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Old October 9th, 2010, 09:09 AM
Zorro21 Zorro21 is offline
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Location: montreal, quebec
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Angry Cat out of control

My boyfriend and I found a cat in July. It was abandoned and no one claimed it. It had been left on the street for at least a month. I brought him to the vet and the vet estimated he was about one year old and he was not fixed. In fact, one of his testicles had not descended. I got him fixed and fixed the testicle issues.
The cat lives with my boyfriend because I cannot take in anymore cats at my place (I have three cats; one of who is quite old).
Long story short, the cat is very badly behaved. He jumps literally into the fridge whenever we open it. He jumps on us as we eat. No matter what we do he will not leave us alone. We have tried to tell him no, we have tried to spray him with a squirt gun, we bought a SCCAT (but can't very well put in the frige nor on the kitchen table when we are eating).
To make matters worse, he bites. He's never broken our skin. However, he'll attempt to bite us whenever we pick him up. He'll jump up on us and be affectionate and will suddenly just wrap his paws on our arms and then bite. I've again tried to discipline him and we are getting better at seeing when he will bite (tail wagging, ears back) but I'm tired of his biting. Whenever I pick him up he does seem very anxious and his heart is beating very quickly. He chews the carpet, he chews the lamp shades and he'll chew anything (plastic tupperware). He is completely obsessed with food and will run into the pantry whenever we open it so that he can jump on the shelf and completely destroy the food bag.
I love cats. I've owned several cats and never have I had to deal with such a multitude of issues. I frankly don't know what else to do.
He is left in the apartment for long hours when my boyfriend goes to work. The apartment is 5 1/2 room apartment so he doesn't have that much space to run around.
I'm at the point where I think I need to try and get him adopted from someone else. However, I live in Montreal which a city that is filled with abandoned cats and most of the non-kill shelters are filled.
Any advice? Do you think he would be better placed in home with more cats? or a bigger house?
ANY help would be greatly appreciated.
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  #2  
Old October 9th, 2010, 09:31 AM
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marko marko is offline
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Hi Zorro,

Others will have more experience than I in this matter but have you tried or considered rescue remedy or feliway? Both products have helped some members on this board.

http://www.feliway.com/gb/Stress-and...gns/Aggression

good luck!
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  #3  
Old October 9th, 2010, 10:58 AM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Hi.

Cats just like humans have different energy levels and need to burn it off. Your kitty sounds like a bundle of energy and you are right, your senior kitty would probably not appreciate having so much energy around. Especially one that may not have been taught to be "polite" by his mom.

Does he have large cat stand that he can climb? Sometimes just taking a few minutes to throw a toy up on a stand that he needs to climb a few times can use up some of that pent up energy. Or just walking around the apartment with a string that he can chase does wonders.

As for dinner time, one jump up on a lap or the table should mean instant lock up in a room until you are done eating. No exceptions, no anger. He will get the message, jumping up on laps while eating means being locked up. Just pick him up and place him in a room. Consistency is the key.

What type of toys does he have? Does he have any larger, soft (perhaps knitted stuffed ones) that have catnip in them and are large enough for him to take in his front paws and "bunny kick" with his back ones? One that he can bite at the same time? That also releases a lot of energy in cats.

As for biting you, that is a huge no-no in this house for all my foster kittens. Normally kittens are taught by their momma and siblings that this is not acceptable, but in the absence of other cats to teach him, you are it . When he bites, stop all play and a firm "No", show him a toy that he can bite and play with him with the toy. Once again, no exceptions.

The tail wagging and ears back means he is excited. That's when he needs a stuffy that you can direct towards him so can attack it to release energy.

I am pretty sure this energy is not forever, he is just a teen now .

Another male kitty about a year old may help burn some of that energy, but you know best your situation.
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Old October 9th, 2010, 11:12 AM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Love4himies has some great suggestions. If you can track down some interactive toys like this Turbo Track, your kitty will have more outlets for expending some energy, even when you're not around. I'll just add that if you can be patient and persistent, this too shall pass. I'm dealing with all of these behaviours and more in a couple of kittens, and while it can be frustrating at times, the joy they give more than makes up for it.

Just a quick comment about diet and how it can relate to behaviour. Sounds like you're feeding your cat dry food. Because kibble is so high in carbohydrates that cats (being obligate carnivores) don't need, some cats react to this sort of diet like children eating a lot of sugary processed foods do (and kibble = sugary processed food): with hyperactivity and brattiness. I urge you to switch to a quality wet food like Wellness, Nature's Variety, Innova Evo, Precise, etc. Get rid of the kibble completely. More info on why that's essential to feline health: www.catinfo.org
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Old October 9th, 2010, 12:08 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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I meant to add, no anger, no hitting. You are just teaching him that violence and rough play is OK .

Good luck!

And that change of food that sugarcatmom suggested pertains to all your kitties. If they are not on a quality canned, you will be amazed at the difference in their health if you do change them
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Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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