and what) are you feeding him, and at what times?
4. Have you had him neutered yet? If not, please do so, particularly before he starts going out, both to help his behaviour and to avoid many related health issues in the future, and also to reduce him getting into fights and going wandering, but more importantly, to stop him fathering yet more litters of unwanted kittens filling our rescue centres.
5. He sounds bored and stressed. The stair scratching is often an indication that they want some attention from you (ie they're bored). The peeing on the bed is probably a stress related behaviour, and for him the stress point does sound like, again, he's bored.
6. You say you've bought him toys, but he may not recognise them as such. What is irresistible to one cat may simply not register with another.
7. Do you play with him interactively? It sounds to me like he wants to interact with you, and want moving objects to try out his hunting skills on. Also bear in mind that most cats hunt at night, particularly those with innate good hunting skills, and it sounds like Atticus is one of those cats.
Try something like laser pens, or Da Bird, to wear him out before bedtime. Most cats love these. But do play with him at other times during the day.
Also give him some food just before you go to bed, so he doesn't feel the need to pester you for food.
As to his not going out, don't force the issue. It sounds like there's something out there that is putting him off going out, so listen to that preference, and go with it. Forcing him out will only stress him more, and may result in more peeing issues.
When he pounces, pees on the bed or scratches the furniture, don't yell at him, as it will only stress him more. When he grabs you, ignore him, but make sure you play with him a minute or two later. That way he doesn't associate the pouncing with getting instant attention, but playing with him after will give him something more rewarding to do and satisfy his need for play and interaction.
When he pees on the bed, likewise, try not to be cross with him. He has limited ways to communicate with you, and this one is a cry for help. Shouting at him (I'm not saying that you do....but we would all be tempted...) won't help as he won't understand why you're cross. But do keep him out of the bedroom until you've got his behavioural issues sorted out.
If he's shredding one part of the stairs (or furniture etc), try putting strips of double sided sticky tape on his favourite spots, as he'll hate the sticky feel. Make sure it's well stuck on, as if it sticks to him it will freak him out and be really hard to get off! I tried this and found that once I removed them after a few weeks, the cat never used those areas again. Meanwhile, put some scratching posts around the house, particularly in areas he liked to scratch.You could also try citrus spray on the affected areas.
Imagine a three year old child being put in a room with a load of toys they don't like or don't understand, and being told to be good. Now imagine the consequences of that. This is what's happening with Atticus! Your boy is trying to communicate with you. It's time to listen, as you can't change the way he is, but you can work with it so that you both get more enjoyment out of your relationship. He sounds a real character - don't stress, enjoy!
1. He's very young and needs lots of exercise and stimulation at this age.
2. He's just doing what comes naturally, particularly at this stage in his development, ie honing his hunting skills. Hence the food thefts.
3. He may also just be hungry - how much (and what) are you feeding him, and at what times?
4. Have you had him neutered yet? If not, please do so, particularly before he starts going out, both to help his behaviour and to avoid many related health issues in the future, and also to reduce him getting into fights and going wandering, but more importantly, to stop him fathering yet more litters of unwanted kittens filling our rescue centres.
5. He sounds bored and stressed. The stair scratching is often an indication that they want some attention from you (ie they're bored). The peeing on the bed is probably a stress related behaviour, and for him the stress point does sound like, again, he's bored.
6. You say you've bought him toys, but he may not recognise them as such. What is irresistible to one cat may simply not register with another.
7. Do you play with him interactively? It sounds to me like he wants to interact with you, and want moving objects to try out his hunting skills on. Also bear in mind that most cats hunt at night, particularly those with innate good hunting skills, and it sounds like Atticus is one of those cats.
Try something like laser pens, or Da Bird, to wear him out before bedtime. Most cats love these. But do play with him at other times during the day.
Also give him some food just before you go to bed, so he doesn't feel the need to pester you for food.
As to his not going out, don't force the issue. It sounds like there's something out there that is putting him off going out, so listen to that preference, and go with it. Forcing him out will only stress him more, and may result in more peeing issues.
When he pounces, pees on the bed or scratches the furniture, don't yell at him, as it will only stress him more. When he grabs you, ignore him, but make sure you play with him a minute or two later. That way he doesn't associate the pouncing with getting instant attention, but playing with him after will give him something more rewarding to do and satisfy his need for play and interaction.
When he pees on the bed, likewise, try not to be cross with him. He has limited ways to communicate with you, and this one is a cry for help. Shouting at him (I'm not saying that you do....but we would all be tempted...) won't help as he won't understand why you're cross. But do keep him out of the bedroom until you've got his behavioural issues sorted out.
If he's shredding one part of the stairs (or furniture etc), try putting strips of double sided sticky tape on his favourite spots, as he'll hate the sticky feel. Make sure it's well stuck on, as if it sticks to him it will freak him out and be really hard to get off! I tried this and found that once I removed them after a few weeks, the cat never used those areas again. Meanwhile, put some scratching posts around the house, particularly in areas he liked to scratch.You could also try citrus spray on the affected areas.
Imagine a three year old child being put in a room with a load of toys they don't like or don't understand, and being told to be good. Now imagine the consequences of that. This is what's happening with Atticus! Your boy is trying to communicate with you. It's time to listen, as you can't change the way he is, but you can work with it so that you both get more enjoyment out of your relationship. He sounds a real character - don't stress, enjoy!
Last edited by lilynmitz on Tue Feb 10, 2015 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Lilith
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Re: ANGRY CAT
Hi there Atticuscat - yes, I second Lilynmitz - can't improve on that advice but as an owner of a similar cat to Atticus I can definitely sympathise!
Molly came to me three years ago, a very mixed up kit. She'd been the cause of all the other cats in the previous owner's household moving out, she'd attacked the kids and they feared for the baby...
Three years on, I'm afraid she's still much the same, but my other cats are ex-feral and 'hard' and I'm the only human here and, somehow, we've settled. She steals, and she's ingenious about it - 'Keep your thieving paws off that!' The only way to outwit Moll's thieving paws is to hide everything in cupboard or fridge...so far - touch wood - she hasn't learned to open the fridge! Also she's not allowed titbits off my plate - if there are any treats, they go in a bowl next to the cat biscuits, so it's no use her hovering over me like a vulture.
If I have to tell her off (which is still often) I use an angry-cat voice - I hiss! Then once the problem is over, I revert to friendly human-voice. When she's a good girl I tell her so. Lots of affection, goes without saying of course. I also use key phrases, like training a dog - 'WHAT did I say?' and, when she sits in her vantage point so as to grab me as I walk past, if she does get me I keep absolutely still and say, 'No! No tigers! No tigers required, thankyou!' (Errm sorry about the silly talk lol
) But she understands 'no tigers' and lets go of me without too much gore (mine lol.) I don't call myself an expert but this has worked; when she's not causing mayhem, she's my affectionate little shadow and although my older cats would break their hearts if I hissed at them in the way I do at her, Moll just breaks off what she's doing and comes running with a smile on her face - 'Oh but you love me really don't you?'
Yes, Molly, I do...you're a pain in the whatsit, but I do...
Good luck with Atticus!
Molly came to me three years ago, a very mixed up kit. She'd been the cause of all the other cats in the previous owner's household moving out, she'd attacked the kids and they feared for the baby...
Three years on, I'm afraid she's still much the same, but my other cats are ex-feral and 'hard' and I'm the only human here and, somehow, we've settled. She steals, and she's ingenious about it - 'Keep your thieving paws off that!' The only way to outwit Moll's thieving paws is to hide everything in cupboard or fridge...so far - touch wood - she hasn't learned to open the fridge! Also she's not allowed titbits off my plate - if there are any treats, they go in a bowl next to the cat biscuits, so it's no use her hovering over me like a vulture.
If I have to tell her off (which is still often) I use an angry-cat voice - I hiss! Then once the problem is over, I revert to friendly human-voice. When she's a good girl I tell her so. Lots of affection, goes without saying of course. I also use key phrases, like training a dog - 'WHAT did I say?' and, when she sits in her vantage point so as to grab me as I walk past, if she does get me I keep absolutely still and say, 'No! No tigers! No tigers required, thankyou!' (Errm sorry about the silly talk lol
) But she understands 'no tigers' and lets go of me without too much gore (mine lol.) I don't call myself an expert but this has worked; when she's not causing mayhem, she's my affectionate little shadow and although my older cats would break their hearts if I hissed at them in the way I do at her, Moll just breaks off what she's doing and comes running with a smile on her face - 'Oh but you love me really don't you?'Yes, Molly, I do...you're a pain in the whatsit, but I do...
Good luck with Atticus!