Re-directed aggression?

Well, my cat Smokey and I have happily lived with each other for over a half year now without any big incidents, until today.

For the last day or so, Smokey would occasionally jump up to the window, and start pacing back and forth yowling at something outside. Yesterday I mostly ignored it, occasionally trying to talk with him to calm him down from the other side of the room.

This morning he was at it again, pacing at the window sill yowling at something outside and I started to get concerned, so I approached, he immediately looked and started yowling at me. Thinking maybe I should get him down from there and maybe pet him on the couch, (here's where the more knowledgable of you folks will probably mutter "doh!" and smack your foreheads) I picked him up in his highly agitated state.

He...went...freaking... BALLISTIC. I mean full-blown attack-kill mode in my arms, scratching, clawing, and we arent talking about let's pretend play fighting either, he was seeking to do as much damage as possible as quickly as possible to get me to drop him. I obviously let him go quickly, but he was so fast with teeth and claws flying that he really ripped my hand up pretty good. If you just saw a picture of my hand, you'd think the rest of me was probably a horribly tragic victim of violence from a grisly CSI TV show. Heck, it took a few minutes to stop the bleeding with little red spots all over my floors, a lot of those bite and claw wounds went deep.

Well, I was very confused and angry, nothing like this happened before. I yelled at the cat, threw small objects at him (nothing that would hurt, but I was mad and wanted him to know this was unacceptable). I started planning to withdraw food and make him aware that he was in trouble when I thought "you know, now I'm acting like he's a person or a dog, I'd better figure out what the hell happened before I make a huge mistake on how to deal with this."

So, thats how I learned and read up about redirected aggression. From what I've read, I did everything wrong and he apparently wasnt being mean, and it wasnt really all his fault. He must have seen another cat or something outside that he didnt like, got very territorial, frustrated that he couldnt go outside to deal with it, and when I grabbed him, his brain was probably still telling him to "ATTACK NOW!", and I got hit with his redirected aggression. I may have compounded the problem by making him a little afraid of me now, but luckily it was only once that I lashed out, and only an hour ago.

If theres another cat out there, my ability to deal with it is probably limited because I live in a big apartment complex, not a home. The way the window ledges are built, its also not going to be possible for me to physically keep him away from the window without doing something really radical like locking him in a room or gating off certain areas which I'd really prefer not to do.

Any advice?

My hand really hurts, but I think its pretty much my fault. My plan for now is just to chalk up my mangled hand as tuition paid in full to the school of hard knocks, dont stay mad with the cat because he wont understand why I'm upset, try to see whats bothering him outside, and if he is at the window again, just leave him be till he gets over it.

Welcome back to TCS! Sorry 'bout the reason you returned to the site.... but at least you know what happened now.

Unfortunately, with redirected aggression, there isn't a lot to do except avoid it in the future now that you know the warning signs. Living in a big apartment complex, as you said, you probably can't do anything about whatever it is outside that's upsetting your cat. The only other option is to prevent your cat from being at the window - and that's not really an option.

First of all, if some of those bite wounds are deep, make sure you clean them REALLY well. Keep a a very close eye on how you feel - you may need to see a Doc to get some antibiotics. Cat bites can be bad (their teeth aren't the most sterile place in the world).

The only suggestions I have are these.

1) Now that you know what to look for, don't get too close to your cat when he's agitated about something outside.

2) If you've got some wand toys with long strings, when he's freaking about whatever it is outside, try to redirect his aggression to the toy. If he responds, give him a good, hard, long play session to distract him from the window and work off that stress and excitement.

3) Consider purchasing some Feliway spray and spray it liberally around the window areas. It may help. If you can afford it, it's worth the try. (It is a synthetic hormone that mimics the "friendly" markers in cats cheeks and helps promote calm).

The most important thing you've already learned - avoid the cat when he's bothered by something you can't do anything about. Don't punish him for it - which I know you already know now. Try to calm him and work off the aggression with play, not love - and play with something that doesn't cause you to get too close to him. If that doesn't work - then, as you suggest, just leave him be.

But while there is something outside agitating him, I would consider an extra 10 - 15 minute play session at least every evening - a good work out with a wand toy or laser toy. It'll help him work off the stress of being in a situation where he can't get at what's bothering him.

Hope this helps - and thanks for using the resouces available here!

Laurie

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas. His favorite toy is easily my laser pen, and we play "chase the dot" a few times a week. That should do the trick next time.

I had the same thought about treating my hand, I washed it out pretty good with antibacterial soap. Now I'm just hoping it heals up just a little bit so that I dont get weird looks and questions at work Monday!

I can just imagine it now. "Wow, what happened to you?" "My kitty-cat beat me up!" Nah, that wont work. Now that I think about it, I was riding my bike for exercise, and had a bad mishap on a gravel road. Hmmm, its January in Iowa? Well, if ya dont believe me, thats just tough. Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Quick update: looks like he's back to normal already. I had to leave to restock at the grocery store, and when I came back he was ready for me at the door, yelling. (When he tagged me this morning, I was so mad at him that I took his food bowl which I just filled, and dumped it into the trash)

This probably just took place in my crazy mind, but I believe the conversation we just had from his end went like this:

"Hey! There you are, you lazy human. Did you know that you forgot to fill my bowl this morning? Now go feed me right now!"

"Wha... this morning? Well, what about this morning?"

"Awww... come on now, you arent going to hold that against me are ya, that... that was like HOURS ago!"

"Your hand still hurts?!? Oh, boo-hoo, what do you want from me you big baby, now walk with me into the kitchen and fetch me my food!"

I think he can still wait a few more hours, he probably eats too much anyway.

Of course he forgives you for getting mad - you've forgiven him for hurting you!

....and you got any snow there? Perhaps it was a sledding accident?

Laurie

I'm so sorry you have to learn the hard way, but I was laughing over your internal monologues, I think you have it right.

The thing to remember is that there's no malice involved; it's no different from someone grabbing you during a scary movie; these practical jokers have often regretted such!

We often can't do much about the outside world, but remember the redirection works both ways. Try to get his mind off of it with toys, and make a point of looking out the window and making an elaborate show of it not meaning anything. This will help diffuse his frustration; if we act like it's no big deal, so will they.

This was illustrated by the New Year's Eve fireworks recently. We are quite near the launching point, and all the booms and whistles are upsetting to my bunch. The humans in the house make a point of acting and saying, "It's no big deal." This year, Puffy just sat on a chair, blinking occasionally, and Mr. Bond came out into the living room, where the noise is loudest, to show us how brave he was. We praised him elaborately. After a few minutes, he made a show of walking slowly... and hiding in the closet. After all, he no longer had anything to prove.

But this shows that even the most upsetting external stimuli can be toned down, and the cat desensitized to it.

Originally Posted by Northjayhawk

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas. His favorite toy is easily my laser pen, and we play "chase the dot" a few times a week. That should do the trick next time.

I had the same thought about treating my hand, I washed it out pretty good with antibacterial soap. Now I'm just hoping it heals up just a little bit so that I dont get weird looks and questions at work Monday!

I can just imagine it now. "Wow, what happened to you?" "My kitty-cat beat me up!" Nah, that wont work. Now that I think about it, I was riding my bike for exercise, and had a bad mishap on a gravel road. Hmmm, its January in Iowa? Well, if ya dont believe me, thats just tough. Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Click to expand...

I had to explain why I fell out of a shopping cart onto a gravel parking lot when I was in my early twenties so I feel your pain.

Glad you and kitty have worked out your problems.