Help w/ New Stray - Aggressive, 7-8yr old, Not Yet Neutered, Male

Try a shoe string or other string.  Place it half under an old towel and slowly pull it.  Most cats love playing string.  Just don't leave it out for him unsupervised in case he would try to eat it or tangle himself in it. 

As for the vertical space, you might need to show him that he is allowed to use them.  Entice him with a toy or treat.  Make sure he is watching and put some treats in different locations.  Then leave the room and check later to see if they are gone. 

I would keep him out of your closet for safety purposes. 

Went to the vet again today. I had covered his carrier with a blanket and when we were waiting for the vet, put it on the floor for him, and he dove under it and stayed there until the vet came in, so I left him some more blankets out on the floor and on my bed. Didn't know he liked to hide under blankets.

He was a sweetheart for the vet, as usual. Did a follow-up blood test. He's been having a bit of diarrhea, so they gave me some pills for that. (HA! Trying to get him to swallow a pill would be a nightmare. Luckily he eats enthusiastically enough that I think I can just put it in his food and he won't notice.)

We have an appointment for neutering on Wednesday, pending the blood test results. The vet seems confident that that will help his attitude problems. It seems likely a lot of it is stemming from the other cats, so hopefully he will start feeling less territorial after the neutering.

The vet does think it's likely that he is 7, judging by the size of his head/neck and the condition of his teeth. 

I got some more toys for him in the mail, so hopefully he'll like them. I also tried spraying a towel with Feliway and putting it under the door so he can't see the other cats all day / to help him feel more secure by the door? No idea if it will help, but we'll see. Also made him a Pandora station with classical/harp music and have put that on in my room.

Can't wait for Wednesday. All I want is to hopefully start seeing him be happier in the somewhat near future. 

Okay-so I did a lot of reading when I brought in strays/ferals.

Male cats unfixed are totally controlled by sex hormones.That is

all,they have to mate.Also,they can smell our hormones-armpits,etc.not to embarass you.

He is trying(suceeding) to dominate you,only you are not a cat,and he needs to be fixed

immediately,you could be hurt even worse.This is not a domestic kitten!!

You see???The helpful text I refer to cast off from the library called The Book of the Cat,had so much information,

My feral baby Punkin had low red cells,but she was never cared for by humans.It is treatable,common antibiotic,yeah right.

Male adults unknown are very difficult to deal with after living on the street.

But unneutered??Oh my dear.

Withdraw as much as you can-and get him fixed.Getting hurt isnt good for you or him.

I hope I havent offended anyone.

My resued male was neutered and extremely aggressive,but I kept my distance,this limited space is an issue.

Good news from the vet visit - plus you learned he likes blankets to hide under.  Good luck Wednesday.  You should see a change pretty quickly, although it will take a few weeks for the hormones to stop raging.   Thank you so much for helping this kitty.  you've been his angel, especially after he's been so unappreciative!

So glad all went well with the vet visit.  I hope all goes well on Wednesday and look forward to hearing about the changes ahead.

Last night I found out he had been using my closet as a second litter box! Oh man. The stench of unneutered cat pee. I found a towel soaked in it an almost fainted. I lured him into our bathroom with some food and kept him in there so I could deep clean my room/closet. The closet is definitely now closed at all times!

I got one of those Da Bird toys. He didn't growl at it, but he was pretty scared of it. He batted at it a couple of times (I wasn't moving it around very much.), and then he just went around the corner and wouldn't go near it. It makes me so sad that he doesn't seem to understand what a toy is.

He is such a good cuddler! He likes to sleep with his head on my chest. For a while last night he got under the blanket and slept stretched out on my stomach/chest. Now we just have to break him of the habit of biting my hands / generally being angry when it's time for me to get up in the morning.

He is already getting better about not hissing when I don't put his food down quickly enough. I think he's getting used to being fed in his food area. He only meowed instead of growling/hissing when I was walking over there. He even waited for me to put the food into the bowl this morning instead of trying to eat from the can and getting angry when I wanted him to wait. Also he seems to be eating his pills just fine. Good thing he's not a picky eater.

Baby steps. Should hear back from the vet today about the blood test and whether or not we can keep our Wednesday neutering appointment. *fingers crossed*

Oh dear.  Get some Nature's Miracle and soak, soak, soak it.  If you can't get Nature's Miracle, straight white vinegar will do in a pinch.  Wise to keep the closet closed off.

Luckily we have quite the stash of Nature's Miracle. My old cat with kidney issues would pee all over. The only thing I was really worried about was some running shoes, which are soaking, everything else I just threw away. I'm not too concerned about it. It was mostly old shoes and that towel. I will just keep him out of there. He has been using his litter box very well otherwise.

This morning he let me get out of bed without getting angry or biting me! I think he is starting to get that my getting up = food time, and not just the end of cuddling time!

As his routine gets established, he will be happier.  You are really a Godsend for this kitty!

Ondine said:

 
As his routine gets established, he will be happier.  You are really a Godsend for this kitty!

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I agree!   You are doing so well and soon he will be a different cat without all of those hormones!  Hope all goes well on Wednesday.

He's a very smart little guy! He's catching on (too) fast!

I felt bad last night because I had gotten a shoe rack for my closet, so I wanted him to go into the bathroom for a bit, because I knew he wouldn't be happy with me carrying this big thing into his room and trying to get it into the closet. I also needed to clean his box, which I've never tried to do with him in the room, I just have a feeling he wouldn't be into it. So I got some food to lure him into the bathroom, and he just kept looking at me very confused, and trying to lead me back to his food area in the room. So I gave up and fed him in my room, and then just got him to go into the bathroom by standing in there. He meowed the whole time, but I'm pretty sure it was less stressful for both of us than him being angry while I was trying to do things in my room.

I have no idea how I'm going to get him back into his carrier tomorrow. I barely got him in last time, he knew the food was a trick. I've never tried to force him in, so I hope I don't have to do that. I know I should start feeding him in the carrier to get him used to it, but it's a little late to start that for tomorrow, I think. (Although maybe not, since he seems to catch on to things very quickly.)

Also we had a friend over who had to go while he was in the living room, and I was a little afraid he'd try to get out, but instead he just ran straight back to my room. At least it seems like he's seeing that as his safe area now, and not somewhere I am trapping him.

He still seems scared of every toy we've tried to play with him with, except(!) he got super into the laser pointer! Yay!

Can't wait for tomorrow to be over, although I guess I don't know how cranky he's going to be after the procedure? I've only ever had female cats and they were all spayed as young as possible. Is it possible he's going to be confused/irritated/scared afterwards for a while? Or do they tend to bounce back quick?

(Also lots of thanks to everyone for the encouragement/advice so far!)

I will be thinking about you tomorrow.  Just keep calm.  Fresh salmon is a great idea.  Start early so you have lots of time.

I have taken 5 males cats to be neutered all over the age of 1.  I have used a low cost spay /neuter clinic as these boys were all ferals and had TNR done.  They were trapped in the morning, taken for the neuter and then I brought them back home late afternoon still in the trap.  They spent the night in the trap in my basement and were released the next morning.  When I picked them up they were still pretty tired from the sedation. Most of them ate a bit later that night and were fine by the next day.  I had one who was back to eat dinner that night.  Males heal very quickly.  It will just take a bit for the hormones to settle. 

Does he stay over night or do you bring him home that same day?  If you bring him home that day, he will be subdued that day, but should be fine something the next day. 

Hoping all goes well tomorrow.

Sigh. Well, he's not getting neutered today. The vet decided that even though his anemia had definitely improved that they were nervous about putting him under without knowing exactly what had caused it, so they decided to push it back.

This only frustrates me because I'm pretty sure he was just, you know, living on the street, and now isn't, and I'm sure he will be fine now that he's living inside and is eating decently, and I'm not convinced there is some sort of underlying cause beyond that, especially since he has markedly improved in just a week. But I understand them wanting to be cautious. They want to check him again on Saturday, so the earliest I can hope for now is Monday. 

Well, boo . Yeah, my guess for the causes of the anemia would be general run-down-ness, poor nutrition, and maybe flea infestation, if it resolved that quickly. Well, hopefully he gets the all-clear on Saturday!

Aw, nuts!  Well, vibes he's missing his come Monday! 

Hi,

Wishing you luck with this cat.  On July 6th I trapped a male stray that had been visiting my front porch since January.  I had him neutered at a non-profit vet service along with his shots.  I am still dealing with aggressive/assertive behavior and he is territorial in "his" room (my office). Sounds like your cat is ready to become a cuddle boy once he is neutered and the hormones go away.  Best to you. 

matilda1993 said:

 
Hi,

Wishing you luck with this cat.  On July 6th I trapped a male stray that had been visiting my front porch since January.  I had him neutered at a non-profit vet service along with his shots.  I am still dealing with aggressive/assertive behavior and he is territorial in "his" room (my office). Sounds like your cat is ready to become a cuddle boy once he is neutered and the hormones go away.  Best to you. 

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I certainly hope neutering will help him! Sorry you are also dealing with an aggressive boy.

My first rescue was feral,punkin.Boy did she have issues.

I did not know she was ill.But my male cat kept attacking her,both rescues.

She kept gaining weight,and was pregnant.

After spaying she slept a lot and that is when the male started having issues.

Maybe he couldnt smell girl anymore???

Anyway,she lasted 14 months.The vet that diagnosed her put a slide under

the microscope and sais she had parasites on her red blood cells.

That is hemebartonella or feline infectious anemia.The Book of the Cat

says it is treatable unless the cat also has feline leukemia.For my girl,fatal.

She was feral,never vetted,spayed,or treated for fleas.Poor miserable baby.

The sweetest,kindest girl who I still miss.I believe helping these animals is

worthwhile.It aint over yet,but you are getting there.

Neuter is officially scheduled for Monday!! Yay!!!

The vet is still concerned about the blood work but agreed with me that he certainly doesn't seem symptomatic in any way and that even if there does turn out to be some bigger issue, everything will almost certainly be easier to deal with if he is neutered, so it seems worth any risks there may be to go ahead with the surgery.

I can't wait for him to have less hormones! Hopefully it will help.