| Title: | Meower Power is Valuing Differences |
| Notice: | FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY |
| Moderator: | MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO |
| Created: | Sun Feb 09 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Tue Jan 11 1994 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 5089 |
| Total number of notes: | 60366 |
I have a 5 year old, neutered, male, Snowshoe. I have had Sy since kittenhood. Sy is very smart and I wouldn't give him up for the world. But I do have a serious problem with him, hopefully someone has some good advice. I am a single lady, I live alone, and Sy is very much an attack cat. I live in the Los Angeles basin and from time to time I've had unfriendlies come to the door, Sy has reacted properly, by growling, hissing and in one case attacking a man who came in uninvited. So please keep this in mind when reading what my problem is. The problem is that Sy doesn't always like my friends, or family members. If he deceides he doesn't like a particular date or family member, I can't leave that person and Sy alone. Sometimes he will tolerate someone for one visit and the next time he is on the war path. Hence the problem, lack of return dates and family members who don't want to visit. To add to the problem, Sy has pancreatitics. He was on an IV, at the vets for a week, in December. He is on a special diet, So he cannot be bribed with treats. Sy has only taken well to 3 people in the last year. These people can be left alone with the cat and are capable of coming and going without me being around. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 535.1 | Don't drown the kitty! | EMIRFI::KEENER | Mon Mar 30 1987 19:46 | 10 | |
Whenever Sy decides to munch on someone or attack, have a small
spray bottle (like for plants) that will spray a fine mist. Give
Sy a little squirt (a lot of water or a stream in unnecessary) and
firmly say "NO"! He will learn in time what "No" means. This
generally works to teach a cat to break a bad habit.
Good luck.
Ellen
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| 535.2 | attack cat | LABC::ALLEN | Equestrian Lady | Mon Mar 30 1987 19:55 | 6 |
Thanks for the advice, I have tried that, He goes away for about
5 minutes and then returns. He does understand NO!, but when he
gets it into his mind to attack, he does. If I get in the way he
will even attack me. Its like he goes a little crazy. I usually
wait until the company arrives to feed him, then his tummy is full
and he goes to nap. I will try the bottle again on mist.
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| 535.3 | Maybe he is part Doberman 8^) | PUZZLE::CORDESJA | Mon Mar 30 1987 20:59 | 15 | |
Is Sy eutered? It seems unusual for him to attack "mom". Is he
being playful when he attacks or is he being downright aggressive
with the intent to hurt? I don't really have any suggestions other
than to second the spray bottle technique. How long has it been
since he was seen by the vet? I'm thinking that maybe there is
a physical reason for his behavior, like maybe he is having some
internal pain. If it is not medical, he does need to be taught
that his behavior is socially unacceptable.
Don't laugh...but have you thought about having a cat psychologist
look at him? I once wrote to Carole Wilborne about one of my cats.
The same problem I was having with him was featured in her column
in Cat Fancy magazine the following month.
Jo Ann
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| 535.4 | It's the old paper trick! | NEBVAX::BELFORTE | Never try to out-stubborn a cat! | Tue Mar 31 1987 10:06 | 17 |
A friend has a Smoke Persian who attacks at the drop of a hat, or
sooner if he decideds you aren't his type. So far, nobody is his
type!
The vet told her to have a rolled up newspaper handy at all times.
Not tightly rolled, but enough that it will sting and the noise
will scare the hell out of him. It worked................ until
Leo realized that if he tore the papers to shreds when no one was
home, he was safe.
Now she has 2 problems!
M-L
Actually, the newspaper trick did work. He doesn't attack now,
at least not as much as he use to, but he does have fun tearing
those papers to teeny-tiny bits.
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| 535.5 | Hormones, maybe | USHS01::MCALLISTER | Mars or Bust!! | Tue Mar 31 1987 10:21 | 5 |
If Sy is altered, you may have a hormonal imbalance. A complete
blood chemistry would show this problem. There are hormonal
suppliments which are available for the mean cat syndrome.
Dave
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| 535.6 | a few suggestions | NEWVAX::BOBB | I brake for Wombats! | Tue Mar 31 1987 13:19 | 48 |
When we first got Rascal he was a 2 1/2 yr. old, 16 lb monster!
(neutered, by the way... didn't make him docile...)
Of his previous owners, the females had never treated him well,
so he came to us with a definate bias against human females. Being
a human female myself, I wasn't too fond about this behavior - he
would allow you to pet him and then would immediately turn around
and bite or scratch (not just play nips but hard bites). When we
had friends over, he would walk over to the females and nip at their
legs. Needless to say, they ended up being intimidated by this...not
to mention it was embarassing to us as hosts!
The solutions we came up with varied. Short term solutions, when it
looks like the cat may attack, rolled up newspaper, water spray, a
sharp "NO", a light tap on the fanny, being put into a "quiet" spot
(usually means locked in the bathroom for a short period) or
combination of the above all seemed to be good deterrents. Also,
if it is someone who you would like to have visit, have them feed
the cat. Not snacks, but dinner. When we went on vacation, one of
our friends (a female he frequently attacked) had to feed him (some
people are REALLY good friends!) and because of that, he must have
decided she was ok, because he doesn't attack her anymore.
For long term training, since I was living with the cat full time and
didn't need to go around looking like a scratching post, we were able
to train him to the phrase "no claws". When he would use rough
behavior, I would grab him by the scruff of the neck, make eye contact
and say "NO" in a loud and annoyed voice and would put him in another
room for a short amount of time.
It took several months, but his behavior calmed down quite a bit.
He still will rough-house occassionally and will need to be reminded
that he is not to bite/scratch, but mostly he is very good. He probably
will never be docile, whether it was his upbringing or is his nature,
but he is alot calmer now. Also, when he is let outside, his nature
is almost the opposite - quite, loving, will let you do almost anything
to him.....
Maybe your's is bored. If you can't let your's out, maybe another kitty
to help work off the excess energy would help? That was something else
that we did (thought not for that reason).About three months after
getting Rascal, we took in Merlin and they romp all over the house,
getting rid of all that excess energy.
Good luck with yours - they can be trained.... don't let them convince
you otherwise!
janet (an ex-scratching post!)
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