Herding Cats at Home - March 2005

A: What you're seeing sounds like predatory/play aggression. Your tabby craves stimulation and hunting activity, and I suspect he might not be getting enough exercise, physical stimulation and "mock-hunting." You didn't say if he's an indoors-only animal (I HOPE he is, as he is declawed), but many indoor cats get bored and aggressive in this way because they don't get enough "hunt, pounce and mock-kill" activity. Start a daily program of vigorous interactive play. It's not enough to just have cat toys available - to be really effective, a human must conduct the play sessions and fully participate.

The cat may avoid attacking your husband because your husband his signaled to the cat in some definitive way that ambushes and attacks are not acceptable to him. However, because of your daughters' mixed reactions (sometimes fear, sometimes play) he feels that the whole thing is a game with them. Their reactions become, to him, part of the game. This can be quite dangerous, as cat bites are much more likely than dog bites to become infected. Any cat bite that breaks the skin calls for a doctor visit for the victim.

The girls may also have played with him too roughly when he was a kitten. Many owners, especially kids, think that hand-wrestling and biting kittens are "cute" -- but this teaches the kitten that peoples' body parts are "fair game." They grow up doing that same "kittenish" activity -- but now it hurts the owner -- and the cat is not sure what he's doing wrong! After all, it was OK before...

One of the best ways to dissuade your cat from bad habits is to simply leave the room and ignore him for several minutes whenever he attacks, bites, ambushes, or does any other unacceptable behavior. That is, stop the "game" in its tracks. ANY reaction by the target, negative or positive, just reinforces the behavior.

Try inventing a "keyword phrase," and say it in a particular tone of voice whenever he bites or attacks. Around here, we say "No choppers!" Cats are extremely attuned to tones of voice. Even if they can't understand the actual words, they WILL get to know that when you say the keyword phrase it means the fun will be over if they don't mind their manners.

If you see him in his "stalk and hunt" or "about to bite" mode (you can often tell by his body language and the look in his eyes), be ready to distract him by tossing a small toy or treat across the room. Then, quietly leave the area for awhile. (I always keep a few treats and little fake fur mice in my pocket.)

You all need to show your cat, consistently, that his behavior is unacceptable, and channel his predatory urges and energy into more acceptable directions. Think "distraction" and "redirection." Daily interactive play sessions will help channel you cat's predatory urges into play rather than ambushes and biting. Try for a couple of vigorous interactive "chase the feather birdie" playtimes each day. (10-15 minutes each is fine.) This is a great activity for your daughters to bond with the cat in an atmosphere of fun instead of fear. It allows them to play while keeping their distance. I find that our kitty playtime is a great stress-reliever. Get your cat really running around, leaping, pouncing, and occasionally making a good solid "kill."

If your tabby is your only cat, he might also be lonesome for some feline companionship. If you think this might be the case, and are willing to adopt, I suggest a pair of kittens, of opposite genders, littermates if possible, and at least 12 weeks old. Kittens can help distract and entertain a cat, keeping him calmer and happier. If adoption of more cats isn't in the cards for you, interactive, mock-hunting play, every day, is even more important. Above all, be consistent.

My latest book, "Outwitting Cats" (The Lyons Press, 2004), has a lot more information about feline aggression, and how to prevent and stop it, as well as tips on successfully adding kittens and cats to your family.

A: What your cat is exhibiting is a mysterious phenomenon called FHS, for "Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome." Little is know about the causes of this phenomena, and it's not clear whether it's psychological or physical in origin. Some researchers feel it's similar in some ways to obsessive-compulsive disorder, or to seizure disorders (such as epilepsy), or a response to painful or irritating spinal lesions. But no one's really sure. It seems to be more common in Siamese and similar cats.

The "skin rolling" is often triggered by stroking the cat's back near the tail. But it can occur spontaneously, too. Some signs of FHS (other than the skin-rolling) are: a tail-twitch; biting or fussing with the tail or tail tip; sudden mood swings; staring into space; sudden "frenzied" or "psycho-kitty" behavior; nervousness; dilated pupils; chasing tail; dashing around madly for no apparent reason; and unprovoked yowling. Sometimes, the cat bites at her tail so furiously she injures it. In extreme cases, tails have had to be amputated because of the damage inflicted by the cat.

Your first step is a trip to the veterinarian for a complete checkup, because these symptoms can also occur in conjunction with other diseases. So rule out other medical causes first. Your vet should do a full blood panel, including thyroid hormone level tests.

FHS seems to be worsened by stress. Anything you can do to lower your cat's stress level would be helpful. Try using a "Comfort Zone with Feliway" plug-in diffuser in the room(s) where she spends most of her time. Make sure she gets plenty of vigorous exercise to help distract her and keep her toned, healthy, and psychologically fit. Enhance her environment with plenty of stimulation and challenge, like climbing trees and high perches, toys, and lots of attention.

If the twitching and rolling get worse, or if she starts to bite at her tail or pull out her fur, take her to the veterinarian right away for consultation before the problem gets worse, or the behavior becomes a habit. Your veterinarian may suggest a calming or serotonin-enhancing medication to help keep the problem under control, or some other type of pharmaceutical approach. Some veterinarians and nutritionists also recommend various supplements or dietary changes to help manage the problem, though none of these has been really proven to be totally effective.

In the meantime, to avoid bringing on bouts of the syndrome, avoid touching her on the back near her tail, and keep her stress level as low as possible.