My cat attacks visitors - please help!

My hubby & I got our cat when he was 8 weeks old and he is now 5 years old. Most of the time, he is the perfect kitteh.

He is a very loving cat to both of us.

The story changes when ANYONE comes over to visit. He will attack absolutely anyone who comes over, even regular visitors. The attacks are completely unprovoked. He will leash out at them from behind the couch, he will block the doorways and hiss so no one can walk through, he will bite & scratch if someone dares to get close to him. When visitors are over, even my husband and I can’t touch him. As soon as visitors leave, our loving kitteh is back to normal.

This was always a problem, but since we moved into a new house 3 months ago (which he loves, btw) it got much worse.

I think he is trying to protect the house, but this behaviour problem is extremely concerning to me, especially when we have small children visiting who get attacked out of nowhere.

What can we do? 

I don't know why this is happening, but the obvious solution is to confine/isolate him when anyone else is in the house. It could be a separate room or a largish cage/crate.
 

You have a guard cat!  But it could also mean that he is scared of people. 

I too would confine him whenever there is a visitor in the house. 

I would also research and consult cat behaviorists to help him feel more comfortable towards strangers (at least ignore them).

He is a guard cat indeed! We sometimes refer to him as the original German Shepherd.  

I once knew a cat like that and it was no laughing matter. She was seriously scary. She was infamous for chasing a couple of large security men out of the house! She wasn't even a large cat either. Lucy (after Lucifer, at least her owners had a sense of humour) just did not tolerate strangers at all.
Is your cat OK with your family then, or just the members who live with him? I can understand your concern about guests, particularly little ones, so I second Yayi's suggestion about confining him when they're over.

did you ever find a solution to this problem? I have a cat the exact same way. I have two small children now so i have been keeping the cat in the garage because i am scared she will attack my kids but i really want to bring her back inside but i don't want her to attack one of my kids and have them scared of cats.

bbmommy20112013 said:

did you ever find a solution to this problem? I have a cat the exact same way. I have two small children now so i have been keeping the cat in the garage because i am scared she will attack my kids but i really want to bring her back inside but i don't want her to attack one of my kids and have them scared of cats.

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Welcome to TCS! 

I don't believe the OP has been on in a few months so they may not see this.  Fee free to start a new thread of your own and describe what is going on with your cat.  Hopefully we can help you too! 

Thanks! I actually started taking my daughter with me to feed them and they have warmed right up to her. the territorial one purrs and loves on her. I am shocked she warmed up so quickly but I am extremely happy about it. she must be able to sense that she is family.