New cat hissing and growling at me
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2022 7:27 pm
Hi all. Let me give some background before getting into the issue. I’ve had three cats for a couple of years now. I successfully introduced and integrated the 2nd and 3rd into the home on my own, but they had easy personalities to begin with.
Now, I was alert by a rehoming site (I had signed up for email alerts in my area) that a cat was available right in my area. Previously these alerts showed available cats from areas too far from me or had specific reasons why I couldn’t take them in (medical, has to be the only cat, etc). Anyways, I recently was alerted of a cat that needed to be rehomed in my area so I met with the owners and ended up taking the cat in. My impression of the owners is that they weren’t serious about taking care of their cat. The cat has only been to the vet twice (and is 4 years old) and they have been cagey with me about her medical records and why they are rehoming her. They stated they wanted to find someone “who wouldn’t give up on her like we are.”
As soon as the owners brought the cat (Coco) over, I put her in my second bedroom separate from my other cats, which was filled with some of her toys, scratching post, pillows, food, water and litter box.
Immediately I noticed Coco’s demeanor was aggressive. She started hissing at her owners and hissing at me. Once the owners left, I left Coco alone to have so space and time to adjust.
The next day I fed her breakfast and she hissed at me. She has taken over my desk and so when I went to setup for work and get my laptop going, she scared me a lot by really hissing and growling a lot at me. She almost made a small lunge/step forward towards me as she did it and I jumped backwards thinking she would attack.
When things are calm I give her liquid treats which she enjoys, but she has still been hissing and growling at me. I have a pet cam in there to keep and eye on her and noticed that she hangs out by the door a lot and scratches on the door sometimes, so I think she wants out, but under no circumstances do I want her to attack my other three cats (who have never shown aggression and i don’t want them to learn or get hurt/traumatized).
So, at last, I am here to crowdsource thoughts, comments and advice! What’s the best way to overcome her hissing at me? I’ve tried to understand what’s causing her to hiss. She is perhaps a bit afraid, but frankly she’s not cowering or hiding. She is being pretty forward - sitting on my desk and directly hissing at me. I wonder if it’s territorial based aggression? Either way how do we overcome this?? Thank you!
Now, I was alert by a rehoming site (I had signed up for email alerts in my area) that a cat was available right in my area. Previously these alerts showed available cats from areas too far from me or had specific reasons why I couldn’t take them in (medical, has to be the only cat, etc). Anyways, I recently was alerted of a cat that needed to be rehomed in my area so I met with the owners and ended up taking the cat in. My impression of the owners is that they weren’t serious about taking care of their cat. The cat has only been to the vet twice (and is 4 years old) and they have been cagey with me about her medical records and why they are rehoming her. They stated they wanted to find someone “who wouldn’t give up on her like we are.”
As soon as the owners brought the cat (Coco) over, I put her in my second bedroom separate from my other cats, which was filled with some of her toys, scratching post, pillows, food, water and litter box.
Immediately I noticed Coco’s demeanor was aggressive. She started hissing at her owners and hissing at me. Once the owners left, I left Coco alone to have so space and time to adjust.
The next day I fed her breakfast and she hissed at me. She has taken over my desk and so when I went to setup for work and get my laptop going, she scared me a lot by really hissing and growling a lot at me. She almost made a small lunge/step forward towards me as she did it and I jumped backwards thinking she would attack.
When things are calm I give her liquid treats which she enjoys, but she has still been hissing and growling at me. I have a pet cam in there to keep and eye on her and noticed that she hangs out by the door a lot and scratches on the door sometimes, so I think she wants out, but under no circumstances do I want her to attack my other three cats (who have never shown aggression and i don’t want them to learn or get hurt/traumatized).
So, at last, I am here to crowdsource thoughts, comments and advice! What’s the best way to overcome her hissing at me? I’ve tried to understand what’s causing her to hiss. She is perhaps a bit afraid, but frankly she’s not cowering or hiding. She is being pretty forward - sitting on my desk and directly hissing at me. I wonder if it’s territorial based aggression? Either way how do we overcome this?? Thank you!