My cat is acting aggressive

Hi,
Maybe someone here could help me out. My cat Logan is a six month old male domestic shorthair. He's always been very friendly towards me and sleeps in my room, although he does sometimes play a little roughly. I got him neutered during the week but he has recovered fine since then. He loves climbing around my room but I don't allow him on my locker and tonight when he tried climbing up I picked him up and put him on the floor again, then as I went to get ready for bed he suddenly attacked my feet and then jumped up on the bed and attacked my arms. When I pushed him away he kept coming back so I picked him up and put him in the sitting room and he started hissing at me. I let him out again about an hour later and he seemed to have calmed down and was purring and rubbing off my legs again but then when I picked him up to give him a cuddle he started making a weird noise kind of like a low hiss but his mouth was closed and he tensed up so I have had to lock him in a different room in case he attacks me again. Can anyone tell me why he might be behaving like this? Or how I might stop it?

Thanks.

I think you waited too long to have him neutered; he should have been done at 4 mos. I think his testosterone had started to kick in, making him feel more aggressive. With whole dominant males this type of behavior of attacking owner, particularly if they feel thwarted in wanting to do something, is not all that uncommon. It will take another month before the testosterone is out of his system. So I would be very careful not to antagonize him, let him come to you on his terms, and don't pick him up for a while. You could also ask your vet for some medication for a month that will calm him down and take the edge off him. Any punishment will not work. You say he sometimes "plays a little roughly". I'm wondering if he was taken away from his littermates too soon? Kittens learn to play nicely and inhibit their bites by rough wrestling and play fighting with their littermates from ages 6-11 wks. If they miss out on that period that would account for his rough play. Also it could be genetics, perhaps he is dominant by nature. Sometimes, color has something to do with it....red/orange tabbies can often be more dominant, feisty. Does any of that fit? Hope you'll give us an update.

Well he's half brown tabby, half white so I don't know if that colouring would affect his aggressivness. However he might have been taken away from his littermates too soon, I got him when he was 9 weeks old but his brothers and sisters had already been gone for two weeks. Hopefully though it's just the testosterone in his system. Thanks for the help.

Hi,
Maybe someone here could help me out. My cat Logan is a six month old male domestic shorthair. He's always been very friendly towards me and sleeps in my room, although he does sometimes play a little roughly. I got him neutered during the week but he has recovered fine since then. He loves climbing around my room but I don't allow him on my locker and tonight when he tried climbing up I picked him up and put him on the floor again, then as I went to get ready for bed he suddenly attacked my feet and then jumped up on the bed and attacked my arms. When I pushed him away he kept coming back so I picked him up and put him in the sitting room and he started hissing at me. I let him out again about an hour later and he seemed to have calmed down and was purring and rubbing off my legs again but then when I picked him up to give him a cuddle he started making a weird noise kind of like a low hiss but his mouth was closed and he tensed up so I have had to lock him in a different room in case he attacks me again. Can anyone tell me why he might be behaving like this? Or how I might stop it?

Thanks.

Does he have a large enough stuffie toy that he can grab with his front paws and do a "bunny kick" with his back paws to burn some energy? Are you 100% consistent with your playing methods with him, as in NO rough play, period? Your cat is a baby still and will be until 18 months, he needs stimulation and to burn some energy, however he needs to know the rules of play. Like catlover stated, if he was taken away from his litter mates too soon, then he didn't get proper socialization skills.

If you don't have some stuffies, I would gets some from the pet store. When he gets active, redirect his attention to the stuffie and let him play wild with that. Putting a bit of catnip on the stuffie makes it real enticing for a kitty. As catlover stated, no punishment, that serves no purpose. What you can do, is a firm NO when your cat attacks your arm and redirect play to a stuffie. Your kitty will learn what is acceptable and what isn't.

Of course, another fix is a second kitty the same age :D

Redirection with another toy as suggested by L4H is good. Another type of toy that's good is a teaser toy, as your hands aren't involved.

http://www.catteasersandmore.com/teasers/under3/

http://www.go-cat.com/ "Da Bird" is a favourite with a lot of cats.

If you're creative you could make your own version.

Let us know how things work out.

He has a few stuffed toys and a lot of other toys to play with including one of the feather teasers (it's his favourite toy) but for some reason he seems to prefer my arm most of the time. Thanks for the tips on how to get him to stop, I'll definitly try them out.

I have been thinking of getting him a little friend because the local veterinary clinic has two abandoned kittens up for adoption but they're only 12 weeks old and I'd be afraid he might hurt them.

Sounds to me like he is just playing aggressively. That is a normal part of kitty socialization. If he had a playmate that is what they would be doing. I love L4's advice of getting a stuffed animal so he can take his aggression out on it. Or, better yet, her other suggestion of a playmate for him. As long as introductions are done properly if you decide to get another kitty they can play with each other and leave your arms and feet alone. A lot of kitty's play is just plain boredom. They need lots of toys, windows to watch out of, and attention from you if you are their only means of playing with another living thing.
Here's a video on bunny kicking. See if it's what your guy is doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vPh8Qh91EE
catlover2 - In a perfect world maybe all vets would s/n at 4 months. But a lot of them are still opting for 6 months before doing the surgeries. The vets I use for that refuse before six months. Before that they say it is microscopic surgery. In some cases the males' testicles haven't even dropped until the fifth month. None of the kitties I've had done have been any the worse for waiting that long. JME

Yeah the bunny kicking is what he does usually when he's just playing but last night's attck was quite different, however he seems just fine this morning and is his friendly self again. I just hope it doesn't happen again.

I think I will adopt one of the kittens in the shelter if they're still there, would a male or female companion be better for him?

my cats were all neutered at 6 months,my then vet,would not do it any earlier and they were all fine.
could it be possible he's hurting somewhere?
14+i got stuck watching all those videos..lol

At this point, I don't think it matters what sex you get. Your male would just love to have a playmate. I find that some cats in play will seem to be serious when they attack, but it really is play. Perhaps you can arrange with the vet to be able to return the kitten if you find your resident cat becomes too rough :shrug:. 14+ kitties has a real good website for introducing kitties, hopefully she will come back and post it :pray:.

OMG, you should see Japer and Sweet Pea play, the hissing that goes on (well really Sweet Pea does the hissing at Jasper :rolleyes:, until he backs off, then she goes in for the attack :evil:). Hissing is not necessarily aggression, it can also be fear, or, a request to be left alone.

Male or female catfriend?....that eternal question! I think it really depends on the personality of the kitten. To me your guy sounds quite dominant, so 2 dominant males may result in rough play escalating to fights. I currently have a male and female. Female is slightly older and more dominant, and male kowtows to her most of the time, but when he grew bigger and stronger then he tried to dominate her. Things have never really gotten out of hand and they've never had a real cat fight. Most of the time they play chase games and they're cuddle buddies and groom each other, but every once in a while my boy tries to topple the queen from her throne. If the female is tortie or calico, they can be pretty bossy and usually end up being the alpha cat. Maybe try "flip on back test" on the kittens. Turn upside down and see which one wiggles and doesn't like it or one that accepts that position for a little while. Wiggler will most likely be the dominant one of the two. I would go with a more dominant female, than a dominant male. A kitty 14+ weeks old should be able to deal with Logan---12 wks. might be a bit young. Good luck!

14+ kitties has a real good website for introducing kitties, hopefully she will come back and post it :pray:.

Ok, ok, I'm back with the website. :D
http://www.squidoo.com/multi-cat-management
This is a site I wish I had read at the start of my journey. The woman has dealt with a number of kitties and knows what she talks about. Trial and error teaches you a lot. Unfortunately most times to the detriment of the cats.

Thanks for considering another kitty. You are an :angel:. Are you considering one or both of the kitties? :D There are so many homeless kitties in the world. :(
At this point with your kitty being 6 months and the ones at the vets being 3 months there really isn't a great deal of age difference between them. A 3 month old kitty can set an older one straight pretty quickly if they get too rough. I currently have one that is around 4 months and has been with older, much bigger ones since he was brought to me at about 5 weeks old. He puts them in their place on a regular basis if they get too rough. They do the same with him. Most times we find him snuggled up sound asleep with one or more of the older ones.
Male/female does not really enter into it a huge amount either in my estimation..... as long as they are all s/n and younger than a year that is. I have had lots of kittens introduced to others and find the first day or two is the worse. Lots of hisses, swats and general posturing. After that they accept there is a new one around and most times there are no issues.

my cats were all neutered at 6 months,my then vet,would not do it any earlier and they were all fine.
could it be possible he's hurting somewhere?
14+i got stuck watching all those videos..lol

When I brought him home from the vets I noticed there was some tissue protruding from the wound so I brought him back and they took care of it so he shouldn't be in any pain.

Thanks 14+ for the website, I'll only be taking one of the kittens and my cousin is going to take the other because she's wanted a kitty since I got Logan.