Cat Behaviour Problems: Your cat's behaviour

Aggression, Biting, Growling:

Question: My male cat has recently been neutered and, as a result, has become more aggressive.

He has taken a dislike to my partner and tried to attack him when he picked him up. To combat this, my partner now feeds the cats which has helped slightly, but is still incredibly nervous around him. What can we do about this?

Answer: I’m not sure why this has happened as neutering does not usually result in this kind of problem. A follow-up visit to the vet may be in order to check that nothing is physically wrong after the operation. If all is well, it may be that your boyfriend picked him up awkwardly while he was still a bit sore from the operation and your cat has not forgotten it.

If this is the case, ask your boyfriend to stop picking the cat up for a while. Let the cat come to him rather than him approaching the cat. Get him to have tasty treats ready to feed the cat when he approaches, and try to get him playing with the cat for short times as often as possible. In this way, your cat should begin to trust him again soon.

Ask your boyfriend to stroke him slowly and gently at first and then, gradually start lifting him slowly, supporting him well and turning his body round so that his feet can rest against him. Eventually, your cat should get back the trust he once has and all should be well.

You may like to read What is my Cat Thinking? for more information on understanding cats & people

Question: My cat, Harry is very lovable and friendly indoors but always starts fighting with other cats when I let him out. He is constantly returning home battered and bleeding. How can I stop him fighting with other cats or will I have to resort to keeping him indoors all the time?

Answer: I presume he is neutered? If not, neutering will help considerably as it will reduce his desire to fight with other cats to claim the territory for himself. Apart from that, it is difficult to know what to suggest as he is out of your control as soon as he steps out of the door.

It may help to let him out at certain times. Dawn and dusk are times when cats actively hunt and this is often when ‘bullies’ try to see off others from their territory.

Try keeping him in during those times, letting him out during the middle of the day and getting him back in for a feed in the middle of the afternoon. This may help to stop the conflict with others and perhaps, in time, help him to settle into the surrounding cat society in a more peaceful way.

You may like to read What is my Cat Thinking? for more information on understanding aggression.

Question: Help! My cat is just becoming too much for me, and I don't know what to do. He was found on the streets as a small kitten and is likely to be at least semi-feral. He can very occasionally be affectionate, but more often enjoys 'attacking' people. He sometimes quite literally launches himself at people, scratching and biting, although I have to say the bites are more like sucks!

If I remove him from a situation, like scratching my bed divan, he will scratch and bite me when I pick him up, then attacking my ankles when my back is turned.

I am now keeping him in, since whenever he has gone out, he has got into trouble, either by sitting in the middle of main roads, falling asleep on other people's beds or being aggressive to neighbour's animals. I want Salem to have a happy life but I just don't know what to do for the best.

Answer: It sounds as though you may need more help that I am able to offer here. Ask your veterinary surgeon to refer you to a pet behaviourist or look up the The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors.

A likely explanation for some of Salem’s behaviour is that he is misdirecting his predatory behaviour onto humans and other animals. Any time he gets excited or sees something moving, he is enjoying chasing, pouncing, and biting.

If this is the case, one of the best ways of tackling it is to attempt to redirect this behaviour onto games with toys. Wand-type toys will allow you to interact with him without getting bitten.

Persevere and encourage him to play often throughout the day to use up his energy, and you should begin to see a reduction in the number of times he ambushes you. Keeping him inside could be counter-productive as you reduce his chances to interact with things in the environment that will use up energy and make him better behaved at home.

When you pick him up when scratching furniture, he could be scratching and biting in a defensive way if he was really semi-feral as a kitten.

This is likely to be a different problem and you will need to gradually get him used to being picked up and held. Ensure he has indoor scratching posts on which to sharpen his claws.

Question: We found Henry, a stray male kitten, a week ago. The vet thinks he is about 4 months-old. I already have two 18 month-old female cats who are sisters. We had to have Henry neutered after two days as he was going for the females: biting their necks and pinning them down.

Having him neutered has not really helped the situation; he won't leave my female cats alone - even when they hiss or roll around screaming at him. I cannot tell whether he is playing or not, but it is beginning to really upset them.

Obviously I want to do everything I can to keep Henry, but my other two cats are my main priority. Other than this, Henry is a lovely cat, with a gentle nature. Is there anything I can do? At the moment I have resorted to shutting him in my bedroom away from the other two cats.

Answer: It sounds as thought Henry has not learned many social graces in his four months of life. Unfortunately for your two females, they don’t know how to deal with his advances either. I think it is unlikely that these are sexual advances – which is why neutering had no effect – but I suspect that they are clumsy attempts at play.

Single, hand-reared kittens often behave like this as they have no siblings or mother to tell them when enough is enough and teach them the consequences of their actions while they are still young enough to subdue easily.

I would suggest that you encourage him to play with toys. Choose the wand type with which you can use up lots of his energy. Keep it moving and play with him for 3 lots of 10 minute sessions.

Then, while he is still tired, let him in with the others. Allow them to tell him off when he gets too much or intervene yourself, pushing him off them and distracting him with a game with a toy. Return him to his room and repeat as often as you can.

After a while, you should find that he becomes better behaved with them and learns to play more gently. If you continue to have difficulty with him, you may like to consider professional help before you take the drastic step of rehoming him. Contact the The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors

Question: My cat has terrible mood swings. One minute she's happy the next she goes black-eyed and jumps at me, biting my arm or leg and scratching it. I've tried spraying her with water but I don't always have the water spray on me so this is not always possible. Any advice?

Answer: Usually, this type of aggression is a result of the cat directing it’s hunting/play behaviour at its human owner instead of onto prey or toys. Any punishment usually doesn’t work as, at best, it confuses the cat and, at worst, makes it more aggressive by making it fearful. The answer lies in giving your cat an outlet for her energies.

If she doesn’t go outside, consider whether she should do so as this will give her interest and stimulation far exceeding anything you can give her. If this is not possible, it will be necessary to give her a more stimulating environment indoors and to play more satisfying games with her.

Think of your house from your cat’s point of view.

They like to climb, jump, attack small moving things, hunt for food, go in and out of things etc. Toys that allow her to use up her hunting energies, such as those with a prey-like object on the end of a elastic string attached to a wand are ideal.

Play little and often throughout the day, particularly at times when she is likely to be most aggressive to you, and you should see a marked reduction in her problem behaviour.

You may like to read What is my Cat Thinking? for more information on understanding aggression.

Question: Oscar likes my home better than his owners, he lives here now, but he has become very spiteful to his ginger son who insists on visiting and feeding, they fight at every opportunity and scratch and bite drawing blood most times. Ive read behavior patterns, but nothing helps them or me. advice please

Answer: First, check with the original owners that they are happy for you to take on one or both of these cats. It is not fair to lure away other people’s cats without their consent. If, however, they are happy to let you have them, check that both are neutered.

Entire males are very intolerant of each other and will fiercely guard their own territory. If they are both neutered and still do not get on, you will have to accept that they may never do so.

If cats have got to the stage where they are injuring each other, you need to ensure that they do not come into contact with each other as they acquire their daily requirement such as food, companionship with you, places to sleep etc.

Sometimes it is necessary to find another home for one of them, or, in your case, you could stop feeding the son and let him go back to his original owners, providing, of course, that they are able to give him a suitable home.

Question: Last September, I got our cat from a rescue centre. She is a beautiful cat but not very friendly. She only comes into the house when she is hungry and will nip me if I try to stroke her for too long. Can you offer me any advice to remedy this situation?

Answer: Some cats just don’t need people in the way we would like them to need us. They are quite self-contained and often see us as just a good source of food.

This can be upsetting to owners who need a bit more from their pet, but it may help to know that some cats are just like this and there is little you can do.

Having said that, to be sure that your cat is independent and not just shy, feed her little and often to encourage as much contact as possible. Don’t stroke her for too long, but play with her with toys instead.

If she comes into the house, reward her with something tasty and try not to touch her too much. In this way, you may find that, although you don’t get the cuddly cat that you want, she does stay with you more often.

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