Aggressive Cat HELP!

[Lisa Lubner]

salaam

i have this nice cat... his name is shaolin. we got him about a year and a half ago, mostly because we lived in a crap-hole mouse infested apartment (all the different sorts of traps were NOT working). he DID get rid of the mice, and we have since moved...

now, i have a 4 year old and a 21 month old... the littlest one has a scar on her upper lip from being scratched by shaolin when she was about 8 months old. (it wasn't really the cat's fault, my son picked up the cat and tried to "show him" to the baby while i was in the kitchen) the kids are actually pretty good with the cat... they don't pull his tail or chase him or anything. HOWEVER, the cat is a young boy cat and VERY PLAYFUL. when he was little he used to do the soft paw thing, but recently he has started using his claws. today my son was petting him and the cat lashed out and scratched his face.

for a while we were letting him outside so he could play and run around with the other neighborhood cats, but we couldn't continue because my neighbor upstairs claimed that he tried to sneak into their apartment! (and they're allergic!) so the poor playful cat is stuck indoors all the time...

i don't know what to do... i don't want to send him to the local shelter, because i KNOW they are horrible to the animals there and he would most likely be euthanized if no one adopts him in 48 hours. i grew up with cats and i have NEVER had a cat this nuts before. i don't really want to get rid of him... but i don't know if playing with him more (?) will protect my kids.

any suggestions?

khalilah

[anothermama]

Well, first off, you can try a plain ol' water bottle. If your cat starts playing rough out of the blue with NO instigation, one spray will stop it.

Another suggestion is that they make a claw cover.....I don't remember what they are called, but vets and even I think PetCo sell them.......they are a small plastic "sheild" for the claw so they are unable to puncture anything, like skin. They just glue right on and stay on for a month or so......you just have to reapply them when they fall off.

[Marsupialmom]

Is he fixed? If not get him fixed. And I agree about the squirt bottle.

http://www.petco.com//search/mercado...e=fm8335990403

[angela&avery]

i have a meany cat too!! i feel you.. but you know what? kids can and will learn..


i have 3 cats actually, two of which are lovable, one of which is not. He is a Maine Coon Cat and by nature are just very temperamental.... my ds has been scratched by him, but never severely... ds did learn to leave him alone by being scratched....i never just let it happen, it did when i couldnt prevent it and i comforted him but let him know that he needed to leave that kitty alone bc he is not nice..

for the most part he does.

[Piglet68]

Definitely get him neutered if he isn't already.

Try not to leave the cat unsupervised with your kids.

However, ITA with angela&avery: your kids will learn. In another year or so they'll be old enough to understand. One year is not alot in the lifetime of a pet.

[Dar]

Both of my cats ended up getting declawed when Rain was a toddler, after they scratched her. Not their fault, but in our huse people rank above pets. I know some people are really anti-declaw, but ours never seemed to mind. One was born cranky and still lashes out sometimes, although now she lashes out and bites... but by the time she figured that out Rain was older. And she's still a good mouser.

Those softpaws things weren't around 10 years ago, or at least no one ever mentioned them to me, but they might be a good idea. And of course, watch the kids around pets,and try to create places your cats can get to to hide where your kids can't get them... but it only takes a few seconds for trouble, so I wouldn't count on this to be 100%.

Dar

[angela&avery]

declawing is cruel, painfull and insafe.. it removes the first bone where each claw comes out!!

if its that much of an issue, bring your cat to have its nails clipped so they arent so sharp.

[Lisa Lubner]

salaam

thanks for all the replies!

shaolin is already neutered... he is just REALLY playful. even with me... i can be petting him and he can be purring and then all of a sudden he will clamp onto my hand with his teeth and wrap his claws around my arm and dig in. (ow) i worry about the kids, because although they DO leave him alone for the most part, the cat seeks them out to play sometimes so i have to be pretty vigilant about watching them. and BOTH times that my kids got scratched in the face it was right near their eyes... so i worry.

has anyone tried those little plastic nails? i have never even heard of them before... they sound like a really good idea, actually. do they bother the cat at all? i would never have him declawed (though, if it was REALLY serious, i would do that over sending him to the awful shelter here), and i wouldn't want to *accidently* do something else to him that would be inhumane. has anyone tried them? are they really hard to put on the cat? (lol)

i definately need more cat toys for him... and maybe one of those cat trees (with the carpet)... he's a really nice cat, he is just WAY too aggressive with the kids.

thanks again,
khalilah

[rainsmom]

We have a new kitty (she's 7 mos) and she does kind of scratch our dd sometimes......usually when provoked.

I use the squirt bottle with just a little white vinegar and it works wonders. And LOTS of cheap little cat toys to keep her busy.

We also had a Maine Coon and I didnt find him tempermental at all. He was wonderful with dd......dd would put jewelry on him and hats and he never ever scratched her. In all the cat books Ive read, they say they are great with kids, and very doglike in nature.....which is how ours was.

Good luck with your cat......it WILL get better.

[anothermama]

Originally posted by angela&avery
declawing is cruel, painfull and insafe.. it removes the first bone where each claw comes out!!

if its that much of an issue, bring your cat to have its nails clipped so they arent so sharp.

I just have to add this isn't true. Its a strong misconception that is perpetuated by some people, but it's not true. While everyone can dig up a horror story about declawing (just like everyone can dig up a horror story about birth) generally declawing is very safe and cats usually heal up from it within a few days. And, if you are talking a high kill shelter versus a declaw, I'd definitely say to declaw rather than potentially kill the animal.

[nikirj]

I'd definately get the cat declawed. I'm sorry if declawing offends people, but this is an agressive cat and the children are just more important than the cat.

Now my sister's cat, who is the sweetest most gentle non-confrontational cat I've ever seen, is declawed because my mother didn't want the cat to hurt her leather couches (never mind that the cat never scratched couches). That makes me sad. Mitsy (the cat) spent only a couple of days feeling bad because of the declawing, but then got a secondary infection and it ended up lasting weeks (probably would have been prevented if my sister managed to keep her inside while she healed).

When I was growing up, my parents had 3 cats, all agressive (hey, they killed badgers, they were big tough things) and they all got on just fine without their claws. In that instance, it was a safety thing for us, but I guess my mom thought that because the declawing went without a hitch for those 3 cats it was ok to insist on it for my sister's cat.

Bottom line is, the cat can't be scratching the children. If you want to try spraying first, fine, but if it doesn't work, declawing is totally better than a shelter.

[Dar]

I just wanted to add that it's pretty easy to trim your cat's nails at home... I use a regular people nailclipper, and gently squeeze each toe so the nail comes out. I've never had any problems, my cats don't like it but they tolerate it.

Dar

[Tigerchild]

We don't have an aggressive cat, but I love your idea to get the playful guy some more toys!!

I know it's hard because so many cat toys are appealing to babies but not safe for them.

Our playful boy cat LOVES to play with baby toys (luckily he is super gentle and submissive with the kids--we have to rescue him even though he's not declawed). He plays a lot with a cat toy that's basically a plastic circle with a ball trapped inside (he spins it around and around the track) and that's safe to have around kids (you might have to remind them it's HIS toy though!). My high needs calico does best when I can give her 30 minutes of frisky play (normally when the kids aren't around). I have a fishing-pole type of cat wand with a bunch of different toy attachments (there is a two-feather attachment that flutters like a bird). We play and I have her run and leap until she's literally happily panting on the floor. That seems to keep her happy and not-so-grouchy with the kids. Now that my toddler is a little older, she will throw the cats' ball toys and mice for them to play with.

I bet with some special playtimes and toys, your frisky kitty will be less likely to lash out. Maybe you can get him a high-up cat house too, so he can get away from the kiddos when he wants to.

[aussiemum]

I used to have a Manx cat that behaved like yours- attacking your arm out of the blue, ambushing me in the dark hallway & things like that. He also used to go for my face when he felt aggressive. I noticed that he would go for my face if I tried to 'stare him down', you know look steadily right into his eyes, which may be what your kids are doing out of curiosity. Don't know, something to look for anyway.

ITA with the squirt bottle training technique. Also good for getting the moggie to stop climbing the inscet screens! And off the kitchen bench!

IATA with the idea that the kids will get used to the cat & vice versa. My two have a real love/hate relationship with our new puppy right now, & I agree, she's an absolute menace!!! But she'll come good in about a year's time & we'll be glad we have her. I think it's great for kids to grow up with pets.

I personally don't agree with declawing cats, cuz that's their escape route if they get outside & are chased by something. Hard to get up a tree without claws. But to each their own, & if it's an inside city kitty, there's probably nothing to be concerned about.

[siddie]

You have lots of good advice already. I just want to second (third, fourth) the recommendation to trim his claws. That works wonderfully. Remember, this little cat saved your family from the mice. On a second note, it is a good thing for girls to have a cat growing up. Then they will most likely be immune to toxoplasmosis and will not have to worry about it causing severe birth defects if they are exposed when pg.

[Lisa Lubner]

salaam

thanks again for the ideas everyone...

i am definately going to try to get some more playtime in with the cat... he was much better behaved when he was allowed to go outside. he just ran around for hours and then when he came in he would eat and just mellow out for the rest of the night.

i have no problem trimming his nails... i just can't imagine that it would be easy to glue those little plastic nail covers on. i think i will give it a try though... they seem like a good idea, and so far i can't think of any reason why it would hurt the little (big) guy.

i really don't want to get rid of him... he is a really sweet cat, and the kids love him (and we do sortof owe him for ridding us of those yucky mice).

i will give the claw covers (just in case, to protect from scratches), the squirt bottle, and some playtime a try... i will let you all know how it goes!

thanks again,
khalilah

ps... shaolin says thankyou too! :

[angela&avery]

Originally posted by anothermama
I just have to add this isn't true. Its a strong misconception that is perpetuated by some people, but it's not true. While everyone can dig up a horror story about declawing (just like everyone can dig up a horror story about birth) generally declawing is very safe and cats usually heal up from it within a few days. And, if you are talking a high kill shelter versus a declaw, I'd definitely say to declaw rather than potentially kill the animal.

ive found many written arguments that counter that statement

here are some links

http://www.felinefuture.com/catcare/declawing.php

http://cats.about.com/cs/declawing/a/declawing.htm

http://www.declawing.com/

[Piglet68]

re: declawing. I don't think the issue is failure to recover from the procedure.

The issue is with causing an animal undue pain and distress for cosmetic reasons. If you can't take the chances of scratches on your furniture, don't own a cat. Subjecting an animal to surgery, not to mention just the stressful environment of an animal hospital, for something that is not medically necessary is something that the SPCA takes a stand against. And I agree.

I would agree, however, that if my only choice were to declaw the cat or have it euthanized, I'd choose the former. And I see no point in bashing anybody for having it done, either. I think education is key. People should know what to expect from a particular species of pet before they commit to one.

[Dar]

I don't care about my furniture being scratched. I did care about my baby being scratched. I declawed my cats after finding my toddler with a cat claw hooked into her upper arm, baby screaming, cat yowling. The cat had been under a chair and she was crawling by, saw her, and reached under, the cat reached back, she pulled away... so I'm trying to get the claw out of her arm, they're both freaked out, the claw is digging into her flesh... truly, I could give a sh*t about furniture, but it could have been my baby's face. She was scared of that cat for months, even after I explained that Cozy was as scared as she was, or more. Yes, I could have trimmed her nails more often, but I was trimming them every couple weeks anyway.

And neither cat seemed to be in much pain after the surgery, contrary to what all the sites say. Cozy was in more apparent pain after being spayed, and when her cancerous tumor was removed. Pepper was far worse off after his repeated oral surgeries, which eventually left him toothless. She still kneads things, she hunts quite well. They both have back claws to scratch themselves, or else them come to me. I think they have pretty good lives, but theyre cats, and I'm willing to cause them some pain or discomfort to protect my baby. YMMV...

Dar

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

Actually, based on the behavior you described (cat being petted, then reaching around and clawing/biting), it isn't a matter of playfulness. The cat is aroused and reacting naturally as he would with a female cat (cat mating isn't gentle!). This happens even with fixed cats, though it may be that the surgery wasn't done 100% effectively. More play will help (just like sports with teen boys), but won't solve the entire problem. The squirt bottle is a good way to teach that this is not acceptable. The cat is a "teenager" at the moment and should be treated as such. Lots of activity, consistantly reimforced limits (via the squirt bottle), supervised access to whatever is attracting him (children in this case). You may also want to check for scents that he finds arousing -- some animals respond to perfumes, laundry detergents, bath products and other things that release the right pheromones to cause arrousal.