Please help me :( - Page 2

Good luck with the surgery! I think will be fine to leave him alone after (but I'm not an expert). I also think that if money is really tight, neutering is the priority and not getting him a carrier that probably won't be used again for another year. I think a sturdy box with holes cut in it would be fine. He will also be less anxious if he can see out, so the more holes the better. If you put some padding in the bottom of the box so he's not sliding all around, he'll feel more secure as well.

I know drjei completely means well, but I think that the posts were a little overboard. I know the repercussions of the last bite were really bad, but this is a cat who's only bitten four times in five years. I don't think that we can assume just from that that he has an aggression problem. From Thalia's fiancee's post it also sounds like at least one of the times was intended playfully. The second time may have been intended playfully as well: the way your arm was moving may have suddenly looked alluringly like prey, so he pounced, without intending to hurt you.

I do agree with the socialization stuff. My first cat, in my childhood, was adopted as a tiny kitten and grew up without other cats to socialize with. He never learned proper bite inhibition as a result, so when we played with him we had to be careful that he directed his attention to toys, and not our hands or feet. In the spirit of the moment he could bite very hard. It wasn't aggression, it was just that he hadn't learned the proper bite strength from playing with his litter-mates as a kitten. He meant it playfully. The best response is to say "OW!" or something else very loudly and then completely withdraw attention, possibly leaving the room if necessary. This teaches that biting too hard means he will lose his playmate.

I don't think the other examples that drjei used were totally relevant. From the descriptions, it seems like this cat is nowhere near the point that those cats were, and euthanasia shouldn't even be on the table yet.

Anyway, good luck! I really hope being neutered turns things around! I've seen what a big difference it can make.

Call the vet clinic--a lot of them have carriers you can borrow. If not, a good sturdy box might work, just make sure there's NO way he can get out. Or 2 laundry baskets tied together. If the dog crate is small enough to carry around, you could use that. Except be careful if it's a wire crate--I've had cats get out of the wire on the bottom before.

Neutering is a fairly simple procedure. He shouldn't need anybody home with him or any special care. Depending on the anesthetic used and what time you bring him home, he may be dopey. If so, leave him in the box/carrier or in a small room where he can sleep it off and not hurt himself banging into things. I'm sure the vet will give you a post-op care sheet (ask for it if not offered), but with neuters all you really need to watch for is possible infection (but it's rare).

From your description I would guess that his behavior is probably hormonal. There's a young tomcat I know who will jump on my leg and bite every time he sees me. Classic mating behavior. So hopefully he'll stop after all those hormones go out.

He sounds like a great cat! Most tomcat spray urine everywhere they can, or do that leg thing I mentioned above ^^. He must be especially chill to have been an indoor tomcat for so long.

Begemot, I agree with you...having more clarification from Thalia's fiancee, it does seem that the majority of these bites were "provoked" (meaning explainable) in some way. The lack of socialization does likely provide a good explanation for him possibly extending the bite beyond more than a typical "testing" or "play" bite. Neutering is definitely the best place to start (as I stated in my original post).
Thalia, I know at my veterinary hospital we have numerous carriers that we will lend to someone to enable them to bring in their kitty safely and effectively. The problem with many of the home-made carriers is that they don't tend to stay escape-proof, even if they start out that way.
Can't remember which poster mentioned it, but the bite to the arm at night definitely could be a breeding behavior....if so, hopefully it is hormonally driven and not learned.
Best of luck!

Bah. I don't agree at all with the people who are saying to get rid of him at all! 5 is young. 2 years is officially an adult, and some cats can live upwards of 15 years (from what I understand). So I'd say he's young. And there's plenty of time for his behavior to change! But it sounds like he needs to de-stress, which I think you can do by just spending time with him. Maybe leave him with something to interest him while you're gone? Like one of those mice mazes or something, that would keep his interest.

All of my cats go for a bite first if they are stressed out, which is why I'm thinking this is stress. They don't want to give a warning, they're upset.

If he's never had shots, you should take him to the vet and do those. Definitely. Some other poster(s) mentioned he might be ill, if he's exhibiting aggressive behavior. Definitely get that checked out.