Reg the cat
Reg the cat
Hi I really do need help with my cat he is 3years old indoor cat my it first came across when my partners granddaughter stayed and he shown aggression towards her then to top it off we were doing the wardrobes and one of the slats fell and it made a loud noise I know cats do not like loud noises but he gripped onto the back of my leg and when my partner took him out of the room to calm down he has been calm ever since but I am so scared of him my trust in him as gone he is a only cat we have a dog as well she is a Yorkshire terrier an he picks on her he has lots of toys but I was wondering if that feliway the calm plug in will work I am just scared for the children when they come round just in case he does grab them please help
Re: Reg the cat
Rats, there I was in the middle of a long reply and it got deleted by mistake. I'll try again.
Poor Reg really has had a tough time lately. I'll try to deal with what's happened one at a time.
A lot of cats find young children frightening, particularly if those children haven't been taught how to play nicely with them. Their noisiness, sudden movements and rough handling and play make cats very anxious. Reg's "aggression" was in fact him saying "I'm frightened you're going to hurt me so please keep away". First, teach this little girl how to interact with cats quietly and gently, but also give Reg somewhere he can get away from her if it's too much for him, ie somewhere up high, or in another room she can't get to. That way the stress levels won't build up so much that he feels the need to tell her to back off. And believe me, it's a lot easier to teach a toddler to be nice to the cat than tell the cat to behave differently! Once he feels less threatened by her, his behaviour will also be calmer. Cat's aren't like dogs, they don't usually make the first approach for play, and it's unlikely he'll "grab her" unless she grabs him first, and you'll help the situation a lot if you make sure he can get away from her if he wants to.
Second, that loud noise obviously frightened him and as he didn't know what had caused it, in his panic he just walloped the person nearest, which just happened to be you. And I should imagine that made you yelp a bit, which frightened him even more. Your partner did the right thing putting him somewhere quiet so he could recover. But you don't mention that he does this a lot, so there's no reason to be scared of him from this event. It was probably a one off, and if you remain tense with him, he will certainly pick up on it and things will simply get worse. Now is the time to quietly make friends with him again - he needs your reassurance, not fear.
Third, living in close company with a dog can be tough on an indoor cat. I should imaging his "pouncing" is also him telling the dog to back off, as much as anything, just like with your partner's grand daughter. Can you give poor Reg somewhere he can get away from all this, eg somewhere high up, and/or under a bed, where he can withdraw and get some peace? It might also be a good idea to put a child gate across a bedroom door so he can have somewhere he can safely retreat to.
I think you would find it really helpful to read up on cat behaviour so that you can understand his needs and what he's trying to tell you. Vicki Hall has written some very good books on cat behaviour, which are easy to follow, and will help you and Reg have a much happier relationship, which is important when you're sharing the same home 24/7!
Poor Reg really has had a tough time lately. I'll try to deal with what's happened one at a time.
A lot of cats find young children frightening, particularly if those children haven't been taught how to play nicely with them. Their noisiness, sudden movements and rough handling and play make cats very anxious. Reg's "aggression" was in fact him saying "I'm frightened you're going to hurt me so please keep away". First, teach this little girl how to interact with cats quietly and gently, but also give Reg somewhere he can get away from her if it's too much for him, ie somewhere up high, or in another room she can't get to. That way the stress levels won't build up so much that he feels the need to tell her to back off. And believe me, it's a lot easier to teach a toddler to be nice to the cat than tell the cat to behave differently! Once he feels less threatened by her, his behaviour will also be calmer. Cat's aren't like dogs, they don't usually make the first approach for play, and it's unlikely he'll "grab her" unless she grabs him first, and you'll help the situation a lot if you make sure he can get away from her if he wants to.
Second, that loud noise obviously frightened him and as he didn't know what had caused it, in his panic he just walloped the person nearest, which just happened to be you. And I should imagine that made you yelp a bit, which frightened him even more. Your partner did the right thing putting him somewhere quiet so he could recover. But you don't mention that he does this a lot, so there's no reason to be scared of him from this event. It was probably a one off, and if you remain tense with him, he will certainly pick up on it and things will simply get worse. Now is the time to quietly make friends with him again - he needs your reassurance, not fear.
Third, living in close company with a dog can be tough on an indoor cat. I should imaging his "pouncing" is also him telling the dog to back off, as much as anything, just like with your partner's grand daughter. Can you give poor Reg somewhere he can get away from all this, eg somewhere high up, and/or under a bed, where he can withdraw and get some peace? It might also be a good idea to put a child gate across a bedroom door so he can have somewhere he can safely retreat to.
I think you would find it really helpful to read up on cat behaviour so that you can understand his needs and what he's trying to tell you. Vicki Hall has written some very good books on cat behaviour, which are easy to follow, and will help you and Reg have a much happier relationship, which is important when you're sharing the same home 24/7!
Re: Reg the cat
Thank you very much for that really much appreciated he does have a space to go to he hides behind the sofa he well should I say he has pulled the material back to get behind it all and sorry no he has never done this before its his very first time and he was so soft till that happened and I have been told that if I get his nails cut they won't be as sharp and now I am going to read up on Vicki hall and once again thank you
Re: Reg the cat
I really wouldn't panic, this does sound like an isolated incident. Don't put him through the stress of nail clipping unless you really have to. Just let things settle down a bit, then see how you get on. But really, a bit of a cat scratch is nothing to worry about.
If he's clawed his way into the back of the sofa, he seems unusually determined to make a safe place for himself, so it does suggest he is rather stressed. Try to look at the world through his eyes, and see if there's anything more you can do to make his life calmer and happier. Vicki Hall's books will help you understand his needs better. There's nothing lovelier to live with than a happy contented cat, but so much of that is down to how we treat them and the life we give them.
If he's clawed his way into the back of the sofa, he seems unusually determined to make a safe place for himself, so it does suggest he is rather stressed. Try to look at the world through his eyes, and see if there's anything more you can do to make his life calmer and happier. Vicki Hall's books will help you understand his needs better. There's nothing lovelier to live with than a happy contented cat, but so much of that is down to how we treat them and the life we give them.