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Behavior change

post #1 of 7
4/12/10 at 10:47pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all!

I have a (somewhat amusing) story to share with you and hopefully get some insight into the behavior of my mother's cat.

When I moved from my college town to my new home, I left my cat Peanut at my mother's house in the guest room. Her cat, Piglet, had been very friendly toward me before then- but she absolutely freaked out! I had dared to bring another cat into HER home!! There was a rather funny scene when I was trying to leave of her laying on my shoes and hissing/spitting, and we had to squirt her to get her to abandon my sneakers.

The strange part is, this cat is very aggressive toward me even still- it's been several years. I assume this is because I smell like Peanut... but is there anything I can do to reduce the aggression? There was one evening where I was sitting on the couch chatting with my parents, and she hopped up on the couch casual as could be, stretched out behind me, and then smacked me upside the head as hard as she could! She hits hard for a little kitty!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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post #2 of 7
4/13/10 at 8:50am
Just out of curiosity, is Piglet declawed?
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post #3 of 7
4/13/10 at 10:16am
Have you tried tossing real yummy treats towards her while otherwise ignoring her? You can also get a nice interactive toy that keeps some distance between you and kitty (a toy that has a long stick with a toy attached to a long string). Does catnip mellow her out?
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post #4 of 7
4/13/10 at 6:25pm
Thread Starter 
Piglet is declawed, yes. =(

I've given her treats at my mom's insistence, but I haven't tried it while just sitting and ignoring her. She'll let me brush her - she adores being brushed - but if she stops wallowing long enough to realize who's got the brush in hand, she spits and hisses. The toy is a good idea! I know they've got one, I should use it next time I'm over.

I don't think she reacts to catnip- my mom gave me the rest of hers for Peanut. He loves it.
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post #5 of 7
4/14/10 at 7:32am
I asked because my grandmother's cat Snowball did the same thing to me. I always attributed it to declawing. I think he knew he couldn't protect himself and overcompensated. (Declawed cats hit and bite much harder than those with claws.) He seemed to direct his malevolence at the most animal friendly people, maybe because we smelled like other animals. I never did win him over but once I got my cat Friday, Snowball actually mellowed out a lot. Friday was a kitten and would pounce him constantly. I guess for Snowball it was mellow out or die. Anyway, I found that the more I left him alone the happier he was. I hope that won't be the case for you and Piglet.
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post #6 of 7
4/14/10 at 7:35am
Get some feliway spray and spray it on your hands when you go to your mother's. I'm not sure if it will stain clothes.
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post #7 of 7
4/14/10 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 
She does hit pretty hard. I was surprised! For now we just sort of cordially ignore each other, but she growls at me if I get too close. Mom's always trying to get me to pet her, but I'd rather not get bit, thank you!

Feliway... that's another thing I never would have thought of! I'll try it during the summer months when I'm not wearing long sleeves and see how she reacts. Thank you!! That's great advice!
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