Cat Chat Feline Forum

My young kitten Yuki has had a rough past. She was separated from her mother too young and was abused by her former owners (she had a fractured hip). This, combined with her personality, has made her quite a mean kitty. She has sweetened up over time (and treats have helped her along the way ) but she has days where she wont hesistate to bite or claw you simply for looking at her too long.

She is extremely hostile around guests. She will hiss and growl at them simply for being in the same room as them, even if they pay her no attention. We know this is because she is a extremely territorial cat and have tried a lot to get her to calm down. We bought them cat trees, litterboxes and even tried plug in sprays. But no matter what, she still hates them. What can I do to make her feel okay around guests?

She also becomes hostile towards me, who she is usually sweet around. Why? Does she think we are also a threat? Her moody behaviour will drag on for a week after the guests leave too.

Hi there, with many cats this is normal. My middle cat, Mouse, hides under the bed if there's a caller. The eldest, Emily, might stay around but it isn't likely. The youngest, Molly, who's very like your Yuki in temperament, sticks around because she's afraid of missing something.

True, I don't have many callers but if I do I have to warn them not to touch her, as she'll have them. She'll have me! I had to sort my will recently and she rummaged the solicitor's handbag But I lived in fear of her wrecking their smart tights or scratching their hands!

Honestly, maybe I let my cats get away with murder, but I don't think there is a solution. They are how they are. I HAVE had totally laid-back 'labradors' in my time (usually ginger toms and Siamese) but most cats do resent intruders on 'their' turf, and they show it.

I feel it's just the way your Yuki is - bless her

But why does she also become aggressive to us? She acts as if we are intruders too

Ah. As she sees it, it's all your fault for inviting these invaders into HER house, and she's going to make sure you're aware of her displeasure... she's going to give you hell.

I once knew someone who split up with her husband. He moved out, but they resolved to keep in touch. When he came back to see her, her cat would sit in a corner with his back to them. He refused to speak to them. The only thing that brought him out of his corner was a smoked oyster. Or six. (He had expensive tastes.)

Perhaps there we have the answer? Butter the little madam up with whatever titbits she enjoys after the guests have gone? Edit - better still, get her to associate lavish titbits with guests and maybe ask them to hand them to her? The way to a cat's heart is through its stomach ...

They really are awkward little gits aren't they?

Haha cant argue with her logic then

Tried to giver her some treats earlier but as you said she wanted me to know she was unhappy and growled if i tried to feed her by hand. Had to throw the treats 2 feet away from myself for her to accept them.

Ill have to buy some really fancy treats (maybe the meat kind) for when guests come. Hopefully itll work!

Or you could try just tiny slivers of chicken, or bits of tuna or other fish. Something that doesn't fill her full of carbs or stop her eating her usual food. Actually I've found that my cats are totally unbothered by Dreamies and suchlike but they go mad for freshly cooked chicken/fish/tuna. Some cats like beef and lamb and they all seem to love ham but this is salty so you have to be careful - a very little goes a long way. And of course don't let her cadge at the table, little devil lol.

Good luck with her

A couple of weeks ago my mum turned 90. We had a steady stream of well-wishers calling to see her. Our normally quiet house was full of people and our cats didn't know which way to turn. Willow sat on the wardrobe, Bob under the bed, Purdy and Grace did their best to avoid people but some (well-meaning) folks insisted on pussy-wussing them into a corner, resulting in Grace pouncing on outstretched hands and Purdy stress-peeing her way around the house. Normal behaviour for most cats!

You say people pay her no attention. I'd continue in the same vein, hopefully she'll realise there is nothing to fear and relax a little more in the future. At least she isn't piddling her way around the house!

I find the only guests my cats tolerate are the ones they are familiar with, who they see me talking and laughing with. They then see they aren't a threat, but every cat is different. My sister's cats often go to shows and sit in their carrier and roll out on the rug to be stroked when people come round!

I have an eight year old cat, Tink, who from her earliest kittenhood hides whenever guests come over, and until recently (within the past few months) wouldn't even be in the same room as my son - who is now seven! My dad's still never seen this cat! She's very sweet with me and my husband, but she just will never, ever warm up to strangers...and that's part of her charm. We've never tried to force the issue, and I'm hoping that by the time she's twenty, she lets my kids pet her! It's a work in progress.

Some cats are, unfortunately, not very secure, and they feel very threatened over their territory pretty easily. Some are just not very good with strangers. We had a cat like this. He was fine with us, he was fine with my Dad (who tended to look after him while we were away), but he was pretty aggressive with everyone else. To the point nobody would touch him. And one of them called him 'Satan' (his name was Bubbles ).

There were things that we found helped quite a lot. Time was a big one - seeing us with the same people more regularly meant that he got used to their presence in his home. We also encouraged more positive interactions between him and guests. He had a particular stick toy he loved, so we got our guests to play with him for a little while when they came over. Once they'd played with him for a bit, they gave him some of his favourite treats. This helped create a bond of pleasantness between them. Slowly, they were able to give him a good bit of fussing (almost as much as we could) without him going for them.

I can't promise it will work as well in your situation but Bubbles was a very temperamental cat so I hope it at least helps!