Cat Behavior: Play Aggression, Poorly Socialized?
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:52 pm
I live with my boyfriend and his parents. BF's mom got a kitten late last year. I'm not sure how old he was, but he was at a shelter. BF's mom met him when he was too young and the shelter held him until he was the appropriate age to adopt out. I believe he's about 7 months old now.
I'm posting to ask for insight into the cat's behavior. I'm not a cat person and my experience with cats is limited. I'd like to know if this cat's behavior is bad behavior or is it just his personality?
Issues:
This cat doesn't tolerate much human contact, if any. (Maybe this is just a cat thing?) He is curious about people but will not really come near them. If you have to walk through an area where he is (like the hallway), he will run away. He will lay under tables and watch people. If you kneel down and offer your hand, he will immediately swat it with his claws out. He does not hiss, fold his ears, spike his hair, or do any other behaviors which I know signal fear. It just seems like this is how he reacts to someone presenting their hand. It's kind of playful. (I think I had one time where he sniffed my hand instead of immediately swatting it, but then... he swatted.)
I know he will come up to BF's mom and sit with her, but he also scratches her a lot about her hands and face, and he bites her feet. He will also crouch in places and spring out and attack your heels as you walk by.
Context:
I know there are things wrong with this cat's upbringing. The vet told BF's mom to keep the kitten in a small area, which makes sense. I understand this is done for the first few days so the animal can get used to its surroundings and explore while also feeling safe. BF's mom doesn't understand this (she has some issues, I'll leave it at that). The baby gates and pet fences that were erected when the kitten was first adopted are still up several months later. This cat is generally confined to the living room/kitchen area. I say generally because, as we know, cats can jump.
He has slowly explored the rest of the house, on his own, after jumping out of his fences. Basically, this means he will get into the master bedroom and hide under the bed or other furniture. He has gotten into the basement a couple of times. There is a lot of stuff down there and I have to go dig him out and catch him (and he does not want to be caught!).
There was a day we were certain he had gotten out of the house, never to return, because he was missing for 6-8+ hours. There had been some workers in the house, installing a door. The cat popped out at around 11:00PM, ended up being hidden in a folding recliner.
I know he's been discouraged from exploring his environment, and this has probably fostered some fear in him. There are other factors in his life which may have some detriment on him, but being a novice in cats, I doubt I can recognize them all. I'm somewhat suspicious about the piles and piles of toys this cat has. They are scattered everywhere. His owner complains that he will steal pens and chew plastic bottle caps. Maybe he can't tell his toys from not-toys, as everything is scattered and mixed together?
It's my understanding that you must wait for a cat to approach you, and then you can possibly make friends. There's really no opportunity for that with this cat. I expect he was handled some as a kitten, but not on his terms. He hid a lot. As he grew up, he was handled less due to his hiding and running away. I believe he probably needs some serious attention, enrichment, and positive reinforcement training to stop his swatting, scratching, biting, and fearfulness.
Granted, I still don't know that much about cats. I had a cat for a few years when I was in my early twenties. It was feral (pregnant during winter), didn't much like people, but it never scratched or bit us. I've had people tell me some cats are very social, but I've only ever known these standoffish cats. Maybe it's a personality thing? Or a combination of personality and bad behavior?
Thanks for reading such a long post.
Is this cat's behavior bad behavior, or is this just his personality?
I'm posting to ask for insight into the cat's behavior. I'm not a cat person and my experience with cats is limited. I'd like to know if this cat's behavior is bad behavior or is it just his personality?
Issues:
This cat doesn't tolerate much human contact, if any. (Maybe this is just a cat thing?) He is curious about people but will not really come near them. If you have to walk through an area where he is (like the hallway), he will run away. He will lay under tables and watch people. If you kneel down and offer your hand, he will immediately swat it with his claws out. He does not hiss, fold his ears, spike his hair, or do any other behaviors which I know signal fear. It just seems like this is how he reacts to someone presenting their hand. It's kind of playful. (I think I had one time where he sniffed my hand instead of immediately swatting it, but then... he swatted.)
I know he will come up to BF's mom and sit with her, but he also scratches her a lot about her hands and face, and he bites her feet. He will also crouch in places and spring out and attack your heels as you walk by.
Context:
I know there are things wrong with this cat's upbringing. The vet told BF's mom to keep the kitten in a small area, which makes sense. I understand this is done for the first few days so the animal can get used to its surroundings and explore while also feeling safe. BF's mom doesn't understand this (she has some issues, I'll leave it at that). The baby gates and pet fences that were erected when the kitten was first adopted are still up several months later. This cat is generally confined to the living room/kitchen area. I say generally because, as we know, cats can jump.
He has slowly explored the rest of the house, on his own, after jumping out of his fences. Basically, this means he will get into the master bedroom and hide under the bed or other furniture. He has gotten into the basement a couple of times. There is a lot of stuff down there and I have to go dig him out and catch him (and he does not want to be caught!).
There was a day we were certain he had gotten out of the house, never to return, because he was missing for 6-8+ hours. There had been some workers in the house, installing a door. The cat popped out at around 11:00PM, ended up being hidden in a folding recliner.
I know he's been discouraged from exploring his environment, and this has probably fostered some fear in him. There are other factors in his life which may have some detriment on him, but being a novice in cats, I doubt I can recognize them all. I'm somewhat suspicious about the piles and piles of toys this cat has. They are scattered everywhere. His owner complains that he will steal pens and chew plastic bottle caps. Maybe he can't tell his toys from not-toys, as everything is scattered and mixed together?
It's my understanding that you must wait for a cat to approach you, and then you can possibly make friends. There's really no opportunity for that with this cat. I expect he was handled some as a kitten, but not on his terms. He hid a lot. As he grew up, he was handled less due to his hiding and running away. I believe he probably needs some serious attention, enrichment, and positive reinforcement training to stop his swatting, scratching, biting, and fearfulness.
Granted, I still don't know that much about cats. I had a cat for a few years when I was in my early twenties. It was feral (pregnant during winter), didn't much like people, but it never scratched or bit us. I've had people tell me some cats are very social, but I've only ever known these standoffish cats. Maybe it's a personality thing? Or a combination of personality and bad behavior?
Thanks for reading such a long post.
Is this cat's behavior bad behavior, or is this just his personality?