Angry/Mean Cat

My cat, Foofy, tends to be a bit... Moody. We kid around and say she has constant PMS.

Whenever the other two cats are around, she hisses and may paw at them or will run away and hide on top of the refrigerator or the cabinets. Sometimes when my boyfriend is near her she gets angry and tonight he was petting her (she willing got in his lap) and suddenly without warning she bit him, but then continued to lay on him.

She will come and lay in your lap if she's in the mood, but after a while will give an angered "meow" and get down (or, as of lately, stay there and growl if you touch her as if you're her property).

Also, at times when she is really mad (or scared?) she will leave us a "gift" where she stands.

How can I correct this? Foofy is an unknown age (we guess 5+) and seems "set in her ways." She is frontal declawed, so she can't really scratch... But she really seems to think this is the way to act.

HELP.

Oh gosh, of course she's angry and scared and bites -- that often happens to kitties who've been declawed. What a shame. I don't know what to tell you.

Francine is kind of like that as well, only with out the "gifts".
She is also declawed (she came to us that way)

She usually growl and hisses at the other kitties, all they have to do is just look at her. But I think it's just a defensive reaction because she doesn't have claws.

And she does get overstimulated easily when she is petted. She'll be liking it for about 30 seconds and then grab and bite, but not very hard.

How long have you had Foffy?

WE've had Francine for about 3 yrs now, but she is better with that actually than when she first came to us.

If Foofy has had good vet check ups, it may just be a waiting game until she settles in.

A few years ago I had a friend that had a older cat (10-12) that was declawed as well. She would come and snuggle in your lap and act much the same your Foofy does, the moment you pet her she would bite. I figured out the problem the first time, the poor thing had arthritis and hated her back/hips touched.
No one else seemed to realize this till I explained it, not really sure how they didn't because she would walk like she was sore sometimes.

Aside from being defensive because of the declawing, could there be something causing an unpleasant sensation or pain? Does the cat bite if you just scratch her on the neck or only for full pettings?

She sounds like she is very anxious, poor thing. Kind of like post-traumatic stress disorder; only there isn't any trauma except the declawing (which I guess does count, if you think about it... cat's claws are their weapons). There are ways to calm cats down; vets can prescribe anti-anxiety stuff but there are herbal remedies which I think you should probably try first. I don't know anything about them firsthand but the people here can tell you which ones work and which ones are safe (herbal doesn't mean safe--after all, heroin is all natural!).

I wonder if you could interact with he without touching her, unless she touches you first... Sitting side by side, giving treats, dangling toys. And always giving her an "escape route" to get away by. Kind of the way you deal with a semiferal who's always anxious when you're around 'cause she doesn't quite trust humans... Only your cat seems to be anxious because she can't defend herself if something does threaten her.

The declawing theory is really just a theory though. Are there other causes of anxiety present in your cat's life? Anything very unpredictable or threatening (to a cat) can do it.

Sometimes declawed cats have behavior problems like you are experiencing. They know they don't have the defense they had before, and so are always "on guard" and kinda afraid - so they do the next best thing in hissing/growling and not wanting to be handled.

Did she already come declawed when you got her or did you declaw her? Either way, I doubt you can do too much other then keep her inside and let her initiate on her terms.

Some on here talk about the Feliway (I think that's what it is) that's a calming air freshener thing. I've never used it so can't really say much - others seem to have success with it.

Maybe it isn't because of the declaw. I had many declawed cats and they never had behavioral problems.
Maybe Foofy was abused before you got her. Was she always like this?
If not maybe she is sick.

Maybe she doesn't like the way you are petting her? My cat Alley was very funny about being petted. She loved her head and chin scratched and she would roll over on her back and loved her belly scratched, but she hated it if you would pet down her back towards her tail. Anytime you would pet to far, or pat her butt, she would nip at me, lol. It wasn't a mean thing in her, she was just saying "back off". Maybe your kitty just has certain areas that she doesn't like touched?

She came to me declawed, so I don't know how old she was when it happened. The vet said it may have happened at a really young age (too young) and that's why she grew up like this.

When she cuddles, sometimes she will snuggle in my lap and for the first little while I can pet her and rub her and scruff her up and basically do anything to her while she purrs away, but then after a while of just petting she starts to get growly and may bite.

Foofy has been like this since I got her (which I've had her less than a year and she's moved twice, from the original owner's to my dad's house and then again to my apartment). I've never had this with other declawed cats, but our other two aren't declawed (and I don't plan to get them declawed as they don't scratch us humans and it's not a problem, plus they run around and pick things up with their claws and I feel bad taking that away from them).

Foofy does growl at the other cats if they even look at her and sometimes it's when people look at her, too. She trusts me more than anyone (and, thankfully, is warming up much more to my boyfriend now, too), but she still has a lot of moments where she don't want me near here either.

I do think she is a little better than she used to be, but barely. My boyfriend sometimes gets frusterated (don't worry, I don't let him yell at her or anything--I have to remind him a cat's not like a dog, they're much more sensitive)... And I just want everyone to get along. Sadly, I've considered finding a friend or something that is willing to take Foofy and only her, but considering her "trust issues" and the fact she's been moved twice (and the fact I still love her), I can't really seem to follow through with that.

More info on that air freshener thing would be helpful. ^__^'

You might read this thread about declawing. http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41954

There are some links in it that describe behavior problems that can result from declawing and there may be something in there that describes how your kitty is acting. I hope you will keep your plans NOT to get your others declawed. It really is horrid, and there is a reason it is illegal in most eurpoean countries.

Thanks for the link!

The other two will keep their claws, no worries. 8)

Another thing that may help is Flower Essences. I've tried feliway myself and it really didn't help me...but a combination of Bach's flower essences did the trick. See if you can find a vet that also practices holistic remedies. You may never know but it just might help!

My almost 16 year old cat has been like that her entire life, and I've had her since kittenhood. She has all her claws. I have decided that she is like that because she was removed from her mom too early--around 6 weeks. She was a shelter kitten and was brought in with her mom and littermates. I think the lack of proper socialization due to the early weaning is the culprit in our case as she's had nothing but TLC at our home. We're used to it now, have long ago given up trying to change her, and love her just the same.

Cally

Is she a tortie? My Trout is the same way..very tempermental. She will bite and hiss for no apparent reason..Its just her personality.

My wife's cat is a bit like that.. We sorta think something must have gone wrong when she was neutered.. She hates to have her belly touched..

Foofy is Foofy, I realize that. My boyfriend is the one that gets frusterated with her sometimes, so it's more for his sake than my own.

Foofy is no specific breed.

Originally Posted by Raleigh'sParent

She hates to have her belly touched..

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A lot of cats do. It's a very normal behavior.

Originally Posted by MsKtty89

Foofy is Foofy, I realize that.

Click to expand...

Originally Posted by MsKtty89

Foofy is Foofy, I realize that. My boyfriend is the one that gets frusterated with her sometimes, so it's more for his sake than my own.

Foofy is no specific breed.

Click to expand...

Tortie isn't a breed, it is a colouring. Like my Trout in my siggy...does Foofy look like that?

Maybe she is just sensitive and is trying to tell you that she doesn't want you to pet her anymore. Most cats will give you signals before biting. The growling is a good one. Maybe she does that cause you missed her non-verbals. Cats will put their ears back and start to wave their tales baclk and forth when they are getting irritated. Watch closely for these signs when you pet her and you may save your fingers. My cat does this too and I had to learn his signs. There are sites about orientating your cat to longer pet sessions. Also I read that if your cat starts to bite at you or growl, put them down and then when they are calm they can come back in your lap. She might also just be afraid of your other cats and growls at them so they will leave her alone but as we all know that just makes them more curious. Hope that this helped a little. She sounds really stressed out in your house, maybe provide her a sanctuary that she can go to when she feels afraid and respect her wishes to do that. Good Luck.