Behaviour advice for Kizzy please

booktigger

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I will find the link to Kizzy's background in a mo. I thought she had calmed down enough to be considered rehomable, but we have had an awful day so far - she had me up 4 times between 5.30 and 6.00, the first time chasing Molly, the other 3 spitting at the bathroom door (she has a real dislike of Oscar even though she rarely sees him) - she does this at least once a week, fortunately it is most common at weekends. I do have someone possibly interested in him, but i am on standby for an elderly blind and deaf cat, hopefully she wont take as much dislike to ther. The last 3 cats in teh bathroom have all been under the age of 6 months, and this is the first time she has reacted this strongly.

During the day, she has alternated between nasty and nice - she drew blood this morning cos I tried to tidy up, I was only picking up a piece of paper, I wasn't that close to her. Then she had a period of rolling over and wanting fuss, but I could only get a couple of strokes before she went again. While I was doing OScars tray, she was on the stairs and I was two steps away from her, but she was going ballistic, hissing and spitting at me, so I decided not to walk downstairs (she has no hesitation in going for your feet or legs). My sis came, she ran up to her, had a fuss, and then swiped at her. I got her to play for a bit to see if that would help, she loves to play with jingly balls. After I got back from my errands, she is still the same, she will be rubbing up against you, rolling over to show her belly, but try and respond to her, and she is likely to go - she has drawn blood again since I Got back, although not as much as this morning.

I Really dont know if I am going to be able to risk rehoming her, as it seems she will just attack people she hasn't met before for seemingly no reason (she did the same with my brother, let him stroke her, then went for him), but she can't stay here longterm due to her dislike of other cats. i think I will have to put her back on RR, and I have some lavender oil I could use, but I do think she needs more than that, I just dont know what, but I might try and contact the behaviourist at my vet this week.
 

skimble

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Wow, I read about Kizzy's background. How wonderful you are to give her a chance at life. You have probably read this before. The last part seems much like Kizzy? http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=20837

I know she has been checked by vet, but I wonder about her 10 years with the one owner. Could she have been kicked or injured by them and left with some kind of neurological damage? Even if no injury took place any living creature could be left traumatized from being isolated like that. How horrible!

You are doing an awesome job with her. I am sorry I have no advice to offer. The behaviorist sounds like the right thing to do. Bless you for doing everything you can for her after she had such a bad life. I will never understand why humans treat other living creatures badly. Good luck to you.
 
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booktigger

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Thanks for that, I hadn't seen it before. She has been wonderful since I posted, not come upstairs to spit at the door, been having fusses, and I have even had a belly tickle, plus headbuts - this is the odd part with her, she loves to be fussed. I suspect part of it is overstimulation, but the tail bit doesn't work with her, if you go off her tail, you would avoid her all the time, but she can be headbutting you while her tail is going like crazy!! She is just a very mixed up girl, and I dont know if I am going to be able to rehome her, but dont know what to do if I can't due to her dislike of other cats - she can be trusted loose in the house though, she does rarely come upstairs, and there is never any sign she has come up to annoy the girls, although she does sometimes when I am home and sat iwth the cats, she does annoy Phoebe when I am sat in with her, so part of it is jealousy.

i have been told off the neighbour (dont think this is on her thread), that she wasn't an aggressive cat before he left her in a house alone pregnant with no litter tray and only one meal a day, poor thing. She did have some anxiety issues when she first came, for the first few days you couldnt do anything without her being at the side of you, but she rarely sits with me now, she is happy to sit across the room and just look at you, and if you try and sit next to her, she moves!!

i am going to get the vet to clip her claws for me this week, so if she goes for me again, she shouldnt do as much damage - I can't do it myself, I manage 2 before she is annoyed enough to attack, luckily she doesn't have a lot of teeth, her main damage is done by her claws. Might have to invest in Feliway too, although Rescue Remedy does seem to do some good.
 
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