one VERY grumpy Kitty

We have a 3 year old barn cat who is not spayed(due to lack of funds) who is demonstrating some very disturbing actions when company comes over.

usually if there is only one person she is all right, but when a group comes over it's like something snaps in poor little Izzy's head and she goes ballistic. she will become very aggravated and growl at passers by in the hallway and stay in the room where the said company is hanging out.
Also she will approach company like she wants attention then turns around and swats and bites if they reach out to pet her.
ALSO she will randomly attack feet, hands, heads, of our guest even when unprovoked.

i really don't understand what her problem is and why she is so angry... it's not like she's being abused or pestered.

Again, tonight while she was sitting on her Papa's chest, happy as can be, Papa had to get and stretch out his legs and she became very upset with the movement, growling and even snapping at his nose. He held her to try to calm her down and she did not resist being held still, however she continued growling.

any ideas? I'm very stumped and upset to see out baby so upset all the time =(

Is she indoor or indoor/outdoor? Understanding the lack of funds situation, having her spayed is what would calm her and stop the extreme aggressive behavior. The Hormonal effects are more severe with some kitties then others, causing extreme aggressive behavior sometimes, neurotic behavior, physical sensitivity, basically they go through 10-100 times what we experience with PMS. Some more intense then others. Also spaying/neutering decreases chances of some cancers and other ailments. There are Mobile animal care for qualified people becoming more available across the nation.
http://www.idealist.org/if/idealist/...et-id=81982-89
Hopefully this link can help you.....

I don't know your area, but there are also spay and neuter coupons that you can get (from SpayUSA I think) sent to you for participating vets.

That may calm her some... but it's unlikely to completely stop her behavior. It sounds like she's just not comfortable with that many people or with strangers period.
I have a cat who's very sweet to family members he knows and trusts, but will growl and hiss at anyone else -and will growl if he hears or sees anything odd outside, he's a guard kitty.

I agree with the other posters.

she definitely needs to get spayed... some humane societies will even do it for as little as $30 depending on your area.

But I also agree that it's not likely to completely curb that behavior.

My 3yo tabby Bea is a very grumpy kitty too, though not to the degree of yours.
But she will growl and swat, etc.

We just ignore Bea when she's being mean. Cats are like people in that regard. Some are just crabby. Maybe you should just keep her in a separate room when you have company over. It sounds like it stresses her out.

I might try a feliway diffuser as well or try rubbing a little rescue remedy on her ears before company comes over. You can get a blister pack of the RR for about $3 at Longs.

good luck.

She's not only reacting to people invading her territory (and there's nothing more territorial than a female cat!), but the turbulence of hormones and maybe influence of the moon :-). Please help her out with the surgery - you'll be saving in the long run as if you don't do it, apart from 'female' troubles she'll likely have to deal with in future, and/or cancers, you'll very likely end up at the vet anyhow, trying to treat her battle wounds from being outdoors not only in the path of traffic, but of other animals who will also want to defend their 'homes'.

Saya - your avatar is hysterical!!

Originally Posted by obe

We have a 3 year old barn cat who is not spayed(due to lack of funds) who is demonstrating some very disturbing actions when company comes over.

usually if there is only one person she is all right, but when a group comes over it's like something snaps in poor little Izzy's head and she goes ballistic. she will become very aggravated and growl at passers by in the hallway and stay in the room where the said company is hanging out.
Also she will approach company like she wants attention then turns around and swats and bites if they reach out to pet her.
ALSO she will randomly attack feet, hands, heads, of our guest even when unprovoked.

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My neutered male isn't too keen on adult guests either (he's fine with kids of all ages, though, go figure). He's very unpredicatable--might be fine, he might hiss and/or growl right off, rub and then hiss when someone reaches to pet him, let them pet him but get ticked off if they touch his tummy, etc. If someone is only going to be here a short while--like a repairperson--I just put him away in a bedroom. If it's grandma whose going to be here longer, I hand her the package of treats which helps her make friends.

Of course it goes without saying, we never leave him unsupervised even for a moment with guests.

thanks everyone for responding.
I'm glad to see that it's not just our baby that has some stress issues with company.

Izzy is DEFINATELY an indoor cat... there's no way i would let her outside not being spayed.
we REALLY want to get her spayed, hopefully this summer we will have enough money to get her done. I hate seeing her suffer though her heats. =(

i will try to keep her separated from company next time and see how she reacts. I have a feeling she may be angry that i am keeping her from defending her territory, but i also don't want to upset our guests either.