Cat change of behaviour since spaying

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maximoparked
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Cat change of behaviour since spaying

Post by maximoparked »

Hi,

We got our 5 month kitten spayed in September. Before then she was loving and affectionate she used to sit on laps for cuddles and generally like to be fussed over. She has always been active and playful which she still is. She is now 9 months old and she is generally quite aggressive - she play fights but sometimes go to far biting and scratching a lot. She also often attacks us unprovoked such as before we go to bed a frenzy of unstoppable attacks on our legs to the point where we have to try and distract her to get into bed.

I'm not sure if this is a result of the spaying or something else but I would like her to be less aggressive and more loving again. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on the matter we would greatly appreciate the feedback.

Thanks

Dave
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Janey
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Re: Cat change of behaviour since spaying

Post by Janey »

Hi Dave and welcome. When you say she “play fights” what do you mean? When she goes for your legs when you go to bed rings a bell with me as my cat does the same. She thinks it’s playtime when we get up to go to bed and she gets all giddy and hides behind things and runs for our feet. It can hurt so I am now wary of this and try to ignore, and avoid her pounces. You could also distract her with a toy, throw a ping pong ball or something for her to chase, and another good thing is to have a play session before you go to bed, that may also tire her out. But don’t play with hands, and if she goes to attack, turn away and ignore her so you’re not reinforcing that behaviour, but praise her when she is good. She actually sounds a bit like my cat in that she’s loving but also very active and cheeky and doesn’t know how to play nicely sometimes!!
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meriad
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Re: Cat change of behaviour since spaying

Post by meriad »

9 months she's really just starting to become adult and will start really developing her personality; its actually a really fascinating time watching them grow up. Also don't forget, that bedtime for us is when cats naturally would be their most active for hunting and she's really just doing what cats do best; stalk and hunt.

Do you have any toys on strings such as Flying Frenzy, or a laser pen that she can chase a dot (just make sure you don't overdo it and that she does have something to catch at the end so have a treat or small toy she likes to hand to throw on the dot when you're done). If you try and tire her out a bit before you go to bed then that may help? Alternatively, what about amending her food routine (needs to be done slowly though) so that as you're going to bed you feed her so she's distracted with that.

Alternatively - and always my favourite solution if it works out - what about a feline playmate for her? probably best would be a male cat about 6 or 7 months old? They could then chase each other round the house whilst the humans go to bed in peace and quiet?
catly254
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Re: Cat change of behaviour since spaying

Post by catly254 »

Its probably part of the growing process, you need to get her enough toys so that she can let off some of the extra energy while playing.
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