Cat holding me hostage

7_angel

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My 10 month old male just got neutered 2 weeks ago. Ever since, he has been certified crazy.

I got him at 7 months old and he came with some tummy troubles. He's been doing fine for some time now though and I'm thrilled that he has improved. Before he went in for the ol' snip-snip, he was definitely showing signs that his health was doing better. He was less of a lap kitty and much more playful... however, that's when the ambush attacks and biting began.

I thought he would show some behavioral improvement after his fixing, but he has gotten worse... so much so that I'm kinda afraid of him sometimes. I'll be minding my own business, and suddenly I am ambushed by him! It was cute the first 500 times he did it, but now it is kinda scary! He has also made up his mind that biting is now the thing to do. He bites when I pet him, bites when being played with, etc. I try to discourage this, by saying "NO" and walking away from him. It works for the time being, but it always resumes shortly after.

Oh, he has also conveniently unlearned everything he has been taught. (This happened before his neutering). He now jumps on the counters, chews on rugs, furniture, etc. What happened to my little sweet kitty? I'm beginning to wonder if I somehow picked up the wrong cat when I picked him up from his surgery! Haha. I know there are animal abuse hotlines for animals that are abused... are there for human abuse hotlines for humans that are abused by their animals? Again, haha.

Another strange thing... when we have guests over, he is such a winning little cat. He introduces himself and proceeds to act like he is an angel. People comment on how well behaved he is and how affectionate he is towards them! I feel like he is cheating on me! Maybe he has some underlying anger or something against me and my husband.

All kidding aside, we do all we can for him and we're happy he's healthy... he gets lots of play time everyday, so I don't think that is the problem. Maybe I even give him too much attention?

My main concern is the biting... and I'm also wondering if this is a hormonal issue and he will eventually chill out with some time? If his behavioral issues keep up, I'm going to have to change his name to Krazy Kat.
 

siggav

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It sounds like he's going through his rebellious teens. Cats at that age can often unlearn things they've known and push at their boundaries, he should calm down with time.

However the biting is really not on and you are doing the right thing saying no and walking away or not giving him attention when he bites. Cats can be really stubborn and it takes hundreds of repetitions for them to learn not to do things sometimes. Keep up the good work though!

I don't think his behaviour is related to him being neutered, as in I doubt he got worse because of that, I think it's much more likely to just be his age.
 

laureen227

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also, it takes a few months for all of the testosterone to leave the system after neutering.
 

katiemae1277

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I'm thinking that Siggav is on to something, 7 months is really a wild age for most kitties, so he is probably just going thru what is akin to human's teen-age years
 

frogger

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You could try biting him back. I'm not sure if it works... but it might make you feel better.
 

robertm

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Would it be feasible for you to get him a feline friend? Maybe another male, around the same age?

In an ideal world, a playmate would give him an outlet for all of the energy that he has at this age. And along with some behavioral modification techniques that you and your husband might wish to employ, another cat might also help a little with the biting (if the other cat were to "teach" him that too much biting is not OK).
 

meowers

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If it makes you feel any better, I went to work everyday when my cat was a kitten just covered in scratches and bites and dried blood practically! she was just a sweetheart that had no idea how to play nice or when to stop. and, when company would come over shed be so quiet and sedate is was like another cat. she is a year older almost, and never ever hurts me now. i hope he grows out of it like mine
 

cc12

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Around that age my boys went nutty. Biting cords, tearing through the trash to get uneaten chicken, clawing litter so it spilled everywhere. They were little terrors for a few months and then they calmed down. Most of it was between them. I have never been bitten by one of my cats because they bite each other. A good swat to the head or a little beat down from a playmate helps curb those behaviors.
I also have done some behavior modification. When I whistle it means knock it off and they know it.
Every time he does that pick him up, say NO and put him in a another room and shut the door. With a litter box of course. Yes, time out can work with cats too.
 
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