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  1. #1

    My cat is giving me a hellofa trouble

    The family I am currently living with got a cat about 6 months ago (she is also 6 months old).

    Had zero problems with her until ~2 months ago. She started being extremely rude and annoying.

    I can best describe it with some examples:

    1) We all eat, she goes under the table and jumps on somebody from below. Claws right into our legs or hands if we had them under the table for some reason. I have some serious injuries already. My arm looks like I was in war.

    2) Something she only does with me. If I walk without shoes on she always jumps my feet and trys to bite me and scratches me. Putting her away only makes her attack again. Only way to stop her is to put some shoes on or to carry her into another room.

    3) She fights my dog for the dogs food. I always have to seperate the cat when feeding my dog, or she would simply eat everything away. This cat eats fucking dogfood

    4) We build a scratch tree for her, but she just doesnt want to fucking use it. Instead she scratches all the old and valuable furniture. The old man in the house is getting extremely pissed by her and starts being aggressive. I try to calm him down and not to attack the cat but I think he is reaching his limit; and I can understand him. The furniture is really expensive and it would be a shame if a cat damages it.

    She was a wonderfull cat until two months ago... calm, yet playfull. She has a huge garden to play in, but now she refuses to go outside because it's getting colder.

    My dog isnt a problem. She's leaving the cat completely alone. She's ignoring the cat 100%, and for the most time the cat doesnt give a f about my dog, too.

    We thought it might be because of her hormones... she's just about that age where she could start breeding, so we took her to the vet and got her sterilized. After ~4 days of being silent and groggy from the operation, she is just back to being a huge cunt. Old behavior, no changes.

    My friend had a cat once, and it didnt show any of this antisocial behavior.

    What did we do wrong, and what can we do to fix her?

    ps.: She is also hungry all the time. All. the. time. If I want to eat a banana in the kitchen she trys to steal it from me....
    Yet the vet says that she is actually too fat and eats too much. How does this work, since we are not overfeeding her in any way?!
    Last edited by StayTuned; 2012-11-15 at 08:29 PM.

  2. #2
    Sounds like she's extremely restless because she can no longer go outside. Ever tried catnip? I've noticed that cats on catnip tend to expend a lot of their energy rolling around on the floor.

    Read that she's only 6 months old, definitely sounds like she's restless. Younger cats generally want to play a ton and if they aren't played with enough they'll make the games themselves. Unfortunately those games tend to be "attack the human" and "fuck you furniture".

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Bergtau View Post
    Sounds like she's extremely restless because she can no longer go outside. Ever tried catnip? I've noticed that cats on catnip tend to expend a lot of their energy rolling around on the floor.
    Isnt catnip the equivalent of LSD? I don't want to make the cat addicted to something that the people here cannot afford to buy anymore once I move out. Which is going to be next week. lol

    I'd still like to try and fix the cat (or at least tell them what to do), because I honestly do not think that they can figure it out on their own. But the family is actually extremely animal friendly and they can't, or rather dont want to, give her away because they actually like her a lot.


    Also. It is not like she can't go out anymore. She DOESNT want to go out. We tried to put her into the garden, she only ends up next to the kitchen window meowing all the time to let her in again.
    Last edited by StayTuned; 2012-11-15 at 08:44 PM.

  4. #4
    Over 9000! Santti's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bergtau View Post
    Sounds like she's extremely restless because she can no longer go outside. Ever tried catnip? I've noticed that cats on catnip tend to expend a lot of their energy rolling around on the floor.
    Catnip doesn't affect all cats though, but it's worth a shot. My brother's cat is one example that doesn't care about catnip at all. She just sniffs it, stares at me for a moment and then goes away.
    Last edited by Santti; 2012-11-15 at 08:45 PM.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by StayTuned View Post
    Isnt catnip the equivalent of LSD? I don't want to make the cat addicted to something that the people here cannot afford to buy anymore once I move out. Which is going to be next week. lol
    No. Catpnip is perfectly fine for cats. It is not addictive, it is just extremely attractive to them. There is no catnip withdrawal or anything. The reason you see cats go crazy for it and they find it if it's in a room is because it smells very strong and very attractive to them. One thing to note is that a lot of cats don't actually react to catnip. Also, if you're worrying about being able to afford it, buy a plant and grow it yourself. Just make sure to keep it in a place they can't get to. The top of the refrigerator is not one of those places, by the way.

    I'd still like to try and fix the cat (or at least tell them what to do), because I honestly do not think that they can figure it out on their own. But the family is actually extremely animal friendly and they can't give her away because they actually like her a lot.


    Also. It is not like she can't go out anymore. She DOESNT want to go out. We tried to put her into the garden, she only ends up next to the kitchen window meowing all the time to let her in again.
    Fixing the cat's behavior won't happen all at once. Also, to her, she can't go out. It's not that you aren't letting her, it's that it's too cold. Also, lots of the wildlife that cats chase around, like birds, aren't very active in the winter.
    Positive/negative reinforcement might be required to change her behavior.

  6. #6
    What would you suggest then? Seriously catnip and see if she's going to be stoned all day until weather gets better?

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by StayTuned View Post
    Isnt catnip the equivalent of LSD? I don't want to make the cat addicted to something that the people here cannot afford to buy anymore once I move out. Which is going to be next week. lol
    It's ~$5-$10, per bag. If you can afford cat food, you can afford a bit of catnip from time to time.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by StayTuned View Post
    What would you suggest then? Seriously catnip and see if she's going to be stoned all day until weather gets better?
    It only works for like 10 minutes. The idea with catnip is to get her to calm down. Note that you need to let her eat it, not just smell it. If she eats catnip and spends 10 minutes rolling around on the floor, she'll probably be a lot more calm afterwards. My cats have been known to fall asleep afterwards.

    Just don't use it too much or she'll begin to expect it from you. Also only give a leaf or two, too much makes them throw up.
    Last edited by v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk; 2012-11-15 at 08:55 PM.

  9. #9
    It's ~$5-$10, per bag. If you can afford cat food, you can afford a bit of catnip from time to time.
    Might give catnip a try then. I'll buy a bag tomorrow. I guess you can buy it in each pet shop, even in Croatia?

  10. #10
    Deleted
    male cat? maybe its balls got to go, you know because of all the hormones.

  11. #11
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by StayTuned View Post
    snip
    1: Innocent play. My 23 year old cat still does that.

    2: Innocent play, again.

    3: Her territory, her rules. She is highest in the family hierarchy and therefor has the right to eat before anyone else.

    4: Marking territory. Cats does that ALL the time, on everything. It's something to take into consideration before buying a cat.

    ps.: She is also hungry all the time. All. the. time. If I want to eat a banana in the kitchen she trys to steal it from me....
    Yet the vet says that she is actually too fat and eats too much. How does this work, since we are not overfeeding her in any way?!
    You can try to deworm your cat. Just go down to a vet and ask for deworking tablets, grind them down and mix it with the food.
    It could be that causing her to be restless and borderline aggressive.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by gbtg View Post
    male cat? maybe its balls got to go, you know because of all the hormones.
    Sterilized female

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by StayTuned View Post
    Might give catnip a try then. I'll buy a bag tomorrow. I guess you can buy it in each pet shop, even in Croatia?
    You might try a gardening store if the pet store doesn't have any. There are multiple types of catnip. Look for the word 'Nepeta' on the tags if they have the scientific names. It'll probably be with the other mint plants.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeavline View Post
    You can try to deworm your cat. Just go down to a vet and ask for deworking tablets, grind them down and mix it with the food.
    It could be that causing her to be restless and borderline aggressive.
    I will go and ask him tomorrow. But isn't that something he should have noticed? I mean she got operated 6 days ago.


    Also, about innocent play. That's great and all, but what's so funny for the owner to get cat's teeth rammed into his big toe? I seriously can't imagine that all cat owners out there have to put up with this kind of shit

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by StayTuned View Post
    Might give catnip a try then. I'll buy a bag tomorrow. I guess you can buy it in each pet shop, even in Croatia?
    Your average pet shop should carry it. (Although I am not 100% sure since I don't know anything about Croatia.)

  16. #16
    Cats can become quite territorial so it may be that as she is getting older, she is exerting this behavior. It tends to be less amongst female cats and after they have been spayed, but it doesn't disappear.

    If she is used to going outside and cannot any longer this may be causing her stress and that is why she is expressing increased anxiety and territorial behavior. Alas, I am no cat bahavior expert so I am not sure what you should do about it, but there are a zillion web resources you can read up on. If it was my cat I'd probably try playing with her more to tire her out a bit. To get my cats using their cat tree more I've been putting treats on the different levels to get them interested in exploring it and having a positive association with it. I also sometimes leave a window or the patio door (both screened) open a bit so they can get some fresh air and some more of the sights and sounds of outside.

  17. #17
    Merely a Setback Reeve's Avatar
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    Aluminum foil or double sided tape can help to discourage clawing of furniture.
    'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
    Or a yawing hole in a battered head
    And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
    And there they lay I damn me eyes
    All lookouts clapped on Paradise
    All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by StayTuned View Post
    I will go and ask him tomorrow. But isn't that something he should have noticed? I mean she got operated 6 days ago.
    They usually need to examine a fecal sample to check for worms.

  19. #19
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by StayTuned View Post
    I will go and ask him tomorrow. But isn't that something he should have noticed? I mean she got operated 6 days ago.
    Not necessarily. I have very little knowledge about the physiology of feline animals so don't take my word for it. But cats should be dewormed annually, that's all I can say really.

    Also, about innocent play. That's great and all, but what's so funny for the owner to get cat's teeth rammed into his big toe? I seriously can't imagine that all cat owners out there have to put up with this kind of shit
    For them it's an act of play and bonding. We might not appreciate it as such since it often brings a world of hurt, but that's how cats work
    I've had cats my entire life so I'm hardened by the experience of clawing and biting. You'll get used to it with time.

  20. #20
    Young cats need food available always. Don't feed them twice a day. Always have a bowl for them. Worms, also.

    That's one thing.

    Second, your cat is hitting a puberty phase. Pushing limits. Etc. It will become less.

    Thirdly, try making high yelping sounds of pain when she hurts you; much like kittens do in their litters.

    Edit: And no, its bs that you get bitten and clawed at your entire life if you have a cat. If your cat learns from now on what hurts you and what doesn't, there'll be no problem. Our cats "claw" at us, but without actual claws.
    Last edited by Cirque; 2012-11-15 at 09:23 PM.

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