Need help with an aggressive cat

[JustMickey]

Hey everyone, hope you can help us with a difficult situation.

My sister has a cat that's just recently become very violent towards her. The backstory is this: I found a cat with 2 kittens in my backyard last summer. We caught the mama cat and did a spay and release on her, then we caught the 2 kittens and gave them to my sister. They were obviously scared, but my sister has had lots of experience with cats, and took good care of them.

Throughout the past year, one of the kittens (Jeannie) has adjusted much better than the other (Scuttle), even though Jeannie still gets skittish when humans approach. Scuttle is in a state of constant fear, he'll hiss whenever anyone so much as walks by, he's always hiding somewhere. He's sometimes too scared to eat. My sister is still constantly trying to relax him. She'll wrap him up in a towel (the same way she's been doing since he was a kitten) and hold him and pet him until he relaxes.

Well last week, she tried to pick him up, and he bit her out of fear. She was wearing 2 thick gloves, one on top of the other, and the bite still went through and infected her whole hand. Now just yesterday, she noticed that he's been hiding places and peeing and pooping on himself, so she tried to give him a bath to at least get the poop off of him. He bit her even harder and this time, he actually held on and shook his head back and forth. We're waiting to see whether this bite will be infected as well.

She's at her breaking point and is thinking that he will just never change, he'll always be scared and now he knows that biting works. She's mentioned the possibility of putting him down a couple times now, even though it breaks all of our hearts to think about it.

One thing is, he hasn't been neutered. But she's just thinking, if he really is this terrified, and his behavior continues after getting him fixed, then is it really worth it?

My sister is a very good cat owner, she put up with all of his scratches but she's just never encountered this level of aggression from a cat. If anyone has advice for us please let me know.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would put it down. Sounds like she made a very good effort to try and do it.

 

[Sparx]

He needs to be seen by a vet, he may be sick if he's peeing on himself and biting when he's picked up. The aggression may also be because he hasn't been fixed yet.

 

[robinb]

He may biting because he's aggressive or he may be biting because he's in pain. The only way you'll know is if he sees a vet. Which, as we all know, is expensive and it could turn out that he's just plain mean. Even if he's reacting that way because he's in pain he will still be feral. Personally, I would put him down. I had a feral cat for 16 years and she hated everybody but my other cat. She just was not a joy to me, nor was she a member of my family. She was a running, hissing, yowling dust mop who would poop and pee on me if when I managed to catch her (to take her to the vet or clip her nails). She wouldn't let me pet her except in the dark of night I would sometimes wake up with her next to me. I guess I was safe when I was asleep. I had that cat for 16 years when I could have shared my home with a cat that actually liked me.

 

[etoiles]

I own a cat that used to bite me when picked up and hiss at me also. She was my roommate's cat and kept beating up their other cat so they asked me to keep her in my room at night to keep them separated. That meant when I went to bed I had to pick her up hissing, biting, etc, and take her to my room to close the door and go to sleep.

It took many, many months but she eventually stopped biting me when being picked up and stopped hissing at me. Now ten years later she is a super sweet kitty to me and is never mean but does still hiss at strangers and growl if they try to touch her. When my husband moved in with me she also hissed and growled at him for about 9 months before she stopped and now she loves him too!

It is not her fault she is so aggressive to strangers. She was abused when she was a little kitten and does not trust anyone.

She never had a problem with peeing/pooping though. That sounds like it might be a bigger issue unless the cat does not understand how to use the litter box. ??

 

[Chelley00]

Absolutely have it vet checked. We had a cat that was never really nice, but not mean, but when she was 4 she got horribly agressive, hissed, growled and bit everyone. We took her to the vet and she had a huge mass in her abdomen.

 

[JustMickey]

She never had a problem with peeing/pooping though. That sounds like it might be a bigger issue unless the cat does not understand how to use the litter box. ??

He definitely knows how to use the litter box. The problem is he's too scared to come out of hiding to use it. Like your cat, we think he doesn't trust anyone.

I never thought that it might be a problem with his health. I'll have to pass along that advice.

 

[JustMickey]

another question: I mentioned that we did a Spay and Release with Mama cat. Well we were eventually able to bring her inside and domesticate her, and now she's the sweetest little thing. (who'd have thought, huh?) From what we observed when they were all still living in our backyard, Scuttle was always a Mama's boy. Will cats remember each other after 9 months? If it will help, we'll re-introduce them to each other.

 

[denisem]

Earlier neutering may have helped. If your sister still wants to invest the $$$, have a vet check him for urinary infection & neuter him.

Sometimes you have to let go. My SIL's neutered male cat was finally put down for aggressiveness. He'd rub against your legs one minute and inexplicably attack for no reason. She tried everything, even the vet's staff was cautioned of his sudden outbursts.

OTOH, our bengal cat, Rocko, was a VERY feisty kitten but learned to back off when we loudly said "OWWWW!". By accident, he TOTALLY bacame alarmed when I played this youtube video.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

Hey everyone, hope you can help us with a difficult situation.

My sister has a cat that's just recently become very violent towards her. The backstory is this: I found a cat with 2 kittens in my backyard last summer. We caught the mama cat and did a spay and release on her, then we caught the 2 kittens and gave them to my sister. They were obviously scared, but my sister has had lots of experience with cats, and took good care of them.

Throughout the past year, one of the kittens (Jeannie) has adjusted much better than the other (Scuttle), even though Jeannie still gets skittish when humans approach. Scuttle is in a state of constant fear, he'll hiss whenever anyone so much as walks by, he's always hiding somewhere. He's sometimes too scared to eat. My sister is still constantly trying to relax him. She'll wrap him up in a towel (the same way she's been doing since he was a kitten) and hold him and pet him until he relaxes.

Well last week, she tried to pick him up, and he bit her out of fear. She was wearing 2 thick gloves, one on top of the other, and the bite still went through and infected her whole hand. Now just yesterday, she noticed that he's been hiding places and peeing and pooping on himself, so she tried to give him a bath to at least get the poop off of him. He bit her even harder and this time, he actually held on and shook his head back and forth. We're waiting to see whether this bite will be infected as well.

She's at her breaking point and is thinking that he will just never change, he'll always be scared and now he knows that biting works. She's mentioned the possibility of putting him down a couple times now, even though it breaks all of our hearts to think about it.

One thing is, he hasn't been neutered. But she's just thinking, if he really is this terrified, and his behavior continues after getting him fixed, then is it really worth it?

My sister is a very good cat owner, she put up with all of his scratches but she's just never encountered this level of aggression from a cat. If anyone has advice for us please let me know.

Hopefully the cat is completely up to date on shots, especially rabies, and especially if his bites are causing infection.

I am going to echo the get him to the vet for a full physical. Not only for the cat's sake, but for your sister's too. He has broken skin twice, once becoming infected, so make sure he is healthy.
.
The peeing and pooping himself does not seem normal, even for a terrified cat

 

[JustMickey]

My sister has calmed down and decided to wait another few weeks before making any major decisions. We're going to keep trying to socialize him better and definitely get him neutered.

 

[PoppyGirl]

I would put money on that cat having some kind of pain or undiagnosed health issue. It's very possible that he associates being touched with his pain and so reacts to anyone coming near.

There's a great book about cat behavior called "Is Your Cat Crazy?" It's by John Wright. It helped me a lot with my cat who was great before I got married but then I found out he didn't like men.....

And by the way, it's OK to put an animal down when they cannot be socialized. Of course that's not her first choice, but it's ok.

 

[etoiles]

He definitely knows how to use the litter box. The problem is he's too scared to come out of hiding to use it. Like your cat, we think he doesn't trust anyone.

I never thought that it might be a problem with his health. I'll have to pass along that advice.

Would it be possible to put a litter box in one of his hiding locations so he could use it secretly? Or keep him in a room with the door closed and a litter box in a hidden away corner until he gets more used to things?

 

[Kimberle]

Fixing the cat will help his tempermate.

She should isolate him unless supervised. We have a new kitty. We have her set up in a bathroom w/ her litterbox, food, water, bed, toys, etc. We bring her out when supervised to make sure she knows our home, our other cat, etc. She will let us "know" when she's ready for free-run of our home.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't know much about cats, but sending some pixie dust.

 

[MichelleVW]

I have 4 cats/3 dogs (all in the house) and I've dealt with a lot of issues in the socializing area but I would have that cat put down. It doesn't sound as if the cat has a very good quality of life if it lives in fear and is aggressive. Your sister has been trying for a year, I think that's long enough.

It's not like it's been a few weeks, if she's had this cat since last summer and his behavior is getting worse and not better, I really believe that putting the animal down is in his best interest.

 

[JustMickey]

Would it be possible to put a litter box in one of his hiding locations so he could use it secretly? Or keep him in a room with the door closed and a litter box in a hidden away corner until he gets more used to things?

Sigh. This is the problem, my sister has fallen upon hard times, and had to move back into my mom's house. She's living with our mom and step-dad, our 3 brothers and my brother's preggo girlfriend in a 4 BR, 2 Bath house. Not to mention 4 other cats. We know that this is most likely the reason he's so tense all the time, but can't really figure out what to do. I would totally take him in but I'm renting right now and already have my maximum of cats.

So anyway, there isn't really a place where she can isolate him very well. I know this is the problem, but sadly can't really do anything about it.

 

[jackemail]

I had a cat who began to behave like that, after several years of being a sweetie. The vet checked him...nothing physically wrong. We tried and tried to change his behavior, but he attacked and almost killed my other cat. Even then, we kept trying--until he started to attack my mother. No choice but to put him down....I still feel guilty about it, but sure couldn't try to find a new home for him with that behavior.

 

[Disney Doll]

Sounds like there have been a lot of changes in this young cat's life, no wonder he's scared and hissing.

Before I put him down, I'd probably have the vet check him out for any phsical ailments. It could be something that could be easily fixed. And speaking of fixed, she should od that too.