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help my cat keeps attacking me

post #1 of 5
12/28/10 at 12:35pm
Thread Starter 
hello everybody
I never intened to have a cat although I love cats sooo soo much

but 4 years ago a stray left her baby in our backyard and i took her (and fell in love with her) now i can't imagine my life without her

anyway she keeps attacking me (esp during the night) and NOT in a playful way
more in a whiny way
she attacks suddenly,she comes running and claw my lgs and i walk away she run after me clawing me (for a 1-2mins only) then she stops and purrs

she does this when I'm cleaning her litter box
putting food in her plate
or organizing her bed or ever opening my own bag (her attacks are random)
first she used to attack me when i trick her (she hides when it is time for her meds) so i pretend to open the front door (she is not allowed to be out) and she comes running and i close the door then she attacks me
also when i hug her and she had enough she will jump away and come to me to scratch me before walking away

she is an only pet i want to have another kitty but not now
she have asthma and when she sees a stray she gets upset and have an asthma attack

I leave for college from 7am and come home 2pm (somtimes 5pm!! )
I try to give her alot of attention when I'm back
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post #2 of 5
12/28/10 at 3:45pm
How old was she when her mother abandoned her? Kittens that are separated from their mothers at a very young age (younger than 8 weeks) do not receive the practical mom discipline that "normal" cats receive.

One of my cats was orphaned at 10 days old and if any cat in my household doesn't understand manners, its Muddy. He chases me around screaming at me and will try to trip me unless I give him the attention that he demands. If he did it in a way that caused me harm, I would pick him up with a firm NO and give him a 5 minute time out in the bathroom. Hissing at them (sharp intake of breath) when they are doing something inappropriate can do wonders also.

You are his mom, and you need to teach him what is inappropriate and appropriate. Reward him when he does good things, as positive reinforcement often works much better than hissing and time outs. But never reward him when he acts out inappropriately.
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post #3 of 5
12/28/10 at 6:42pm
Thread Starter 
she was not too young
maybe 2 months but i used to see her try and drink milk and her mother won't let her

she used to cry alot outside

yesterday she attacked me and walked into her plate and broke it (i have huge cuts on my feet)
so that's why I'm so frustrated with this and i want her to stop doing this
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post #4 of 5
12/28/10 at 7:07pm
IMO cats just like dogs and children need discipline, and I believe in both positive and negative reinforcement in combination. Always reward good behavior and punish bad behavior, and just be very consistent and painfully obvious in cause and effect and only immediately when the action deserves reward or punishment.

If a cat knocks a glass off a table, and you don't notice until 5mins+ later, there is zero point in reprimanding.

Clawing or biting should be easy though, I give a sharp "OW!" make a "TSSS!" sound that they know means I'm unhappy, and lock kitty in his or her timeout room (what was originally their safe room, has a litterbox). Desirable behavior gets soft "baby talk" which they seem to love, their favorite butt-rubs, and greenie treats and the like. Works for these two.
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post #5 of 5
12/28/10 at 8:04pm
You can try to hiss at your cat with a sharp inward breath, or you could try scruffing as a punishment. Scruffing is natural, because that's how a mother disciplines kittens. Just grab some neck skin right behind the ears, and push your cat down on it's side with that hand. I've had good luck with scruffing (I have only had to do it a couple times before my adult shelter cat got the clue to not claw me too hard or bite me). Hissing would be a good place to start, since that's an easily recognizable sound to cats that tells them to stop what they're doing.
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