Conference misery::feline_v1

908.0. "MEAN CAT??" by AIMHI::UPTON () Thu Nov 19 1987 15:31

    
    
    	This is my first time in Feline file, but I'm an ole timer
    in Canine.
    
    	My daughter moved back home a few months ago with her
    three cats.  My Dobie has been super about accepting them
    after we slowly intoduced them to each other for three weeks.
    Now the problem - the oldest male cat (2 yrs.) is just plain
    MEAN.  He beats up one of the other cats terribly.  It now has
    a mean looking scratch across it's face.  All the cats have
    been neutered when they were young and all have lived together
    for the last 2 yrs.  This older cat HATES everything!  I can
    occassionally pick him up and pet him, but when he wants down
    I better do it immediately or my hand is at stake.  He constantly
    has his tail swishing, never seems to be relaxed.  He'll be
    laying on the rug and just jump up fast meowing and just shoot
    pass you 100 mph for no reason.  I've had cats all my life, the
    last one lived to 16 yrs. old. (another orphan we found on the
    street).  So I'm not new to cat behavior, but this cat is
    unbelieveable.  I personally wouldn't own a cat like this, but
    I brought my kids up to keep an animal till death and with our
    luck this beast will live forever.  
    
    	My question - is there sure a thing as a MEAN temper cat.
    Physically he is find - even the Vet asked her to not bring him
    back because he was so bad while he was there to be neutered.
    No body can handle him, but our daughter and sometimes he is
    nasty to her.  Why?  He gets as much attention as the other two,
    has free run of the house and the dog does NOT bother him.  He
    was mean when she was living alone.  Is there any solution, or
    do we have to put up with the meany forever.
    
    	I would be interested in your comments.
    
    	Thanks
    
    	-Dee
    

    When I first adopted my first cat, Pussycat, he had been
    feral.  I walked around for several months with scratches up to
    my elbows, and a couple of vets said "Don't bring him back."  What
    fixed this?  His being neutered, then being treated with what I
    think was a female hormone, and a lot of patience.  When he acts
    mean, you act like Dag Hammerskold -- no anger, infinite patience,
    so emotional reactions of anger.  I think the female hormone shot
    actually was a _big_ help.  The vet said it was an experiment, and
    I don't recall what it was called.  P.S. going to a new vet who
    did the Dag Hammerskold number solved the vet problem;  you have
    to find one who _really_ cares about cats.
    

    P.S. The reason the vet thought the female hormone (which was a
    one time shot, by the way) might help was that Pussycat was already
    a mature cat 3? 4? years old who I got him.  So, he'd been set in
    male behavior patterns for quite awhile, and just neutering, the
    theory went, wasn't enough to turn things around.
    

    Re .1, .2 (Karen):
    
    I believe the hormone in question was prolactin.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

    Theres also the possibility that the cat has an emotional problem,
    or is suffering from stress. I believe that when a cat all of a
    sudden jumps up off the floor and goes ballistic, and the fact that
    you say he never seems relaxed are signs of this.
    
    Steve

    You may want to read notes 106 to 106.3, which I just happened to
    run across.