Angry Cat
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I have a very angry cat just lately.
It started aobut two and half months ago. He started biting me, ignoring commands, fighting his sister, the usual kind of naughty cat things they do lol.
I took him to the vet as he was being so out of character - he used to be so loving! The vet found nothing wrong with him and said it was hormonal. He gave us this feliway plug-in thing which we put in the hall where Magic likes to sleep.
It seemed to work and he started bing good again (though never back to his old self. It almost subdued him, like tranqs). It ran out after a month and Magic started to bite and pick fights again, so we went back to the vet (without the cat) to buy a new one.
After a few days he was all subdued again.
It's just ran out again over the weekend and he is biting me again and being really aggressive.
The other thing worrying me is he is taking to laying in the corner in the landing upstairs alone. It's really dark in that corner and it's quite depressing to see him do that.
And like just now, the thing that sparked me to write this post, he came in from the conservatory through his flap, walked a few paces into the longue, meowed really loud (anyone with a cat knows the meow they do to argue with you...) and ran out the flap super fast again!
I've had a bit of a tough month work wise and we can't afford £20 for another plug-in really. Especially as I don't think it's helping, I think it's just drugging him.
Our other cat has got really chatty lately and is after a bit more attention. But she's mostly her old self.
Any thoughts?
He used to be so sweet and loving, and now he's really angry and depressed, I feel so sorry for him but I have NO idea why he is being like this. There's no reason for it so far as I can see...
It started aobut two and half months ago. He started biting me, ignoring commands, fighting his sister, the usual kind of naughty cat things they do lol.
I took him to the vet as he was being so out of character - he used to be so loving! The vet found nothing wrong with him and said it was hormonal. He gave us this feliway plug-in thing which we put in the hall where Magic likes to sleep.
It seemed to work and he started bing good again (though never back to his old self. It almost subdued him, like tranqs). It ran out after a month and Magic started to bite and pick fights again, so we went back to the vet (without the cat) to buy a new one.
After a few days he was all subdued again.
It's just ran out again over the weekend and he is biting me again and being really aggressive.
The other thing worrying me is he is taking to laying in the corner in the landing upstairs alone. It's really dark in that corner and it's quite depressing to see him do that.
And like just now, the thing that sparked me to write this post, he came in from the conservatory through his flap, walked a few paces into the longue, meowed really loud (anyone with a cat knows the meow they do to argue with you...) and ran out the flap super fast again!
I've had a bit of a tough month work wise and we can't afford £20 for another plug-in really. Especially as I don't think it's helping, I think it's just drugging him.
Our other cat has got really chatty lately and is after a bit more attention. But she's mostly her old self.
Any thoughts?
He used to be so sweet and loving, and now he's really angry and depressed, I feel so sorry for him but I have NO idea why he is being like this. There's no reason for it so far as I can see...
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Like he is walking along, then has to stop dead to scratch his side, then he starts scratching all over, biting at the itch, until I distract him..
We've checked his skin, no rash, no bites, no nothing...
Not yet. He was quite dismissive last time so am looking for ideas from other cat owners.
If he carries on we will have to take him back, but probably to another vet, not wanting to pay a consultancy fee just to be fobbed off with a plug-in again.
My cat toots is normally a very placid, loving 18 month old cat. However, over the last 3 weeks she has a habit of racing round the house at 100 mph and then going for my ankles. She bites them. And sometimes when I've picked her up for a cuddle, she'll suddenly turn and become a bit aggressive and bite my arm.
I just put it down to the weather. She hasnt been going out as much due to the rain/snow and I think she has this pent up energy inside her.
Would be interested to see if anyone else has the same problems.
My cat is the only cat in the household and is treated like a princess (thats my fault!!) so its not as if she's not getting enough cuddles/food/love.
Re the scratching, a lot of owners have found Frontline has become ineffective (including me) so yes the cat could have fleas. My vet has stopped selling Frontline Combo now because so many owners have found it no longer works. It would definitely be worth changing products as it is likely your cat does have fleas, and that will be making him feel very unhappy. My vet now recommends Advocate and Stronghold - we use Advocate which works very well.
Yes he is neutered. The vet still said hormonal..
Thanks for the frontline tip. Will wander down to the pet store tomorrow to see what alternatives they have. He is so long-haired that I'm thinking a shampoo may be best to make sure it gets down to the skin...
Very interesting BirthdayGirl, maybe there is something in the air affecting our cats? He also charges about at 100mph.
Thinking about it though, if the frontline is not working, fleas may explain all of his behaviour... here's hoping it's fleas, cos I can kill them off quite easily lol..
She doesnt seem to be scratching herself. Just me!
Dont get me wrong....its not all the time. But occasionally when she's purring in my arms, whoosh, she's lashed out and bit me. Maybe i've overdone the loving!
Exact same with Magic.
It isn't the love bite that sometimes cats do.
He has drawn blood before now..
Birthday girl, my younger cat has occasionally been a bit 'crazy' when he hasn't been able to go out because of the weather too!
And going up the stairs is sometimes a right pallava. Toots comes running up behind me to get at my ankles! We then have a bit of a tousle on the stairs with me trying to get her away from my ankles, whilst she's nipping at any bit of skin she can get at!
Its like she gets "possessed"!!
It sounds as if the Feliway masks the symptoms, without addressing the underlying cause(s).
Cats can be stressed by many things, duilding work, changes in the household, new pets, new local dogs etc etc but in many cases cats will be stressed by changes in the local feline population.
Are there any new cats about or kittens who have now grown up and are looking to expand/claim more territory?
It sounds as it you need a referral from your vet to a good behaviourist but these don't come cheaply, not least because the best will make sure they do a house visit and take a lot of time, and use considerable expertise, to establish what is going on and what is needed to resolve it.
As a cheaper first step you could maybe read one of Vicky Halls' cat behaviour paperbacks and see if they give you any ideas?
Birthdaygirl, although the syptoms are superficially similar I think your cat's behaviour is for different reasons to Magic's who sounds like a very stressed cat to me, on the basis of what has been posted here.
Your' cat's behaviour seems more an excess energy predatory/play aggression which is maybe being rewarded by your reaction to her bites and scratches?
However it is generally very difficult to sort out behaviour without a very detailed history in each case and part of the expertise of a good behaviourist is to ask the right questions to elicit the necessary information. There may be much more to consider in each cat's case than had been posted here.
I think you might be right. Due to the cold weather she has been staying in a lot more. She's used to coming and going all day every day.
However, saying all of that...today has been quite nice weather (no rain/snow and the sun has actually come out) and so she has gone out more frequently and we've had no attack of the ankles.
I think you're right in that she just has pent up energy and goes into "predatory" role (at the expense of my skin!)
I'm going to look up the author you mentioned and see what I can find.
Thanks for the tip about flea treatment lippincote. I am sort of in two minds if he has fleas or not as I've found nothing, and our other cat is not scratching at all. Shampooing him wouldn't be as bad as it sounds, he ADORES water and has tried getting in the bath with me several times lol.
Tonight he has been really loving again for a few hours, laying on my lap, drooling and purring. Then randomly he has gone back to his corner upstairs on his own. Although this time he is sleeping on his back up there and not in a ball, so maybe he is more relaxed...
Thanks again for the advice people
All of my cats have been behaving very strange lately, running around super fast, trying to climb up walls, crying and making wierd 'talking' noises.
I put had put it down to the weather too but I found them all doing their crazy stuff in one corner of my garden a couple of weeks ago and saw that there was a stray cat. Since then theres always strange behaviours when this stray is around. I've phoned the vets and rescue centres and no-one has reported him missing. He doesn seem quite well fed though he has no collar and appears not to be castrated.
My cats are fine at the moment as the stray tom has been gone for a few days. Perhaps it's a strange cat upsetting yours too?
Maybe it's a subtle change thats happened which has gotten this strange and sometimes aggressive behaviour happening??