Kitty Question

[moonkitty]

My cat is now about 6 months old, and while he is still playful a lot of his playfulness has taken an aggressive turn. He use to like to chase balls and pounce on his cat nip mouse—he now attacks us. It is usually completely unprovoked. For example yesterday I was at my desk talking on the phone when he snuck up behind me and jumped up on my leg and sank his teeth into my thigh! We keep his claws trimmed and he has had all his shots and has been neutered. .I’m wondering if now that the kids are back in school and I’m gone most of the day if he is getting lonely? Would getting a second cat help give him some companionship during the day?

 

[Ruth~]

I think getting another cat for him to play with is a good idea. They will also snuggle up together.

 

[Umber]

It's at this time when their aggressive natures are surfacing you need two things.

1) 15 minutes a day play time with bits of string, ping pong balls and "fishing rod" toys, to keep them entertained and active. Perhaps 5 minutes before school/work and 10 minutes after? Divide it into slots with a seperate person if you so wish, it'll be more fun for him that way.
2) A plant-squirter to discourage them when they decide you might be fun to stalk and attack.

My two cats play fight a lot, so another cat would be a great idea. ^__^

 

[Dagna]

Oh the joys of the aggressive attack cats. I have one of those myself at home. He's about 3 years now, but he still gets feisty every now and then. A few things really helped out, we got a cat about the same age as him to play with. We also payed a TON of attention to him whenever we could, but whenever he started getting aggressive, we would immediately stop whatever we were doing and just walk away. This was easier with him since he's FeLV+ and is kept on one side of the house only and we could shut doors and he couldn't follow us. Next best option would be the squirt bottle whenever he does something bad. It takes a while and he may still get a little rough, but it should clear up eventually.

 

[bumblebee62331]

LOL

My cat does that too. They like to play and stalk. Does your cat have plenty of toys? You could play with your cat for a while but as soon as he starts hurting you, you can squirt him with a bottle and say "NO" clearly. Turn away and stop playing with him so he realises he did something wrong.

When my cat starts attacking us without provocation, she gets put in the bedroom with the door shut for a 'time out'. When she comes out, she's much calmer (usually she goes to sleep). It's okay to play with a cat, a game that's quite .. violent .. as long as they realise when it's time to stop - and most cats won't be able to realise that. So don't get angry when he's practicing his stalking skills (he probably thought he was being super cool in being able to stalk you and pounce on you without you noticing ) but you can keep a spray bottle handy and squirt him with a "NO". After a few squirts if he keeps doing it, he'll eventually get the message.

My cat would bite my fingers and I'd say "NO" while she still had her teeth wrapped around them and she'd quickly stop biting and start licking my fingers. It's cute.