Alpha Cat Aggression towards ME

My male cat is 13 months now. He was a stray abandoned at around 5 wks. As a kitten, he was extremely shy and docile, but as he got older, he became more and more aggressive. At first, it was to my older cat (who was here first), and then it was to any other animal he saw.

He is afraid to go outside during the day, and he'll only go outside for about three hours each evening after dark (he's such a big baby that he'll hide if anyone comes to the door and knocks). But for all his shyness with others, he's most aggressive towards those he lives with.

About two weeks ago, he was trying to dart past me and through the door in order to get to a cat he saw outside through the window (it was dusk dark). When I gently pushed him back with my foot and shut the door...well, there's really no other word for it, he got severely p*ssed off and attacked my leg. He bit my calve to the blood and clawed a layer of top skin off about two inches long. It was like have Dracula seized into my leg. Without thinking, I slapped him hard (to get him off since he seemed to be making himself permanently attached). Once he let go, he flopped himself down hard on the floor and began loudly thumping his tail down. That's one of his little temper signs.

Then tonight, he was literally hanging himself in my blinds. I bodily moved him away from the window (after failing to make him stop by saying a firm NO), he returned immediately and began hanging on them again. When I went to move him again, he jumped at my legs very aggressively. I caught him, and he latched onto my hand with his mouth. Yelling "NO" didn't distract him one little bit, and I'm now the proud owner of two bite wounds.

I have no idea why this sudden aggression towards me. He hasn't jumped on anyone else--though he does try to hurt my other cat at times. But I'm his owner and his primary caregiver. I feel like he's using aggression to 'put me in my place'--which he apparently feels it under his authority.

He is neutered, and it didn't help his aggressive tendencies at all.

Does anyone have an idea how I can re-establish myself as the alpha in my feline family?

That is what is called redirected aggression. He was aiming for the other cat in his territory and you stuck your leg out. Please dont ever hit a cat, they do not respond in a positive way to hitting at all. He is not trying to become alpha over you, he was tryng to defend his territory.

He is not attacking you, he wants the cats outside. Invest in several comfort zone room diffusers and start them in the house. Spray the window sills of your home with Feliway Spray and when you see him focused on something, leave him be or you will get attacked. Chances are good you have a cat or two spraying outside your home and that is setting him up. Getting a black light will help you find the cat pee, once you find it you need to clean it up. Please don't hit your cat- not a good idea and can cause actual aggression against you if you keep it up. Yelling isn't a good idea either. Hiss at him instead, and have some patience with him. He is motivated by what he smells and what you cannot.

Close your windows and pull down your window shades until the stray cats are gone and their spraying has been neutralized, or it will be a continued trigger for the redirected aggression. And when he gets aroused, put him in a room by himself for a couple hours to settle down before you interact with him again. Good advice in the above two posts.

Given that he is so aggressive and upset through the window at other (very likely male) cats, along with his shyness and his fear of going outside during the day, you might want to think about not having him outside at all.

If there are other toms around and he is a mostly indoors cat, he could get the stuffing kicked out of him. He may feel threatened by the kitties out there and if you let him outside he will want to make that his territory- except he is not there all the time and the other cats are there all the time.

By making the indoors his territory and not the outdoors, you are giving him something he can make sense of and structure that is safe for him.

This is up to you of course and you probably have to weigh other variables, but this is food for thought.

Definitely on the redirected aggression, if he sees other toms and begins to go crazy, you might want to have a toy ready that he can attack, and you can shut the blinds if they are not already shut. I agree you will get shredded if you are in the area when he is mentally in the mode of attacking another tom through the glass.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by BarbB

Given that he is so aggressive and upset through the window at other (very likely male) cats, along with his shyness and his fear of going outside during the day, you might want to think about not having him outside at all.

If there are other toms around and he is a mostly indoors cat, he could get the stuffing kicked out of him. He may feel threatened by the kitties out there and if you let him outside he will want to make that his territory- except he is not there all the time and the other cats are there all the time.

By making the indoors his territory and not the outdoors, you are giving him something he can make sense of and structure that is safe for him.

This is up to you of course and you probably have to weigh other variables, but this is food for thought.

Good luck!

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Excellent Advice!

I agree that it is redirected aggression. He is also 13 months old which puts him in the middle of those trying teen-age years. He's going to test you to his limit right now, as in part it is his age.

Is he neutered?????

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Is he neutered?????

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Thats what I was thinking, too, but at the end of his OP he says he was.

Oh I missed that.