Hi there. This is my first post.
I have a 1 and 1/2 year old cat. She is Feline Leukemia positive, but right now seems to be thriving. I raised her and have been at home with her since she was 8 weeks.
My problem is that she wants constant playtime with me or my husband. We love her dearly and do the best we can, but if she is ignored she goes into a rage and attacks. We have done our best at trying to re-direct and if that doesn't work we squirt her with water and send her to "time out". Time out seems to work best as it removes all stimulation. If I yell at her or say "No!" in a loud voice, she will just attack me harder. Also if we just squirt her she will run up behind me and bite the back of my arm and try to run away.
She's very intelligent and in the morning she will cuddle and be very sweet.
She is not short on toys. She has a large pink play and sleep area with lots of toys. She also has two free standing toys and a box she likes to play in. The problem is that she doesn't seem to know how to play by herself. Actually, the problem is the ferocious biting when she is frustrated or ignored.
She also plays fetch and I toss mousies for her to bring back to me (She does it!) Sometimes that works, but eventually she won't bring the toy mice back and she just sits and stares at me and meows. From there is is just a countdown to an attack. Frustration? Boredom? I don't know.
I understand that sometimes FELV+ cats have few siblings as the disease can cause the mother to lose her kittens. I am wondering if my cat may be poorly socialized?
I am pregnant and the nurse recently expressed worry at all of my bite bruises and scratches. She said she would be concerned bringing a child into the house with a cat with such violent tendencies. Honestly, I didn't appreciate her comments, but I see the truth in them.
We love our cat in spite of her tantrums, but I would like to find a way to diffuse her rages. That would be the only way to describe her attacks that leave us with bloody bites and scratches after no provocation.
Has anyone else had this sort of problem? Please help.
I have a 1 and 1/2 year old cat. She is Feline Leukemia positive, but right now seems to be thriving. I raised her and have been at home with her since she was 8 weeks.
My problem is that she wants constant playtime with me or my husband. We love her dearly and do the best we can, but if she is ignored she goes into a rage and attacks. We have done our best at trying to re-direct and if that doesn't work we squirt her with water and send her to "time out". Time out seems to work best as it removes all stimulation. If I yell at her or say "No!" in a loud voice, she will just attack me harder. Also if we just squirt her she will run up behind me and bite the back of my arm and try to run away.
She's very intelligent and in the morning she will cuddle and be very sweet.
She is not short on toys. She has a large pink play and sleep area with lots of toys. She also has two free standing toys and a box she likes to play in. The problem is that she doesn't seem to know how to play by herself. Actually, the problem is the ferocious biting when she is frustrated or ignored.
She also plays fetch and I toss mousies for her to bring back to me (She does it!) Sometimes that works, but eventually she won't bring the toy mice back and she just sits and stares at me and meows. From there is is just a countdown to an attack. Frustration? Boredom? I don't know.
I understand that sometimes FELV+ cats have few siblings as the disease can cause the mother to lose her kittens. I am wondering if my cat may be poorly socialized?
I am pregnant and the nurse recently expressed worry at all of my bite bruises and scratches. She said she would be concerned bringing a child into the house with a cat with such violent tendencies. Honestly, I didn't appreciate her comments, but I see the truth in them.
We love our cat in spite of her tantrums, but I would like to find a way to diffuse her rages. That would be the only way to describe her attacks that leave us with bloody bites and scratches after no provocation.
Has anyone else had this sort of problem? Please help.
