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Mean cat

post #1 of 3
7/1/10 at 10:37pm
Thread Starter 
My mom just took in a cat (and a dog) from a lady who went into an assisted living facility. The cat is a spayed tortoiseshell, about 18 months old. She's mean! I'm sure she's just scared but she'll actually lunge at people and scratch them. I live with 5 indoor ferals, so I'm no stranger to wild cats, but they just run from people, they don't attack. I don't really have much experience with mean cats; although Silka was a biter when she was younger, she never lunged at anybody. You actually had to touch her before she'd bite.

Any tips on handling an aggressive cat? The original plan was to re-home her, but that ain't going to happen if she's like this. Then my mom said she'd have to go live on a farm, but she's been a housecat her entire life so I don't think she'd last long. So worst case scenario, she'd come live with me and the pack o' wild cats, but I'd also prefer not to be attacked in my own home. And she may not adjust to living with 17 other cats, since the last time she saw another cat was when she left the litter at 6 weeks (which may be part of the problem). She is good with dogs.

Help!
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post #2 of 3
7/2/10 at 4:12am
Frankly, I would give her a wide berth. She is probably all stressed out from the move and loosing her familiar human.

I would not push it. Just let the cat do its thing. As it starts to acclimate a bit more, slowly try a bit of interaction. It's better to go super slow with this cat than risk getting bit and then all bets are off. Don't approach her, let her approach you.

I would treat her like a feral because IMO that is how she is acting. She is scared and that is how a frightened animal reacts.

Tell mom to just live and let live. Talk to the kitty in a soft voice. Toss a few treats her way now and then. It may take a while for her to settle down. I wouldn't call the cat mean. I would call her frightened. Time and patience hopefully will win her over.

You are right, she probably wouldn't last on a farm. That IMO would be a death sentence for her. Don't give up. It could take a few months or longer before she becomes a trusting animal.
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post #3 of 3
7/2/10 at 11:53am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by farleyv View Post
I would treat her like a feral because IMO that is how she is acting. She is scared and that is how a frightened animal reacts.
Like I said, I live with 5 ferals indoors. 2 are semi-tame, 3 are totally wild. But I can walk within 5 feet of them and they won't attack. They'll either scrunch down and pretend I can't see them or run the other way. This one will actually attack if you're within attacking distance. We are giving her a VERY wide berth, LOL. She has a bedroom to herself for now. And my parents are on vacation right now so there's nobody around to make noise, except for 3 times a day when someone comes to feed the old cats. They maybe go into her room once a day to make sure she has enough food left, and to scoop her litter.

Her last owner said she was mean, except at night when she slept with her. I think such a young cat will eventually come around, but hopefully nobody loses an eye before then. She's badly undersocialized, scared to death, and isn't used to predictable people (her last owner is mentally ill and very unstable, which is why she was put in the facility).

My mom doesn't care if the cat ever becomes a lap cat. Her cats just do what they like and nobody pushes attention on them. Just as long as the cat doesn't attack people! If she gets over that she can probably stay with my parents.
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