# Help me with my cat!



## Glass Fish (Feb 16, 2014)

So this is my cat. He's agorgeous boy but super aggressive and i have no idea what to do? 
He's a young male, not yet fixed, indoor and outdoor and is the only cat i own.

He's moody, aggressive, bites, scratches and complains loudly if he doesn't get his way. What can i do? Is this normal? His biting is really insane, everyone and all the damn time.


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## Fenghuang (Dec 28, 2012)

How old is he? Was he always aggressive?

Make sure you know and understand the difference between playing and outright hostility. It is not uncommon for younger cats to play rough. Kittens playfight with their littermates to learn essential life skills that they would need in the wild and they often continue to do so as they grow. They usually mellow out as they grow, around the age of two or three.

Upbringing is also a factor. Kittens separated from their moms and siblings early are usually less social and friendly. Also, if you don't teach them early on that hands and ankles and other human body parts are not toys, cats may perceive them as free game and you'd have to work to break that habit. If you usually give him what he wants when he complains or acts badly, he will learn that you will give in to certain undesirable behaviors to get him to stop. You have to be harsh and just ignore him when he whines or howls and he will learn that that does not work.

Male cats can become very aggressive and territorial upon reaching sexually maturity too, but keep in mind that neutering is not the answer to every behavioral problem. But if your cat is indoor/outdoor, I do recommend that you do get him fixed. Toms are much more likely to roam and roaming cats are more in danger of getting injured or killed. Plus, homeless kittens are never good.

But in the end, it is hard to say if your cat is normal or not without knowing him, since every cat is different, and I am no expert. There are some individuals that are just naturally aggressive as part of their personality.


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

Do you have pet stores in Thailand with pheromone diffusers? A lot of people have success with them when they have cats with behavioral problems.


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## Glass Fish (Feb 16, 2014)

He was born last year, we got him October and at that time he was abiut 1 and a half months old. So i would say he's a young adult.

I kinda figured that part of it was because he didnt have a kitten friend to play with. I dont think he's hostile but he bites when hes hungry. Its hard because im not the only one in the house so everyone treats him different so maybe that's why he's started acting badly. I guess i have to have a serious discussion with everyone about this. 

He also bites and attacks human hands and feet. I definietly think he was taught that human limbs were toys. It's kind of too late now. Any tips on how to break his habit? 

Before, ive only kept female cats so i didnt know males could get territorial. I will look into getting him fixed. My boyfriend wanted him as a stud because he's beautiful but thats not going to happen now so i really think we should do it. The whole possiblity of him being hurt might convince my boyfriend to let me get him fixed.

Thing about him is he can be so cute when he's tired. We let him play with chiuahuahs and i think he's happy he can play with someone.


As forpheremone diffusers... I have no idea what that is. What are they supposed to do?


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## TheAnimaLover (Jun 8, 2014)

Pets don't show their personalty until a certain age meaning that might just be the hidden cat that didn't show until now or if you didn't spay it, it could get more aggressive


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## Fenghuang (Dec 28, 2012)

It is still possible to train an older cat not to bite or scratch. If he gets too excited when you are playing with him and starts using teeth or nails, stop playing with him immediately. Do not play with him until he calms down. If he bites or scratches you, make a loud cry to show that he hurt you and walk away from him. This will teach him that you do not like it when he does those things and that means less fun for him. 

Do your best to ignore him if he tries to bully you for food through biting. When he realizes that the tactic no longer works, the behavior will become less frequent.

Yeah, it does depend a lot on personality, but some cats can be more territorial than others. Especially when they are looking to breed and are full of testosterone. Sexually mature cats are more likely to get into fights with other males over females. 

They can also travel far away from home looking for female cats to mate with. Sometimes, they disappear for days or even weeks. The farther they go, the higher the risk of them getting lost, hit by cars, killed or injured by other animals, caught by other humans, and so on. I do not know about where you live, but I know there are places where unscrupulous people can make money off of stealing and selling another person's pet if it is a valuable or rare breed (Sphynx cats like yours certainly fall under that category). It is fine if you want to keep him unaltered so you can breed him later, but I would keep an keep on him if that is the case.

Pheromones are chemicals that every living thing produces to signal moods like excitement and fear and trigger responses to other individuals of the same species. Humans are not as aware of them as most animals. A pheromone diffuser is a spray that releases calming phermonomes to help relax aggitated/excited animals.


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## 1RainbowBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

Great suggestions from Fenghuang. Since you got him at only 6 weeks of age if he had no mom cat or siblings around after that time it may have contributed to his behavior. It's very important you be consistent while trying to teach him better manners. It has to be not okay, all the time, for him to play rough with people. If he gets away with it sometimes it's going to be harder for him to learn.


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## Glass Fish (Feb 16, 2014)

Okay, so i want to say a HUGE thank you to you guys. Your suggestions are very thoughtful and helpful. 

So i will definitely make sure that no one plays with him rough and that all our behaviour is consistent. And i've already used the 'he might disappear for days and get hurt' excuse to convince my boyfriend to let me get him fixed. So he's going next week and im quite relieved for a few reasons. 

Im not sure if we have pheremone diffusers where i am but i will certainly search high and low for them. 

And thank you Rainbowfish, i am definitely gonna follow your advice. And i think you're right. He may have lost out on playing with other kittens


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## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

Quickest way to break a cat of biting you? When he bites down--like, say, on your hands--shove your hand further into his mouth. It doesn't hurt them, but it is unpleasant for them, they'll gag for a second and release you. Pulling away means raking the teeth through your skin, but forcing them to release in a way they don't like means they're less likely to bite again.

I really recommend neutering this guy if you don't want him spraying everywhere. That'll help with the behavioral issues too, and keep him safer as mentioned above.

If you ever decide to start keeping him indoors most of the time, the plastic nail caps for cat claws are actually really effective. Our cats go crazy when we try to trim their nails, but they'll hold still while we glue these weird plastic caps on. I don't know why. But if he's going outside, those might not be a good idea since they need their claws to ward off attackers, climb trees and so on. So, yeah.


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## charliegill110 (May 19, 2014)

squirt him with a squirt bottle filled with water anytime he does a bad behavior.


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## TheAnimaLover (Jun 8, 2014)

That might be a little too aggressive and may cause some distrust (not that i have a cat)


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## Fenghuang (Dec 28, 2012)

charliegill110 said:


> squirt him with a squirt bottle filled with water anytime he does a bad behavior.


Squirting cats with water bottles is not an effective means of permanent behavior modification. They do not learn that the bad behavior is bad. They just learn that you holding a water bottle in your hand is bad. They will quickly figure out that if you don't have a water bottle in your hand, they can do whatever they want. Furthermore, punishments like that can cause some cats to become fear and anxious of you.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

Srsly get him fixed. Thats certainly part of why he is so pissed off.

experience: I have a 20 year old indoor/outdoor fixed male that has managed to stay alive so far but probably not much longer.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I've found that younger cats whether neutered or not, sometimes go through this terrible period where they have to use their teeth and claws on everything. I always think of it as cat adolescence. 

It's like they suddenly discover they have these claws and they are not afraid to use them. 

How much do you play with him? We have a male that is extremely boisterous and will bite and draw blood on my legs if I ignore him. I tire him out by letting him wrestle one of our dogs (he likes this particular dog) and play with him outside during the day. I make him climb up trees, chase toys, and let him leap out and run after me in the front yard and down our sideway. I find if a cat has a lot of energy to burn they can become a lot more ferocious. 

You also have to watch how you interact with him. For example, being roughly patted seems to excite many cats. If I pat our cats a certain way they will roll over and start biting my hand. Cats seem to become very easily overstimulated by being patted and this often ends up with them trying to deglove your hand. 

Honestly, those pheromone diffusers have done nothing ever for any behaviours in our cats. We used to use them, and I never noticed anyone behaving in a calmer manner or becoming more docile. We got one to try and help with our cat spraying and he went and sprayed all over it.


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## charliegill110 (May 19, 2014)

Fenghuang said:


> Squirting cats with water bottles is not an effective means of permanent behavior modification. They do not learn that the bad behavior is bad. They just learn that you holding a water bottle in your hand is bad. They will quickly figure out that if you don't have a water bottle in your hand, they can do whatever they want. Furthermore, punishments like that can cause some cats to become fear and anxious of you.


i have to disagree. my grandma let a stray in and she was always...different from other cats but about a year ago (my grandma has had her for at least 4 years) she got seriously aggressive, not playing but very mean. she kept sneaking up and clawing and attacking my grandma in the face while my grandma was sleeping. her pillows and blankets were always bloody and my grandma was actually afraid of the cat. it became a daily thing of her getting attacked by the cat. we took her to the vet and found out she was fixed and theres nothing medically wrong with her. so we got the squirt bottle. after about 2 times of being squirted she learned to just run away and her behavior hadn't changed. so when she would randomly viciously attack someone for no reason i would grab the water bottle scream "KiTTY NO" and wildly run after her stomping my feet very hard and when i would catch her i would squirt her twice and then calmly walk away. she would follow me out about a minute later and would rub on my legs and i would give her scratches and talk to her. it took me chasing her down probably about ten times and then stopped completely. and its like a brand new cat. its been a year and shes still being good.

eta: it was a pretty severe case of aggression because my grandma had accidentally unintentionally reinforced the aggression.


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## 1RainbowBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

We have used a squirt gun to discourage our cats from getting on the table or scratching where they're not supposed to. The trick is that you have to be somewhat sneaky about it and that can be difficult. You want to squirt them on the back or somewhere else on their body, never in their face, and not let them see you holding it. They need to think it just comes out of nowhere when they do whatever you're trying to teach them not to do, so they don't associate it with you. It can be effective, but difficult to keep them from figuring out you're the one squirting them. If you want to try this to curb aggression against people, the best way would be to have someone other than the person being attacked do the squirting.


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## winterdock (May 3, 2014)

Glass Fish said:


> So this is my cat. He's agorgeous boy but super aggressive and i have no idea what to do?
> He's a young male, not yet fixed, indoor and outdoor and is the only cat i own.
> 
> He's moody, aggressive, bites, scratches and complains loudly if he doesn't get his way. What can i do? Is this normal? His biting is really insane, everyone and all the damn time.


For one thing, get the thing fixed ! Don't allow him out until it's neutered 
Why do some people insist on sharing their problems with others when it comes to felines ? 

If you do allow him out , be responsible and have him on a harness and leash . Even after you get him fixed . Which you should right away
Nothing more annoying than somebody else's cat crapping and spraying everywhere. Killing anything it can because that is what cats do 

I have had my so-called aggressive cat for almost six years and with proper training, has become the love of the family's life 
He goes out on a harness with it's owner firmly attached to the other end 
It is not a rocket science 
. 
If you want to rid yourself of a cat problem , just keep letting him out unattended
One day he will not come home. I guarantee it


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## Fenghuang (Dec 28, 2012)

charliegill110 said:


> i have to disagree. my grandma let a stray in and she was always...different from other cats but about a year ago (my grandma has had her for at least 4 years) she got seriously aggressive, not playing but very mean. she kept sneaking up and clawing and attacking my grandma in the face while my grandma was sleeping. her pillows and blankets were always bloody and my grandma was actually afraid of the cat. it became a daily thing of her getting attacked by the cat. we took her to the vet and found out she was fixed and theres nothing medically wrong with her. so we got the squirt bottle. after about 2 times of being squirted she learned to just run away and her behavior hadn't changed. so when she would randomly viciously attack someone for no reason i would grab the water bottle scream "KiTTY NO" and wildly run after her stomping my feet very hard and when i would catch her i would squirt her twice and then calmly walk away. she would follow me out about a minute later and would rub on my legs and i would give her scratches and talk to her. it took me chasing her down probably about ten times and then stopped completely. and its like a brand new cat. its been a year and shes still being good.
> 
> eta: it was a pretty severe case of aggression because my grandma had accidentally unintentionally reinforced the aggression.


I can believe that people have successful with it, but I feel like it would be hard to sustain. You have to get the cat to associate the undesirable behavior with the consequent, not with you. Which, like Rainbow said, usually requires you to be more covert about it and that can be hard if you are the only person or you don't have the water bottle with you. 

There are also cats that stop being afraid of the water bottle (or rarely, there are cats that actually enjoy it) and the total brats that know the water bottle is coming, stare you down, and then still commit the offense. Some cats act out to get your attention and it is really easy to reinforce their bad behavior if they can get any rise out of you, even a bad one. For those, it would not work.


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## Fishybitty (Dec 29, 2012)

I think getting him neutered would help greatly. Plus, if he is indoor/outdoor he doesn't really need to be getting other cats pregnant lol.


If he still acts up, there are calming aids out there. Personally I like the collar it seems pretty effective. Also using a chamomile/lavender diffuser. 




Btw he is very pretty. I personally wouldn't let him out..people are mean in this world and someone could steal or harm him. 
(my aunt let her cat outside and someone shot him in the leg, he had to get it amputated)

Take him for walks instead. 


Good luck!


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## DianeA7X (Feb 13, 2014)

You should get that dude I believe his name is Jackson from My Cat From Hell  haha but other than that good luck with him. He's a beauty. =)


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## CasGer (May 10, 2014)

Yeah, his aggression will definitely lower if you get him neutered. Young male cats have all sorts of hormones that can change their behavior. Hopefully he will mellow out a bit if you do that.


Also, excessive biting and aggression can be a sign of stress or boredom in cats. Does he have any toys with which he can play off that energy? How about a cat house, or a safe place to hide? With cats it's very important that they feel they have a place they can go to 'escape' whatever stressful situation they're in (even having visitors over can freak out some cats).


If not, I'd recommend marching over to a pet shop and buying some nice, cheap toys and maybe even a cat tunnel or a cat tree if you want to get fancy. My cats really love feather-on-stick type toys, and will chase them relentlessly. It tires them out and helps them burn off extra energy, which in turn relaxes them.


If you can't invest in a cat hide-out, it can sometimes be done just as easily as rearranging a little furniture. Most cats just need a space big enough for them to squeeze into (like between a sofa and the wall) when they can feel secure, and still keep watch over things. Cats also like to be high up when they're feeling insecure, so sometimes installing 'kitty shelves' can help too. That way they can retreat to the skies and survey the area from above, while feeling safe from the 'dangers' of the floor.


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Two suggestions:

One - Get him neutered ASAP! Intact males are more aggressive than their neutered counterparts, and also stink. Their urine has a very powerful smell which reduces a couple of weeks after the operation. The aggression will also decrease some.

Two - Get him a friend, and introduce them properly. Cats are highly social animals, and do best with other feline companionship. They might be independent hunters, but they are not "solitary" or "loners" like so many people claim. In the wild, they live in prides.

He may be a "young adult" but he is no more grown than a human teenager. A second young cat will give him someone to pounce and bite that isn't you. I HIGHLY recommend this - I cannot recommend it enough!

I will detail how to properly introduce a new cat to the household in my next post. First, a little background:

Five years ago, my husband and I finally moved into an apartment large enough to get a pet. I was given a male kitten about 3 months old. His owner had found him as a very young stray living in a restaurant parking lot.

We called him Montalban. This little boy had numerous behavior problems. The squirt bottle did not work to curb his nasty behavior - he thought water was fun and would play with it. (As a side note, adding a few drops of white vinegar to the squirt bottle makes it more effective, and won't hurt the cat).

Montalban was a biter. He bit hard enough to cause swelling and would attack with no provocation. Scruffing (taking hold of the loose skin at the back of the neck) caused attack instead of submission, and he had no manners. He would attack us for no reason, and hurt us, and could not be tired out no matter how much we played with him.

I didn't see him sleep for 3 months. He was a monster.

I consulted a rescue group, and I talked to my vet, and looked online. All of the sources said the same thing: Get another kitten.

Reluctantly, we agreed to try this avenue, since it was that or turn him in to the animal shelter, because we simply could not handle him any more. I contacted a local rescue group and brought in a second neutered boy, who we called Shatner.

*Montalban's behavior problems disappeared overnight.* He was so fascinated with the new cat's sound and smells that he left us alone. He has been a nicer cat ever since.


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

I volunteered as an adoption counselor at an animal shelter for about a year and a half while I was out of work. They taught us volunteers a few things!

How to properly introduce a new cat to your home:

*Do not just adopt a cat that "seems good" and add him to your household.* This occasionally works, but often leads to cats that hate each other. Cats live by first impressions, and you want to make the best one possible. They dislike change and surprises. Expect to take anywhere from three days to three weeks to fully integrate a new cat.

Consider the age and energy level of your cat. With fully adult cats (over 3 years of age) it is a more difficult and time-consuming process to add a new cat, although it can still be done! Many adult cats have an easier time adapting to kittens than other adults.

1) *Choose whether you would like to go through an animal shelter, or a rescue group.* I do not recommend getting a "free" cat from an acquaintance; they often end up being more expensive than a shelter cat in the long run. Shelter and rescue cats usually have had vaccinations, and often have been neutered before adoption.

2) *Select your new cat.* In your case, you'll probably want a cat between 9 months and 2 years in age. You want a kitty with a similar energy level, so watch the candidates at play. Some people swear you need a female if you have a male, but I've never noticed a difference in how they get along. This will be much more relevant since your cat isn't neutered yet. You _really _want to get him neutered.

*Note:* Some rescue groups test for FIV (Kitty HIV) and Leukemia. They may require you to do so as well, and provide some kind of health guarantee for their cats. Check in on this if you can. It's a good idea to get your boy tested, if you can afford it.

A cat with FIV must be neutered and kept inside - this disease is sexually transmitted. A cat with FIV may live a full life if kept in an excellent and disease free environment. There is no _effective _vaccination. Leukemia is always fatal, and highly contagious. Effective vaccinations are available. *Do not adopt another cat if yours tests positive for either disease* - while FIV is not easily transmitted after neutering, bites _can _spread the disease.

3) *Prepare a room for your new cat.* The room must be a place where the new cat can be safely shut in. Many people use a bathroom, because it is small and not usually a big part of the old cat's territory. It needs a small litter box, and a place for food and water. It's best to keep the food and water as far from the litter box as possible. Many cats won't eat near where they mess.

4)* Cat beds: *Place a small cat bed in the new cat's room. Leave one of your dirty shirts or an old towel in the bed for the new cat to sleep on. Place another cat bed on your old cat's favorite sleeping spot, with one of your shirts or another old towel.

5) *Bring your new cat home.* Shut him in the room you have prepared. While it's tempting to play with him right away, let him get used to the smells and sounds of the new place before you pester him.

6) *Wait* 1 week. Give both of your cats plenty of attention and affection. You don't want your old cat to get "older brother syndrome" out of neglect.

- After 1 week, switch the places of the old shirts, so that the new cat gets the one the other has been sleeping on, and vise versa.

- After 1 more week, switch the shirts again.

Why do this? Cats introduce themselves by smell. By using old shirts, you're mixing your smell with each cat's smell, and then mixing the two cat smells together. This gets the cats used to the idea of a friend without shocking them, and makes the process go more smoothly.

7) *Let the cats meet.* You'll know when it's time, because there will be inquisitive mewing, and they will play with each other under the door.


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## brian c (Jun 25, 2014)

no offence but are you sure that’s a cat id doesn’t have hair and looks like a naked rat


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## brian c (Jun 25, 2014)

i just read my own post and started laughing hahaha


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

That is a rather handsome sphinx! :-D One of my friends has a whole posse of them. Lovely cats. They require more skin care than the furry variety, but the skin feels like velvet and they are full of personality. Perfect if someone in your house has shedding concerns. :-D


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